Category: Grange Principle and Practice

Limited Time Offer! Get Your Four Degrees!

Well, at least the first four! If you’ve joined the Grange through the “Obligation Ceremony,” you’ve missed the best part! The Four Degrees will be offered at Mill Stream Grange on Saturday, October 15, 2020, starting at 9:00 a.m. Mill Stream Grange is located just about 20 miles northwest of Augusta–convenient for many Granges. Plus, you’ll likely experience some great leaf peeping during the drive! For planning purposes, please call Judy Dunn at 207 293-2330 and tell her you’re coming! This will be a great opportunity to experience the rich heritage of the “lessons of the Grange.”

And if you already are “degreed,” you can still attend! Mill Stream Grange has eight new members who are degree candidates. That’s exciting and worth being part of, even as an observer. But you can’t just observe. In addition to being reminded of your experience, you can be part of the altar circle, a wonderful representation of the fraternal nature of the Grange. Many would agree that “opportunities like this do not come very often.” Don’t miss this one!

But Wait, There’s More!

The folks at Mill Stream are showing their energy and enthusiasm by offering an Installation of Officers the same day at 1:00 p.m. Even re-elected officers are supposed to be installed but don’t do this because you are required. It’s a great reminder of the duties and opportunities officership offer.

So maybe charter or borrow a van and come as a group for one or both of these opportunities! A light lunch will be served for those staying for the day–one reason you need to call is to help establish a lunch count.

Years ago, there were times when Granges would come together for an entire weekend, “camping out” at the hall. A few hours on a Saturday may not be quite that intense, but it will be fun and beneficial. Mill Stream Grange is a very active Grange. (Eight new members is quite an achievement in itself!) Maybe you can learn their secrets.

“I would say my biggest and best benefit is the extended family I have found in the Grange. Where else can you go and have so many brothers and sisters? I have met so many people in my Grange travels, and they are all family.“

Vicki Huff, Hollis Grange #132

Fifth Degree Scheduled at Bauneg Beg Grange


York Pomona will confer the Fifth Degree on Thursday, October 13, 2022. The meeting time is 7:00 PM, and there is no meal planned. The meeting will be at Bauneg Beg Grange in North Berwick. The address for GPS is 229 Morrell’s Mills Road. Contact Pomona President Missy Baldwin at 207-324-4661 for more information and to let us know if you will be bringing candidates.

Grange Heirloom — October 2022

Use the icons below to share this Grange Heirloom on social media and help others understand what the Grange stands for! If this heirloom has a particular meaning for you, click the responses link at the top right and share your comment with us!

Grange Heirlooms are snippets from the lessons of the Grange as taught in the Rituals and Declaration of Purposes.

For additional information and resources regarding the Heirloom Program, visit the Heirloom Resource Page on the Maine State Grange Website.

Degree Information Given and Needed

  • Opportunity for the first Four Degrees – information given
  • Seeking an opportunity for the Fifth Degree – information needed
  • Opportunity for the Sixth Degree – information given

Four Degrees

Let’s take a quick look at some Degree Information. We have some information to give and some that is needed.

As most know, the first Four Degrees are considered “Subordinate Degrees.” They are an important part of the path to Grange Membership at the local level. We can receive the instruction for those Degrees at Mill Stream Grange on October 15, 2022!

Fifth Degree

The Fifth Degree is often referred to as the “Pomona Degree.” It is an important part of the path to Grange Membership at the Pomona Level and is most often offered at the Pomona Level. We always have a few people seeking the Fifth Degree this time of year, in part because it is a prerequisite to the Fifth Degree. On behalf of those people, we are seeking information about any Pomonas offering the Fifth Degree in the near future! Please email the webmaster with the basic information about your event!

Sixth Degree

The Sixth Degree is often referred to as the “State Degree” and signifies membership at the State Level. (Note that State Session is opened in the Sixth Degree, then lowered to the Fourth to conduct business. Completing the Sixth Degree is not required to attend.) The Sixth Degree is offered in conjunction with State Session. This year it is planned for Friday, October 21, 2022, at 2:30. Additional information is available here.

