- ElectriCities

Public Power
Week Oct. 7–13
2012 Hometown
Heroes Recognized
Public Power Week
Items Available
Nominate
Excellence
Sept./Oct. 2012 Delivering New Energy to the Old North State
Native son
and current
mayor, Robert
Howard, has
been celebrating
the 4th in
Southport since
he was a boy.
of
po
in South
rt
Matt Wagner Updates His Bucket List–See Inside!
Sept_Oct 2012 HTC_Covers.indd 1
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of 50,000 visitors during the four days of
festivities. Obviously, from a commerce
standpoint, it’s a big deal for our community; beyond that, though, it’s a fun
way to introduce Southport to more and
more people who may not be aware of
our charming town, which is great for
our growing tourism industry.”
Of course, pulling off such a huge
event is no small feat. Something Bob
Krasnow, chairman of the 2012 festival,
is quick to point out. “We start in January
and, basically, don’t stop until the decorations come down. Fortunately, we have
a marvelous group of volunteers here; so
while it’s a lot of work, it’s also a whole
lot of fun!”
If you’ve never been to North Carolina’s 4th of July Festival, you owe it to
yourself to go. You’ll see Old Glory waving, you’ll hear young families laughing,
and you’ll feel your heart swelling—with
patriotic pride. After all, this is vintage
small town USA. This is America the
Beautiful. This is Southport.
of
in Southport
To paraphrase the legendary Ray Charles:
Southport, God done shed His grace
on thee.
Located at the confluence of the Cape
Fear River and the Intracoastal Waterway, Southport is an idyllic fishing village
that’s blessed with jaw-dropping natural
beauty. Historic streets lined with immaculate clapboard cottages and stunning
Victorians only add to the grace of this
cozy coastal town of nearly 3,000.
Simply put, Southport is a beautiful example of small town America.
Since 1972, it’s also been the official
home of the North Carolina 4th of July
Festival, making it an absolutely beauti-
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ful place to celebrate Independence Day.
And as you might imagine, throughout the holiday, the town is booming!
Affectionately dubbed ‘Mayberry by
the Sea,’ Southport attracts folks from
all over the state and all over the country to come revel in its small town charm
and big time 4th of July Festival. Over
the course of four days, the annual celebration features a naturalization ceremony, food, live music, an arts and crafts
show, a parade and, of course, spectacular fireworks.
Southport mayor, Robert Howard,
is happy to attest to the festival’s draw.
“Each year our town welcomes upwards
Bright Lights, Little City
For a small town, Southport’s no stranger to the big screen.
In fact, over the years the town has acted as a‘costar’ in several motion pictures. Films and/or scenes
shot in Southport include: Firestarter (1984), Crimes of
The Heart (1987), Weekend at Bernie’s (1989), Amos
and Andrew (1993), The Inkwell (1994), I Know What
You Did Last Summer (1997), Night Flier (1997), DomesDakota Fanning signs an autograph for
a young fan, a paperback edition of Safe tic Disturbance (2001), Summer Catch (2001), A Walk
Haven, and the custom-built house used To Remember (2002), The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
for filming on the Southport waterfront.
and Nights in Rodanthe (2008).
This year, Southport landed its first starring role in Safe Haven, the film adaption of the
Nicholas Sparks book by the same name. Interestingly, major parts of the movie were shot
during the 4th of July Festival – most notably, the parade.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, Josh Duhamel and Julianne Hough will share credits
with the scene-stealing town in the movie, which is set to be released February 2013.
8/15/2012 2:52:42 PM
Worth Retweeting-Highlights of our most popular tweets from the last few months.
Have you ever wondered how your local linemen stay up-to-date on skills? Check out the
Lineman’s Rodeo video: http://ow.ly/chpQz
Sunday’s @newsobserver features fine dining in eastern NC. Another reason to visit a
public power community! http://ow.ly/cBTnq
Sept./Oct. 2012 Delivering New Energy to the Old North State
Do you have a bucket list?
You know, a list of things
you want to experience
before you kick the euphemistic bucket.
