SMECO Linemen to Compete in Gaff-n-Go Rodeo
Mark your calendars. Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative linemen will be competing at the 2026 Gaff-n-Go Rodeo.
Linemen compete in events that test their agility, skill, and safe work practices—talents vital to the work they perform daily. The rodeo is an opportunity to see the skill, strength, and respect for electricity it takes to be a utility lineman.
The rodeo attracts the best lineworkers from all over the country to compete in traditional lineworker tasks. Journeyman teams and individual apprentices from cooperatives, investor-owned utilities, municipals, and contractors will compete in a challenging environment demonstrating the skills required in their everyday work.
The event will be held May 15 and 16, 2026, at Meadow Event Park in Doswell, VA. Admission will be free to the general public.
Learn more here.
SMECO – The Cooperative Difference
SMECO was incorporated in 1937 and is one of the 15 largest electric cooperatives in the United States with more than 170,000 member accounts in Charles County, St. Mary’s County, southern Prince George’s County, and most of Calvert County.
Electric cooperatives are shaped by the communities they serve, because co-ops are owned by their customers. Co-op members elect the men and women who serve on the Board of Directors. Members share the responsibility of ownership by financing the cooperative’s operations, but they also share its rewards.
At the end of each year, SMECO’s margins (profits) are allocated to members’ capital credit accounts. SMECO uses its profits to invest in new construction, system improvements, and facility upgrades. The Board of Directors regularly evaluates the financial condition of the co-op and determines when members will receive a refund. Since 1937, SMECO has refunded more than $128 million.
As a cooperative, SMECO will always put its members first and be responsive, reliable, and resourceful — the power you can count on.
Follow SMECO on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SMECO.coop and on X at www.twitter.com/somdelectric.
The SMECO 24/7 mobile app is available at www.smeco.coop/247. To learn more about SMECO, visit their Leader Member Page.
