Patrons of Husbandry – a website dedicated to the Granges located in Maine
Press releases and publicity helps
MUSIC MONDAYS at St. George Grange located at 32 Wileys Corner Road, St George, ME. Live music every Monday at 7 pm. Enjoy the music, or you can join in. Bring an instrument and play with others. Do you have a good singing voice? Join us to sing, play, or just sit and enjoy a variety of live music. Music Mondays will happen weekly until October.
“It’s nice to be back in the building,” says Dave Pearson during their first “Open Mic and Sunday Brunch.” Dave also gives us a tour and briefly explains some of the major repairs that have been made over the past year and a half. Public events were canceled in 2020, but behind-the-scenes care and maintenance of our 100-year-old building continued. The north wall has been reinforced, and an entrance has been made on the ground floor for access to the kitchen and dining room. Ellms Construction did the ground preparation, and Lancaster Construction did the wall reinforcement. Grangers are working on finishing the renovation building the roof over the entrance and restoring our dining and kitchen areas.
Wayside Grange and Theatre is located at 851 North Dexter Road (Route 23) in Dexter, Maine. Concerts are planned throughout the summer on the last Saturday of every month through October. Doors open at 6:30 pm, and Concerts begin at 7:00 pm.
By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director
Someone should do a study to answer this question: How much genuine communication takes place on social media? Stay with me—it’s an important question that actually isn’t limited to social media.
There’s a quotation from Sidney Harris on the masthead of the Bulletin. The two words’ information’ and ‘communication’ are often used interchangeably, but they signify quite different things. Information is giving out; communication is getting through.” If you have read the Bulletin and didn’t notice it, we’re not getting through. That shouldn’t be a surprise. One-way communication has its drawbacks. And, as a society, we are increasingly relying on one-way communication, whether we realize it or not.
I had an exasperating exchange on Facebook recently. I won’t bore you with the details as interesting as they might be. I was answering a writer’s question. Another person almost immediately jumped on me, “correcting” me. I responded to his comment by pointing out that I did not say (write) what he was criticizing me for, hoping he would see we weren’t communicating. He then proceeded to take a slightly different approach to telling me I was wrong anyway. I did not respond further and attempted to see some humor in it. Part of the humor was that the person who originally asked the question didn’t take part in the exchange.
My attacker had no desire to communicate. He was more interested in demonstrating how smart he was. He went off-topic, particularly when I challenged his understanding of what I’d written.
How often does that happen in our conversations? Are we giving out or getting through? We all want to be heard, and that’s not a bad thing. But we should be equally interested in being understood and at least mildly interested in our listeners. That’s much simpler to achieve in “live” in-person conversation. But it’s only easier if both parties are committed to communicating to create understanding.
A down-to-earth technique is called “clarifying and confirming.” It’s based on the assumption we should understand both what the other person is saying and why they are saying it.
“I love ice cream,” seems like a clear statement, at least as far as what is being said. If we want to understand, let’s be a little curious and ask (clarify) why the person loves ice cream. “Because it tastes good.” How’s our understanding? We won’t know for sure until we confirm it. “So what you’re saying is that you like ice cream because it tastes good.” That just might trigger more information. “Yeah, and I feel like I’m getting a treat…”
This becomes particularly important when our initial reaction to someone’s statement is to reject, ignore or disagree. How we react determines what happens next. A knee-jerk reaction may mean the conversation ends or develops into an argument. The few minutes required to demonstrate a desire to communicate by clarifying and confirming are well worth the effort. If you confirm that you are in total disagreement, understanding the “what and why” equips you to remain friends and perhaps even find a middle ground or compromise.
► FACT: Last week, the MSG website was viewed 328 times. The two most visited items were the Directory of Granges and the Mill Stream Grange post.
Excelsior Grange at 446 Harris Hill Road in Poland will have an open house on May 20, Noon to 2 pm. Lunch will be served at noon and is free to all. Rick Grotton, membership director of the Maine State Grange, will be the guest speaker.
Excelsior Grange is entering its 150th year of continuous operation in Poland, and we would like to introduce friends and neighbors to the opportunities available to them through Grange membership. The Grange today is not only for farmers, even though agriculture is still very important to the Grange. Membership is open to all who are over the age of 13, with social and service activities of interest to all. If you like working with others for the common good, the Grange is for you.
Seeds for the Grange-sponsored 2023 Pumpkin Growing Contest, for youth ages 5-12, will be available that day.
For more information and/or rsvp for lunch, please call 998-2301.
Saturday, May 6, 2023 — 1:00 PM
A group of folks interested in reorganizing the Grange in Franklin Grange is meeting at the Franklin Library! Anyone in the area who is curious or interested is invited! For more information or to express your interest, email FranklinMEGrange@gmail.com!
Friday, May 19, 2023
Community Potluck 5:30 pm, Program 7:00 pm
Sunday, June 25, 2023
8:30 am Kids Run
9:00 am 5k Walk/Run
Why should you participate?
🦞 Proceeds donated to help area non-profits serve those who are battling cancer
🦞 Racecourse is on a quiet, scenic, ocean-view road far from traffic
🦞 A Professional Chip Timing service will be timing our race this year
🦞 Unique lobster 5k t-shirts for sale
🦞 Mostly flat out and back course
🦞 Water Station at the turnaround point
🦞 Handmade lobster-themed awards
🦞 Photo booth with lobster-themed props
🦞 Fun race atmosphere
🦞 An AMAZING finish line view
🦞 FREE cupcakes and post-race treats
🦞 Lucky number
🦞 And MORE – We will share soon!!
