Parade promotes family fun

Touchstone Energy float in Mandan 4th of July Parade

Capital Electric Cooperative employees
who participated in the parade: Back
row: Paul Fitterer, business manager;
Laurie Rogstad, accounting clerk;
Josh Schaffner, member services
assistant. Front row: Dylan Depee,
nephew of Shari; Shari Vetter, billing
coordinator; and Michelle Colton,
secretary/billing clerk.

Maybe it’s the steady beat of a high school marching band. Maybe it’s the anticipation of receiving candy and stickers. Or maybe it’s the clip-clop of horses’ hooves, or the colorful and creative floats that glide by. Whatever it is—there’s just something magical about a parade.

This year, several electric cooperatives joined forces to decorate a Touchstone Energy® float and walk the Mandan Jaycees Fourth of July Parade route. Employees from Capital Electric Cooperative, Mor-Gran-Sou Electric Cooperative, Basin Electric Power Cooperative, the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives and National Information Solutions Cooperative decorated the float with a rainbow and power lines. The overall parade theme was, “Believing in tomorrow.” To incorporate electricity into the theme, the cooperatives added the phrase, “Powering your future,” in an effort to unite the members, the employees and the industry.

“The parade is just a great way for employees to get together with others from neighboring cooperatives and show how much we appreciate our members,” says Paul Fitterer, business manager for Capital Electric.

“It was my first time participating in the parade. I enjoyed meeting new members and watching families spending quality time together enjoying the annual festivities.

“At Capital Electric Cooperative, we are proud to support such a patriotic event. It’s our chance to remember past and present soldiers, and to show our thanks for their service,” he says.