Perhaps it’s running
with the bulls in Pamplona, or running your own
company, or simply runPower Lines ning
a 5K. Maybe it’s all
three. Whatever the case,
Matt
you’ve likely got some stuff
Wagner
you’d like to do before
your time runs out. We all do.
Since moving to North Carolina about a
year ago, I’ve been compiling my own specialized bucket list—a somewhat haphazard catalog of places to visit, things to do
and areas to explore. All within the great
Tar Heel State. I thought I had a pretty
good list to begin with; I was wrong.
You see, as I learn more about the public
power communities we serve and get the
opportunity to visit the cities and towns
where our customers reside, I’m coming
to realize that my original list was kind of
lame. Now I know my list is going to grow—
and grow exponentially!
So far I’ve visited only a handful of the
70 public power communities we support
throughout the state and I’m looking forward to seeing them all.
Heck, I’ve already had the pleasure of
spending the 4th of July watching fireworks
explode over the Cape Fear River in Southport. I’ve taken a trolley ride in historic
Edenton and discovered that the ‘prettiest
town in the South’ will be celebrating its
300th anniversary this year. And I’ve devoured a steak sandwich (yum!) and a slice
of buttermilk pie (double yum!) at the
Clayton Steakhouse in Clayton.
You could say I’ve gotten a taste of what
our public power communities have to offer and I’m eager to discover more. More
places to visit, more things to do, more areas to explore. More things to add to my
North Carolina bucket list.
The Outer Banks? They can wait.
Matt Wagner joined the ElectriCities Strategic Communications Team as a copywriter in June 2012.
Nominate
Excellence
Michael Phelps has won a record 22 Olympic medals… But how many Public Power
Awards of Excellence can he claim? You
guessed it – zero!
Ready to one-up the most decorated
Olympian in history? Then nominate your
town or city for the 2012 Public Power
Awards of Excellence.
These awards honor Public Power communities for their “Gold Medal” performances in categories such as Competitive
Business Environment, Energy Efficiency
and more.
But we can’t recognize your efforts if
you don’t enter the competition. To complete your quest for excellence, go to
www.electricities.com and complete the
short nomination form.
This is your chance to make a splash.
So dive in! Deadline to enter nominations
is Friday, September 7. If you have questions about the Public Power Awards of
Excellence, contact Rebecca Agner at
ragner@electricities.org today.
Celebrate Public Power Week October 7–13
Move over Halloween.
Public Power Week is giving
folks around the nation another
reason to celebrate in October. And with this celebration, costumes
are optional!
During the week of October 7 through 13, NC Public Power communities like yours will join with all public power systems across the
US (over 2,000 nationwide) to promote the many treats that locallyowned and -operated electric utilities provide. From reliable electricity to hometown customer service to prompt restoration after
outages, you’ll find the benefits of NC Public Power are in the bag.
This year’s theme, Power to Grow, highlights the important role NC
Public Power plays in cultivating growth through economic development as well as via renewable energy programs.
We encourage you to use Public Power Week to educate your
customers and stakeholders on the benefits your municipal electric
system provides, such as:
Delivering high quality, not-for-profit service to residents and
businesses alike
Offering customized energy efficiency and conservation programs that save money and reduce carbon footprints
Contributing to the well-being of your community through economic development opportunities that create jobs
For more ways to celebrate Public Power Week in your community – and make Halloween the second coolest celebration in October – check out the Public Power Week page on Currents or contact
Ed Roberts at eroberts@electricities.org.
Public Power Week Promo Items – grab ‘em while you can!
The good news: There’s
a sweet supply of
swag available for this
year’s Public Power
Week. T-shirts, cups,
pens, eco-friendly
totes, foldable water bottles…even
belt buckles!
The bad news:
There’s a limited quantity of this cool stuff and it won’t last long.
The best news: Your town’s eligible to get up to $2,500 FREE to
spend on Public Power Week promotional items. (See P4 = FREE
$ 4U for details.)
So if you’re planning to hold a community celebration during
Public Power Week – and we hope you are – you’ll want to load
up on a variety of items to promote your event. Whether for employee appreciation, customer appreciation or key accounts,
these items will go a long way toward helping to make your event
a success.