Seventh Degree

The Seventh Degree is considered the “National Degree” and, comparable to the Sixth, is offered at National Convention.

Opportunities for the first five Degrees can be offered at any time throughout the year. If your Subordinate or Community Grange is offering Degrees, please share the details so interested Grangers can attend!

Program Books and Information Page Updates

This is the time of year when we “clear out the old” and bring in the new. There are two key documents for most committees.

An annual report for the previous Grange year (October 2021- September 2022) summarizing the committee/department’s activities and accomplishments.

A program book for the next year (October 2022 – September 2023) with important information such as contest rules, important dates, and resource material for that committee/department.

We are in the process of receiving and posting these to the Program Books and Information Page. For the next several weeks, it is important to pay attention to dates! If you are looking for information about this year’s contests, forms, etc., you’ll want this year’s (2021-2022) Program Book. We leave the books on the site for exactly that purpose–some forms and information are potentially needed right up until State Session in October. If you are planning for next year, be sure to download the book for that year (2022-2023.

Annual reports should be of interest to all members–it’s your way to discover what has happened in the previous year in the department/committee. The information can be of particular interest to those who are delegates attending State Session. The annual reports are provided in the delegate packet as well as available to all members on the website.

Both annual reports and program books are being uploaded as received from directors and committee chairs. Note that some annual reports are not usually available until State Session due to the close of the fiscal year on September 30, 2022. So far, we have annual reports from

Next year’s program books received so far include

Stay tuned! There’s certainly more to come! And don’t forget this:

Degrees start at 9 am… Officer Installation at 1 pm… come for the day! Lite lunch will be served! See the original post here!

Exploring Traditions — September 2022

Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life

by Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist

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Keep the eye of the mind open…

“Let me caution you, that you keep the eye of the mind open among your members. Encourage improvement; remember that Nature’s motto is ‘onward.’ She never goes backward.”

From the Installing Master’s Charge to Masters

The installing officer’s charge to the masters being installed is one of the longer ones. As a result, it’s easy to stop listening. As with the Grange Ritual in general, there is much to learn.

Not every member is destined to hold the office of master, but every member could benefit from what masters are taught during the installation ceremony. I’ve chosen just a few sentences for consideration.

“Keep the eye of the mind open…” is a skill that can be developed. Here, we are talking about being observant of our members. That’s consistent with being a fraternal organization. By most definitions, a fraternal organization is a social club or membership organization formed around a common bond, ideology, or personal background. We might do well to consider how strong that bond is. But one of the things that makes it stronger is “keeping the eye of the mind open” or, in other words, “keeping an eye on each other.” Can you answer these questions?

  • Who, now, is the happiest person in your Grange?
  • Who, now, is the most discouraged person in your Grange?

You get the idea, right?

“Encourage improvement.” I suspect this is a two-word sentence by design because it allows us to be broad in our thinking. What do we want to improve? This is not subtractive thinking designed to get us focused on what’s wrong. It’s opportunity thinking. What can we make better? I’ve thought it would be fun (a lecturer’s program, maybe) to spend some time during a meeting asking everyone to identify one thing relative to the Grange he or she could improve. It doesn’t have to be monumental. Does the fridge need cleaning?

“Nature’s motto is ‘onward.’” Sometimes I think the Grange is stuck in the fall season and has become focused on declining. One of the saddest emails I’ve read recently included, “Our Grange seems to be falling apart… how can I bring back the excitement that I still feel in our Grange?” It’s a simple but not easy question to answer. “Encourage improvement and remember that Nature’s motto is onward.” Nature uses fall and winter to her advantage. We often think of winter as a time for rest. In Maine, we may well “hunker down.” But just as sure as winter arrives, so does spring together with an awaking and a time for growth and blooming.

