Patrons of Husbandry – a website dedicated to the Granges located in Maine
Do not pass go… do not collect… Hopefully, by now you’re able to spot these fake emails, and you just delete them.
Just in case, we’ll post an occasional reminder to keep your scam radar turned on. If it looks like a scam, it probably is!
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!
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.
Articles in this edition include:
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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.
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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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.
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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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.
By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director
Creating Flyers that Communicate
Microsoft users have probably heard that the desktop program Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 13, 2026. Actually, it would be more accurate to state clearly that it will no longer work. Any files created with the program will no longer open. This creates serious challenges for many.
National Grange addressed this to some extent in the July 10 issue of Grange Today! If you have been using Microsoft Publisher, you may want to read Phil Vonada’s article.
There’s a strong consensus that Canva is a good replacement, and the free version may suffice. I have also found that with some additional learning, other programs in Microsoft Office such as Word and PowerPoint can be adapted.
But this also raises the larger question of how volunteers can easily produce event flyers at no cost. I’ve not vetted all of the options that follow, but they do seem worthy of exploration. Bear in mind, free options have limitations. The goal of offering them is to encourage users to upgrade to a paid version.
Technology is advancing by leaps and bounds — it’s easy to get caught in the trap of trying to keep up. Years ago, it was estimated that most users used only about 20% of a program’s (now called an app, although there is a difference) capabilities. I would hazard a guess that number is even lower today. When “shopping” for an app, keep in mind that you may not need most of what’s offered, unless you’re going to become a digital creator.
A simple flyer containing all the relevant information beats a glitzy one that doesn’t. I’m always impressed by social media ads that omit the location of the store or restaurant.
For the non-digital crowd, one option is to find a digital creator to create a flyer in exchange for promotion. (A credit on the flyer with the creator’s contact information.) While it requires some advance event planning, another option is a contest for kids.
If you’ve found a good resource for creating flyers, let me know so we can share it with other Granges. We’re Grangers. We help each other!
For heavy users, the Microsoft Support Publisher Guide will help with preparing for its discontinuance.
FACT: During a recent seven-day period, the Manchester Grange News Post was the most viewed–over sixty times!
The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) announced that the Maine Coastal Cleanup is returning for 2026 in conjunction with the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup effort.
According to DMR, the September event marks the largest volunteer effort in the state. In 2025, the multi-week event drew 1,287 volunteers who cleaned thousands of pounds of trash and debris from almost 95 miles of coastline.
This year’s campaign is scheduled Sept. 5-19; and volunteers are being sought from Surry to Portland. For more information about volunteering, or to register your own cleanup effort as a cleanup coordinator, visit DMR’s event website.
Participation could be a great fall community service project for Grangers and Junior Grangers. Volunteers support this effort by adopting a location and soliciting others to join them in cleaning up the trash from their location of choice and help to keep our coast and ocean trash free!