Grange Procedure – Page 12 – Maine State Grange

President’s Perspective – July 2024

By Sherry Harriman,
Maine State Grange President/Master
207 490-1029

Richard and I had a good time as part of the Maine group that attended the NE Lecturers Conference in CT. A variety of workshops were presented, activities, entertainment, tours, food, and friends.

The 150^th Anniversary was a success, with about 55 Grangers and 10 Juniors attending. Thank you for coming, and thanks to all who helped in any way: cleaning, changing light bulbs, setting up tables, bringing food, setting up, taking part in the program, clearing away, and saving me some goodies. Thank you, Juniors, for weeding and sprucing up the memorial garden as a Community Service activity. It was a very casual afternoon with lots of visiting, reminiscing, hugs, and a wide variety of yummy, yummy sweets & snacks! Everything was done downstairs throughout the house (the chairlift was out of order). Souvenir 150^th booklets were printed for our guests to take, listing all 593 Maine Granges, when they were organized & closure dates; all State Officers & dates they served; Annual State Sessions dates & places; National Sessions in Maine; and Maine Grangers who served as National Grange Officers; and assorted moments in State Grange history. Special 150^th pads of paper were also passed out. I would like to do the same thing in the north or Downeast.

There were posters, memorabilia, assorted photo albums, and other unique items to look at. The attendees participated in a meet the officers scavenger hunt to fill in a questionnaire with the name of a different officer for each question. Richard and I were very disappointed we couldn’t be there because we had been exposed to Covid on Wednesday.

Mike Griffin was MC for the program which consisted of a welcome by Darrell Huff, Moments in History by Missy Baldwin., membership information by Sharon Morton. Jim Owens. talked about the officers albums he has custody of, the Juniors performed a song, the officer questionnaire was reviewed with much laughter, several folks gave some of their experiences, door prizes were drawn and “It’s A Good Thing To Be A Granger” was sung by all. Thanks for making the day a success.

Since we are already in the middle of July, it’s time to start mentioning the State Grange session. One final reminder: You have less than one month to get your resolutions into the office by August 15 by standard mail and/or email. Resolutions must be read and voted on in your Grange before submitting them to the State for consideration.

The 150^th Annual State Grange Session is Oct. 18 & 19 at the Auburn Masonic Hall, 1021 Turner St, Auburn. Delegate registration, full schedule, meal, and motel information will be sent to the Granges soon. The Residence Inn (207-777-3400) in Auburn has agreed to give us a discount this year. You must ask for the Maine State Grange Annual Session group rate.

Friday, October 18 – 1:00 p.m. opening & business. 2:00 State Master’s Address. 2:45 Memorial Service, 3:45 Resolutions and National Grange Rep. guest speaker, 6:00 p.m. Banquet by Pine Cone Eastern Star Chapter here in the Masonic Hall – tickets purchased in advance. Awards will be presented upstairs after the banquet: Junior Presentation, Community Service, Family Health & Hearing, Membership, Educational Aid and Howe’s Nurses Scholarships, CWA and other awards.

Saturday, October 19– 9:00 a.m. opening, acceptance of budget, election of officer(s), resolutions and reports mixed in with election as needed & installation of officers, 12:00 Ag Luncheon – tickets purchased in advance. 1:30 Call back to order – business continues. Saturday Oct 19 — 2:30 p.m. Conferral of the Sixth Degree($10 fee for 6^th Degree candidates) (must have had the 5^th Degree or 5^th Degree Obligation to take the 6^th Degree).

Communication Shorts 06-16-2024

By Walter Boomsma,
MSG Communications Director
207 343-1842

Communication Shorts are brief (short) but important items posted for your information and use. Send us your ideas and thoughts!

June Bulletin Is Available!

The June Bulletin is now available for download and printing! You can find recent issues of the Bulletin on the Program Books and Information Page.

Junior Grange Meeting Schedule

There have been several changes to the Junior Grange Meeting Schedule. Please make sure you have the most recent information!

National Grange Digest Is Available on this Site

We have made the 2024 National Grange Digest available directly from the MSG Website. It is listed in the National Grange Section of the Program Books and Information Page. This booklet will answer many of your questions regarding Grange Law and Practice.

Scholarship Information/Application Available

The Educational Aid and Howes Nurses Scholarship information and application is now available on the Program Books and Information Page or this direct link. Note that the deadline for application is September 15, 2024.

Trenton Grange Hosts Weekly Farmers’ Market

Every Friday, from June 7 through October 4, 2024, Trenton Grange Farmers Market, 3 pm – 6 pm. 1134 Bar Harbor Road in Trenton. Vendors contact Beth Warner at 207 664-4164 or zeppa@ aol.com. Free admission. (Vendor/booth fee).

Grange Today?

As a reminder, this new publication replaces Patrons Chain and View from the Hill.

New Links Available

We’ve added two new links to the site. One for “TroopOns” and one for Maine Fair Information and Dates.

Consider this Idea!

Do you have a printed list of the programs your Grange offers?

Think about this!

