the gvec review the gvec review
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the gvec review the gvec review
October 10 local covers 9/15/10 11:43 AM Page 3 GVEC EDITION OCTOBER 2010 MARCHING BANDS NO TRICKS, JUST TREATS STILL RIDING the RAILS THE LEGENDARY SUNSET LIMITED SE 9 E1 AG EP GVE CR EVI EW PAGE 25 THE The Gonzales Storyteller PAGE 20 Local. Trusted. Serving You. PAGE 22 Fall Family Fun Guide PAGE 25 Kids: Wacky Pumpkin Decorating Ideas the vol. 36, no. 10 review October 2010 An Exciting Time of Year F all has officially started in the Guadalupe Valley and what a great time of year it is! I love this time as it ushers in the seasons to celebrate family, friends, and neighbors. It’s a great time to slow down, take a breath, and enjoy yourself at some of the many local events going on close to home. I encourage you to use our “Fall Family Fun” guide found on page 25 to begin your search. concrete is poured, concrete paving is on site, and, most notably, the main Operations office building will soon be ready for roofing, exterior rocking and interior finishout. Also taking shape is the Materials Warehouse and Technical Services/Transportation building which will house cooperative vehicles for Maintenance, Information Systems and Tech Services personnel. National Co-op Month We remain on track, through environmentally-friendly building processes, construction materials, and design, to receive Leadership in Environmental Energy Design (LEED) silver certification and are moving forward with plans to implement renewable features such as solar panels and wind power. Projected completion remains the first quarter of 2011. Cooperatives around the nation are celebrating our grass roots heritage during National Co-op Month in October. We share the opportunity to be a part of something special, a unique form of business founded and operated by and for the member-owners it serves. GVEC is your cooperative, and we encourage you to take full advantage of the resources and benefits available to you as a member. Western Operations Center in Motion As we move into the fourth quarter of 2010, construction on the Western Operations Center is in full swing. To date, approximately 40% of the total plan is complete. Structural It is an exciting time of the year, both for our communities and GVEC. As you’re out enjoying the local events around the territory this month, have confidence in knowing you are a cooperative member-owner and GVEC is here and prepared when you need us. Contact me any time with questions or comments. Call me at 1-800-223-4832, e-mail me at [email protected], or mail me at P.O. Box 118, Gonzales, TX 78629. Respectfully, District 1 Robert J. Werner District 4 Shawn Martinez District 2 Lewis Borgfeld, Board President District 5 W.A. “Bill” Lott District 3 Henry “Bubba” Schmidt, Jr. District 6 Emmett Engelke District 7 Melvin E. Strey, Board Vice President District 10 Don Williams, Board Secretary/Treasurer District 8 Mark Roberts District 11 David Warzecha District 9 Dr. Tom DeKunder October 2010 TEXAS CO-OP POWER 19 Old Jail Museum in Gonzales, TX GONZALES IS PROUD OF ITS ROLE IN TEXAS INDEPENDENCE. ITS A STORY THAT MUST BE TOLD. N o stranger to the community, Bob Burchard has a big task at hand. As Chairman of the Gonzales County Historical Commission, he strives to uncover, preserve and tell the story of Gonzales and its role in Texas history, and in the fight for Texas freedom. While some may think a passion for history comes early in life, Burchard’s passion for Gonzales history developed later in life. “I became involved because of the realization of the significance of the role that Gonzales has played in Texas history and a desire that the story be presented and told,” explains Burchard. “We have an obligation to those who came before us, to not only tell their story, but we have an obligation to honor them and remember their sacrifices, particularly those men whom Gonzales sent to the Alamo to die for Texas freedom.” 20 TEXAS CO-OP POWER The story of Gonzales is in three historical events. “One is the first shot of the Texas Revolution fired here on October 2, 1835; the second unique characteristic is the sending of the men to the Alamo,” tells Burchard. “We ended up with 41 from Gonzales and Green DeWitt’s Colony who died there out of the 183 — by far the largest contingent. And, the third part of our story is that General Sam Houston started in Gonzales with the Runaway Scrape, which is what historians call the movement of the Texas army to the east ahead of Santa Anna coming from the Alamo, which culminated in the victory at San Jacinto.” Presenting this story to the community and visitors is done through purposeful signage, historical markers, maps, plaques, buildings, artifacts, writings, radio