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Page 2 — Wednesday, November 16, 2022, The True Citizen
Waynesboro-Burke Concert Series
Ryan Abel & Friends present ‘Tribute
to Laurel Canyon’ this Saturday
A fan favorite everywhere
they go, Ryan Abel & Friends
are hitting the stage again in
Waynesboro this Saturday,
Nov. 19, at the Burke County
Office Park, and this is a per
formance you don’t want to
miss.
The Waynesboro-Burke
Concert Series is pleased to
welcome the group and their
hit show “Tribute to Laurel
Canyon,” celebrating with
concert-goers music that de
fined a generation. Flits from
the 60s and 70s, presented
by a 19-person band accom
panied by full strings and
horn sections, include music
from CSNY, The Monkees,
The Eagles, Jackson Browne,
James Taylor, Carole King,
Linda Ronstadt and many,
many more.
Tickets are on sale now for
$25 in advance and may be
purchased at the Burke County
Public Library or by calling
706.526.5062. Doors open Sat
urday at 6:30 p.m., and tickets
will be available until sold out.
The show, which is sponsored
by Daniels Chevrolet Buick
GMC and Bird Dog Motors,
begins at 7 p.m. An intermis
sion with light refreshments
will be provided.
WHO: Ryan Abel & Friends
“Tribute to Laurel Canyon”
WHAT: Music from the 60s and 70s
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m.
WHERE: Burke County Office Park
Planters EMC employee
recognized with Lifesaving Award
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Planters EMC employee Will Wade is awarded the Lifesaving
Award at the Georgia EMC statewide association meeting
held in Savannah.
By recognizing his boss
was in physical distress and
taking action, a Planters Elec
tric Membership Corporation
worker earned the Georgia
EMC Lifesaving Award re
cently.
During its annual meeting in
Savannah, Georgia EMC pre
sented the honor to Will Wade,
a meter technician at Planters
EMC. It is given annually to
employees of the state’s 41
EMCs.
Wade noticed Chris Drake,
Planters’ operations manager,
silently clutching his throat
one morning in February, try
ing to signal that his airway
was completely blocked. Two
of Wade’s colleagues didn’t
immediately understand the
situation, but Wade did.
“He was gasping for breath
and grabbing his throat. It was
all he could do to breathe,”
Wade said. “My first thought
was he was choking on some
thing.”
Drake had turned his back
and raised his hands above his
head as a way to prepare to re
ceive the Heimlich maneuver.
Wade, relying on his yearly
first aid training that included
choking situations, rushed to
his boss, wrapped his arms
around the man’s abdomen,
locked his wrists together, and
thrust upward.
The first attempt wasn’t suc
cessful, but the second was.
For Drake, the episode was
frightening.
“It’s an eye-opening experi
ence. You face your mortality
in a matter of seconds,” he
said.
In his panic, Drake also
reflected on the irony that
throughout his career, he had
focused on not being injured
through electrocution and
then was becoming a victim
of choking. That morning, he
realized that he was coming
down with an upper respiratory
infection and planned to visit
a doctor after getting the line
crews their assignments.
As is his custom before the
morning crew meeting, he took
a cup of coffee to the loading
dock for a cigarette and a mo
ment to check emails on his
phone. It was after a sip that left
him unable to breathe or speak.
He credits Wade’s attention
to annual first aid training, and
to a higher power.
“God put him where he
was,” Drake said. “For some
reason or another, God didn’t
want me right then.” Wade
agrees, noting that Drake had
joked afterward about the two
cracked ribs he received during
the maneuver.
“’I can deal with two cracked
ribs rather than what I was
headed for.’ What he was head
ed for was Heaven,” Wade
recounted.
Wade is among eight em
ployees from six EMCs in
Georgia to be honored with a
Lifesaving Award, which rec
ognizes EMC associates whose
quick thinking and actions are
instrumental in safeguarding
others from dangerous or po
tentially deadly situations.
All Georgia EMCs exten
sively focus on safety, with
regular training and encourage
ment from managers.
The goal is to create an
overall mindset among em
ployees to be aware of danger
and to quickly respond with
their training. The Life Saving
Award is proof that emphasis
on safety is taking root.
About Planters EMC: Plant
ers Electric Membership Cor
poration was formed in 1936
and was the 17th rural electric
cooperative in the nation. Plant
ers EMC is a member-owned
electric membership coopera
tive providing electric service
to members in Bulloch, Burke,
Effingham, Emanuel, Jenkins,
Richmond and Screven coun
ties. It is dedicated to providing
its members with dependable
electric service at the most
competitive rates. And because
it is locally owned and man
aged, it provides responsive,
member-focused service 24
hours a day, seven days a week.
About Georgia EMC: Geor
gia EMC is the trade associa
tion representing the state’s 41
electric cooperatives, Ogletho
rpe Power Corp., Georgia
Transmission Corp. and Geor
gia System Operations Corp.
Collectively, Georgia’s cus
tomer-owned co-ops provide
electricity and related services
to 4.4 million people, nearly
half of Georgia’s population,
across 73 percent of the state’s
land area. To learn more, visit
www.georgiaemc.com and
follow us on Facebook and
Twitter.
479 East 8 th Street (Yellowtown Road)
Entire Block Celebration
Ark Victory Apostolic Church
THANKS 1
I GIVING
Feed the Community
"Food Fun Family Togetherness"
NOVEMBER
Wednesday
12 noon to 7p
Contact: Brenda Lewis (706)-526-2156
Pastor Doris Tongo (646)-234-8098
hlS valued feu
LiTB-Jf * I
t won
DESSERT BA
Fresh-baked HOMEMADE DESS EH IS
guaranteed ta please everyone; taslebuds!
Taylor Bros. H-Press niters a
wide range nf sandwiches,
in Mug Cheeseburgers and
Philly Steal:.