To kick off Lightning Safety Awareness Week across southern Minnesota and west central Wisconsin, the Chanhassen, MN, Weather Forecast Office (WFO) teamed up with the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, which was showing the musical "Singin' in the Rain." Together they printed posters to promote lightning safety with the slogan, "Sing in the rain! But not in a thunderstorm. When you hear thunder, go indoors." The poster was unveiled at a press conference by the following people (pictured from left): John Kelly, representative of soccer officials; Jim Berbee, coach of the Minnesota Mudhens softball team; Paul Douglas, Chief Meteorologist, WCCO-TV; Tony Vierling and Leslie Brown, lead performers in "Singin' in the Rain;" and Craig Edwards, Meteorologist-in-Charge, WFO Chanhassen. The posters, along with additional weather education pamphlets, were mailed to over 50 local media outlets. A rain gauge was also placed at the dinner theater and staff members will call rainfall reports into the National Weather Service through the summer.

Former President Jimmy Carter and officials from the National Weather Service Southern Region presented the Honored Institution Award to the University of Georgia's Southwest Research and Education Center in Plains. This prestigious award recognizes the center for 50 years of weather observations and cooperative service to the National Weather Service. I am pleased to be able to present this award to the exceptional staff of the Southwest Research and Education Center," said Carter. "As a resident of Plains and a farmer, I depend on the accurate reports collected by this outstanding facility."

Pictured from left are: WFO Atlanta Cooperative Observer Program Manager Nathan Mayes; Southern Region Cooperative Observer Program Manager Mike Asmus; President Carter; SW Research and Education Center Supt. Stan Jones; Dr. Steve Brown, Asst. Dean, University of Georgia Agriculture and Environmental Science Dept.; and, WFO Atlanta Science and Operations Officer Gary Beeley. Southwest Research and Education Center Supervisor Stan Jones accepted the award on behalf of the university and participating staff members. The center began providing weather observations in January of 1956. Currently, the staff monitors and provides daily reports on temperature, precipitation, evaporation and soil temperatures to the Weather Forecast Office in Atlanta. (Photo: ET Christopher Carney, WFO Atlanta)

Meteorologist-In-Charge Jose Garcia, right, and Warning Coordination Meteorologist Steve Drillette present Vernon Alexander with a Special Service Award at a dinner in his honor in June. Vernon recently retired from his position as the District 1 Emergency Coordinator for the Potter/Randall Counties Amateur Radio Emergency Services organization. Vernon has been a loyal Amateur Radio (HAM) Skywarn spotter for the Amarillo National Weather Service since the mid 1980's. Despite his retirement, Vernon pledged to continue to assist in serving as a HAM Skywarn spotter for the NWS.