We, Farmington Grange #12, have gained quite a few new members due to connecting with the local Sandy River Farmer's Market. Those new members have been interested in getting the grange ready for year round markets as well as the ability to process and store foods/products. These products/produce will be processed/cleaned and will then be "shipped south" (probably Lewiston, Portland, etc....future ideas are to Boston and beyond). This will enable local farmers to have a bigger/broader market for these goods and consequently make more money which will allow them to remain in farming! Much work has been done on the hall already thanks to members such as Steve & Toosie Scharoun, Gerry & Pat Libby, Bonnie Clark, and my son Andy, my husband Richard & myself, Wes Marble along with other grangers,. In addition we have hired and or have had volunteer: electricians, carpenters, and masons. WE recently held a volunteer work day and had many area folks come out and help build stud walls for the basement which will become a commercial kitchen area complete with two walk in coolers and certified kitchen. We have installed a pellet stove in the main hall and taken out the "monster oil burner" from the basement along with all the duct work! We are having another work day on October 2 and would welcome anyone who is interested in seeing the hall and / or helping us. Some of the things we will be doing: Painting, sheetrocking, cleaning and ??? Farmington Grange is putting "agriculture" back into Grange and we are very proud of it...Give us a call, come visit, send us an email...we'd love to share with you what we've been up to.

The youth and junior departments are having a Flower Power fundraiser to raise funds for the Army Platoon that we have adopted. This money will be used exclusively for postage, shipping supplies, items that are not donated that they need and to give them a nice Christmas.

The "Flower Power" company is in Vermont and they ship items ordered directly to the ordering customer in time for fall planting. Their catalog has beautiful bulbs and flowers. There is a 100% money back guarantee!

Granges will be receiving catalogs in the mail, junior and youth committee members will taking orders and you can order online by going to www.flowerpowerfundraising.com
then clicking on "find an organization" at the top of the page, a box will come up that asks for the organizations name, type in Maine State Grange and click on "search", our site will come up, and you may order from it.

The Memorial Garden has been completed and it is beautiful. All of the bricks sold by the Junior Department have been placed, the flag pole is in and shrubbery and flowers have been planted. Gary Ladner Landscaping and his crew from Gardiner did an outstanding job. The Junior Department is proud of our efforts and so should all the Grangers of Maine be. Our Grange home is seen by many people daily and they will see this lovely addition and that we are proud of our home. I'll be sending photos to our platoon.

The Junior and Youth Departments have received our Platoon Assignment from Adopt a Platoon Soldier Support Effort. We will be supporting 33 soldiers, which includes 3 women, with a minimum of one card/letter per week each and one monthly care package minimum. But I know we can do better than that! All of our mail and packages go to a Point of Contact who shares it with the platoon as a whole.

Our soldiers are Combat Engineers and move around frequently, their conditions are not good, they have NO stores, running non potable water, power is 110V and as soon as I find out if they have a microwave I will let everyone know.

It is with distinct honor and great pleasure that I invite you to the 144th Annual Convention of the National Grange to be held this November at the University Hilton Hotel, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Eastern Region States, from New Jersey to Florida, are making preparations for you to enjoy your stay, as evidenced by our theme, ‘Down Home Fun.’

You will have the opportunity to enjoy and participate in all of the convention activities without leaving the hotel property, as all events are to be held at the Hilton. However, if you have the preference to get out and explore, there are approximately twenty restaurants located a short stroll away at the Shoppes at University Place.

Dirigo 98 , route 137 in Freedom will have a Blueberry Festival
August 7th from 4:30 -6:00 P. M.Menu will be Turkey Salad, Pasta Salad,
Blueberries, Blueberry Muffins, Blueberry Pie, Coffee and Lemonade.$8:00
for adults, $4:00 for children 5 to 10 years of age and children under 5
years of age free.

Maine State Grange Family Camp Out Weekend

Was held at the Silver Springs Campground on Route 1 in Saco from July 22-25, 2010. We enjoyed a great weekend for great weather, great friends, and great times. There were around 50 Grangers present. It was also decided that we will return to Silver Springs for Family Camp Out Weekend in 2011. There are 12 cabins available and reservations & deposits immediately. The number for the campground is 207-283-3880, visit them online at www.silverspringscampgroundandcottages.com Next years date are July 22 – 24, feel free to come earlier in the week.