Category: Exciting Granges

Valley Grange to Clean Up!

Valley Grange is located in Guilford Maine

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:

  • May 12, 2023, is our Spring Cleaning Day!
  • May 19, 2023, is our big Community Celebration – Potluck Supper starts at 5:30 pm, and the Program kicks off at 7:00 pm.
  • May 20, 2023, Services for Roger Ricker at the Mainstream Cemetery at 1 pm, followed by a celebration of his life at the Harmony Community Center.
  • June 1, 2023, Is the Piscataquis Pomona Meeting at Wayside Grange at 7 pm.
  • June 9, 2023, is our Valley Grange Meeting—Potluck Supper starts at 6 pm, and the meeting and elections are at 7:00 pm. Note this is a date change from our usual third Friday!
  • July 29, 2023, we will participate in the River Festival in Guilford.
  • August 15, 2023, Valley Grange Fun and Fund Raiser Picnic at the Boomsma’s, 5 pm until the marshmallows are roasted! (This replaces the former Piscataquis Pomona Picnic.)
  • August 24-27, 2023, Piscataquis Valley Fair

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!

Sagadahoc Fifth Degree

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Special Guest for Sagadahoc Pomona Fifth Degree will be Gerry Simmons, Past Master of Minuteman Pomona and Past Steward of Massachusetts State Grange. Other special guests filling chairs include Rick Grotton, Sharon Morton, and Henry Morton.

Sagadahoc Pomona will hold its annual Fifth Degree at Enterprise Grange #48, 15 Alexander Reed Road, Richmond, on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. From Main Street in Richmond, take the street across from the library and fire department, and pass two houses and the ballfield.

A potluck supper at 6:00 with a meeting at 7:00.

Other Pomonas are welcome to take their candidates. Please be sure the candidates have their applications signed by their Subordinate Master or Secretary. Contact Ben Edgerly or Marilyn Stinson for more info.

Parkman Grange Seeks Scholars

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.

April Grange Events in Maine

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  • April 1, 2023, Free Easter Egg Hunt at Jonesboro Grange, 11 am – 1 pm. Pre-registration is required.
  • April 6, 2023, Piscataquis Pomona Grange meets at 7 pm. Location TBD. FMI contact Pomona Master Bill Bemis at 924-4123.
  • April 14, 2023, MSG Bulletin Deadline — columns and posts are due.
  • April 15, 2023, Parkman Grange Daddy/Daughter Dance, 6 pm to 8 pm. Tickets ($5) are available at the door. For more information.
  • April 22, 2023 Information/Instruction Meeting at Arbutus Grange (tentative). Contact State Master Sherry for more information.
  • April 23, 2023, Ag Scholarship Application Deadline – Download Information and Application.
  • April 23, 2023, Degree Day at State Headquarters, 1:30 – 4:30 pm. Contact Maynard Chapman for more information at 207 312-5591.
  • April 26, 2023, Fifth Degree at Enterprise Grange, potluck supper at 6 pm, meeting and degree at 7:00 pm. For additional information, contact Marilyn Stinson or Ben Edgerly.

Millstream Grange Makes It Happen

  • Mill Stream Grange members Jill Sampson (l) and Lisa Goucher .
  • Vernon Elementary School kids practice their sign language
  • Cape Cod School kids get into their new dictionaries
  • Front (l-r) Debbie Lavender (Treas.), Karla Arceneaux (Lect.), Laurie Cunningham (Chap.), David Varney (Stew.), Judy Dunn (Master), Ellie Andrews (pianist), Jill Sampson (Sec.), Ingrid Grenon (Gate.), Kristin Thompson (Ex. Com.) Back row (l-r) Paul Lavender (Ass’t. Stew.), Louise Kilponen (Flora), Barbara Gilman (L.A.S.), Allan Harville (Overseer), Marie Gajarski (Pom.), Lisa Goucher (Ceres), Richard Thompson (Ex. Comm.) Missing from photo: Rosemary Baker, Joe Lopez, Linda Stanton

Mill Stream Grange members Jill Sampson and Lisa Goucher presented dictionaries to the third graders at the Mt. Vernon Elementary School in January, and the Cape Cod Hill Elementary School in February.  This was the first year since 2019 that an in-house presentation was allowed at the schools. It was a fun time at both schools, with very excited students and teachers. The students especially liked learning how to spell their names using the sign language pictures in the dictionary.