“You may encounter difficulties. Overcome them, remembering that difficulties are but opportunities to test our abilities. As Master of this Grange, your fellow laborers will look to you to devise work. A judicious Master will use due care that no time is lost in labor. Let all labor and all time tend toward improvement. Your laborers will come in contact with their minds; if they are left uncultivated, if neglect is allowed, the moral weed crop will baffle and torment you.”

Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-sixth edition of the 2013 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://abbotvillagepress.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.

Mill Stream Grange Degree Day/Officer Installation

Saturday, October 15, 2022

Mill Stream Grange in Vienna will hold a Degree Day and Officer Installation on Saturday, October 15, 2022. The Four Degrees will be conferred in the morning, starting at 9:00 am. Installation of Officers will begin at 1:00 pm in the afternoon. A light lunch will be served following the Degrees. For more information and to R.S.V.P. with the number attending, please call Judy Dunn at 293-2330.

President’s Perspective — September 2022

By Sherry Harriman,
Maine State Grange President/Master
207 490-1029

September is the time of installations and new Grange year beginnings. With many new officers and more returning to the same positions this is a good time to give everyone some suggestions and instructions for Grange procedure.

The following is an overview of items that should be stressed at all meetings, following the manual (the most current version of the manual is 2013 which has updates through 2019, but whatever year your manual is covers the needs of your meetings.)

You may wish to add to or subtract from this list. We fully realize that conditions and situations vary with the different Granges.

  1.  Children and Grandchildren may join the State Junior Grange, submit requests to the State Jr. Dir. Stress the importance of beginning meetings on time and ending at a reasonable time.
  2. If only seven members are present, the following Officers to be filled are: Master, Overseer, Steward, Assistant Steward or Lady Assistant Steward, Chaplain, Secretary, and Gatekeeper
  3. Emphasize the importance of committing parts to memory, (but not required) especially for Opening and Closing, the Obligation Ceremony and Degrees when conferred.
  4. Following the manual, instruct proper procedures for Opening and Closing in full form.
  5. To open in “full form” means to follow the prescribed Ritual/instructions in the Grange manual, which includes opening the Bible, taking the passwords & reporting, Salute to the Flag, opening the implement case and the Salutation given (prescribed hand salute) and the Charter in the hall.
  6. The word “Ritual” means a set routine or pattern of conducting the meeting each time you meet.
  7. Demonstrate Grange Salutation. (Read the specific instructions from the Code Book on how to make the Signs and Salutation properly. Encourage and assist with reading from the Code Book.) Demonstrate the Voting Sign.
  8. Demonstrate Flag Presentation, Balloting, and Draping of the Charter. Do you need instructions?
  9. The Gatekeeper may come into the hall after the completion of the Flag Salute during the Opening after the Master has rapped the gavel to seat the Grange.
  10. The Obligation Ceremony and Welcome Ceremony may be used, but full Degrees (degree means a level in the Grange) are recommended to be viewed or read thru by the Grange. However, since it is harder and harder to get a team together or to take your candidates somewhere else, encourage the Grange to read aloud through each Degree, even one degree at a time, at four different meetings. This gets everyone involved and is less overwhelming than viewing the degrees all at once. Don’t keep the prospective members waiting. (There is a Pomona Obligation Ceremony also, encourage its use.)
  11. Candidates who are waiting for degree work may come into the hall for the opening. Prospective members may attend a meeting.
  12. Stress the importance of prompt advance payment and collection of dues. Encourage the Secretary and the Grange make every possible effort to save a member. Delinquent members should have three notices, one a personal contact before they are suspended.
  13. Granges are to keep their by-laws up to date, in writing (a copy to be on file at State Office). Changes must be made with a 2/3 vote of those present and voting of the Grange at a subsequent regular meeting after the initial reading of the proposed change. After the vote to adopt, the changes must be submitted in writing to the State Master for approval, you must write out the current section of the by-law(s) and write out what changes are to be made.
  14. Your Grange is required to meet at least once a month and open the meeting in full form. You may meet more than once a month as desired, but must open in full form each time. (A minimum of 7 members must attend for a quorum to hold a legal meeting.)
  15. All funds, regardless of who is holding the money, should be reported by a specific committee or under “Bills and Accounts” at every meeting. All Grange and committee accounts are to be audited at least yearly by either the finance committee or the Executive Committee of the Grange. All Grange accounts should have at least two (2) signers of different families on each account, and all persons who handle monies are required by our by-laws to be bonded.
  16. Do you have a plan for fundraising? What are your needs?
  17. Encourage community service and participation in the Community Service contest; at least send in the Community Service Report form, even if you are not doing a lot.
  18. The Salutation before the Overseer upon entering or retiring is no longer mandatory at the Subordinate level, though encouraged. It is recommended that this be demonstrated with member participation so that members are comfortable with this procedure. The raps and passwords must be used. Going before the Overseer is still in use at the Pomona level, to leave the meeting.
  19. Assist in installing officers of the Granges if possible. Encourage joint installations. The Installation Ceremony could be more informative to the members and the Officers if each Officer take turns reading the charges at other times besides the Installation meeting. It could be spread out over several meetings giving more time to absorb the messages. There is an alternative Installation Ceremony now available for use, it is about half the length of the original ceremony but still gives the Officers duties and instructions.
  20. There are many published items to help in your work, look on the National Grange website or the Maine State Grange website. Items may be requested to be emailed or standard mail.
  21. When you ask, “Have reports to Pomona and State Grange been duly and promptly made?” This covers quarterly dues reports and includes year-end reports of committees, requests for roster information, survey, and any other information requested by Pomona or State offices.
  22. Are your Committees active and reporting? After elections are completed, the Master selects or appoints the chair for the needed committees, the appointed chair takes over upon Installation of officers and remains chair until the next election & installation. The Master can appoint their committee, or the Chair can make their own selections.
  23. Guest speakers and visitors are welcome to sit in on a meeting even during the full opening.
  24. Encourage participation in various contests, attending other meetings, conferences, etc.
  25. Attempt to get the Grange to send a listing of upcoming meetings and events for the Maine Grange Bulletin and website at least two months in advance with reminders. Encourage members with the internet to subscribe to the Maine State Grange Website.
  26. Promote good publicity — Grange newsletter, press, radio, etc.
  27. Encourage Open House and Booster Night meetings during Grange Month or at other times as good Grange promotion.
  28. Encourage your members to get involved with Junior activities (includes ages 5 – 14) even if the Grange does not have a Junior Grange

