The East Madison Food Project giveaway day will be Friday, July 31st, from 10 am-11:30 am at the East Madison Grange. 1 box per family. Come early as supplies are limited. Doors open at 10 am. All are welcome!
Madison Grange Food Distribution
Author: Walter Boomsma
August Grange Events
This is not all-inclusive, just what has been submitted. Remember that many national and state contest deadlines happen in August.
First and Third Monday, 8 am – 10 am, Coffee Open House at Manchester Grange.
Every Monday, 6 pm – 8 pm, Winthrop Grange offers free sewing classes.
Every Monday, at 7 PM, St George Grange hosts Music Night. Enjoy live music, bring a musical instrument and play, or get up and sing.
Every Monday, 10:30 am- 12:30 pm, Vassalboro Grange hosts Movement Mondays, a kid-friendly dance event. Email FMI
Every Tuesday, 8:30 AM- 10:00 AM, Vassalboro Grange hosts Coffee on the Porch. Email FMI
Every Saturday, 10 AM-4 PM, Kennebec Valley Grange hosts a flea market that fills two floors. Details here or call Diane Pinkham at 207 314-5135 FMI.
- August 2, 2026, Pancake Breakfast at Vassalboro Grange,
- August 7, 2026 East Madison Grange Open Mic Night at 7 pm. All musicians, poets and other performers are invited to perform.
- August 8, 2026, Chewonki Owls of Maine at Vassalboro Grange, 8:00 am – 10:00 am.
- August 8, 2026, Vassalboro Grange Estatic Dance, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Email FMI
- August 8, 2026, Winthrop Grange Public Bean Supper, 4 pm- 6 pm. Take-out available.
- August 8, 2026, St George Grange Public Supper, 5 pm. FMI
- August 8, 2026, Work Day at the New England Grange Building in West Springfield, MA.
- August 9, 2026, Vassalboro Grange Philosophy Table Potluck, 5:00 pm Email FMI
- August 12, 2026, Fairview Grange Hunter Safety Class
- August 14, 2026, MSG Bulletin Deadline
- August 15, 2026, Resolutions are due at the state office.
- August 15, 2026, Open Mic and Coffee House at Vassalboro Grange, 6 pm – 8 pm Email FMI
- August 21, 2026, CWA Deadline for contest entries (except baking) to arrive at Manchester Grange. FMI
- August 21, 2026, Victor Grange in Fairfield hosts a free senior lunch, 11 AM – 1 PM.
- August 22, 2026, CWA Conference at Manchester Grange starting at 9:30 am. Subordinate and Pomona Reports are due to the state director.
- August 22, 2026, Fairview Grange Hunter Safety Class
- August 29, 2026, Contra Dance at Vassalboro Grange
- August 31, 2026, Community Service Reports are due, including nominations, FHH Activity, etc. See Program Book FMI.
Grange Today! 7-24-2026
Articles in this edition include:
- Raising the Flag, Honoring the Future: Sammamish Valley Grange celebrates America250 with Flag Day Event
- NREA Partners with National Grange to Expand Collaboration Across Rural America
- Is Your Grange Ready to Make a Difference?
- Pave the “Route to the Future” at the 160th Annual National Grange Convention
- Statement from National Grange Regarding Monroe Classic, Inc.
- View from the Hill
- The Countdown is On: One Year Until Grange Revival 2027!
- Request Alzheimer’s materials for your local fairs
- Reports and Contests Due Soon
- Encouraging Creativity in the Age of AI
- Recipes from the Heartland
- Grange Member Benefit: Clouse Insurance
- Grange Store: Good Day! July 2026
Click the button below to read and/or subscribe to Grange Today!
Note that all recent issues are available on the National Grange Website. To save server space, we only post the table of contents on the MSG Website.
Free Eye Exams & Glasses for Veterans and Dependents
For more information or assistance with booking, individuals can reach out directly to the Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services by calling (207) 287-7020 or emailing MaineBVS@maine.gov. Note: This is only by appointment, and you must preregister online.
Fraud Watch- QR Code Scams
QR codes have become a convenient part of our daily lives, from viewing restaurant menus to paying for parking meters. However, scammers are increasingly taking advantage of this technology to steal your personal information and money through a tactic known as “squishing.” By physically pasting fraudulent stickers over legitimate ones, or sending fake codes via email or text, criminals can redirect you to malicious websites meant to mimic trusted businesses.
In public settings, you might unknowingly scan a tampered code on a flyer or parking meter, sending your payment directly into a scammer’s account.
Protecting yourself requires extra caution. When scanning a physical QR code, ensure it’s not a sticker layered over the original. When in doubt, avoid the QR code entirely, and use your phone’s web browser and type in the official web address yourself. Additionally, keeping your devices’ operating systems updated and using antivirus protection can offer an important second line of defense.
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.
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You’ll Miss Us!
a “webatorial” by MSG Communications Director
Walter Boomsma
Seth Godin wrote an interesting post suggesting that when people move away, cards and cake should read, “You’ll miss us” instead of “We’ll miss you.” He points out that the community remains.
