Category: Lecturer

Lecturer’s helps and information

Lecturer’s Column – May 2024

By Melissa Baldwin, Maine State Grange Lecturer
207 324-4661

Time is running out to get those registrations for the Northeast Lecturers’ Conference in Norwich CT. The good news is the early bird registration for the conference and hotel has been extended to May 30, 2024. After that, the conference price will be increased by $15 from $30.00 to $45.00 for just the conference. There are meal options that are extra. The hotel is $139.00 per night until May 30, 2024. Then it will increase significantly.

For those who have already registered I will be contacting you soon with additional information for Maine’s portion of the fun.

Complete Conference Information

Lecturer’s Column – March 2024

By Melissa Baldwin, Maine State Grange Lecturer
207 324-4661

I am pleased to update you on the upcoming 2024 North East Lecturers Association (NELA) Conference which will be held June 21-23 at the Holiday Inn in Norwich, CT. A North East Lecturers Association Conference has not been held in over five years, so this is an awesome opportunity right here in Connecticut for all Grangers and Want-to-be-Grangers to join together for some great food, fun, education, and relaxation. Our event is open to all and we hope you will consider registering today at https://sites.google.com/view/nelcgrange/home?authuser=2. As Connecticut is hosting this conference for the North East Region this year, we chose to host it at the Holiday Inn in Norwich; the same hotel as Connecticut State Grange Annual Convention. We negotiated the rate down to $139 per night, which is cheaper than if you contact this hotel directly and very reasonable for this shoreline destination right before the July 4th holiday weekend.

 Fun Night Friday – June 21, 2024

Registration for this conference is only $30 per person for which each registrant can attend all non-meal events, receive a Seven Strong tote bag loaded with gifts from all seven State Granges, and one complimentary Lecturers Program book. Additional Lecturer Program Books will be sold for $10 each. Our registration table will open at 4:00 PM on Friday, June 21st, and we will also be offering an impactful service project for you to support. Dinner is on your own and then we will have our Spirit Night Extravaganza starting at 7:00 PM in the Chelsearose II ballroom with all seven state Spirit Teams parading into the ballroom. There will be a special prize for the most spirited team! All Connecticut State Grange members are asked to wear the color ORANGE, which is our state Grange color for the welcoming ceremony. Following the opening activities, the rest of the evening is set aside for Game Night hosted by NELA President Matt Clark, Judy Doyle and myself. Each state Grange will offer a game to participate in and to win prizes. After the games, North East SHIPmate Kelly Riley will offer Kahoots to play for prizes. And if you still have energy, a complimentary shuttle bus will leave the hotel at 9:00 PM for Mohegan Sun Casino; but you must be back to our hotel on the 2:00 AMshuttle.

Satisfy your Yearning for Learning Saturday – June 22, 2024

You’ll wake up refreshed to start the day at 8:00 AM with a $10 buffet breakfast in Laurel/Rose room. State Grange Lecturers have chosen to subsidize both buffet breakfasts and our buffet pizza lunch so that our conference can be as economical for you as possible.

 At 9:00 AM, we will begin our conference Opening Session the Chelsearose II ballroom with a Call to Order by NELA President Matt Clark, a Roll Call of attendees by State, Pledge of Allegiance, and our keynote presentation by National Grange Foundation Board Chair Joan C. Smith. Following the keynote presentation, at 10:00 AM, Workshop #1 will by focused on “Membership” and hosted by Rhode Island State Grange Lecturer’s Department. At 11:00 AM, Workshop #2 hosted by Massachusetts State Grange Lecturer’s Department focused on “Harnessing AI to Our Advantage, Promoting the Grange in all Media”.

 From 12:00 Noon – 1:00 PM, we will enjoy a Buffet Pizza Party in Chelsearose II for just $10 per person. Following lunch, at 1:00 PM., Workshop #3 hosted by New York State Grange Lecturer’s Department will focus on “How to Market Your Grange”. At 2:00 PM, Workshop #4 hosted by Maine State Grange Lecturer’s Department will be offered on “Community Service”.

