One of my favorite days each year is our Member Appreciation Day, and this year’s event at the Fort Wayne Zoo was another great reminder of what makes Paulding Putnam special. More than 2,000 members joined us on July 25 for a day of family fun, fellowship, and connection.

It was wonderful to see so many members enjoying free admission and unlimited rides on favorites like the Sky Safari, Z.O.&O. Railroad, Crocodile Creek Adventure Ride, and Endangered Species Carousel. Beyond the attractions, I appreciated the opportunity for our employees to visit with members, answer questions, and share more about the work we’re doing to serve our communities.

We were able to meet with the families that stopped by the pavilion to learn about electrical safety, generate electricity on our energy bike, enter our door prize drawing, and visit with our team. We also had the chance to talk with members about our expanding fiber internet service, including available packages, pricing, and when service will be coming to their area. Today, service is available in parts of Latty, Haviland, Scott, Grover Hill, Roselm, Ottoville, Fort Jennings, Van Wert, and Kalida, with construction continuing across our service territory.

If you or someone you know is interested in fiber internet — even if you’re not an electric member — I encourage you to complete our interest form at PPEC.coop/internet. Your interest helps us plan future construction and lets us notify you as soon as service becomes available.

Finally, I want to thank the committee who puts this together, along with everyone who attended and helped make the day a success. Events like Member Appreciation Day are our way of saying “thank you” for your membership and support. If you joined us, please take a moment to take a survey at bit.ly/MemberAppreciationDaySurvey or scan the QR code. Your feedback helps us make next year’s event even better. We hope to see you next  year!

Member Appreciation Day in Pictures