More than 800 members and guests packed the West Plains Civic Center on May 1 for the 87th annual Meeting of Membership of Howell-Oregon Electric Cooperative. (HOEC).
Attendees were treated to a dinner of hamburgers and hot dogs, while children in attendance played on inflatable slides and in an obstacle course setup.
The cooperative event featured several community and energy resource booths. Ozarks Healthcare personnel provided free blood pressure checks and distributed medical resources, while Ozark Action representatives met with members regarding home energy savings. Informational displays detailing regional power generation and energy efficiency methods were presented by Sho-Me Power Cooperative and Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc. (AECI). AECI also featured a virtual reality exhibit, allowing members to wear a VR headset to learn about the power generation process or view a utility crew replacing a power pole.
Local acoustic group Stringed Union provided the evening's musical entertainment, performing a selection of traditional bluegrass and gospel favorites on mandolin, guitar and bass. Composed of southern Ozarks natives, several of the band members are also local cooperative members.
During the business portion of the session, cooperative committee members presented corporate reports, and new CEO and General Manager Aaron Wheeler delivered the annual state of the cooperative address. Wheeler, who assumed leadership of HOEC in January, introduced himself to the membership and outlined the cooperative's upcoming initiatives.
Four local cooperative members were elected to the HOEC Board of Directors during the session: David Newman, District 1; Clinton Reeves, District 2; Glen Johnson, District 3; and Darren Andy McLain, District 4.
The event concluded with the cooperative's traditional attendance prize drawings for members. This year's grand prize, a 12-gauge shotgun, was won by David A. Wiese of Willow Springs.
Other major prize winners included Max Ficken of West Plains, who won Springfield Cardinals season tickets; Greta McKinney, who received an Apple iPad; Kaiden Yutzy, who received a Nintendo Switch Lite; and Steve R. Buckner of Alton, who won a Vizio 43-inch television. McKenzie D. Propst of West Plains won an overnight stay package at Echo Bluff State Park valued at $400.
Additional utility equipment and tool prizes were awarded to local members, including a Stihl battery-powered weed eater won by David Bunch Jr. of West Plains, a Stihl battery-operated vacuum won by James Blunk of Mtn. View, and a Stihl battery-operated mini chainsaw won by Gingerella Tackett of West Plains. Five members received an $87 credit applied directly to their cooperative utility accounts.
