The Parkman Grange awarded four MSAD#4-area college students Minnie Welts Bridge Scholarships of $500 each for the 2023-24 school year. Winners this year were: Matthew Chadbourne, Sangerville, a Social Work major at the University of Southern Maine; Mercy Harper, Sangerville, a Criminal Justice major at Husson University; MacKenzie Kain, Parkman, an Early Childhood Education major at Kennebec Valley Community College; and, Merrilee Levensailor, Guilford, an Accounting major at the University of Maine Augusta. Awards were made at the ninth Minnie Welts Bridge Memorial Supper on Saturday, August 12th, where approximately 40 diners enjoyed smoked pork loin, potatoes, and a variety of salads and desserts. With these four, Parkman Grange has awarded $15,000 in scholarships.
2023 Minnie Welts Bridge Scholarship Winners Matthew Chadbourne and Mercy Harper with Parkman Grange Master Sue Manchester. MacKenzie Kain and Merrilee Levensailor also received Scholarships but were unable to be present.
Are you making plans to attend the 150th Maine State Grange Convention? Your Communications Department has created a special page with tons of information you’ll want and need.
A list of important deadlines
A basic schedule for the two-day event
A link to an Information Packet that includes the form used for meal reservations
A list of motels in the Auburn Area
Answers to frequently asked questions regarding the Convention.
Note that delegates must be registered by your Subordinate or Pomona Grange Secretary. Non-delegates are welcome to attend and can speak to resolutions with the permission of the delegate body. Non-delegates do not need to register to attend! Non-delegates who intend to attend meals must make reservations by October 5, 2023
It’s not just for lecturers! Here’s a link to the third quarter issue of “A Quarter’s Worth.” Take a look! Thanks to MSG Lecturer Margaret Morse for sharing!
What Can You Say Other than “WOW!”
For the second full week in August, the most visited post was “High Season Market at Ocean View Grange! One thing that makes this especially interesting is that the post covers an event that already happened! Should Granges be doing more markets?
See this month’s Communications Column! Why not publish an annual report of your Grange’s accomplishments? You could even offer them for inclusion in your town’s annual report!
2023-2024 Events Calendar
This is a great time to start planning your programs and events for the next Grange Year. Please submit the information for posting on the MSG Website Calendar.
Thought for You…
Let’s be honest; it’s rather easy to be busy. We all can think up a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules. Some might even think that their self-worth depends on the length of their to-do list. They flood the open spaces in their time with lists of meetings and minutia – even during times of stress and fatigue.
The ODD Directory features all state officers, directors, and deputies with contact information.
The Directory of Granges features all Granges in the state with a contact person. Please make sure your listing is correct!
Do You Have FOMO?
“FOMO” is, of course, a Fear Of Missing Out. One strongly recommended treatment is to subscribe to the Maine State Grange Website. We’ll send you a daily summary whenever news and columns are posted, and we won’t share your email address with anyone!
According to an article in the Penobscot Bay Pilot, Katherine Rhoda will perform at the Tranquility Grange on Saturday, August 19, 2023, as part of a fundraising event benefiting the Grange and the Lincolnville Historical Society.
The doors open at 6 p.m. for an hour of nibbling (drinks and finger foods) and chatting; Katherine will begin the program at 7 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults, $5 for those under 12, and following Grange tradition, under 4s and over 90s get in free.
Image courtesy of Katherine Rhoda
Katherine is well known in Grange Cirles for her love of Grange tunes and “heartfelt music foster authentic human connection using a marxaphone, violin-guitar, harpeleik, and more. For more information about Katherine and her music visit her website or Facebook Page. For more information about the upcoming event, see the article cited at the beginning of this post.
Tranquility Grange is located at 2177 Belfast Road in Lincolnville.
By Walter Boomsma, MSG Communications Director 207 343-1842
Communication Shorts are brief (short) but important items posted for your information and use. Send us your ideas and thoughts!
The 2022 Journal of Proceedings is now available!
The Journal of Proceedings is, in short, the minutes of (in this case) the 2022 149th Maine State Grange Convention. It is of particular importance to those who will be delegates to this year’s convention, as you’ll likely want to compare what happened last year in anticipation of this year’s convention. You can download the 2022 Journal of Proceedings for viewing–it’s a lot of pages to print! The Journal will also be available from the Program Books and Information Page.
August Bulletin Reminder
The August Bulletin deadline is August 14, 2023. Remember, you can always find recent issues of the Bulletin on the Program Books and Information Page. The August Bulletin is in the works!
Very Important Roster Reminder!