Jonesboro Grange Easter Celebration

Easter Basket Festival – March 31, 2023
Free 4,000 Easter Egg Hunt – April 1, 2023

Jonesboro Grange #357 will host a free 4,000 Egg hunt and Easter Basket Festival in Jonesboro, Maine. The Easter Basket Festival will be March 31 from 4-7 pm and April 1 from 9 am – 5 pm at the Jonesboro Grange on Route 1, Jonesboro. The 4,000 Easter Egg Hunt is April 1 from 11 am – 1 pm located at the Jonesboro Town Office. Free photos with the Easter Bunny! Jonesboro Grange is a 501(C)8 non-profit volunteer organization.

Tickets are required for Basket Festival and can be purchased at the door. Pre-registration is not required for the Festival. The Egg Hunt is free, and donations are appreciated.

Pre-register for the free Egg hunt!

Please visit the Jonesboro Grange Facebook Page for more information about the Jonesboro Grange and upcoming events.

Jonesboro Grange is located on Route 1 in Jonesboro Maine

Parkman Grange Announces Spring Programs

Parkman Grange is located in Parkman, Maine

The Parkman Grange will be starting their spring program with their 9th annual Daddy Daughter Dance on Saturday, April 15, 2023, from 6-8 PM. Young ladies are invited to come with their Daddy or an important adult in their life. DJ Steve Boddy will be spinning tunes and having dance contests, games, and giving away prizes. Keepsake photos will be taken to remember the evening. Light refreshments will be served. The cost is $5.00 per person and tickets will be available at the door.

The Mother’s Day Tea will be on Saturday, May 13, 2023, 10 AM to noon. The Guest of Honor this year is Kylee Coburn. She is always friendly and helpful to everyone who enters the town office. She also organized the very successful Parkman Bicentennial Celebration last year. The cost is $5.00 per person. Reservations are required for this very popular event and can be made by calling Sue at 207 277-3942.

 Minnie Bridge Scholarship applications are now available at the Parkman Town Office.  This $500 scholarship is for second-year higher education students in the SAD 4 area. The deadline is July 14, 2023.

The Parkman Grange is located at the corner of State Hwy 150 and North Dexter Road. For more information about the Grange and its programs, please call Sue Manchester at 207 277-3942

Enterprise Grange Seeks Volunteers

Saturday, March 18, 2023 — 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Calderwood Engineering has done a structural Inspection of the Grange Hall on Alexander Reed Road, and determined we need cellar work done for supports, etc., We also need to clean the attic for electrical work to be done. After paying for the posts, lumber, and wiring, we can’t afford the labor to do the moving work, and there are very few of us to get the labor done as quickly as we need.

A Work Bee will be held at the hall on Saturday, March 18, 2023 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. We are hoping for help at any time during that time period. We can’t pay, but we can feed a crew and have games and crafts for kids whose parents are helping. Two of us have “Safe Gathering” background checks and experience helping kids have fun.

Grange is the original equal opportunity organization with women and teens being able to vote and hold an office since our founding over 150 years ago. Women also share in the labor of the Grange just as men share with cooking and cleaning.

Coming events include Awards Day for Community Citizens of Dresden and Richmond, the ART FEST by the Kennebec, Red Cross Blood Drive, Historical Talks, displays celebrating Richmond’s Bicentennial monthly until September, and Music Jams through the summer months.

Please help as you are able. FMI call 207-380-3369 or 207-380-3901.

Visit the Enterprise Grange Facebook Page

Jonesboro Grange Multi-day Yard Sale Scheduled

Roque Bluffs/Jonesboro Volunteer Fire Dept & Jonesboro Grange are sponsoring a HUGE indoor yard sale at Jonesboro Grange. Look for the sign that we’re open, and come find a treasure! The sale will be open for ten days!

Funds split between the Roque Bluffs/Jonesboro Volunteer Fire Dept & Jonesboro Grange #357

Contact LouAnn Cox at 434-2131 or 263-3209 and arrange to drop off item donations. 

Item drop-off times are March 1, 3, & 4. Clothing in good condition with no stains, rips, or holes accepted. Furniture, kitchenware, small appliances, toys in good condition, books, etc., are gladly accepted and appreciated! Contact LouAnn Cox at 434-2131 or 263-3209 and arrange to drop off item donations.