Patrons of Husbandry – a website dedicated to the Granges located in Maine
-> Do your Holiday Shopping at a Grange Holiday Craft Fair. Here’s a list of the ones we’ve heard about!
If your Grange is distributing dictionaries to schools or may be interested in doing so, please see this post and fill out the form!
January 10-12, 2025, in Danvers, MA
by Paula Roberts, LCN
reprinted with permission
Willow Grange #366 of Jefferson presented the Jefferson Historical Society with a Spirit of America Award on Thursday, Sept. 12.
The historical society has spent years archiving early photos of Jefferson, gathering history, and preserving early artifacts of the town. One of the group’s more recent projects was gathering pictures of older families in Jefferson.
Members have printed a couple of histories of Jefferson and annually make a calendar with historic photos. They also hold open houses each year to display Jefferson’s historic artifacts.
There were 34 members of the historical society present at the ceremony, including 16 who are also Grange members. President Marilyn Speckman accepted the award on behalf of the Jefferson Historical Society from Willow Grange Master Sharon Morton.
The evening’s program was on the history of the Grange, including its set of five stage curtains. The curtains were a gift in 1906 from Grange member Charles M. Davis. The curtains were made by the renowned L.L. Graham, of Brooklyn, N.Y. The grand drape is a scene of Venice, and the other four curtains include a street scene, a kitchen, a parlor, and a nature scene. The stage also has reversible ears for the wings.
The curtains were restored in 2012.
Valley Grange is proud to have handed out close to 250 dictionaries to third-graders this year. That puts us well over 4,000 since starting the program several decades ago. Enjoy some photos of this year’s program.
Dictionary Days are fun because learning is fun!
If your Grange is interested in starting a Words for Thirds Dictionary Program, complete the form below. No obligation!
Rebekah Hodgkins from Jonesboro Grange attended the National Grange Convention this year and is now a Seventh Degree Member. She also reports that she won Third Place in the Fair Category of the National Grange Photo Contest, and Kennedy won First and Third Place in the Pet Category.
“The folks I connected with were wonderful humans… it was so nice to be with other Grangers and I felt ‘at home.'”
Rebeka
November 30, 2024
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
CRAFTERS – DOOR PRIZES – RAFFLES – WREATHS AND SWAGS
Chili, chowder, beef stew, and dessert will be available for lunch for $5.00
Excelsior Grange is located at 446 Harris Hill Road in Poland, Maine.
Saturday, December 7, 2024
9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
Crafts – Raffles – Food
Enjoy great food, including fresh-baked muffins, cinnamon rolls, and free coffee. Please stop by for lunch when we are serving soups, biscuits, hot dogs, and drinks.
4:45 p.m. Live Nativity
5:00 p.m. Public Supper
Enjoy homemade food with family, friends, and neighbors. Adults are $10, Kids are $5, and children under 10 eat free!
By Walter Boomsma,
MSG Communications Director
207 343-1842
Communication Shorts are brief (short) but important items posted for your information and use. Please send us your ideas and thoughts!
The November Bulletin is now available. Recent issues of the Bulletin can be found on the Program Books and Information Page.
ODD Directory provides a printable list of state officers, directors, and deputies with basic contact information. It can also be found on the Program Books and Information Page.
As we purge older posts and clean things up, you may occasionally encounter missing photos and broken links. Remember, we only maintain two years of posts both to save space and avoid confusion. If what’s missing seems important, please let us know! Mistakes happen.
We continue to add new information to the site! The Program Books and Information Page now features the MSG Bylaws as Revised at State Session and the words to Veterans of the USA from the 2024 Memorial Service. We’ve also added the 2025 Ag Program Book.
Many Granges offer holiday craft fairs or “makers markets.” Please submit information about yours! We offer statewide publicity and make it easy for you to share information on Social Media.
The 150th Anniversary Booklet is a literal treasure of historical information about Granges in Maine, including a complete list of every Grange that has existed in Maine! Check it out!
If you are having any sort of program event, consider offering tours of your Grange Hall. Many folks are interested in learning more about both the Grange and these buildings.
Ellie Collins has some Grange Songbooks that are looking for a good home! If you’re interested, contact her or let us know!
“When you think you are too old to do something new remember you will never be younger than you are right now.”
James Clear
If we are inclined to doubt that the Grange is about a way of life, we might simply pay close attention to the things we say and do somewhat automatically. In one of my teaching assignments, I am responsible for “locking up” the building when I finish. This includes “walking the building” to ensure lights are off, and no one remains inside. Once I’m outside, I “report in” by texting the person in charge. I usually text “All is secure.” In my mind, the words “Worthy Master” accompany my message of assurance.
I then call home to report my progress. I’ll admit that I am on occasion tempted to announce at the beginning of the call, “The labors of the day are complete.”
While the language of the Grange can readily become part of our lives, an occasional pause and reminder to make sure we are living the Grange way of life can be worthwhile. The language helps us. “Let us be quiet, peaceful citizens…” I often stop right there. I like the word “peaceful.” Merriam-Webster defines it as “untroubled by conflict, agitation, or commotion” and offers as synonyms “quiet” and “tranquil.” Those are some tall orders in today’s society, which seems filled with conflict, agitation, and commotion.
