Patrons of Husbandry – a website dedicated to the Granges located in Maine
This year’s convention opens at 11 am! Since most officers, directors, and deputies will be in attendance, communication may be challenging. In website terms, we’ll be checking email as time permits, and you can expect a reply within 24 hours. That’s always our goal, and we usually beat it!
Thanks for your patience and understanding! For information about the convention, check this page.
By Larry Bailey, Master
In addition to having a great “Art, Craft and Collectables sale a few days ago, we had a particularly enjoyable and productive Grange meeting last evening. We had 12 members present for discussions about the upcoming Bean Supper, the establishment of our new Grange officers, and the updating and installation of our Executive Committee members.
This Saturday, October 18th, we are having our famous Ocean View Grange Bean Supper. The Odd Fellows will join us, and we expect a good turnout.
Today was our Words for Thirds dictionary presentation to our local 3rd-grade class in Tenants Harbor. Leslie Korpinen (our wonderful Musician) joined me in what turned out to be truly fun and enjoyable meeting with this group of kids. We gave a presentation of what the Grange was, where it was located, what Grange people did, when our Grange was formed, and why Granges were needed. It was very well received.
It has always been a surprise to me that, in a world of electronic communication, the class was so pleased, happy, and energetic to receive the books. The class was actually proud to receive books and be told they could keep them for their very own. Many questions were asked by the class, and they were serious and intelligent questions. One of the lads in the group came up with, perhaps the best observation of the day. He said, “The dictionary is like the paper version of Google!” We all laughed and roundly applauded him for his observation and acumen. I was especially happy to hear that the class was curious about the Grange Hall, and we noted that if they want to take a field trip to our Grange Hall, we will gladly give them a tour. Let’s hope that happens.
See you all Saturday at the Bean Supper!
By Walter Boomsma, MSG Communications Director
Did you know that for many years, Granges often maintained a library of books available to members? I suspect some still do! Well, here are some ideas that will drive traffic to your Grange Hall and, more importantly, make your Grange more relevant to your community.
The first is inspired by Caroline Heck, Junior Granger from Mill Stream Grange #574. Caroline is working on her Girl Scout Silver Award to raise awareness of the importance of childhood literacy. Her project includes building and placing a Little Fee Library™ (LFL) at the Grange and informing the community of the importance of access to books in early childhood. Master Jill Sampson is her Project Advisor. She has already collected 203 books, a mix of board books, picture books, early chapter books, and middle-grade novels, all donated by the local community. She’s scouted a location at the hall for placement: out front at the edge of the flower bed where it meets the parking lot, so it will be safe from the plow but always accessible.
Ocean View Grange in Port Clyde went from an idea to completion quickly. The idea came from someone who has a bit of a hobby of filling area libraries, and she suggested the Grange would make a great location! The idea truly took on a life of its own. Interestingly, much of the work that went into the project was completed by folks who are not Grange members. Yet. The entire project was accomplished from start to finish in a matter of weeks!
(Just to clarify, an outside library cannot be considered an LFL until registered and assigned someone–a steward–to monitor and maintain the box.)
Several other Granges have different programs and approaches, and the MSG Communications Department wants to help! We’re pleased to announce that we’ve created a BEB Resource Section on the website for Granges who are interested in or operating a Book Exchange Program.
The section includes more information on creating a Little Fee Library™ or Book Exchange Box, a comprehensive list of potential sources of free books, document templates… it will always be under construction, so please share your ideas and experiences. And let us know how we can help!
Sherry Harriman,
Maine State Grange President/Master
207 490-1029
Among many other things, Master Sherry is busy preparing her annual address for the 151st Annual State Convention. It will be posted after she gives it!
The October View from the Farm is “Moving a Bit Faster.” That might be an understatement as we begin another Grange Year!
Please also understand that while the October Bulletin will be available online just before State Session, mailing of the printed version will likely be delayed. Thanks for your patience and understanding.
See you in Orono!
Written by Walter Boomsma, Maine State Grange Communications Director
By Walter Boomsma,
MSG Communications Director
207 343-1842
Communication Shorts are brief (short) but important items posted for your information and use. Please send us your ideas and thoughts!
