By Sharon Morton
MSG Secretary
207 485-6197
Wow, where has summer gone? I have enjoyed my summer camping, between the rain drops, and traveling to our Granges to help our State Master/President, Sherry, with informational meetings. I hope that if you need more information regarding Grange procedure you will contact us here at State Grange Headquarters and we will be more than happy to help you.
Reminders
Our office hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 am to 2 pm. Please feel free to contact us by phone or email: mainestategrange@myfairpoint.net (Headquarters); sharriman@twc.com (Sherry’s) and grangenut@netscape.net (Sharon’s) Our phone numbers are 207-623-3421 or 1-800-464-3421 (Headquarters); 207-490-1029 (home) or 207-432-6386 (cell) Sherry’s) and 207-485-6197 (cell) (Sharon’s).
Quarterly Dues
State Grange is a month and a half away, and Community/Subordinate Quarterly dues must be paid in full to be entitled to have delegates for the session. All quarterly dues include the following quarters: December 2022, March 2023, June 2023, and September 2023. There are Community/Subordinate Granges that I have not received all reports (which includes September 2023)/ Letters will be mailed to those Granges that are in arrears.
State Grange Session
This year, our registration area will be up and running for registration to begin at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, October 20th. The Registration Committee will check you in and give you your delegate packet. Please do not help yourself to try and help the committee that only confuses and makes for a stressful situation. Please be patient as the State Session does not begin until 1:00 p.m. The correct and easiest way to check in at the registration desk is to give your name and the Grange and/or Pomona you will be representing. If you are a double delegate, you would state who you are and who you are representing a Subordinate Grange, as well as the Pomona Grange.
Delegate Credential
As your Grange elects your new slate of officers, you will then vote on who your delegate(s) to the State Grange Annual Session will be. Please complete the form that was included in one of the mailings relating to the State Session. This form is easy to complete. If your Master is unable to attend, but you have someone who will be coming to State Session, please send them as your delegate. Your Grange is entitled to two delegates, and if you have two members who may be coming, they can be your delegates and in case one or both of your delegates are unable to attend you may have two alternates. I would like your delegate credential FORM NO LATER THAT THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 9TH so that I can get name tags and material for Session ready, but they can be brought to State Session. NO CREDENTIALS WILL BE ISSUED UNLESS ALL QUARTERLY DUES HAVE BEEN RECEIVED. ( I LEAVE STATE HEADQUARTERS ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19TH SO I WILL PICK UP THE MAIL THAT DAY) ALL QUARTERLY DUES NOT RECEIVED WILL BE PAYABLE UPON REQUEST AT THE REGISTRATION DESK AND IF THE DUES ARE NOT ABLE TO BE PAID, I AM UNABLE TO ISSUE DELEGATE CREDENTIALS. NO CREDENTIALS WILL BE CHANGED UNLESS THE PERSON IS LISTED ON THE DELEGATE CREDENTIAL AS AN ALTERNATE. PLEASE NOTE YOU CAN ONLY REPRESENT ONE SUBORDINATE/COMMUNITY GRANGE. IF YOU ARE REPESENTING YOUR SUBORDINATE/COMMUNITY GRANGE YOU CAN ALSO REPRESENT YOUR POMONA GRANGE.
Membership Recognition Form
Please use the current Membership Application Form which is on our website. If you are unable to print this form, I will more than gladly mail you copies of the newest form, which includes the newest prices for the 25-year certificate, Golden Sheaf certificate, 75-year Diamond Certificate and folder, 80-year letter and 85-year letter in a folder with letter from National President which are now $12.00 each. ALL checks for Golden Sheaf certificates and up are made out to the National Grange with the correct shipping and handling which is indicated on the back of the application form. Many secretaries are having a hard time with the requests for certificates for 50 years and above as their records do not reflect that date and Grange to which the member belonged. I see this happening more and more often as a Grange closes and consolidates with another. Please do not hesitate to contact me at Headquarters as there are means to check for that information. It is very helpful if they (the member) remember when they joined and where they joined, and if they, in their Grange journey, changed Granges along the way.
Database
As you are aware, the Company that held our database has been unable to provide us with a working membership database. The State Master and I decided that this need was great, and Sherry has undertaken the task of creating a user-friendly database for our State Grange. She has worked many hours using what membership information that I have had on file and an older copy of our membership database. Now, your help is needed. Upon getting the information compiled, she will be sending a membership list with your members. Please have your members or you yourself, check the information, making sure everything is spelled correctly (name, address (mailing), email; telephone number), and most importantly, the date they joined the grange. Remember Golden Sheaf members (50 years of continuous membership is indicated by a Y and would indicate Golden Sheaf membership before January 1, 2001 and the Maine State Grange does not pay dues to National Grange on those members. YN indicates Golden Sheaf membership after January 1, 2001 and the Maine State Grange pays quarterly dues to National Grange on those members. So please take the time to correct and complete the membership list of your Grange. If you have a current updated membership list, please feel free to email or mail it. I thank Sherry for her due diligence in completing this long-needed database.
Roster Information
The list of officers of your Grange that is sent to headquarters to make up the State Roster is perhaps the most important report of all. The information furnished on these lists become the connecting link between all Granges, National Grange, Subordinate/Community, Pomona, and State Granges across the land. This information is used to compile a listing of the Master, Lecturer, Secretary, and Women’s Activities Chairman. Therefore, it is very important that the names, addresses, zip code, telephone numbers, and emails (if available) are correct, complete, properly spelled, and legible.
During the year, if any of these officers or their information changes, please notify Headquarters as soon as possible. Please if you have not furnished your roster information by sending it with September 2023 dues report or emailing to mainestategrange@myfairpoint.net even if nothing has changed.
And finally….
I wish to thank all the Grange Secretaries across the great State of Maine for your dedication and devotion to the order. We all realize that this group performs far beyond the “call of duty”. I would like each one of you to know that it is greatly appreciated.
Hope to see you all at State Session. Until then enjoy the rest of summer!