Resources for Granges and Grangers – Page 14

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!

Valley Grange Dictionary Days

Valley Grange is proud to have handed out close to 250 dictionaries to third-graders this year. That puts us well over 4,000 since starting the program several decades ago. Enjoy some photos of this year’s program.

Dictionary Days are fun because learning is fun!

If your Grange is interested in starting a Words for Thirds Dictionary Program, complete the form below. No obligation!

Last Call!

By Walter Boomsma

Well, at least for now! We still have some confirming to do, but it looks like at least ten Granges in Maine are participating in the Words for Thirds Program.

Chelsea Grange #215
East Madison Grange #228
Evening Star Grange #183
Farmington Grange #12
Hollis Grange #132
Maple Grave Grange #148
Mill Stream Grange #574
Old Town Riverside Grange #273 (unconfirmed)
Valley Grange #144
Waterford Grange #479

Thanks to the folks who have answered the call and provided information. If you still haven’t, just complete this simple form!

Our resource page is shaping up nicely and should be ready to release in a week or so. It includes a customized logo for participating Granges, many sample documents such as a letter for parents, press releases, media advisories, and a sample presentation outline.

We owe a special thanks to Mary French, Director of the Dictionary Project, for her enthusiasm and support of this effort!

Coming Soon-Another Resource!

By Walter Boomsma, MSG Communications Director

For many Granges, the fall season includes a Words for Thirds Dictionary Program. (“Words for Thirds” is the phrase coined by the Grange to represent participation in The Dictionary Project.)

Your Communications Department is working on some additional resources for Granges that are providing dictionaries to local schools. In anticipation of releasing these resources, it would be helpful to know which Granges in Maine plan on holding dictionary days during the Grange Year 2024-25.

So far, we’ve created a list based mainly on what the folks at the Dictionary Project have listed, supplemented by previous website submissions. I think (hope!) it’s incomplete. Those Granges include:

Chelsea Grange #215
East Madison Grange #228
Maple Grove Grange #148
Mill Stream Grange #574
Old Town Riverside Grange #273
Valley Grange #144

Words for Thirds was once a “signature” community service project for Granges. One of our resources is an article by The Dictionary Project’s Director, Mary French, explaining why it is still relevant today–perhaps even more than it was in the past.

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of this program. Valley Grange has reaped many benefits from providing dictionaries in our area for nearly two decades. This will be our twentieth year! We don’t do it as a fundraiser, but it sure helps us with it!

Enthusiasm and communication are key elements. We’ll help with communication resources! You can help by letting me know about your participation. That includes what challenges you are facing, ideas you may have, etc. Right now, I’m especially interested in learning who is participating or considering it!

Simple! Fill out the form below—don’t forget to press [submit] at the bottom! Thanks for your help and support!

Happy Labor Day!

Information reprinted from an e-newsletter by Maine Senator Stacy Guerin, District 4

Observed the first Monday in September, Labor Day is an annual celebration of the achievements of America’s workers. The holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity and well-being.

Before it became a federal holiday, Labor Day was recognized initially by individual states. New York was the first state to introduce a bill recognizing Labor Day; but Oregon was the first to actually pass a law in 1887. During 1887, four more states – Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York – passed laws creating the holiday.

By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday and Congress passed an act on June 28, 1894, making the first Monday in September of each year the legal holiday.

For many, the three-day holiday weekend marks the unofficial end of summer as public schools and colleges return to class. It also serves as the turning point for Maine’s weather as September is when the fall foliage season begins in the north. The month also marks the harvest season for Maine’s agricultural sector.

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Help Stamp Out FOMO

This flyer/poster is available for downloading from the Program Books and Information Page–or use this direct link! Print and post or hand it out to your members!

Tick Talk

Reprinted from June 2023 Newsletter from the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands

Tick Bite Prevention

Wear protective clothing. This includes light-colored clothing so that ticks are easy to spot, long sleeves and pants, closed-toe shoes, and tucking pants into socks.
Treat clothes with permethrin. Do not use on skin.
Protect pets. Talk to your veterinarian about tick prevention products for your pets.
Wear EPA-approved repellent.
Stay on trails and be aware of tick habitat.
Check yourself for ticks. Check often during your outdoor activity and when you return to your campsite or home.

Learn about tick ecology, diseases, and prevention measures by watching the Forestry Friday Tick Talk presented by Chuck Lubelczyk, field scientist with Maine Health Institute for Research Vector-Borne Disease Laboratory.

Include this in your next Family Health and Hearing Report!

Patriot’s Day

Only a handful of states recognize an upcoming state holiday that many others around the country know little about. Patriot’s Day is on Monday, April 17, and is celebrated officially only in Maine, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Connecticut, and North Dakota. The latter two recently adopted the holiday in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

With origins stemming from Fast Day, a holiday tied to a time when Maine was still a Massachusetts territory before achieving statehood in 1820, Patriot’s Day (spelled Patriots’ Day outside of Maine) was officially adopted long after statehood in 1907 and originally celebrated on April 19. It was moved to the third Monday of April in 1969.

The holiday commemorates the battles of colonists against British soldiers in Lexington, Concord and Menotomy in Massachusetts on April 19, 1775, which officially began hostilities in the American Revolutionary War. In fact, it was the day referenced in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Concord Hymn,” in which he describes the first shot fired at Concord’s North Bridge as the “shot heard round the world.” Today, the holiday is also marked by the Boston Marathon, which has been held on Patriot’s Day nearly every year since 1897. Click here for more historical information about what the day celebrates.

Reprinted with permission from an e-newsletter published by Senator Stacey Guerin, Maine District 4.

Tips for Tackling the Holiday Blues

Provided by Rural Minds and National Grange

Grange Heirloom Program Kicks Off