Patrons of Husbandry – a website dedicated to the Granges located in Maine
Grange Craft Fairs— a list of Holiday Shopping Opportunities at Granges
The Maine State Grange Office is located at
36 Anthony Avenue, Suite 102, Augusta, ME 04330
The office is open Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday from 9:30 am until 1:30 pm
The email address is mainestategrange@gmail.com.
For website matters, email webmaster@mainestategrange.org.
The Contribution of Ritual
Every time we open a meeting, we repeat the same familiar words—at least twice—reminding ourselves that we place faith in God, nurture hope, dispense charity, and are noted for fidelity (the Grange salutation). We even have hand movements to accompany it.
For some, that salutation can start to feel like a cumbersome box to check before we get to the “real” business of the meeting. When a tradition starts feeling robotic, the natural temptation is to ask: Why are we still doing this? Shouldn’t we just skip ahead?
It’s a fair question. Our time is precious, and none of us want to waste it on empty routine. This is the seed of the sense that “no one wants to do the ritual anymore.” The Ritual, or some portion of it, has become empty.
However, there is a hidden catch to abandoning our rituals: human groups never actually get rid of rituals. If we drop an intentional tradition, we don’t become purely efficient—we simply replace it with an unconscious ritual.
The new default ritual becomes rushing straight into logistics, staring at agendas (or smartphones), and diving headfirst into the day’s stress (“the work of the day”). Over time, our organization stops feeling like a fellowship with a shared calling and starts feeling like just another (pain in the butt) transactional committee.
That is the difference between a routine and an intentional ritual. A routine is just a habit we repeat on autopilot. An intentional ritual is an anchor—a deliberate pause that reminds us why we are in the room before we argue over how to get the work done.
Look again at the four pillars in our salutation: faith, hope, charity, and fidelity.
Those aren’t just nice words from another era; they are our actual job description. Before we debate budgets, plan events, or tackle community needs, repeating those words is meant to reset our posture. It asks us to leave our outside distractions at the door and step into our shared purpose—together, in one voice.
Of course, words only carry weight if we give them weight. Repeating our salutation on autopilot is a waste of time. Saying it with intention—actually listening to the words and letting them steady the room—keeps us grounded in who we are.
We don’t need to keep every tradition just for the sake of history. If a habit has truly outlived its usefulness, we should be honest about it. But before we brush aside a ritual because it feels repetitive, we should ask whether the problem is the tradition itself—or just that we’ve stopped paying attention to what it means.
If we’re “doing the ritual,” we’re actually going to get reminded again. “As we are again to separate, and mingle with the world, let us not forget the precepts of our Order. Let us 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. Let us be quiet, peaceful citizens, feeding the hungry, helping the fatherless and the widows, and keeping ourselves unspotted from the world.”
Next time we open a meeting, try treating the salutation not as a speed bump on the way to the agenda, but as the moment we remember why we showed up at all.
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://wboomsma.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.
Santa and Mrs. Claus are coming to the Parkman Grange annual Christmas party on Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 1:00 to 3:00. All are invited to visit with Santa, get presents, and have a photo taken with him to take home. There will be 6 easy, simple crafts for kids to make to keep or give away as gifts to family and friends.
Christmas cookies and cocoa will be served. This party is free and the Grange’s gift to the community.
If you would like to help give Sue a call 207-717-6248.
The Parkman Grange is located at the corner of State Hwy 150 and North Dexter Road.
As Veterans Day approaches, it’s an important time to recognize the service of our nation’s veterans and raise awareness about scams targeting the military community. Criminals may impersonate government agencies, offer assistance with VA benefits for a fee, promote fake military discounts, or solicit donations for bogus veteran charities.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will never charge fees to apply for benefits or access official military records, nor will they demand personal details out of the blue. Scams targeting veterans may focus on their military benefits, offering a lump-sum cash offer – be wary. Verify any suspicious contact directly with the VA at 800-827-1000 or by visiting va.gov.
Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.
By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director
An Introduction and the Value of Anger
One of the often unstated benefits of Grange membership is the opportunity to network and collaborate, and I have an excellent example. Our Bulletin and website will benefit from Sean McCart and me “meeting” each other. Sean runs Farm Country Hubs, part of Great Outdoor Hubs, a small company in Winter Springs, Florida. It doesn’t take long to discover that Sean’s a knowledgeable guy. When we agreed to an article about the Hub here in Maine, He immediately found and read the Guest Author’s Guidelines. And then he followed them!
Since I’m always seeking resources for our members, we’re exploring some additional articles. Sean’s working on a post about operating a farm stand or store. Granges that operate farmers’ markets will be interested! We’ve hooked in Mark, who operates an unmanned, community-focused neighborhood store designed to support local Maine makers, bakers, farmers, and artisans right here in Abbot, Maine! How does he do it?
While our focus will be farmers and farm markets, you won’t have to think too far outside the box to benefit. We may be “At the Farm Gate,” but some of the thinking can easily transfer to the Grange Hall Door. If you have ideas and questions, you can certainly reach out to Sean or me!
On another note, the conflict resolution workshop at State Session triggered some thoughts. (A friend says she can tell when my brain is having fun. This may qualify as one of those times.) The word “anger” often comes up when we talk about conflict. Anger is an emotion. So is passion. They are both raw psychological “fuel.” The anger tends to be explosive, while passion burns like a steady fire. Both have value and can serve a purpose.
Imagine, for a moment, a group of Grangers who become truly angry because attendance at meetings is dismal. They care! That’s good news. They still care. Their anger is telling us (and them, if they’ll listen) something, but we have to listen carefully. That’s hard to do when we’re angry. We can work through the anger and move towards passion. A cooler head might ask “What should our meetings be like?”
When we outlaw and suppress anger, the result is likely going to be either more anger or, at the other end of the spectrum, apathy. The founders of the Grange were really angry about some of the things that were happening to farmers. After all, that was a driving force in the very creation of the Grange. To their credit, they welcomed healthy, honest debate. And they saw that it was possible to transform anger into motivation and proactivity.
Many years ago I worked an “inside” job as a director of training and organizational development. My secretary and I were quite a team. We would occasionally “stage” encounters for the benefit of the entire department! One of us might proclaim angrily, “We can’t let that happen!” The other might counter, “You’re right! Let’s get to work on a plan…” We wanted people to know we cared deeply.
Anger is often evidence of buried passion. We manage the anger to release the passion.
I occasionally joke,”There’s a lot of apathy these days, but who cares.” I’d rather attend that meeting where there’s frustration and anger than one where folks are half-asleep and looking forward to going home. How about you?
FACT: In the past thirty days, 24 visitors to the site clicked on links to Grange Facebook Pages. Is yours listed and current?
By Brenda Dyer, MSG Community Service/FHH Director
(207) 608-9193
Hello Everyone. Thank you to those Granges who submitted books and reports. The complete details are in my report that is posted on the website. Community Service: 1st Highland Lake, 2nd Old Town Riverside, 3rd Mill Stream, and 4th Saco. Family, Health & Hearing winner: Danville Junction.
A Community Service and Family, Health & Hearing Questionnaire was passed out and collected at State Session; thank you, everyone, for participating. The same questionnaire is being mailed to every Grange; please fill it out and return it to me at my home address.
I would like to thank Terry & Cassie for filling in for me at State Session. Thank you to all those who donated raffle items and bought tickets for the raffle – we earned $260 toward next year’s prize awards.
Thank you for the nice get-well card Joe received, signed by so many Grange friends. Happy Thanksgiving.
Webmaster’s note: The format of this column includes all of the Quill’s Endians participating at various times and in various ways! Phil writes this month’s column.
