It's hard to beat homemade ice cream on a hot summer day - especially with the bonus of helping a good cause! On August 29th, employees gathered at the Main Office break room to churn 10 containers of ice cream with nine different flavors under the direction of IT Infrastructure Manager Tony Godwin, who has coordinated this tradition 16 of the past 24 years.  

Fun was had by all for just a small fee of $4 to cover the cost of ingredients. As an added bonus, the $145.60 left over after all expenses were covered was donated to our United Way campaign. 

"Ah, the joy of eating homemade ice cream with friends," Tony said with a bowl of his favorite banana in his hands. "I love them all, but banana was my father's favorite and I think of him every time I make it."  Tony was especially appreciative of retired employee Mary Lou Norris who brought toasted pecans for the two churns of butter pecan ice cream and helped mix ingredients along with Courtney Basile and Elizabeth Sharp with IT.  "Mary is the queen of mixing the butter pecan ice cream with her fresh pecans, and it was so great to be able to spend some time with her again."   

Freezing 10 churns of ice cream, first with electric motors and finishing them off with a hand churn, takes a team to complete within two short hours. Tony called on his experienced churning team of Scott Mullis (Customer Relations), Tom Mayo (IT), and Eban Kea (IT) and they did not disappoint. "The process was complete this year by 11:30 a.m., so we could relax a bit before serving at noon. In some prior years, we were still hand cranking a churn or two when noon hit, but the process was so smooth this year." 

Many thanks to the other employees who assisted this year with preparation and/or cleanup: Paige Wallace (GMO), Lena Previll (HR), Branson Rogers (Gas), Charles May (Electric), Andy Anderson (IT), Jessica Hardy (Finance), Karin Fullington (Pub Info), Kristen Jarman (WWTP), Amanda Wall (Finance), Emily Garner (Pub Info), Isaiah Bradshaw (IT), Joe Metz (IT), Brandie Whitehurst (IT), Richie Shreves (IT), and LeAnne Wetherington (Customer Relations).