programs, and even dramatic presentations like the one held during Come and Take It — a presentation October 2010 that not only talks about the beginning of Gonzales, but also about the beginning of the fight for Texas freedom. “Our story is of depth and significance in Texas history. It needs to be told and it has to be told and I like to help tell it,” admits Burchard. The Gonzales County Historical Commission has been involved in several projects over the years. Old Jail Museum Burchard explains, “We are helping to restore the old jail museum. The old jail was built in 1887 and used as a jail until the early 1970’s. We’ve hired an architect to help us better present the artifacts that are in that building. Our goal is to create a place where if someone wanted to learn about early law enforcement in Texas history, you would come to Gonzales for that.” Gonzales Museum “We are also involved in raising funds for the $3 million restoration of the Gonzales Memorial Museum, a building constructed in 1936 as part of the centennial celebration of Texas’s independence from Mexico in 1836. It’s a tremendous building that tells the story of Gonzales’s involvement in the Texas revolution.” Oak Forest Bridge “We saved and preserved the Oak Forest Bridge that spanned the Guadalupe River in Oak Forest, which was an active and viable town years ago, located on U.S. Highway 90-A, west of Gonzales. The bridge was going to be taken down and cut up for scrap metal and replaced with a modern structure. We worked with the Texas Historical Commission, the Texas Department of Transportation, the City of Gonzales and the County of Gonzales to help save that bridge, move it to town, and now it is set up in one of our parks.” “When you save something like that, it’s interesting in itself to say, ‘Well, gee, here was a bridge built in 1913, and isn’t it fun to see the method of construction of how they brought the beams together, the rivets and all those kinds of things.’ But, the bridge represents people and the stories of their lives. It’s not just a bridge.” Bob Burchard, practicing attorney in Gonzales and Chairman of the Gonzales County Historical Commission tells the story of the famous cannon that started the Texas Revolution. could walk onto that square with the signage, the markers, and the information contained on the square and learn about Gonzales and our role in Texas history and the fight for Texas freedom.” Burchard concludes, “Whether we preserve a building, a bridge, an old jail or a museum, we’re trying to touch the people that those objects, artifacts, and buildings represent.” Town Square “Gonzales has two main squares in downtown. One of those squares has a monument — erected in 1910 recognizing again our role in Texas history. The Gonzales County Historical Commission, along with the City of Gonzales, asked the Texas Historical Commission to help develop a master plan for that square so that a tourist, without a docent or guide, October 2010 Historical Monument in Gonzales, TX TEXAS CO-OP POWER 21 Local. Trusted. Serving You. Across our territory, you’ll find farmers, doctors, teachers, mechanics, entrepreneurs, and more who have one thing in common – they’re all memberowners of an electric cooperative, GVEC. brought electricity to rural areas and communities when investor-owned utilities would not. This emphasis on people, not profit, still guides GVEC today. in the operation of the Cooperative by electing a board of directors to represent your interests. And, you share in any excess revenues in the form of capital credits. Since inception in the mid 1930’s, electric cooperatives like GVEC have We are owned by the people we serve. As a member-owner, you have a voice Equally as important, we believe in our social responsibility to support the areas in which our members live and work. From sponsoring a local school’s San Marcos District 6 New Braunfels District 8 District 2 District 3 Schertz Seguin Moulton Gonzales District 9 District 1 Cost San Antonio That’s the cooperative difference. Hallettsville Shiner District 5 District 7 And just as diverse as our communities are, so are our members. From rural families, cattle ranchers, farmers, and poultry producers to city residents and large commercial businesses, each member is important to GVEC, and we are continuously evolving to bring valueadded products and services to you. We focus on delivering reliable, affordable electricity, helping to develop our communities, and supporting our friends and neighbors. We work hard on your behalf because it’s the right thing to do when we represent you. Waelder Luling La Vernia Smiley Nixon EVEN OLDER APPLIANCES CAN BE MORE EFFICIENT Whether you have the newest, most efficient electric appliances or you’re hanging onto some