Maine State Grange

Dirigo 98 located on route 137 in  Freedom, will have a Strawberry Festival June 27th from 4:00 p.m. to 6;30 p.m. Menu will be turkey pie, cranberry sauce, coleslaw, lemonade, coffee, and strawberry shortcake.There will also be strawberries for sale.

FMI Lois Zezima

382 3315

Last minute Degree Day at Bangor Grange hall! I have been asked by the Master of Halcyon Grange to put together a Degree Day for five candidates on Sunday, July 12 at 3 PM. We will start gathering at 2 PM so that we will know for sure who we have for candidates and help. We will open at 3 PM and work the first and second, take a break for a pot-luck finger foods lunch. Then, we’ll work the third and fourth, close the Grange and head for home. All are welcome to bring candidates, or just come for a “refresher course”. The hall is located at 1192 Ohio St. For more information, please call Rolf at 973-3976.

Piscataquis Pomona meets at the home of Walter and Janice Boomsma for their annual Fun and Fundraiser Picnic.

Piscataquis Pomona will meet at South Sangerville Grange for a potluck supper at 6 p.m. and meeting at 7:00 p.m. Meeting will include Election of Officers. For more information, contact Pomona Master Bill Bemis.

On Wednesday, June 3^rd, Topsham Grange will observe its “First Annual Grange Night.” This combines a visiting officers night and CWA night, beginning with a delicious Grange supper at 6 p.m., prepared by Sister Diane Hauck and her kitchen crew, followed by the meeting and program at 7 p.m.

Several of our Maine State Grange committee chairs and directors will be participating in the program, outlining their programs leading up to the State Session in October. There will also be door prizes and an array of stories, games, and music during the Lecturer’s time. A unique feature for the evening will be a chance for those attending to volunteer to fill Grange offices for the meeting. A sign-up sheet will circulate during supper.

Reservations for the meal will help Sister Diane know how many diners to anticipate, so please e-mail Mert Ricker at mertr33@gmail.com, or call him at 353-4004 on or before May 31st if you’d like to be included.  An enjoyable night of fun, along with a chance to meet with Grange friends and hear about Grange programs, and an array delicious food is anticipated.

Topsham Grange is located on Pleasant Street, just off Main Street and Route 201.

Chicken Pie Public Supper

Friday, June 12

5-7 pm

Garland Grange Hall, Oliver Hill Road, Garland

Menu includes chicken pie, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetables, homemade bread and desserts. ALL YOU CAN EAT. Price is $7.00 for adults, $3.00 for children ages 5-12, under Age 5 FREE. Takeout meals are available for purchase. Proceeds to benefit Garland Grange Building Fund. FMI 924-6954.

Family Contra Dance

Friday, June 12

7-9 pm

Garland Grange Hall, Oliver Hill Road, Garland

Family friendly music for all ages. All dances are taught. Live music by Some Reel People. Caller is John McIntire. Admission is $7.00 each or $12.00 per family. FMI 924-3925 or 277-3961.

See the full story at http://mainestategrange.org/?p=75976

Arlington Grange will celebrate its 100th Anniversary on June 7 with an open house/farming appreciation day.

There will be a meeting of fair judges and those interested at State Headquarters on Wednesday, May 27 at 1 pm. Contact Agnes or Bob Nelson at 568-3479 for more information.

Next Friday our Passport Dinner focuses on Malaysia.

We have an exchange student with the Y.E.S. program to advise and inform us.

So this is a chance to get fed and educated.  All you have to do is respond to this e-mail or call Trish at 645-3676  before Friday May 8th at 6p.m.

Below is a description of the food that will be served.  As always there will be a vegetarian option available upon request, (made at the time of the reservations.)

Malaysian Dinner Menu

Rendang – this is a dry curry, containing beef, onions, garlic, unsweetened coconut, coconut milk, and a host of Malaysian seasonings.  Some you are familiar with: ginger, cloves, coriander, cumin, and chili.  Unfamiliar or less familiar ones are kencur and tamarind liquid.

Ketupat – this is medium grain rice, plainly cooked, but compressed into squares so you can pick the squares up with your fingers.  It frequently is served in a banana peel.  We will just be serving it in squares.  It frequently is served as a side dish with the Rendang, peanut sauces, and other entrees.

Saus Kacang or Peanut and Chili Sauce – a dipping sauce made from peanuts, chilies, onions, garlic, coconut milk and usually palm sugar.  If we can’t get the palm sugar, we probably will use light brown sugar.  We’ll make it without the usual shrimp paste so everyone can eat it.  It’s served as a dipping sauce for the rice, the Rendang, and lots of other foods.  We’ll turn down the heat a bit for New England taste buds.

Lontong – this is the vegetarian option.  It’s a mixture of familiar and unfamiliar ingredients.  The familiar ones include cabbage, jicama (yam beans in Malaysia), turmeric, chili, coconut, tofu, hard cooked eggs and the rice squares.  New to many will be: candlenuts, long beans, lemongrass, and galangal.

Roti Jala – a crepe-like meal accompaniment, it can be used to sop up liquids.  We’ll try to duplicate the lace-like structure of the original.  Come and see how successful we are!

Onde-onde – the dessert. It’s a poached rice flour dumpling, with a sugar filled center, rolled in coconut.  Its hallmark ingredient is the pandan leaf.  Pandan leaves look like grass and give the dumplings a green color and vanilla like flavor.  We hope to be able to get fresh ones.

Teh Tarik – otherwise known as “pulled tea”.  It’s made from regular black tea and condensed milk.  The trick is in the pulling – the goal is to make the tea foamy by pouring it from one cup to another with the cups being as far away as possible from each other.  Our “pulling” will be courtesy of our blender, but if you Google it, you’ll see masters at work “pulling” the tea.

Siti Afiqah Muhammed will be explaining the meal before the dinner and after dinner, she will give a presentation in our upstairs hall.

Fiqua is an exchange student from Malaysia with YES (Youth Exchange and Study), a program of the US State Department run by American Councils for International Education. After the dinner, she will give a presentation in our upstairs hall.  Fiqua will share some experiences as a Muslim living in a country that is multi-ethnic, multicultural, and multilingual from the point of view of an ambassador, and aspects of how beautiful and captivating her country is.

She  is a Senior at Mt. Blue High School and is participating in Curtain Raisers improvisational theatre, dance, track, and Teen Faith Exploration. She is actively working on meeting a 100 hour community service challenge extended by President Obama to students while in the US (only 15 hours required of students here for half an academic year).  Her host parents are Christine Merchant and Wayne Davis of Mt. Vernon.

A reminder – both floors of our Grange Hall are handicapped accessible.

Remember:

May 8, at 6 p.m. at Wilson Grange Hall Main Street Wilton – across from Shelly’s Hometown Market in East Wilton Village.  Respond to this e-mail or call Trish at 645-3676

Wilson Grange #321 <  http://www.grange.org/wilsonme321/  >

P.O. Box 381 East Wilton, ME. 04234 / 1338 Main Street Wilton, Maine.