Patriotic performance - Northern Plains Electric Cooperative

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JULY 2015
News
Ne
ws from Norther
Nor
Northern
thernn Plains
P lains Electric
Electr ic Cooperative
Cooperativ
Patriotic
performance
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www.nplains.com
[email protected]
800 882 2500
Cando Office:
609 4th Ave., Cando, ND 58324
Carrington Office:
1515 West Main, Carrington, ND 58421
OFFICE HOURS:
Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The New West Heritage Riders
performed in Medora for the town’s
Flag Day Celebration in June.
JULY 2015 INSIDE
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BOARD & MANAGEMENT:
President ..............................................Tracy Boe, Mylo
Vice president ...............................Curtis Wiesz, Heaton
Secretary/treasurer ...........Russell Carlson, Jamestown
Assistant Secretary/treasurer .....Randy Simon, Oberon
District 1 .........................................Mark Brehm, Cando
District 1 .........................................Bruce Olsen, Cando
District 2 .........................................Dave Teigen, Rugby
District 3 ........................................Jack Geske, Pingree
District 3 .................................Curtis Hanson, Pettibone
General Manager ....................................Jay Jacobson
Manager of Engineering...............................Gary Allen
IT Manager...........................................Scott Buchholtz
Operations Manager ................................Craig Rysavy
Director of Communications and
Public Relations......................................Connie Krapp
Chief Financial Officer .............................Bruce Garber
Director of Business Development ...Joann Rodenbiker
Northern Notes Editor ..............................Connie Krapp
Northern Notes Asst. Editor..........Katie Ryan-Anderson
NORTHERN
•Patriotic peformance
PLAINS
• Music from Medina
Electric Cooperative
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Electric Cooperative
Fifteen or so members make up the New West Heritage Riders. The group,
and their horses, performs for crowds at events like rodeos, centennials and
parades.
Patriotic performance
New West Heritage Riders instill pride in country
STORY AND PHOTOS BY KATIE RYAN-ANDERSON
P
erforming across the country
unites them as a team.
Together, they hope to unite
the country.
The New West Heritage Riders,
along with their horses, perform in
parades, rodeos, centennials and
other events.
Riders range in age from
teenagers to grandmothers, and are
students, farm women and business
professionals. But once they pull
down their blue cowboy hats, strap on
their spurs and position their flags, all
their differences melt away and they
work together.
Carrying the flag and
synchronizing their movements, the
goal of the New West Heritage Riders
is to instill pride.
“This is the way for us to show
our patriotism to our country,” said
Susie Nitschke. The Heritage Riders
escorted Nitschke to her wedding
in 2006.
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Since the Riders’ inception in
1974, the team has won many awards
including first-place trophies at the
Minot State Fair Parade, Bismarck
Parade of Lights and the Fargo Parade
of Lights. The state selected New
West Heritage Riders as its Official
North Dakota Centennial Drill Team
in 1988.
Travel is mostly in the state, but
has even included performances in
Deadwood, S.D., and Omaha, Neb.
Most recently, the team performed in
Medora as part of the town’s Flag Day
parade. There, they won a $200 prize
for Most Patriotic Group and a $100
prize for Largest Group.
Nitschke is the team’s president.
The 15 or so members range in age –
women as young as 14 can join. Most
members live within a 50-mile radius
of Jamestown including towns like
Streeter, Medina and Montpelier.
The group is like a “little family”
Nitschke said, both literally and
figuratively. They practice once
a week and vary the location to
make travel less of a burden to
each member.
Mary Ann Kaiser, Streeter, joined
the group 32 years ago. It’s a great
way to promote pride in one’s country
and also a way to get her horse out
each week, she said. Kaiser also has
two other reasons – Kelsey Naze,
Montpelier, and Lacey Kaiser, Streeter.
“I’m hanging in there so I can
participate with my two daughters,”
Mary Ann said.
Like Kaiser, many Heritage Riders
are longtime members. However,
the group is looking for new people
to join.
To book the group, or to learn more
about joining:
• visit www.nwhr.org
• call Susie at 701-320-6578
or Kelsey at 701-269-0489 n
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Electric Cooperative
ABOVE: Northern Plains and Dakota Valley Electric Cooperatives held an open
house and ribbon-cutting event for their solar system in Carrington. The system
is 6.56 kW and has the capacity to power 19 60-watt incandescent bulbs all day
and all night for 12 months. The co-ops installed the system so they could track
its progress and research the viability of solar systems in the Upper Midwest.