You saw it first in Master Sherry’s August Column, but please remember that your Grange’s current information is needed for the 2024 printed roster. A printed form requesting the information was sent to all secretaries, but you can also send it by email to MSG Secretary Sharon.* The information required includes:
Meeting day and time
The physical address of your hall
Names, addresses, and phone numbers of Master/President and Secretary. (Email addresses are great as well.
*Please copy the webmaster so we can keep the online directory as accurate as possible.
Resolutions Are Due!
If your Subordinate or Pomona Grange prepared a resolution this year, remember that it must be submitted to headquarters by August 15, 2023.
150th Maine State Grange Convention
This is the first part of a “coming soon” webpage we’re working on that will contain everything you wanted to know (and more!) about this year’s convention. Save the date!
Did you catch August 4’s Patrons Chain? Being fair/festival season, we have a MEGA DEAL on the Grange Comic Books – they’re FREE (you just pay shipping). Contact Loretta to order packs to give out at your events.
Contest deadlines for many National Grange contests are approaching! Due by September 1st are: Cape of Honor (Juniors), Garden Design Contest (Lecturer), GRANGE Youth Pillar Project (Youth), Grange in Action (Programs/Membership), Grassroots Advocacy Award (Legislative), Horizon Leadership Ambassador/Young Patron applications (Youth), John Trimble Youth Legislative Experience (Youth), Junior Mentor Award (Youth), National Junior Grange Ambassador applications (Juniors), Publicity Item (Communications), Quilt Block Contest (Lecturer), State Junior Director Reports (Juniors), Virtual Photo Contest (Lecturer), Weather Watcher Challenge (Lecturer), Wib & June Justi Community Service Award (Youth/Community Service), Youth Membership Recruitment Award (Youth/Membership), Youth Officer Council applications (Youth), and the Youth Officer T-Shirt Design (Youth). That’s a lot! More information on all of these can be found in the Contest Guideor in the Junior & Youth Program Handbooks.
We also encourage all members to subscribe to our weekly e-newsletter The Patrons Chain. This newsletter includes columns from National Grange Staff & Directors, information on upcoming National Grange events, and updates on what’s happening in rural America and in our nation’s capital in our monthly “View from the Hill” legislative update. Subscribe at http://www.nationalgrange.org/subscribe
Early Bird registration for National Grange Convention closes on September 4th. This means that on September 5th, the price for registration rises by $5. Information on this year’s Convention and the registration forms can be found at http://grange.biz/Convention157. We encourage ALL members to attend each year’s Convention to experience the work of the Grange, the fellowship, the workshops, and the great work each host committee puts into making the Convention special for the region.
Are there topics you would like to see covered in a future Zoom from a National Grange staff member or department director or officer? Please let us know! We’re always working to ensure our topics are in line with what our members want or need to hear from us.
We hope to see you “at” some of our August Events!
National Grange Heirloom Program
Grange Heirlooms are snippets from the lessons of the Grange as taught in the Ritual and Declaration of Purposes. Please share “success stories” about the use of the program with us or if you come up with other innovative ways to incorporate the Program in your Granges. Information and materials are now available on the National Grange Website.
“Notes from National” is based on a monthly email received from the National Grange Communications Department.
By Walter Boomsma, MSG Communications Director 207 343-1842
Communication Shorts are brief (short) but important items posted for your information and use. Send us your ideas and thoughts!
August Bulletin Reminder
The August Bulletin deadline is August 14, 2023. Remember, you can always find recent issues of the Bulletin on the Program Books and Information Page.
Welcome Pleasant River Grange #492
Pleasant River Grange in Vinalhaven now has an Internet presence! Check out their website and Facebook Page. (Links have been added to the list of Subordinate Grange Links.) Remember, if your Grange has a site or Facebook page, let us know! We’ll help promote your Grange an your events, but you have to tell us about them!
What Can You Say Other than “WOW!”
In the past thirty days, the most visited post/page was the article about Mill Stream Grange’s Tool Lending Library–nearly 300 visits! It is the top-ranked post for the month, beating out everything else–even the program books and information page! There might be a message in this for us–when we are meeting community needs in a practical way, people are interested! Way to go, Mill Stream Grangers!
National Farmers’ Market Week
Did you know that August 6 – 12, 2023 is National Farmers Market Week? Now in its 24th year, National Farmers Market Week (August 6-12, 2023) is an annual celebration that highlights the vital role farmers’ markets play in our nation’s food system. For additional information and resources, look here!
Ideas for Granges
Most aren’t anxious to start thinking about fall, but maybe we can let the fun continue! Could your Grange sponsor a Harvest Festival–a celebration of the season and the harvest?