Yes, there is an October Bulletin, although with the State Session, the mailing of the physical copy may be delayed a bit. The digital copy is available on the site. Recent issues of the Bulletin can be found on the Program Books and Information Page in the communications section.
Some recent changes to the National Grange Website have resulted in some links not working. If you encounter broken links on the Maine State Grange website, please report them to Walter. If you encounter them on the National Grange website, report them to National Grange.
A comment made on the post about the recent degree day: “The Maine State Granges are evolving in amazing ways these days. Wonderful! Sharing ideas, working together to make friends, and getting to know each other is a joyful experience and an engaging way to connect with our communities. Thank you for the access and information about what being a friend or member means. All are welcome!
We’re removing dated information from the website. This includes documents, posts, and photos. While some things are considered timeless, a general policy is to remove items that are more than two years old. One of the significant challenges this time of year is updating online directories. Please make sure we have your current information!
“Being annoyed is the price you pay for community. It means having guests when you’d rather be alone. It means letting someone live with you even when they get on your nerves. It means showing up for events that you’d rather not go to. It means turning the other cheek.”
Divya Venn
Your Grange Hall could include benches outside for resting, a bike rack, a bicycle repair station with essential tools and an air pump, an electronics charging station, outdoor restrooms, and an information board for local events and points of interest. Oh! Did we mention a Book Exchange Box?
Remember, we don’t share your email address with anyone, and you get a weekly summary of what’s been posted. Subscribe here! Share that link with your members!
Thanks to those who help us keep these directories current by letting us know of changes!
By Rick Grotton,
Membership Committee Director
207 582-5915
Now that your officers have been installed (hopefully you all have had them installed), there will be those in new offices. In order to keep the Grange rituals flowing smoothly, make sure all are educated in the duties of their new office. It is very important that we help one another become familiar with our new positions. New membership wants to see a well-organized, smooth-flowing meeting and new members, upon becoming an officer, want to know the history and duties of their new office. Explain what the Grange is all about. Encourage them to take the remainder of their degrees in order to fully understand what the Grange is all about. It does not end with the 4th degree. If you have not gone beyond that then you haven’t totally learned all the lessons of the Grange and are missing part of the Grange experience. That seems to be a problem in our Grange today as more Pomonas are closing and less resolutions sent to State Grange.
Hope to see and speak to all of you at the State Grange session Oct 17-18!
“To these you will furnish every facility, by referring them to the library, to improve their minds, and incite them to use every effort to attain the highest rank in their calling. It is also your duty to keep safely and in proper order the property of the Grange.”
Installing officer’s charge to the Steward
during the installation of officers
As a bit of a wordsmith, I might have found an “error” in the Installation of Officers Ritual. Do you see it? Since I can rarely resist a back story, I’ll explain that while working on our Book Exchange Program, I developed some curiosity about the existence of Grange Libraries. A search of the Ritual found only one use of the term “library.” It’s used in the installation of the Steward and is quoted above. It answered my first question. While there is no formal position of Grange Librarian, the Steward is responsible for all property of the Grange and would, therefore, be responsible for a Grange’s library.
But do we really want the Steward to “incite (members) to use every effort to attain the highest range of their calling?” In contemporary thinking, “incite ” refers to provoking or encouraging someone to act in a violent or negative way, while “excite ” means to stir up strong emotions or feelings, often positive ones like happiness or enthusiasm.
Picture this. During an officer installation, the installing officer is charging the Steward, who is listening carefully and critically. When the installing officer pauses for breath, the Steward interrupts.
“Let me get this straight. You said that I should incite members to use every effort to maintain the highest rank of their calling. Does that mean I should start a riot or encourage them to do something illegal or negative? I’m not sure we want to do that!
If I were there, I’d be very interested in the installing officer’s response, wouldn’t you? In fairness to our forebears, the word has not always had a negative connotation. Its core meaning was about spurring or rousing others to action that was not necessarily negative. However, the more recent context has given the word a negative feeling. So, it might not be the wrong word, but there are far better synonyms, such as inspire or encourage.