 At 3:00 PM, for those who pre-registered, we will offer a complimentary tour of U.S. Coast Guard Academy. We will carpool about 20 minutes to the academy and the first stop is the gift shop. Following an opportunity to purchase souvenirs, we will then participate in a one-hour tour.

At 6:30 PM, we will head back to the Chelsearose II ballroom for our Celebratory Banquet and Entertainment. This banquet costs $45 and you will have three menu choices (pork, pasta or fish). We will hold a Gift Baskets drawing and an opportunity drawing after dinner and then have some fun entertainment. And if you still have energy, you can leave the hotel at 9:00 PM for an optional complimentary bus trip to Mohegan Sun Casino.

 “Send-off Sunday” – June 23, 2024

Today our final day together begins at 7:00 AM with our $10 Buffet breakfast in the Laurel/Rose room.  At 8:45 AM, we will offer an optional worship service by Charles Dimmick, Connecticut State Grange Chaplain. Our first workshop will be at 9:30 AM hosted by New Hampshire State Grange Lecturer’s Department on the “Heirloom Program”. At 10:30 AM, Workshop #6 hosted by Vermont State Grange Lecturer’s Department will be offered on “GRIT”.  At 11:30 AM, we will offer some closing remarks and then pass the gavel from Connecticut to the New York State Grange Lecturer, who will be hosting the 2026 NELA Conference in New York. We promise to have you out of the hotel and on your way by 12 noon.

Complete Conference Information

Slam the Scam Day

The Social Security Administration has declared March 7, 2024 (and every day, really) as “Slam the Scam Day.” You can download or print their free scam alert sheet.

Scammers seem to be on the increase–and not just regarding Social Security. Fake invoices and calls claiming to be coming from Medicare… spoofed emails that are not from who they claim to be… friend requests on social media… you name it!

Report a Suspected Social Security Scam

Don’t be embarrassed to report if you shared personal information or suffered a financial loss. It is important to report the scam as quickly as possible. 

Visit www.ssa.gov/scam for more information, and follow SSA OIG on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to stay up to date on the latest scam tactics. Repost #SlamtheScam information on social media to keep your friends and family safe.

Lecturers: This might be a great program–there’s plenty of information available on the subject. It could also fall under Family Health and Hearing or Community Service.

Lecturer’s Column – February 2024

By Melissa Baldwin, Maine State Grange Lecturer
207 324-4661

Planning for the Northeast Lecturers Conference is in full swing. This year’s conference will be hosted by Connecticut. Dates for the conference are planned for Friday evening, June 21, through Sunday, June 23, at noon. The conference will take place at the Holiday Inn in Norwich, CT.  More information will come as soon as plans are finalized. Everyone is welcome to attend. This year’s theme is 7 STRONG.

In other news, the program that was given out at the state session is the official program for this year. Thanks to past Lecturer Margaret Morse. If your grange did not receive your packets, they will be mailed out soon. Feel free to email me with any questions at missybaldwin99@yahoo.com or by phone 207-651-0063

207 Plus!

by John Lowry, Master/President of Porter Grange

MEGO Alert! [My Eyes Glazed Over] Our recent post regarding Maine’s 207 area code inspired John to share some additional information. Sure, there’s some technology involved–but isn’t technology involved in just about everything these days?

Tin can communication

It seems to be a point of pride for many communities and locations.  I remember when, in Massachusetts, 617 was split to include 508, and all the businesses that objected to having a 508 number and be assumed to be “in the sticks.”

Addressing is a thorny and sometimes fun issue that exists everywhere there is modern telecommunications.  Location is sometimes assumed and often desired but is not achievable.  It used to be possible with the telephone companies and pretty much had to be in order to mechanically route between switching centers. You knew if it had a prefix of abc that it had to go down the wire toward abc or toward some device that knew where abc was.  That’s not possible today, and you might be surprised to know that number portability has made the phone system very much like the Internet. 

In general, there is a mapping function from the phone number to an IPv6 address, just as there is for a phone number and an E911 address, which is maintained by the user. You can usually find the IPv6 address in your phone if you poke around in settings.