that practically qualify as antiques, you can use them smarter so they waste less energy. Cuero • Yorktown • Victoria 22 TEXAS CO-OP POWER October 2010 Goliad WIRELESS INTERNET PLAN WIRELESS INTERNET PLAN WIRELESS INTERNET PLAN WIRELESS INTERNET PLAN GVEC.net, Inc. is a subsidiary of • District 10 District 11 Call 800.699.4832 to sign up or upgrade today. Here are some free and easy ways to cut waste—and your energy bill: Yoakum Stockdale Switch to High Speed Wireless Internet baseball team to supporting new jobs and industry through our economic development efforts, we work to help strengthen the communities we serve. Move your refrigerator away from the stove, dishwasher and heating vents. The heat from those devices makes the refrigerator work harder to stay cold, so it runs less efficiently. If your refrigerator’s coils are exposed, vacuum them every three months. When dirt builds up on the coils, the appliance has to use more energy to keep your food cold. Repair the gaskets on your refrigerator’s door if they come loose. Damaged gaskets let cold air leak out of the refrigerator. October 2010 • If your old freezer doesn’t self defrost, do it yourself—as soon as a quarter-inch of ice builds up. • Stop rinsing dishes by hand before you load them into the dishwasher, especially if yours has a pre-rinse or rinse/hold cycle. Simply scrape leftover food from the plates and let the dishwasher do the rest. • Set your dishwasher to its “energysaver” feature and leave it there so it saves energy every time you use it. • Match the size of your pots and pans to the size of the stovetop burner you’re using. • Cover pots and pans with lids so you can cook at a lower burner setting. • Select the “small load” setting on your washing machine when you don’t have enough laundry to fill the tub. • Clean your clothes dryer filters after each load. This not only keeps the appliance from working too hard, it can also prevent a fire. • Set your water heater to 120 degrees. That’s hot enough, even though some manufacturers preset theirs to 140 degrees. TEXAS CO-OP POWER 23 Avoid Costly Repairs This Winter Get a Comfort Check & Tune-Up for Just $89 Now’s a great time to have your central electric heating system checked and serviced to make sure it’s ready for the cold weather. While we’re there, it’s a perfect time to replace your thermostat with an ENERGY STAR® programmable one. It’s one of the easiest ways you can save energy and money. Set your temperature setpoints for all 7 days, including changes for the weekend, sleeping hours or when you’re away from home. RIGHT NOW JUST $169 for thermostat AND installation when done with the Comfort Check Service Special. 800.223.GVEC (4832) Three Locations: Gonzales | La Vernia | Seguin www.gvec.org Email: [email protected] TACLB016098E 24 TEXAS CO-OP POWER Offer expires November 30, 2010. October 2010 TEXAS DIVISION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Hurricane Preparedness Guidelines PREPARING FOR HURRICANE SEASON: JUN 1- NOV 30 Evacuation Planning: When a hurricane threatens, listen for instructions from local officials. When they call for an evacuation in your area, get going without delay. Discuss evacuation plans with your family. Make a checklist of what you need to do before you leave town and review it. Monitor NOAA weather radio and local TV and radio broadcasts during storm season. Prepare an emergency supply kit including: radio, flashlight, extra batteries, extra eye glasses, bottled water, non-perishable food, dry clothes, bedding, insurance information, important documents, medications, copies of prescriptions and special products for babies, the elderly and medically fragile family members. Learn evacuation routes before storm season. When there’s a hurricane in the Gulf, keep your gas tank as full as possible. Expect traffic delays in an evacuation. Dial 2-1-1 to register if you have special health care needs or if you simply do not have transportation: Gulf coast residents in evacuation zones with special health care needs — who do not have friends or family to help — should register in advance for a ride by dialing 2-1-1 in advance. Residents with no other transportation can register for a ride in advance by dialing 2-1-1. Members with more than one security light will now get one bill for all of their lights. If you pay with online banking, you will need to change the old account number with the new one. Gonzales Come and Take It Festival October 1-3, 2010 Celebrate the 175th anniversary of the firing of the first shot for Texas independence. Have fun at the carnival, eat some great food, watch a parade, or take part in one of the tasty cookoffs. You’ll also enjoy the Antique Car Show and a re-enactment of the famous battle at Pioneer Village Living History