RIGHT: Ashten Breker, systems engineer, explains how electricty generated
from a solar panel gets to people’s homes and businesses. Pictured from left
are Andrea Holl Pfenning, program administrator, Energy Outreach & Special
Programs, N.D. Department of Commerce; Breker; NPEC director Curtis Wiesz
and Director of Business Development JoAnn Rodenbiker.
Small solar offers big lessons
Co-op solar project offers data
W
ith the goal of providing
reliable, unbiased
information, Northern
Plains Electric Cooperative installed a
small solar project.
“Our members are self-reliant
farmers, ranchers and small business
operators who look for ways to
control their costs,” said Co-manager
Darrin Sand. “Along with our sister
cooperative, Dakota Valley, we
installed a 6.56-KW system.”
The co-ops constructed the array in
Carrington. Despite its modest size,
it’s already producing valuable data.
“This is primarily a research project
designed to help us learn what similar
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systems cost to maintain, and how
reliable they will be throughout the
year,” said Ashten Breker, system
engineer for the two co-ops.
About $14,000 worth of materials
went into the project. Labor
costs were extra, but grants from
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Rural Development and the N.D.
Department of Commerce helped
offset some of the expenses.
Similar grants are available for
private projects.
The 6.56-kilowatt system is similar
in size to what an average farm or
small business might install, Breker
said. “That’s enough electricity to
power 19 60-watt incandescent
light bulbs all day and all night for
12 months.”
Information about the system
and its generation is available
on nplains.com, Facebook.com/
northernplainselectric and in North
Dakota Living.
“We hope to learn what sort of
return members could see on their
investment,” Sand said. “With this
information, Northern Plains and
Dakota Valley can help members
determine if these systems make
economic sense at their homes,
businesses and farms.” n
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Electric Cooperative
Musician
from
Joe Schmidt, Medina, records a music video for his
song “My Field of Dreams.” Proceeds for the song will
benefit the nonprofit organization, Farm Rescue.
Medina
BY KATIE RYAN-ANDERSON
[email protected]
I
f Joe Schmidt’s life was a song,
it’d be a ballad. The lyrics aren’t
complete, but this story already
has a happy ending.
Emerging on the country and
Christian music scenes is an up-andcomer from this town of 300 people
30 miles west of Jamestown. Joe’s first
single, “Jesus Loves Me,” already has
more than 78,000 views on YouTube.
And while top country hits and
performing on big stages are a
possibility – they aren’t exactly a goal.
“My goal was to have my family
love me. What greater goal is that?”
Basic beginnings
The son of cattle ranchers, this
Northern Plains Electric Cooperative
member grew up 10 miles southwest
of Medina on his family farm. The
third of four children, Schmidt’s
mother, Sourey, pushed her children
to sing. She’d sign Joe and his siblings
up for local talent shows and other
minor performances. His dad, Arlyn,
however, was the enforcer.
“I like to say ‘My mom taught
us to sing. My dad made us sing,’ ”
Schmidt said.
As he aged, Schmidt limited his
performances to tractor cabs, baby
cradles and spontaneous onstage
C 4 J UL Y 2 0 1 5 , N O R T H ERN N OT ES
appearances at the Stutsman County
Fair. In 2001, he married his wife,
Sherry, his biggest supporter.
Together, they have four children:
Kaden, Kane, Katie and Karson.
His family was both his reason
for hesitation -- and his impetus to
record. While raising a family, cattle,
wheat and soybeans, a music career
seemed as likely as 90-bushel beans.
But a chance meeting created a
partnership that changed everything.
Sick with strep throat, Schmidt
said he wanted to skip Alabama’s WE
Fest performance, but forced himself
out of bed at the request of his wife.
Alabama is Sherry’s favorite, he said,
and she wanted to enjoy the concert
with her husband.
So while Sherry hung out at the
concert, Joe rested in the hotel room
until later in the evening, before
Alabama’s set. When Joe exited the
elevator, he saw a familiar face in the
lobby – Jeff Cook.
Cook, one of Alabama’s founding
members, offered Joe a ride. Feeling
terrible (because of the strep and
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PHOTO BY GABE FROBENIUS
“This song has touched people. It’s helped
them grieve. It’s helped them forgive.”
- Joe Schmidt, recording artist from Medina. His first single, “Jesus
Loves Me,” already has more than 78,000 views on YouTube
because his wife, the die-hard fan,
was in the audience while he got to go
backstage) Joe expressed his feelings
to Jeff ’s wife.