Wordsmiths tend to be meticulous, and I am willing to be held to that standard. But thinking about the Ritual and what we’re agreeing to isn’t such a bad thing.
It’s common to hear the observation that the Degrees and Installation are too long. While I understand the objection, I often wonder if they are long enough. Maybe not so much in time, but in depth. We are always anxious to fill vacancies. “Haste makes waste,” Henry David Thoreau warns us. As a traditionalist, I value the Ritual. I love the Ritual. When I slow down and think about it, I love it even more. I have occasionally wondered if we might benefit from an annotated ritual in the form of a book that more deeply explains (notice I didn’t say “incites”) and excites us as new members and as new officers. The Rich Ritual is not so much about how we march or when to stand as it is about the Grange Way of Life we are agreeing to and, in the case of officer positions, what we are responsible for doing. Those are actions, and much more important than words
Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-seventh edition of the 2023 Subordinate Grange Manual or the most recent edition of the Pomona Grange Manual. The views and opinions expressed in “Exploring Traditions” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine and policy of the Grange. Information about the book “Exploring Traditions—Celebrating the Grange Way of Life” can be found at http://abbotvillagepress.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.
By Margaret Henderson, Director
Committee on Women’s Activities
207 948-2762
Here is a list of the winners from the contests that were judged in August:
A big thank you to all of my committee members for all of their help. It was awesome to see all of the wonderful entries. Thank you to everyone who enters to keep these contests going. I hope to see many of you at State Grange Session.
By Mill Stream Junior Granger Natalie Heck
My Girl Scout troop, 2096, makes birthday bags every year for Juliette Gordon Low’s birthday. This is a project we have been doing for eight years. We make birthday bags for people who don’t have enough money to have a nice birthday party for a loved one. We put cake mix, frosting, sprinkles, candles, paper plates, and napkins in the bags. Then we take them to the food bank. The people who volunteer at the food bank say that their customers really appreciate the birthday bags. It makes me happy to know that maybe a little girl or boy is having a nice birthday when they might not have been able to otherwise. This project inspired me to volunteer in person.
On March 15, 2025, I spent my morning working in the food bank at the First Baptist Church in Mount Vernon, Maine. The food bank serves my neighbors here in Vienna and Mount Vernon, as well as the surrounding communities. My mama helped me reach out to food bank volunteers and get permission to come in and help. We arrived at 8:00AM and helped carry all the fresh food into the building that had been donated by Hannaford. I helped sort fruits and vegetables and baked goods onto tables, and some canned goods onto shelves. When the food bank opened, I helped people find what they needed and packed it into bags for them.
In between customers, I interacted with the other volunteers and talked about my pageant experience. I helped make toiletry bags, and split bulk toilet paper packages into smaller bundles. At one point, I saw one of our Girl Scout birthday bags go home with a family. I felt really proud that I was helping people, and that I knew our kits were being taken.
I completed over fifty hours of community service this year, but this was my favorite because I felt active in my community. I was sad that so many people need help but felt happy that I was able to make a difference. I think the Mount Vernon Food Bank is very important to the people in this area. A lot of the community seems to rely on it.
I would like to be able to give my time to work there again in the future. My whole Girl Scout troop is going to volunteer at the food bank in November to help with Thanksgiving boxes, and I hope to be able to help independently again soon.
Natalie Heck is an active Junior 1+ Granger from Mill Stream Grange in Vienna. She recently received the Passion to Progress Award for this essay, which describes her volunteering experience at the Mount Vernon Food Bank. While it focuses on her work with her Girl Scout Troop, she and her sister, Caroline, are amazing Junior 1+ Grangers who certainly have a passion for progress in community service.
Drive through, Roasted Turkey Dinner
Saturday, November 8, 2025, from 4-6 pm
There will be roasted turkey, vegetables, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, bread, cranberry sauce, and cake. The cost is $10.00 per person. Please have the exact price for the meal(s) you want. No substitutions, no pre-orders, you drive up, pay, and receive your meal.
The Grange is located on the corner of Route 302 and Hardy Road in Westbrook.
FMI Joann 207 233 7119