Since early September, we have had the cows in our neighbor’s field just north of Quill’s End Farm. The field goes all the way to Back Ridge Rd. Every time we have animals near that (less-travelled) road, cars stop and watch. I get it. I like hanging out with cows. I wonder though, if anyone would stop and watch 100 years ago.
It has become such an anomaly to see animals out in a field. Even in farming communities, the cows, hogs, and chickens live indoors for their entire lives. It gladdens my heart to see that people are still attracted enough to livestock to stop and stare for a second.
I spent my early years in Medellin, Colombia. It was a city of millions in the 70s and 80s of last century, but many of its residents were fresh from the countryside. Some kept chickens or quail in cages in their homes. Some kept rabbits on little dirt courtyards. Wherever there was a little space, it was filled with a vestige of a time that was fleeting, when more than not, people were involved with raising and growing their food.
Some men made money with a horse and cart. Lacking fields and barns, they would work a horse until thin, let it loose, and catch a fat one. Horses roamed the city in little herds, snacking in city parks and dooryards, biding their time until they gained enough condition to warrant being caught and worked.
For thousands of years, humans have had a working relationship with animals that the Industrial Revolution is erasing. It is a shame. Machines cannot replace the relationships built by good work, of shared sweat and experience, and the many benefits of keeping livestock.
You all get to share some of the benefits while making it possible for us to continue this millennia-old relationship in the products we make, but maybe at some time, you’ll need to jump a fence, touch a cow, and remember the shared past, perhaps the future.
Heather and Phil Retberg and their three children run Quill’s End Farm, a 105-acre property in Penobscot that they bought in 2004. They use rotational grazing on their fifteen open acres and are renovating thirty more acres from woods to pasture to increase grazing for their pigs, grass-fed cattle, lambs, laying hens, and goats. Quill’s Endians are members of Halcyon Grange and publish a newsletter for their farm’s buying club of farmers in the area, and generously permit us to share some of their columns with Grangers. Visit the Quill’s End Farm Facebook Page for more information.
“Honor to the soldier and sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country’s cause. Honor, also, to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field and serves, as he best can, the same cause.”
Abraham Lincoln
November 21, 2026, 9 am-2 pm
White Rock Grange #380 hosts dozens of crafters and artisans for your Christmas shopping pleasure. Handmade home decor, crochet & knitted items, hand towels, sewn items, soy candles, and much more!
Please consider bringing a donation for the local food pantry.
Whhite Rock Grange is located at 33 Wilson Road in Gorham, Maine 04038.
Farmington Grange has begun its WWW (Wednesday Work/Welcome and Warm Up for the winter. Every 1st and 3rd Wednesday, our Grange is open from 12 to 2 pm. Coffee, tea, soup, and sweets provided. Anyone can come in for social time, lunch, or to work on projects. Grange members are currently working on a crazy quilt.
Farmington Grange is located at 124 Bridge Street in West Farmington. FMI contact Bonnie Clark.
By Margaret Henderson, Director
Committee on Women’s Activities
207 948-2762
What a beautiful fall we have had. The colors were spectacular!
We had a good conference back in August. There was a total of 54 entries and there were 3 categories with
no entries. The winners from Classes A-K were sent to “Big E”. We had 5 winners from Maine. In Class A Afghans: Laurie McBurnie won 3rd place; Class B Doilies Roseanna Starks won 2nd place; Class
C Embroidery: Gail Butterfield won 3rd place; Class G Adult Garment: Mary Jane McLoon won 2nd place and Class I Quilted Wall Hanging: Kathy Gowen won 1st place.
I had the pleasure of presenting these awards at State Grange. Congratulations ladies. I look forward to seeing your entries next year.
I also presented a check to Richard Harriman for House in the Woods. I also have a check to present to Home for Little Wanderers this week. Thank you to
everyone for the donations to help these organizations. They really appreciate it.
I thought that State Grange session went very well. It was great to see everyone.
I hope that everyone will have a Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy your day with family and friends.