The way we end our meetings is meant to ensure “all is secure,” but it goes beyond closing the Bible and implement case to include the assurances offered by the Grange Way of Life. We are also reminded that we “place faith in God, nurture hope, dispense charity, and are noted for fidelity.” These are the qualities that drive us to “add dignity to labor, and in our dealings with our fellow men be honest, be just and fear not. We must avoid intemperance in eating, drinking, and language, also in work and recreation, and whatever we do, strive to do well.”
I can imagine leaving a Grange meeting years ago, riding home and unhitching the horse, and achieving another “all is secure” at home and in the barn. The animals are settled in for the night. The labors of the day are complete. All is secure. The farm and home are quiet and tranquil. The world we are in is at peace.
Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-seventh edition of the 2023 Subordinate Grange Manual or the most recent edition of the Pomona Grange Manual. The views and opinions expressed in “Exploring Traditions” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine and policy of the Grange. Information about the book “Exploring Traditions—Celebrating the Grange Way of Life” can be found at http://abbotvillagepress.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.
By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director
Accomplishments
Phew! There could be lots to talk about! We’ve experienced what might be considered a “perfect storm” from a communications standpoint. The aftermath of the State Session always generates a lot of changes and updates, plus this year’s Deputy School resulted in some great resources! There are really too many to list here, but you can explore the Program Books and Information Page and see Master Sherry’s “Presidential Perspective” for a list of some of the available materials.
The online officer directory is updated, and the Granges directory is close to current. (Some additional changes may come when the new Roster is released.)
I hope to release the Words for Thirds Resource Pages soon! Ironically, this year, Valley Grange has had a smashing success media-wise with a feature front page above-the-fold article in our local newspaper and onsite television coverage by WABI-TV 5. This coverage has also generated several new subscribers to our TelaGranger Newsletter. I have maintained for a long time that fundraising is much easier when we are relevant and demonstrating our value to our communities. While publicizing fundraising events is important, it’s important to remember that fundraising events are not community service.
A few years ago, it was fashionable to offer career advice such as, “Do what you love, and the money will follow.” I was also tempted to reply, “Not necessarily.” But there is value and truth in passion. In community terms, passionately serving and supporting our communities will open pocketbooks—but that passion and service must be seen!
When the front-page article appeared, a woman from several hundred miles away called our Valley Grange Secretary and related how important a dictionary was to her growing up. She ended her story by asking how to send a donation to support Valley Grange’s efforts to provide kids with a dictionary.
While watching Alyssa Thurlow interview two third graders who had just received their dictionaries, a member of the school administration team whispered to me that he was one of our first “customers” when we started distributing dictionaries over twenty years ago. I think that’s called “making an impact.”
My goals with the coming soon resource pages include encouraging more Granges in Maine to consider starting a Words for Thirds Program. But perhaps more importantly, I hope to provide ideas and tools that will give your program the maximum impact and put your Grange in people’s minds and hearts.
I first learned this poem many years ago.
The codfish lays ten thousand eggs,
The homely hen lays one.
The codfish never cackles
To tell you what she's done.
And so we scorn the codfish,
While the humble hen we prize,
Which only goes to show you
That it pays to advertise.
► FACT: The most frequently visited page in the last twelve months was the Directory of Granges. People are looking for Granges!
By Rick Grotton,
Membership Committee Director
207 582-5915
Please read the membership (and other) columns in the Bulletin at your regular meetings so that all will know what is happening.
Your help is needed to form a strong, viable State Membership Committee with a purpose and goals in mind. Since we are all responsible for increasing our membership in our Granges, I am reaching out to those interested in becoming a State Member-ship Committee member. It cannot be done with a one or two-person committee. Goals need to be set and a structured system set in place. The State Master, the State Membership Director and State Officers are NOT responsible to bring you in new members, they have their own Subordinate and Pomona Granges to work with. The duty of the State Membership Director is to communicate to you when there are degree days or conferences, information from the National Membership Director, announcing and participating in the monthly ZOOM meetings sponsored by the National Director, overseeing the Membership contest, holding workshops and area meetings to provide current membership with tools and suggestions to increase membership and countless other duties. Communication is the BIG key here as the plan is to have a contact in each Pomona that can communicate the ideas to each member of their respective Granges, very simple. The ideas will come from YOU, the member. We need your suggestions, ideas, and thoughts. What do you do to attract members? What makes your Grange successful? What do you want to know? What tools do you need? The Committee needs your ideas as well as the answers to those questions. So, for the good of the order (GOTO). Remember that? Your input is needed. Let’s have fun with this. I do have a number of ideas to get started but I need help!
The Membership Committee challenges each member to get at least one new member. Whether they join your Grange or another is irrelevant. Maybe we should keep count of how many members are responsible bringing in at least one new member. However, that takes contact persons around the state!!!. I will be stressing this challenge to more Granges as I visit.
Are there any new businesses that have arrived in your community or surrounding area? Or even existing ones that could use publicity? What a great way to gain members! Introduce yourself to the owners as a Grange member and ask if there is anything that could be done for them in the community. Invite all business owners to a special Grange celebration honoring the community. Maybe assign each business a table so the community can see what is offered. That makes the Grange an integral part of the community and business growth. People will remember the name “Grange” just by those gestures. It seems like a ton of work to assemble a big event like this. However, it can be done, and with the help of Grange members and others, it will be rewarding. Try it by yourselves or with area Granges.