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.