THE MAGAZINE FOR COOPERATIVE MEMBERS VOLUME 72 • NUMBER 2 (ISSN 0047-486X, USPS 316-240) Read in more than 584,000 homes and businesses and published monthly except in December by The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, Inc. 808 Knox Abbott Drive Cayce, SC 29033 Tel: (803)926-3175 Fax: (803) 796-6064 Email: [email protected] EDITOR Keith Phillips Tel: (803) 739-3040 Email: [email protected] ASSISTANT EDITOR Diane Veto Parham FIELD EDITOR Walter Allread PUBLICATION COORDINATOR Travis Ward ART DIRECTOR Sharri Harris Wolfgang DESIGNER Susan Collins PRODUCTION Andrew Chapman WEB EDITOR Chase Toler COPY EDITOR L. Kim Welborn CONTRIBUTORS Jayne Cannon, Mike Couick, Tim Hanson, Hastings Hensel, Jan A. Igoe, L.A. Jackson, Patrick Keegan, Kaley Lockwood, Sydney Patterson, Belinda Smith-Sullivan, Brad Thiessen PUBLISHER Lou Green ADVERTISING Mary Watts Tel: (803) 739-5074 Email: [email protected] NATIONAL REPRESENTATION American MainStreet Publications Tel: (800) 626-1181 Paid advertisements are not endorsements by any electric cooperative or this publication. If you encounter a di culty with an advertisement, inform the Editor. ADDRESS CHANGES: Please send to your local co-op. Postmaster: Send Form 3579 to Address Change, c/o the address above. Periodicals postage paid at Columbia, S.C., and additional mailing o ces. ©COPYRIGHT 2018. The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, Inc. No portion of South Carolina Living may be reproduced without permission of the Editor. SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING is brought to you by your member-owned, taxpaying, not-for-pro t electric cooperative to inform you about your cooperative, wise energy use and the faces and places that identify the Palmetto State. Electric cooperatives are South Carolina’s—and America’s—largest utility network. ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS: $5.72 members, $8 nonmembers Member of the AMP network reaching more than 9 million homes and businesses 2018|feb 16 Great Scots! Highland games celebrate South Carolina’s Celtic culture and history. 4 CO-OP NEWS Updates from your cooperative 6 AGENDA Cooperatives across the nation are experimenting with microgrids to enhance power infrastructure. Plus: The true stories of enslaved Africans come to life at Hampton Plantation State Historic Site. 10 DIALOGUE Finding the best deal for consumers As state lawmakers sort out what happens next with Santee Cooper, S.C. electric cooperatives will continue to work to deliver the best result for our members. 12 ENERGY Q&A How smart should your new thermostat be? Whether you control it by Wi-Fi or walk over and turn a dial, your thermostat is a powerful tool for saving energy. 14 SMART CHOICE Move up to the majors Get things done in the kitchen and laundry room with high- tech major appliances that do their jobs and a lot more. 21 STORIES Defying gravity Greenville native Sandi Morris sets her sights high as a world-class track-and- eld athlete. 22 SCENE The fast and the furry South Carolina dogs (and their owners) leap into yball, the nation’s fastest-growing canine-agility sport. 26 TRAVELS The need for speed Indoor karting o ers racing thrills—and a way to settle friendly rivalries—on a budget. 30 RECIPE For chocolate lovers Indulge your passion for chocolate with four new recipes from Chef Belinda. 16 32 GARDENER Relish the radish Get an early start on the garden season with colorful, cold-tolerant radishes you can plant this month. 34 MARKETPLACE 36 CALENDAR 38 HUMOR ME When bettas get blue If you thought scientists had better things to do than study the emotional well-being of sh, you’d be wrong. 22 30 PHOTOS, FROM TOP: MIC SMITH; JEFF SMITH; KAREN HERMANN Great Scots! Highland games celebrate S.C. Celtic culture Berkeley Electric Cooperative member Shane Sutherland competes in the weight-throw competition at the 2017 Charleston Scottish Games and Highland Gathering. Photo by Mic Smith. SC RECIPE Who wants chocolate? SC SCENE Release the hounds FEBRUARY 2018