A few months later, Joe and Sherry
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attended a party at the Cooks’
Alabama home. There, they met
Nashville musicians, producers,
engineers and performers. Among
them was Bobby Cyrus.
Without an interest in a recording
contract, Joe asked Cyrus (a cousin
to Billy Ray) to help him record a few
George Straight covers. He wanted a
CD for his children – something they
could listen to as a keepsake and also
as a reminder that there’s more to life
than material things.
“I thought, ‘they’re not going to care
how bad I sound,’ so I recorded it for
them,” he said.
Fast-forward to 2014.
Among Joe’s Nashville connections
is Mark Burch. Burch plays piano
for Billy Currington (“People are
Crazy,” “Hey Girl,” “Must Be Doing
Something Right,”) His resume also
includes writing and producing for
various country artists including
Joe Nichols, Tanya Tucker and John
Michael Montgomery.
“Joe is a lot more talented than he
even realizes,” Burch said. “Among
all the great singers I’ve worked with,
he stands right up there as far as
his voice.”
Burch worked with Schmidt and
formed a friendship quickly.
“Joe offered to take the whole band
out to dinner, which nobody does.
Nobody cares about the band as long
as they play they right chord for you,”
Burch said, jokingly.
Generosity is not uncommon for
the North Dakota farmer, Burch said.
For example, Schmidt doesn’t just
seek names and handshakes from
higher-ups in the music business. He
greets everyone.
“After a night out in Nashville,
sometimes we stop at McDonalds,”
Burch said. “I’ve seen him buy food
for all the homeless guys there. Some
of them, Joe specifically looks for
because he remembers their names.”
Today, Burch and Schmidt continue
to connect over the phone and also
in Nashville a few times a year. Burch
even traveled to North Dakota to
film the “Jesus Loves Me,” music
video. The story of “Jesus Loves Me”
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Electric Cooperative
PHOTO BY MARK BURCH
Singing was always a dream for Joe Schmidt, Medina. Today, his first single,
“Jesus Loves Me,” is No. 203 on Music Row’s Break Out Chart. The “Jesus Loves
Me” music video has more than 78,000 views on YouTube.
begins where one may not expect – a
Tennessee bar.
After a night of hanging out
and listening to other musicians,
Burch offered to lay down a track
for Schmidt.
“It was late at night and just for
fun,” Burch said. “Joe had a couple
ideas for the song so I said, ‘let’s go
for it.’ Listening to it a couple days
later, I thought ‘We’ve really captured
something here.’ ”
Schmidt credits the late night for
the song’s captivating tone.
“At that hour in the morning, you’re
lonely, you’re vulnerable. And that
really came out in ‘Jesus Loves Me,’ ”
Schmidt said.
Burch filmed the video in front
of the Schmidts’ Medina home as
well as other North Dakota locations
like Interstate 94 and the Jamestown
Regional Medical Center. Today, the
video has more than 78,000 views
on YouTube.
Schmidt said he chose that as
his first single, despite experts
recommending something
more secular.
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“I’ve never been afraid to wear Jesus
on my sleeve,” he said. “And this song
has touched people. It’s helped them
grieve. It’s helped them forgive. It’s
brought them back to church.”
“Jesus Loves Me” plays on more
than 20 country and Christian
stations nationwide. Soon, it will
play on more than 1,000 Christian
stations, said Jim Prater, a friend of
Joe’s. Prater managed various country
artists including Mel Street, Charley
Pride and Earl Thomas Conley.
“After nearly 70 years in the
business, it’s hard to excite me. I think
‘Jesus Loves Me’ plus Joe’s voice has
me hooked,” Prater said.
“Jesus Loves Me” is one of the few
songs that engages Radio Renegade
Nashville listeners, said owner
“Captain” Jack Aponte.
Radio Renegade Nashville plays a
mix of mainstream country as well as
work from emerging artists, Aponte
said. RRN is an Internet-based station
with listeners in 143 countries and
all 50 states. The station earned
the Independent Country Music
Association award for “Best Radio
Station 2013.”
With more than 43 years in radio,
including four years as owner of
Radio Renegade, Aponte says he
receives 500-700 submissions a week
from people hoping to get discovered.
“This guy’s got an incredible voice.
