POWER TALK
HAPPENINGS
The twin coastal cities of Rockport and Fulton paint July 4 red, white and blue … and myriad other colors on an Independence Day weekend that begins with the Rockport Art Festival.
On July 3-4, more than 125 artists will display their works—ranging from pottery to watercolor paintings—on the festival grounds at Rockport Harbor. Shopping-minded tourists also will enjoy strolling Rockport’s downtown historic heritage district, where merchants fly their U.S. flags high.
And what’s an Independence Day celebration without a parade? Here in Rockport-Fulton, they make waves with a patriotic boat parade set for a noon start on Sunday, July 4. Sailors hoist their flags on a variety of vessels—yachts, pontoon boats, power boats, sailboats—and deck them out in all things red, white and blue.
The weekend, of course, ends with fireworks—a brilliant nighttime display in Little Bay, with people watching from land and from sea. For more information, call the Rockport-Fulton Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-242-0071 or go to www.rockport-fulton.org.
CO-OP PEOPLE
Teen Wins Video Contest—After a Nudge from Mom
Timothy Jones can thank his mom for coaxing him to enter the 2010 Co-op Teens Power Texas Video Contest.
Timothy won the $1,500 grand prize after she urged him to use his new interest in making videos to possibly win some money.
“She really wanted me to submit an entry,” confessed Timothy, son of Bryan Texas Utilities members Jim and Anne Jones. It was just a little teenage “inertia,” his mother said.
Texas Co-op Power magazine, in conjunction with electric cooperatives across Texas, asked high school students to create one- to three-minute educational videos that explored a facet of renewable energy.
Timothy’s video, called “Reenergy,” mixes humor with an exploration of solar, wind and biomass energy. Timothy looked into sources close at hand: finding out how a local bakery he works for uses solar panels to power its appliances and water heater; and interviewing an official with a biomass facility, which captures methane gas at a Bryan landfill and converts it into energy.
The annual contest is becoming something of a Jones family tradition: Timothy’s older brother, David, was a runner-up in 2009’s contest. This year, Timothy, his parents and several siblings discussed ideas while sitting around the dinner table.
“By the end I was pretty excited,” said Timothy, 16, who is home-schooled. He plans to use his winnings to buy a lighting system so he can make more professional-looking videos.
Roper Kerby, son of Bailey County Electric Cooperative members John Leslie and Susan Kerby, received $500 as the second-place winner.
Teens receiving $250 for excellence in other judging categories were Jacque Lewis, Pedernales Electric Cooperative; Landon Parker, Sam Houston Electric Cooperative; Levi Cooper, Wood County Electric Cooperative; and Riley Mashburn, Taylor Electric Cooperative.
To see the winning video, go to www.texas cooppower.com. And check back this fall for details about the 2011 contest.
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Do you know someone we should feature in a future Co-op People? Contact Associate Editor Charles Boisseau at editor@texas-ec.org.
WHO KNEW
Out-of-State Texas Leaguers
Formed in 1888, the Texas League is one of the country’s oldest baseball leagues—major or minor. The league today has eight Double-A teams, all affiliated with Major League Baseball clubs. But only half of the modern-day teams are based in Texas: Corpus Christi, Frisco, Midland and San Antonio. The four out-of-state clubs are: Oklahoma (Tulsa), Arkansas (one in North Little Rock and one in Springdale) and Missouri (Springfield). |