It was like asking a parent: Which is your favorite child?
Museums and historical archives across the Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative area are filled with thousands of fascinating items that have taken decades to select and acquire. It takes dedication and a love of history to tell the story of a community through a collection of artifacts.
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative will send two journeyman line worker teams, seven apprentice line workers and six competition judges, as well as a barbecue team and additional volunteers, to the Texas Lineman’s Rodeo at Nolte Island Park near Seguin on July 16.
After the event was canceled for two years, everyone from participants to volunteers are ready to return to the competition fields.
The event gives line workers a chance to compete against peers from across Texas, and to demonstrate the skills they use in their jobs.
For decades, on the second Tuesday of every May, hundreds of Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative members have gathered to attend the co-op’s Annual Meeting.
“I moved here [to Bluebonnet’s service area] in 2002,” said Debra Irvin, a Bluebonnet member in Lee County. “I still enjoy coming to the Annual Meeting. It’s fun.”
How lineworkers stay cool on the job
Some jobs don’t pause for the heat — and that includes the work of Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative’s lineworkers. Whether restoring power during an outage or performing routine maintenance, these essential workers often face extreme outdoor temperatures.
Lee County Amateur Radio Emergency Services will purchase new radio communications equipment to strengthen Lee County’s response during emergencies, thanks to an $11,349 grant from Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative and the Lower Colorado River Authority.
The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $3,500 in matching funds from the recipient, will allow the group to expand its geographic reach and resiliency through the purchase of new radios, antennas and other electronic equipment.
By Will Holford
As the population increases across Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative’s service area and more rural land gives way to neighborhoods and businesses, preserving dark skies can help protect the quality of life that makes the region a desirable place to live and work.
For that reason, Bluebonnet has, since 2014, installed dark-sky compliant, LED lights when co-op members request security lights at their homes, businesses, farms and ranches.
By Ed Crowell
Just ask any rural resident in the Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative region why dark skies matter.
Strolling onto open land and looking up at an endless array of stars, constellations and our own Milky Way galaxy can be a profound experience. Whether the lofty nocturnal scenery brings mere peace of mind or an altered sense of place in the universe, it is a powerful part of the appeal of rural living.