 

Grange Heirloom — September 2022

Use the icons below to share this Grange Heirloom on social media and help others understand what the Grange stands for! If this heirloom has a particular meaning for you, click the responses link at the top right and share your comment with us!

Grange Heirlooms are snippets from the lessons of the Grange as taught in the Rituals and Declaration of Purposes.

For additional information and resources regarding the Heirloom Program, visit the Heirloom Resource Page on the Maine State Grange Website.

Easy Community Service Project?

Did you know that since 2012, the Bangor Savings Bank Peanut Butter & Jelly Drive has collected more than 83,000 jars that have been donated to local food insecurity programs? That’s a lot of sandwiches!

While it’s not an official Grange Program, it’s an easy one to support. Members could do this as individuals–or your Grange could collect donations and deliver them all at once. Take a photo of the delivery!

Jars of peanut butter or jelly can be dropped off at any Maine or New Hampshire Bangor Savings branch during operating hours from Thursday, September 1, 2022, through Friday, September 30, 2022. For each donation received, Bangor Savings Bank will donate one additional jar of peanut butter or jelly to local food insecurity programs.

Peanut butter, a protein-rich food item, is too often in short supply and in high demand at local food insecurity programs. And what’s a more classic pair than peanut butter and jelly? Something as simple as donating a jar can make a big difference to a neighbor in need. And with school back in session, we can support our local schools and backpack programs by donating a jar of peanut butter or jelly!