One of the more powerful sentences in the short post was, “When a marketer serves a community, they create the conditions where they’d be missed–because the ideas or products or services they bring are important, not simply tolerated.“
With apologies to Seth, I changed a word or two. “When a Grange serves a community, they create the conditions where they’d be missed–because the ideas or services they bring are important, not simply tolerated.“
My revision raises a question for Granges. Would your communities miss you if you were gone? Would they even notice? Are you important or simply tolerated?
One of the challenges we face as an organization is relevance in communities that are loosely defined and increasingly diverse. If our vision is narrow and our goals are limited, we will be missed by an ever-diminishing number of people. For example, not everyone likes potluck suppers.
Seth’s short message is that marketers should see a worthwhile goal of creating ideas, products, or services that the community would miss.
Maybe it’s time for Granges to figure out what they can create and offer that their communities would miss.
Fraud Watch- Utility Scams
As rising summer temperatures cause energy demands to increase, criminals exploit fears of losing power and air conditioning by posing as local utility companies.
Scammers place threatening phone calls, phishing emails, or urgent text messages aimed at convincing consumers to supply personal data or to click on unverified links to resolve a past-due balance. Oftentimes these schemes are accompanied by a push to receive instant payment through unconventional payment methods like gift cards, or cryptocurrency.
If you receive an unexpected threat to terminate your service, take an active pause and contact the utility company’s customer service department using the number from your physical bill or the company’s website (don’t search – go directly to the site) to check your account status. Chances are it’s a scam.
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.
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St George Grange Chair-ity Auction
Recycling at it’s best!
Members of the St. George Grange came up with the whimsical idea of having 17 local artists paint some of their vintage wooden chairs and chose Zero to School as the recipient of this CHAIR-ITY fundraiser auction. These ONE-OF-A-KIND works of art represent both the talent and generosity of these artists.
Check out the amazing chairs and the auction, and learn more about Zero to School! Bidding closes on July 19, 2026 at 8:00 p.m.
Exploring Traditions – July, 2026
Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life
By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist
From the First Degree
During our Degree Day, someone commented that they wished more people could hear the words from the Degree Work. We continue to share them.
In the First Degree, the Overseer explains to the candidates:
“I greet these Sisters as worthy members of our Order. Man and woman are the educators of youth and co-students through life; therefore both must acquire knowledge and wisdom. Education adds the greatest charm to woman; it is a companion of which no misfortune can deprive her, a friend no enemy can alienate, an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity. In this Degree—your Spring season in our Order—begin anew the acquisition of knowledge.”
Grange members are often rightfully proud of the early history of our order regarding women, pointing out that the Grange was the first fraternal organization to grant female members equal standing and the right to vote on Grange matters. It is significant that the Grange’s structure included leadership positions that could be held only by women.
When the Overseer greets the “sisters” (female candidates) during the First Degree, we can see that the greeting is actually not about women. It’s about education. In fact, after the initial greeting, the Overseer points out that both “Man and woman are the educators of youth and co-students through life” and “both must acquire knowledge and wisdom.” It’s a clear recognition of equality in opportunity and responsibility.
So why does the Overseer specifically address the sisters? It seems the Overseer is acknowledging the reality of the historical differences between men and women. In less formal language, “Sisters, the Grange is about improvement. Your place in the Grange and society includes a challenge to enjoy the opportunities and benefits of acquiring knowledge. If you read our Declaration of Purposes, you’ll see that an important one is ‘To champion full equality and leadership opportunities for women and youth, and to promote high ideals of citizenship.’ Historically, you may have been viewed as a companion. The Grange expects more of you and from you.”
That’s not a political statement, and there’s no need to make it so. Since the Declaration of Purposes mentions youth, the Overseer could just as easily be addressing them.
“I greet these youth as worthy members of our order. You must acquire knowledge and wisdom. Education is a companion of which no misfortune can deprive you, a friend no enemy can alienate, an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity. In this Degree–your Spring season in our order–begin anew the acquisition of knowledge.”
Contemplation is difficult while experiencing the Degrees. When I’m acting as Overseer during a Degree Day, I’m always tempted to include, “Think about this,” with a forced pause. The only thing worse than not thinking (and learning; the Degrees are lessons) is pursuing a knee-jerk reaction.
Some will argue that the reference to sisters could be removed. The more important question is: should the reference be removed? When we think about it, maybe not. It actually makes sense and is kinda nice that the Overseer singles out the sisters for this lesson.
That doesn’t mean it’s a lesson limited to sisters. The Grange way of life works for 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.
Thanks, Grange Family!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Thank you just doesn’t seem to cover it. The Maine Cancer Foundation exceeded its goal of 2.1 million dollars raised. I exceeded my goal of fundraising. I reached my goal of completing the 5K portion, and I bettered my average time per mile by 2 minutes. I truly think that was all adrenaline.
I cannot say enough about this event. It is something you need to experience. They treat Survivors with TLC. All around the course, everyone is super positive. They cheer you on from the minute you walk in to the end.
Grangers and Granges can accomplish great things if we set goals. Start out small, things you know you can accomplish, then add some that might be a little tougher to reach, and then a few long-term goals that may take longer and more work to complete. We can make a difference one step at a time.
I truly appreciate all the love and support I received from my Grange family.
Vicki