Category: Uncategorized

April Events

Here’s a summary of events in April!

  • April 14, 2025, MSG Bulletin Deadline
  • April 18, 2025, Valley Grange CWA Night, FMI Valley Grange Website
  • April 20, 2025, Deadline for Ag Scholarship Applications
  • April 26, 2025, Mystic Valley Grange Rummage, Craft, and Bake Sale, 9 am – 2 pm, East Dixfield. FMI contact Nancy Farrington at 207 623-0395.
  • April 26, 2025, Penobscot Pomona meets at Golden Harvest Grange at 11 am. FMI Call Master Sanda Moon at 207 827-3698.
  • April 27, 2025, Degree Day at MSG Headquarters. Contact Maynard Chapman for more information.
  • April 29, 2025, Fifth Degree Conferral at Enterprise Grange. Contact Marilyn Stinson at 207-737-2611 or marilynstinson41@gmail.com.

Local Grange Leaders note! We will list and promote your event state-wide at no cost to you! Just submit your event details here, or email your flyer as an attachment to the webmaster.

Words for Thirds by any other name

While the Grange calls it “Words for Thirds,” many organizations and businesses are involved in The Dictionary Project. Heather Rank of the Fargo-Moorhead Rotary Club provided a wonderful video demonstrating their efforts. We think it’s great that a kid does the interviews! It gets a little noisy in places, so you may want to turn on closed captioning.

If your Grange is not involved in Words for Thirds, you miss a huge opportunity! There are so many benefits, and it’s fun! Check out our pages of resources to help. Let us know if you’re interested or have any questions. The third-graders in your community are waiting!

Celebrate Veterans

elderly man hanging american flag by the window
Photo by Mike Jones on Pexels.com

Here are some ideas for celebrating our veterans on their special day that don’t require much planning.

  • Visit a Veterans Memorial or Cemetery. Contrary to some social media posts, Veterans Day honors both fallen and living Veterans. Memorial Day is meant to honor those who paid the ultimate price.
  • Serve the Veteran Community by volunteering or donating. You can combine this with your visit!
  • Go to a Veterans Day event. It may take some searching, or you could create your own. Put up a flag!
  • Create a moment of silence. A simple but powerful activity would involve concentrating on what our veterans make possible for us all.

These and some additional ideas are available at Veteran Life.

Monroe Grange Store

VIsit the Monroe Grange Store

To help with any confusion, there are at least three distinctly different Grange “Stores” or sources of Grange-related products.

  1. While not an actual “store,” MSG Headquarters offers a number of items (mostly supplies, forms, etc.). Email Secretary Sharon to inquire. Some are also available for download from the Program Books and Information Page.
  2. National Grange operates the Grange Supply Store.
  3. The Monroe Grange Store (above advertisement) offers regalia, jewelry, promotional items, awards and wearables for Grange members. 

There is some overlap of products offered, so you can “shop ’til you drop!”

Opportunities for Granges!

Holiday Craft Fairs

We’ve created a special webpage–a sort of directory of Grange Craft Fairs scheduled in November and December. All you have to do is submit your information to be listed! If you have a flyer, send it as an email attachment. You’ll get free, state-wide publicity.

Words for Thirds

We’re still seeking Granges interested or already participating in the Words for Thirds Dictionary Project. All we need right now is a contact person and the Grange name. We are creating a number of great resources we’d like to share! The list we have so far includes

  • Chelsea Grange #215 (Chelsea), contact Jim Meserve
  • East Madison Grange #228 (East Madison), contact needed
  • Evening Star Grange #183 (Washington), contact Glenice Skelton
  • Farmington Grange #12 (Farmington), contact needed
  • Hollis Grange #132 (Hollis), contact Vicki Huff
  • Maple Grove Grange #148 (Sebago), contact Susan Farrington
  • Mill Stream Grange #574 (Vienna), contact Jill Sampson
  • Old Town Riverside Grange #273 (North Brewer), contact needed
  • Valley Grange #144 (Guilford), contact Walter Boomsma
  • Waterford Grange #479 (Waterford), Ellie Waterman

(The contact need not be an officer–just someone who heads up the effort so we can offer resources and information. Ideally, it will be someone with an email address.) Submit your information here!

Information, Please!

We’re already into a new Grange Year (2024-2025) and that means new information is needed.

We’ll be updating the online directory of Granges–most of the information comes from the Roster. Does the MSG Secretary Sharon have your current information? (Send a copy to the webmaster, please!)

Don’t forget to submit your events for the Maine State Grange Online Event Calendar! We’re set up for events all the way through 2025.

Our Scholarship Information Page has already shown increased traffic this year. If your Grange offers a scholarship or educational aid, please make sure the information is correct.

New Ideas from National Grange

Click to Register

Anyone who pre-registers AND attends the Zoom event will receive a special treat from the National Grange.

We invite you to register for a special program from the National Grange.Join us for “New Ideas, New Approaches,” led by Beth Westbrook,  Senior Director of Outreach for the Vasculitis Foundation and a member of the Grange Advocacy Board. 

If your Grange is stumped about how to raise funds, if it has been doing the same project every year but not getting results, please register! If you are thinking about what else you can do at your Grange that hasn’t been done before, or if your Grange has the Best Idea Ever but it costs too much to implement, this call is for YOU! 

Farm Sitting Business?

Reprinted with permission from an e-newsletter published by UMaine Extension

Have you thought about going into farm sitting as a business? This course is designed to equip individuals with the tools to serve as effective farm sitters and to understand the general responsibilities of helping an animal-based farm enterprise successfully continue in the absence of the farmer or manager.

The course will start on March 26, 2024, and will be a hybrid of online and in-person learning.

 This training program is offered on a sliding scale (self-selected): $50, $35, or $20. We strive to make the training accessible and affordable for all Maine residents. Learn more and register here.

Technology Tip

MSG Communications Department

Here’s a discouraging word! As technology advances (including AI or artificial intelligence), everyone benefits–including the bad guys!

Stay vigilant with messages you receive.

As the bad guys discover new technology spam emails and text messages are on the increase. Think twice before hitting “unsubscribe.” Unless the email is from a legitimate organization (think commonly known names and national companies), do NOT “unsubscribe” by clicking the link in the email. If you “unsubscribe,” not only will most spammers not honor it, but they will also have confirmation that yours is a working email address. That makes it very saleable to other spammers. Using the “unsubscribe” link may actually increase the amount of spam emails you receive.

This morning (like most mornings), I received several bogus invoices, a few order confirmations for things I didn’t order, and one email allegedly from MSG Sherry asking for assistance with a matter of the utmost importance. Some junk gets automatically filtered, but typically the delete button gets quite a workout!

The best way to handle spam email is to use that handy-dandy delete button and not let it bother you. Don’t waste your time and energy!