A publication of the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives

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Breaking Down Barriers

Breaking Down Barriers

Rapidan River project seeks to increase local fish populations January-February 2025 by Jeff Poole, Contributing Writer For more than two centuries, a dam across the Rapidan River in Central Virginia was an economic imperative. It propelled manufacturing and commerce...

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Breeding Success

Breeding Success

Whenever Elaine Shirley leads visitors on tours of the agricultural exhibits at the Carroll County Farm Museum in Westminster, Md., she always stops to showcase a plywood cut-out of a dairy cow.

It’s not that the museum lacks any living livestock. Shirley, the museum’s curator, is trying to make a point. The exhibit is painted with markings matching a Sheeted Somerset — a breed that went extinct in the 1930s. She says the reason for the board bovine often catches guests by surprise.

Where Life is ‘Just Peachy’

Where Life is ‘Just Peachy’

Welcome to Fruit Hill Orchard in Palmyra, Va. August 2024 by Laura Emery, Staff Writer “Just peachy” perfectly describes life at Fruit Hill Orchard in Palmyra, Va., from July 2 until shortly after Labor Day. That’s because it’s peach season, and there are peaches...

Fixated on His Future

Fixated on His Future

Kaleb Jeffries watches only one TV channel — The Weather Channel. The repeated use of drone footage in covering storms and viewing ocean life from above fascinates the 23-year-old.

A Very American Celebration

A Very American Celebration

When it first opened, American Celebration on Parade offered only self-guided tours. Present-day visitors, however, will find themselves treated to a delightful, 45-minute guided tour of the vast warehouse and its colorful contents.

Making The Cut

Making The Cut

Mercer’s passion for rocks and gemstones began as a child. He says one of his earliest memories is taking an empty chocolate candy box that his father gave his mother for Valentine’s Day, and filling it instead with colorful rocks found in his Cape Cod, Mass., hometown.

A Museum Piece

A Museum Piece

In addition to the Elk Run Mining Company, Harrisonburg is also home to The Museum of American Jewelry Design & Manufacturing, operated by Hugo Kohl.