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General Manager Mike Sims smiled at the thought of how Family Day has grown as he looked over the scene July 14 of kids, parents and grandparents enjoying the warm, breezy summer day.
“It doesn’t get smaller,” he said.
The day offers games for the kids and educational demonstrations from cooperative linemen, the Farm Bureau and the Butler County Soil and Water District, as well as a petting zoo and booths from area organizations.
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“We add something new every year. We try for some safety-related information. Farm safety is important to our area so the Farm Bureau is here with topics such as tractor safety and silos,” said Lisa Staggs Hermann, the co-op’s manager of member and community relations. “We wanted something for members and their families for their support throughout the year and to help people get to know us better.”
The late Sam Woodruff, an Oxford Twp. farmer and township trustee, served for many years on the board of the Butler Rural Electric Cooperative and Staggs Hermann said Woodruff had pushed for years to have some kind of family activity for members. The annual meeting, long on the co-op’s agenda, did not have a strong appeal for families.
“The annual meeting is an older crowd,” she said.
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Woodruff’s dream was to have something else for families.
Enter fate.
The co-op is a Touchstone Energy partner, part of a nationwide branding effort, and Staggs Hermann said their hot air balloon was scheduled for a trip to the Whitewater Valley REMC in 2000 or 2001.
“They asked if we wanted it (for a visit) and we said, ‘We’ll get some hot dogs.’ We had to go out and get more hot dogs and more hot dogs,” she said, smiling at the memory. “It just started growing. I love how it has evolved.”
The inflatable Touchstone Energy balloon was on hand for the July 14 Family Day, just as it has been for every Family Day and was inside Millett Hall for the co-op’s annual meeting in April.
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“It’s really not about the balloon. We want people to see the facility,” she said. “I hope young families come when life slows down a little. They can come here and get an idea who we are and we have a lot of grandparents here with grandchildren.”
Part of that evolution of the annual event was a successful move to a July date from the previous years when it was held in August.
Staggs Hermann said it worked out well changing it to July because the impending opening of school in August made that time difficult.
“We use about 80 kid volunteers and with school starting earlier and earlier and sports schedules even earlier, it was difficult to find enough help,” she said.
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All BREC employees were on hand working the event, too, with all board members either working there that day or at least stopping by.
The Butler Soil and Water Conservation District was on hand with short sluice drain to let kids move sand around flowing water to better understand erosion and water flow.
“(Butler Soil and Water Conservation District) has received several Community Connection grants and we have a long relationship with them being here,” Staggs Hermann said.
On the other end of the spectrum is the Oxford Coalition for a Healthy Community which set up a booth for the first time at Family Day this year, handing out free items and coloring books as well as spreading out a large poster on a table for children to color with crayons for a few minutes with each adding more color to the picture.
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Co-op linemen offered a safety demonstration showing, among other things, how a squirrel on a power line can fry itself and cause a power outage. They also showed the effect of a live downed wire on a car door. Children were given the opportunity to “Dress like a Lineman” and wear the thick protective gloves while trying to work on a near-to-the-ground power pole.
The event was only about half-way through for the day but Staggs Hermann was ready to proclaim it a success, given the size of the crowd, the enthusiasm of the kids and the weather.
“I think of it as a neighborhood party,” she said. “It’s a nice event for a family to do in the summer, not in Cincinnati, in this township.”
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