For cell phones, once the phone is connected to a tower, its POTS number (truly called that by engineers for “Plain Old Telephone System” is recorded in a database, but the phone is assigned an IPv6 address.  So when you make a call, the system looks up the POTS number you are trying to reach and then finds the associated IPv6 address and establishes a route to the remote system.  Some of this complexity, especially with the international calling schema, is what allows scammers to appear to call from someplace or someone you know.  (BTW: the phone companies know how to fix this, but it will cost some money, so we consumers lose.   The solution is called ingress filtering.

In any event, with number portability, you can keep your 207 number no matter where in the US/Canada you move to.  And if enough people do it, then a new area code will have to be assigned for Maine just to handle all the people who move to… Florida?

In Internet terms, blocks of IPv4 addresses are assigned and even bought and sold. They have nothing to do with the location of whoever is visiting your website except statistically in the same way that 207 usually means Maine.

This is irritatingly pleasant to those of us who want to limit our information exposure and who use a VPN or … Starlink.  (VPNs do work but are expensive and require some technical know-how).  Starlink, in this part of the world, enters the big Internet in an “Internet hotel” in NYC.  (An Internet hotel is basically a large building full of routers and connections to all the other big ISPs).  So when I go shopping at a large online retailer like Lowes, Costco, etc., they always want me to choose my “home store,” which is invariably in Queens.

My 978 number is routinely used by the Mass state government and politicos who want me to know about COVID-19 vaccine availability or political candidates.

In any event, I’m guessing that you’re bored now. If not, you might look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_address and  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_Name_System.

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“207” to Stay for Now

Note: This might count as trivia, but it could be the basis of a Lecturer’s Program!

Reprinted with permission from an e-newsletter produced by Maine State Senatory Stacey Gurin, District 4

The announcement by the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) in mid-October that Maine would be able to retain its only area code may be welcome news to many who think of “207” as more than just Maine’s area code. The PUC said the North American Numbering Plan Administrator extended the time before a new area code would be needed in Maine from 2029 to 2032.

The reason some may feel 207 is more than just an area code may reside in the fact that the entire State of Maine was one of the original 86 Numbering Plan Areas when AT&T implemented the continent-wide area code system in 1947. Through the former Bell System, a network of regional telecommunications operators, 77 area codes were assigned across the U.S. that year for automated toll calling while the Canadian provinces were given nine.

Maine was one of 40 states and provinces to have a single area code when the original plan was established. Today, Maine is one of only 11 that have been able to hold onto that distinction, joining Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming. Idaho, which comes right after Maine with its 208 area code, was the last to lose that status when they added, or “overlaid,” area code 986 in 2017.

With its single area code, Maine residents have been able to keep using the standard seven-digit format. In states where additional area codes have been added, callers are required to use all 10 digits.

The fact that 207 has remained Maine’s only area code for 76 years is perhaps why it has become ubiquitous with the state. From appearing on t-shirts and hats to “207 Recipes,” the “Best of the 207” and even its own newscast brand, it has become synonymous with Maine’s identity and heritage.

That is, except for the small village of Estcourt Station in Big Twenty Township in Aroostook County, which is also the northernmost community in the U.S. east of the Great Lakes. They get their telephone service from Canada and are included in Quebec’s 418 area code.

It is estimated that North America will run out of area codes by 2051.

Lecturer’s Column – November 2023

By Melissa Baldwin, Maine State Grange Lecturer
207 324-4661

Adult Photo Contest Winners

Category: Animals
1st place: Paula Roberts – Willow Grange #366
2nd place: Terry LaCombe – Hudson Grange #457
3rd place: Kathy Gowen – Highland Lake Grange #87

Category: Gardens
1st place: Kathy Gowen – Highland Lake Grange #87
2nd place: Laurie McBurnie – Willow Grange #366
3rd place: Marilyn Stinson – Enterprise Grange #48

Category: Water
1st place: Kathy Gowen – Highland Lake Grange #87
2nd place: Laurie McBurnie – Willow Grange #366
3rd place: Norma Meserve – Danville Jct. Grange #65

Category: Winter
1st place: Norma Meserve – Danville Jct. #65
2nd place: Laurie McBurnie – Willow Grange #366
3rd place: Terry LaCombe – Hudson Grange #457

Best in Show: Paula Roberts – Willow Grange # 366
People’s Choice: Terry LaCombe – Hudson Grange #457

Adult Coloring Winners

1st place: Terry Wilson – Bangor Grange #372
2nd place: Tim Wilson – Bangor Grange #372

Junior Art

Age Group 5-7: 
1st place: Laura Coffin

Age Group 8 – 10 
1st place: John Coffin
2nd place: Mary Coffin

Age Group 11 – 14
1st place Edith Coffin

More Resources for Granges!