Center. Plus, there’s musical entertainment all weekend. The event will be held on four downtown historic squares starting at 6 p.m. on Friday and closing at 5 p.m. on Sunday. Get details online at www.gonzalestexas.com or call (888) 672-1095. Cuero 38th Annual Cuero Turkeyfest October 8-10, 2010 The Cuero Turkeyfest features food, dances, a parade, entertainment for the whole family, and of course the final heat in the “Great Gobbler Gallop” turkey race to see who gets the title of “Turkey Capital of the World”. Also on hand this year is a Wild West Show, World War II Reenactment Camp, Paintball Arcade, Texas Roller Derby, Kids Tractor Pull, Turkey Calling Contest, Trick Roping Cowboys, Street Magician, Family Movie Night, and more! Get all the details at www.turkeyfest.org or call (361) 275-6351. Yorktown Seguin Pecan Fest Heritage Days October 22-24, 2010 Once a year, locals break out of their shells and throw one great nutty party! This three-day event includes a film and arts festival, historical sites, museums and artist gallery tours, Hats Off to Juan Seguin, a golf tournament, a car show, a tractor pull, Trade Days, a pecan bake-off, and more. Learn more at www.visitseguin.com. 52nd Annual Western Days-Ziegfest October 15-17, 2010 New Braunfels Western Days-Ziegfest is the best boot scootin’, foot stompin’ music festival in South Texas! With over 100 art, craft and food booths and continuous live performances, you’re sure to have a great time. Some of the events this year include a children’s parade, gunfighters, Mutton Bustin, Cherokee Indian storytelling, salsa contests, great entertainment, and so much more! Get all the details at www.yorktowntx.com or by calling (361) 564-2661. During the 10-day festival, you’ll find a variety of entertainment, food and fun on the Wurstfest Grounds in Landa Park and many special events throughout New Braunfels and Comal County. Wurstfest opens on weekdays at 5 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m. Closing times vary by day. Learn more at www.wurstfest.com or by calling (800) 221-4369. Wurstfest October 29 thru November 7, 2010 Wacky Pumpkin Decorating Ideas! Call 800.223.GVEC for details! Visit our Kid’s Korner on www.gvec.org! October 2010 TEXAS CO-OP POWER 25 N OW W E ’ R E C O O K I N G ! Member Recipes Kaylene Foeh, Hallettsville Jennifer Minica, La Vernia Meatloaf Mexicana Sopaipilla Cheesecake 2 pounds ground meat 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Monterrey Jack cheese or queso fresco 1 cup plain bread crumbs 1 cup (8 oz.) taco sauce, divided 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 tablespoon chopped parsley 2 teaspoons jalapenos, diced 1 teaspoon salt 3 (8oz.) packages softened cream cheese 2 packages of crescent rolls 1 1⁄2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 ⁄2 cup sugar (topping) 1 ⁄2 cup butter, melted (topping) 2 teaspoons cinnamon (topping) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 9 x 5 loaf pan. Combine meat, cheese, bread crumbs, 1⁄2 cup taco sauce, eggs, parsley, jalapenos and salt in a large bowl. Gently pat into loaf pan. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until no longer pink in the center. Remove from oven, drain. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Top with remaining taco sauce before serving. Makes 6 servings. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unroll 1 package of crescents and roll dough in the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Sharon Warden, Seguin Corn Casserole 1 (15 oz.) can creamed corn 1 (15 oz.) can whole corn, drained 1 (4 oz.) can Ortega whole green chilies, cut into pieces (with or without seeds) 1 cup sharp or Colby cheese, diced 1 ⁄2 cup yellow cornmeal 1 ⁄2 cup milk 1 ⁄2 teaspoon salt 1 ⁄2 teaspoon onion or garlic powder (optional) 5 tablespoons melted butter Whip cream cheese, 1 1⁄2 cups sugar, and vanilla. Spread over dough. Top with second package of crescent roll dough. For the topping: Pour melted butter over dough. Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over top of dough. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool, chill and refrigerate up to 3 days before serving. Mix all together; put into covered casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove lid and bake 14 minutes more. Yields 4 to 6 servings. We welcome your input and questions! Recipes, photos, stories about you, your family, and communities! Always feel free to contact us with information for the GVEC Review or any questions you may have for us. Email [email protected], write to us at P.O. Box 118, Gonzales, TX 78629, or phone us at 1.800.223.4832. 26 TEXAS CO-OP POWER October 2010 1.800.223.GVEC (4832) [email protected] www.gvec.org
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