2023-2024 Events Calendar
This is a great time to start planning your programs and events for the next Grange Year. Please submit the information for posting on the MSG Website Calendar.
Thought for You…
“Each of us has about 40 chances to accomplish our goals in life. I learned this first through agriculture, because all farmers can expect to have about 40 growing seasons, giving them just 40 chances to improve on every harvest.”
The ODD Directory features all state officers, directors, and deputies with contact information.
The Directory of Granges features all Granges in the state with a contact person. Please make sure your listing is correct!
Do You Have FOMO?
“FOMO” is, of course, a Fear Of Missing Out. One strongly recommended treatment is to subscribe to the Maine State Grange Website. We’ll send you a daily summary whenever news and columns are posted, and we won’t share your email address with anyone!
Saturday, August 12, 2023, will be the ninth annual Minnie Welts Bridge Memorial Scholarship Supper, sponsored by Parkman Grange, 4:30 – 6:30 p.m., at the Grange Hall, State Highway 150, and North Dexter Rd. The supper, featuring smoked pork loin, baked beans, salads, and desserts, is open to the public by donation. All monies will go to the Minnie Welts Bridge Memorial Scholarship Fund. 2023 Scholarships will be awarded at the supper.
Minnie Bridge was a lifelong resident of Parkman, ME, a retired school teacher, and a life member of the Parkman Grange. In her memory, the Grange established the Minnie Welts Bridge Memorial Scholarship Fund to benefit deserving SAD 4-area students continuing their education beyond high school. The Grange annually awards one or more Scholarships of $500 each, funded through donations and the annual suppers in Minnie’s name. To date, the Grange has awarded $13,000 in scholarships to deserving SAD 4-area students. For more information, contact Sue Manchester at 277-3942.
Twice a month, the employees from each of the six offices of Maine Highlands Federal Credit Union dress casually for “Caring for Community.” Each employee pays $3 for the privilege of wearing jeans and a Caring for Community Shirt. The total funds collected on these dress casual days benefit a local non-profit organization. Valley Grange of Guilford was recently named the recipient of those funds. Thank you, Maine Highlands Federal Credit Union Employees, for supporting our programs! Members and friends of the Grange, please say “thanks” when you visit one of the MHFCU offices!
Valley Grange is located in Guilford, Maine. This is excerpted from their recent Grange Gram to members and friends.
Are you ready to give and get some love? Riverfest is just one week from today!
All you have to do is be in the Valley Grange tent at RiverFest on Saturday, July 29, 2023. Judy has volunteered to help with setting up. If you are coming for the parade (which starts at 9:30) and are willing to come a little early, your hands would be welcome! To beat the traffic, Walter plans to be there at 8:30 to unload and set up. The goal is to be set up before the parade starts.
Our tent may be “unstaffed” during the parade—unless someone would like to hang out there. We open formally at 11 am. The official schedule is posted on the Valley Grange Website. ”Working” in our tent is fun! You might get some hugs… and all you have to do is offer information about the Grange (we’ll have printed support material) and a free pin to give away. If you can sell a raffle ticket in the process, that would be awesome! While it’s not on the schedule, traditionally, the expectation is we remain “open” until 3 pm, but unless it’s busy, most start packing up around 2:30. Help with that is always welcome, although it usually goes a lot quicker than setting up!
Of course, you can just show up, but if you’d like to let Walter know what you think you’re planning, that will be helpful!
We’ll also be kicking off our annual raffle that day. Information about the raffle is now available on the website. We have five great prizes this year! We’ll be mailing tickets to all members and friends later this summer—if you’d like some now, let us know! You can also pick up extras to sell at RiverFest. Janice will be our primary ticket distributor and collector—if you need tickets, contact her by email or phone 343-1496. Another great option will be at the Valley Grange Picnic on August 15th. That info will be coming next week!
Good News!
Maine Highlands Federal Credit Union called—they have a donation for us! Employees donate as part of their dress-down day, then select a cause to give the donations, and we’re it! I’ll be picking it up next week!
More Good News!
Many of you will remember Lilly, the Junior Granger from Connecticut we supported during her battle with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia by doing card showers and encouragement. She’s doing great! She was actually placed on the “Make-a-Wish” roster back in 2018. After making it through 25 months of chemo, double hip joint replacement, and then being on the Covid waitlist, it was great to see her wish come true this past week finally! She and her family finally got a “wish trip” to Alaska together! This is one amazing kid! It’s great to have shared in and supported her battle. What an honor! She and her Mom are now supporting the Make-a-wish Foundation. Earlier this year, they did the “Walk for Wishes.” By the way, Lilly is now 18 years old.