We continue to add resources from the 150th State Session. These can also be found on the Program Books and Information Page.

  • Role of the Lecturer — This handy four-page document prepared by MSG Lecturer Margaret Morse summarizes the job description of lecturers and offers plenty of great tips and suggestions.
  • Creative Writing Results — This booklet includes the poems and skits submitted for the 2022-23 Lecturer’s Contests.
  • Moments in MSG History — prepared by MSG Lecturer Margaret Morse for the 2023 State Convention, these make for fascinating reading! They could also serve as the basis of a lecturer’s program or trivia contest!

Free Mental Health Program Available

Lecturers, FHH Committees, Community Service Directors…

There’s a mental health crisis in rural America: Suicide rates are 64% to 68% higher for people living in rural areas than people living in big cities. And although people who live in rural areas have higher suicide and depression rates compared to city residents, they are less likely to access mental healthcare services.

There’s a new free program to help improve mental health in rural communities – the Rural Mental Health Resilience Program. Developed by Rural Minds and the National Grange, the Rural Mental Health Resilience Program is a collection of free, potentially life-saving mental health information and resources that can help provide support to those who are struggling with mental health.

To learn more about the Rural Mental Health Resilience Program and to access, download, and print the free program materials, click here: http://www.ruralminds.org/resilience.

Lecturer’s Column – October 2023

By Margaret Morse, Maine State Grange Lecturer
207 439-0413

I would like to thank all those who attended the Lecturer’s Conference on September 30. During the conference, poetry, skit writing, and book club awards were announced. After the certificates were presented, the Lecturer’s Program was reviewed, and a lively discussion ensued.

I would also like to thank Manchester Grange for allowing the use of their hall.

The following members placed in the individual categories:
Poetry Awards:
Family: Sherry Harriman, Bauneg Beg Grange #382
Weather: Sherry Harriman, Bauneg Beg Grange #382
Camping: Sherry Harriman, Bauneg Beg Grange #382
Other: 1st Sherry Harriman, Bauneg Beg Grange #382
2nd Barbara Strout, Excelsior Grange #5
Skits:
Sherry Harriman, Bauneg Beg Grange #382
Book Reading Club:
Top readers based on Number of Books and Pages
1st Books & pages -Norma Meserve, Danville Jct. Grange #65 (227 books/60065 pages)
2nd Books & pages – Margaret Henderson, Dirigo Grange #96 (160 books/48167 pages)
3rd Books – Melissa Baldwin, Hollis Grange #132 (148 books)
3rd Pages – Gay Anderson, Mill Stream Grange #574 (42456 pages)
Other members who sent in book reading club list were acknowledged and will receive a certificate.
Alexander #304 – Catherine Oakes, Carlo Oakes Jr.
Bangor #372 – Emily Parsons
Bauneg Beg #382 – Richard Harriman Jr.
Enterprise #48 – Isebel Stinson
Hollis #132 – Vicki Huff
Hudson # 457 – Sylvia Crosman
John F. Hill #393 – Cassandra Corliss, Leslie Guy
Lakeside #63 – Gail Butterfield
Millstream #574 – Linda Staton, Judy Dunn, Paul Lavender, Debbie Lavender, Allen Harville, Kristen Thompson, Louise Kilpone, Lisa Goucher, Peg Lang, Ellie Andrews
Waterford #479 – Ellie Waterman
Willow #366 – Laurie McBurnie
Others who were acknowledged were Lecturers who sent in Lecturer reports. They also will receive a certificate.
Hudson #457 – Darlene Miles
North Scarborough # 495 – Martha Varney
Willow #366 – Paula Roberts