Samples of all promotional items were sent to your city/town
manager in late August. Visit your manager to check ‘em out. You
can also browse and order the items online by clicking on the
Public Power Week link at www.electricities.org.
But hurry! The deadline to place your order is Wednesday,
September 5. And remember, supplies are limited. So to snag your
swag, don’t let your feet drag!
P4 Program = FREE Money 4U
If you love free money (and who doesn’t?), you’ll P4 (the Public
Power Promotional Program)!
P4 provides a set amount of money for your community to
promote NC Public Power. Funds are available each year and are
based on customers served:
Cities/Towns with less than 5,000 customers = $1,500
Cities/Towns with 5,000 – 10,000 customers = $2,000
Cities/Towns with more than 10,000 customers = $2,500
Your P4 money can be used for projects such as local print ads,
sponsorship of local festivals, purchase of branded material for
giveaways (Public Power Week celebrations, anyone?), and more.
Get the 411 on how P4 = Free $ 4U online at
www.electricities.com/currents under the ‘Resources’ tab.
Fayetteville PWC, Rocky Mount Start to Finish
Employees are 2012
Hometown Heroes
There are a lot of interesting folks
who work with and/or for the
ElectriCities family. To introduce
you to them, we’ve introduced
Start To Finish. When the featured
individual finishes the following
sentences, you’ll start to see that
person in a whole new light.
This time around, get to know
the 2012 Lifetime Achievement
Award Winner, Sam Noble.
1. My favorite movie is:
Top Gun
See back panel for more on Sam’s
Lifetime Achievement Award.
2. The three things I can’t live without are:
Family,, a loyal dog,, competition
3. My pet peeve is:
Darlene Goodheart and Larry Vinson of Fayetteville PWC along with
Brian Marshall, Terry Johnson and Brad Short of Rocky Mount
were named Hometown Heroes at the ElectriCities 2012 Annual
Conference awards banquet held August 10 in Myrtle Beach.
The Hometown Hero award recognizes municipal employees
who’ve made outstanding efforts to save a life or lives. The honor
is presented annually and attended by public power officials from
across the state. This year, ElectriCities Board Members Jennie
Stultz and John Craft presented the awards.
Congratulations to all of our 2012 Hometown Heroes – your
selfless courage is an inspiration to all of us.
Hometown Connection Sept./Oct. 2012 Delivering New Energy to the Old North State
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You don’t have to go out on a limb to get the latest social updates; just go to electricities.com today.
Anyone who doesn’t say what they mean.
4. The one person (living or dead) I’d love to have dinner with is:
General George F. Patton
5. The super power I’d most like to have is:
Super human strength
6. The best advice I ever received was:
Look out for the members of your team.
7. The most beautiful words in the English language are:
It is what it is!
Published by ElectriCities of NC, Inc. for the benefit of its members
8/17/2012 2:59:09 PM
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-Sam Noble
“I’d like to thank the Utility Directors
and Linemen for the jobs they do.
Electric service reliability is our biggest
asset and you are the individuals who
are responsible for that reliability.”
Sam Noble, longtime Tarboro town manager, was
presented the Public Power Lifetime Achievement
Award during the ElectriCities Annual Conference
banquet on August 11.
The award recognizes individual contributions
throughout a lifetime to local systems, NC Public
Power and public power nationwide; it’s given based
on leadership, public power service, innovation and
creativity and longevity of service to public power.
Sam has a long and distinguished history of service
in public power communities. He was the manager
of three communities throughout his 35-plus year
career: Granite Falls, Edenton and Tarboro. Among
his many leadership roles, Sam served as Chairman
of the NCEMPA Board of Commissioners and served
15 years on ElectriCities Board of Directors–twice
as Chairman. He’s been an avid and tireless voice
for public power. Way to go Sam! Without question,
you’re a fitting recipient of this ‘noble’ award.
Visit electricities.com for more information.
Noble Added to
Public Power Pantheon
ElectriCities of North Carolina, Inc.
1427 Meadow Wood Blvd.
Raleigh, NC 27604