Sign up today! $30 Online registration closes June 18. $35 Day of registration.
Can’t join us in person? Register as a virtual participant! Join folks from Colorado, Florida, New York, Indiana, Ohio, and Maine. Walk or run when and where it is convenient for you!
We are looking for helping hands…
Friday, May 12, 2023
starting at 2:00 pm
for a wide variety of tasks and projects… all designed to prepare our hall for our big community celebration coming soon! Inside tasks will include sweeping, dusting, wiping, rearranging, and setting up chairs… outside tasks will include raking and pruning… maybe some painting if the weather’s right!
Bring your favorite tools and labor-saving devices. Come any time after 2:00 pm… or before if you can see what needs doing and don’t mind working alone! Better yet, bring a friend! Many hands make work light.
For more information call Walter at 207 343-1842 or Mary at 207 564-0820.
In Other News
We were busy at our April Meeting! Get your calendars out and mark these dates:
We need your input and suggestions! As part of our Community Celebration, we will recognize individuals and organizations supporting Valley Grange and their communities! We’ve started a pretty good list, but we welcome suggestions! We also need members and guests to “fill the chairs” during our Community Celebration on May 19, 2023. Please RSVP if you can help us by filling a role during this meeting—there are some easy ones! We also need your help with the potluck—please plan to make larger dishes than usual!
The CWA Committee raised some funds with a cake raffle and recommended donations to the House in the Woods and Home for Little Wanderers. “All in favor!”
We will kick off a “Meat or Heat” Raffle with the Guilford River Festival. Details to follow!
By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director
“Train With Hazardous Materials Derails in Rural Maine “ was a recent headline in a mainstream media outlet. Since a small forest fire developed, the Maine Forest Service was involved. A subsequent report by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry included this statement, “Additional rail cars transporting hazardous materials did not derail.”
There might be a lesson in communication here. Or at least in journalism. The media headline is not inaccurate and will pass the fact-checkers. Is it a “good” headline?
A headline is, according to Wikipedia, “the text indicating the content or nature of the article below it.” There’s actually a bit of science involved that includes grammatical rules. No, we’re not going down that path, interesting as it might be.
Headlines became commonly used in the late 19th Century as competition between newspapers increased. Thus, they became “attention-getting devices.” When people stood at the newsstand, they picked up the paper with the most interesting headline. As readers paged through the purchased copy, they often decided which articles to read based on the headline.
In the electronic world, we use the term “click-bait” to describe a headline that captures interest to the point we click a link, often to be disappointed. As a writer, I find it disappointing that we aren’t having more conversations about the ethics of headline writing. I’m willing to concede that there’s a difference between writing a headline for an advertisement versus a news story. An online ad recently offered “Save a Life—Free CPR training.” To their credit, in the fine print, they disclosed a fee for the certificate or completion. Much like the news example, the headline was not inaccurate. A number of folks took them to task for what they considered “misleading.” It might be a shame that we aren’t taking the media to task for some of the headlines they write. “The Training Is Free. The Certificate Is Not,” might have been more accurate, but a lot less attention-getting.
I’ve been tempted to create a lecturer’s program that would involve critiquing current headlines using some sort of accuracy scale. The program might be more about critical thinking than headlines.
When we send Grange news and program information to media outlets, we certainly don’t want to be misleading. But I think most would agree we can and should be more “attention-getting.” It may not be easy because you’re forced to really think about why someone should read your story or come to your event. A good day for a reporter includes a report where the headline just writes itself, but it rarely happens. One of my memorable ones happened when I was writing a press release announcing a local school concert. “Kids Raise Voices and Lift Spirits.”
One way to improve our headlining ability is to read other headlines critically. Be especially alert to headlines that might be adaptable to the news and events you are trying to promote. I love alliterations—they tend to “stick” in people’s minds. Let’s have a Grand Grange Gathering!
► FACT: Your MSG website was viewed over 1,500 times during March 2023–if you aren’t submitting your events and news, you are missing an opportunity!
The Parkman Grange is announcing plans to award 2023 Minnie Welts Bridge Memorial Scholarships to one or more deserving SAD 4 residents continuing their education beyond high school. The Grange last awarded $500 scholarships to Eben Cooley of Parkman and Mercy Harper of Sangerville in 2022.
This is a call for qualified applicants for the 2023 Minnie Welts Bridge Memorial Scholarships. Applicants must be SAD 4 residents, must have successfully completed at least one term of post-high school education, and must be enrolled for the upcoming term. Application packages may be picked up at any of the Parkman, Guilford, and Sangerville Town Offices, as well as the Guilford Library. Completed applications must be submitted by July 14, 2023, with no exceptions. Winners will be announced in August.
Minnie Bridge (1909-2011) was a lifelong resident of Parkman, a retired schoolteacher, and a life member of the Parkman Grange. In her memory, the Grange established the Minnie Welts Bridge Memorial Scholarship Fund, originally to benefit deserving Parkman students continuing their education beyond high school. Due to a lack of Parkman applicants in 2021, the Grange expanded eligibility to include all SAD 4 residents.
The Grange annually awards one or more Scholarships funded through donations and the proceeds from an annual supper in Minnie’s honor. To date, the Grange has awarded $13,000 in scholarships. For more information, contact Sue Manchester at 277-3942.