Great. Gritty. It’s a traditional sound
which is lacking in country today,”
Aponte said. “When we play the song
on the radio, people always tweet
(via the social media messaging site
Twitter) us saying ‘I love this song!’ ”
Aponte said Schmidt’s character
and work ethic stood out from the
hundreds of submissions he gets
each week.
“You put a farmer and an artist
together, in my book, that’s a
homerun every time,” Aponte said.
And while Schmidt’s voice may
hit it out of the park – he envisions
victory of a different kind. Already,
he’s working with North Dakota
musicians, connecting local artists to
his contacts in Nashville.
Among them is Alexis Barnick of
Jamestown. Since childhood, Barnick
has studied singing, guitar and piano.
In 2012, she made local headlines for
making it to the Hollywood round of
“American Idol.”
“I learned so, so much from that
trip with Joe. I also learned how
much it takes to be down there. You
see people living in their cars for a
dream of a music career in Nashville,”
she said.
Dreams are important to Schmidt,
who said in addition to helping
emerging artists, he also wants to
help struggling farmers. This year, he
partnered with the nonprofit group
Farm Rescue. Together, they filmed
a music video to the song, “My Field
of Dreams.”
“I love what Farm Rescue stands
for,” Schmidt said. So he offered
to donate part of any proceeds he
receives from the song.
For 10 years, Farm Rescue has
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PLAINS
Electric Cooperative
“After a night out in Nashville, sometimes we
stop at McDonalds. I’ve seen him (Joe) buy
food for all the homeless guys there.”
- Mark Burch, pianist for Billy Currington. Burch also worked with
Joe Schmidt on the ‘Jesus Loves Me’ track
compassionate heart,” Gross said.
“This video will help Farm Rescue
help more farm families.”
What’s next?
aided families struggling with injury,
illness or disaster. The organization
plants, harvests and hays. No money
ever exchanges hands, said Founder
and Executive Director Bill Gross.
“I appreciate Joe’s generosity and
As far as what money Joe has made
or how many CDs he’s sold, Schmidt
says he has “no idea.”
“This whole thing is not for Joe
Schmidt,” he said. “It’s for my kids.”
For now, he’s looking to market
“Jesus Loves Me,” in non-traditional
ways. He’s not in it for the commercial
success; he does it because he keeps
hearing how the song helps people.
“They played my song at Stutsman
County Relay for Life,” he said. “And
people kept coming up to me, telling
me how much it helped them. I want
that song to help more people.”
In the future, Schmidt said he’s
looking for new songs and possibly
even working on a Christmas album
with his children. He wants to write
more and to always learn, grow, meet
new people and have fun.
“If it stops today, I am the happiest
man on this Earth. And I’ve been
saying that since day one.”
For more information on Joe
Schmidt, visit his website at
www.JoeSchmidtMusic.net. n
WE KEEP THEM UP HERE FOR A REASON.
STAY CLEAR OF DOWNED POWER LINES.
Helping members use electricity safely, that’s the power of your co-op membership.
Learn more from the experts themselves at TogetherWeSave.com.
www.nplains.com
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PLAINS
Electric Cooperative
NOR THER N NOTES , JULY 2015 C7
N
www.nplains.com
[email protected]
800-882-2500
CANDO OFFICE:
609 4th Ave., Cando, ND 58324
CARRINGTON OFFICE:
1515 West Main, Carrington, ND 58421
OFFICE HOURS:
Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
BOARD & MANAGEMENT:
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Electric Cooperative
President .........................................................
Tracy Boe, Mylo
Vice president .................................................
Curtis Wiesz, Heaton
Secretary/treasurer .........................................
Randall Simon, Oberon
Assistant Secretary/treasurer .........................
Dave Teigen, Rugby
District 1 ..........................................................
Mark Brehm, Cando
District 1 ..........................................................
Bruce Olsen, Cando
District 3 ..........................................................
Russell Carlson, Jamestown
District 3 ..........................................................
Jack Geske, Pingree
District 3 ..........................................................
Curtis Hanson, Pettibone
Co-General Managers ....................................
Darrin Sand
Bruce Garber
Manager of Engineering ................................
Seth Syverson
IT Manager ......................................................
Scott Buchholtz
Operations Manager .......................................
Craig Rysavy
Business Manager ..........................................
Cheryl Belle
Director of Business Development .................
JoAnn Rodenbiker
Northern Notes Editor .....................................
Katie Ryan-Anderson
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Electric Cooperative
C 8 J UL Y 2 0 1 5 , N O R T H ERN N OT ES
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