“If you don’t help with the milking, you’ll forget the cows names.”
Amish Proverb

Submit News! Be “famous”

Submitting news can be as simple as a photo and “cutline.” A cutline is a brief description–longer than a caption–to accompany the photo. Let’s prove that the Grange is alive and well in Maine! (Photos should be submitted as an attachment to an email.) We get inquiries from people looking for active Granges!

Online Directories Available 24-7

The ODD Directory features all state officers, directors, and deputies with contact information.
The Directory of Granges features all Granges in the state with a contact person. Please make sure your listing is correct!

Communications Column – June 2024

By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director

What are we doing?

“Multimedia” is defined as “the use of a variety of artistic or communicative media.” Most often, it is associated with technology and audio-visual activity. A recent question received on the website suggests we might do well to think a bit beyond that. It was probing enough to deserve repeating and providing at least a general answer. You can read both the question and answer here.

One aspect of the question that made it important is that the asker has been “thinking about ways to give back to my community.” That drove her to become curious about the Grange Halls’ main functions today. As someone who can be a bit obsessive over communication, that drives me to wonder how we answer that question. In multimedia terms, we are answering it, but are we answering it accurately and completely?

The questioner had obviously perused the site some. She noted that there was a lot of information about the history of the Grange, but not much about the purpose of the Grange today. She had clearly seen the scholarships page and noted that Granges hold public suppers to raise money. I understand that but I also find it a bit troubling. I hope the Granges across our state are doing more than raising money by holding potluck suppers.

I’m familiar with a Grange that had a great public supper program. People came from miles around to eat well every month. Sometimes, they ran out of food, and most times, there was a line to get in. That Grange is now closed. A simple analysis suggests that offering good meals at an affordable price isn’t enough to create a sustainable Grange. It will draw customers, but workers are hard to come by. When we get them, they will tire quickly and start asking, “What’s the point?”

How do we use our Grange halls? It’s not just about the building—it’s about our identity and purpose. And it’s not just about our identity and purpose, it’s how we communicate them. Most people have heard the expression, “What you’re doing shouts so loud I can’t hear what you’re saying.”

I was sitting in a potluck supper one evening before a meeting. There was a noise in the front lobby. A member went to investigate and discovered a child adjusting her shoe while two adults looked on. (She’d picked up a stone during the walk.) The adults explained that they lived nearby and often went for a walk past the Grange Hall and it was usually dark and empty. They wondered what it was all about. They were invited in to warm up and join us for dinner. They had already eaten but were hungry for information. Once they learned what our Grange was about and why we were there, they couldn’t wait to join.

Our dark and usually vacant Grange Hall was not communicating well because most of what we are about and what we do doesn’t happen in the hall. It happens in the community. There are also Granges that are busy hosting community events and occupied often. It’s not that one or the other is right. It’s that what we do communicates. We need to find ways to accurately and adequately communicate. Getting people into the hall does not necessarily equate to getting people into the Grange. Conversely, getting people into the Grange does not necessarily equate to getting them into the hall. Every Grange has members who do not attend meetings but are a big help with the “labors of the day.”

“Doing” is an important word. Our communication must be about what we are doing—not just what we used to do. We rightly value our heritage and history. Consider for a moment local historical societies—there is a huge emphasis on history, but the point of the society is to preserve history. A historical society gets supported and joined because of what it is doing. We live in the present tense—or at least we are supposed to!

One of the communication challenges we face with describing “what the Grange does” is the amount of diversity. It is both a weakness and a strength. Asking people to read the “Declaration of Purposes” is not a practical answer. Show and tell works. It’s often called “Show and Share” these days with good reason.

Let’s share more about what the Grange is doing and why. People DO want to know. And many would like to help and be part of doing the right things for our communities.

► FACT: So far this year, our biggest month was March when nearly 800 people the MSG Website!

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President’s Perspective – June 2024

By Sherry Harriman,
Maine State Grange President/Master
207 490-1029

June 29,2024 is our 150th Anniversary Celebration from 1 to 4 pm at our HQ home/office at 146 State Street in Augusta. Refreshments will be available all afternoon. We will have historical photo albums of Past State Masters to look through, Dot Brown’s Youth Department photo albums, memorabilia to see, lists of all the Granges organized in Maine over the past 150 years, other items to share, and a “Meet Our State Officers” game for all to participate in if you wish. We will have a short program at 2:30. All are welcome to attend. We do have a chair lift. Casual attire.

I’m very pleased to announce we cleared over $500 at our recent fundraiser event June 1^st, with Visa gift card raffles, t-shirt sales, other Grange items and 50/50. THANK YOU to the many supporters and helpers, Granges and individuals selling and buying tickets. Each of the $100 gift cards were won by Grange members Gailene of Golden Harvest Grange in Carmel and Karen of Danville Junction in Danville. The 50/50 was won by someone in Vienna.

June is the time for election of officers. As soon after the election has been held, the elected Master/President selects the Committee Chairs and committee members for their Grange. This should be done right away, there is no need to wait for the installation of officers to get your committees set up; they will take over their term at installation. Some of the most common Committees in our Granges are Legislative-Agriculture, Women’s Activities, Youth, Junior, Community Service, Family, Health & Hearing, Membership, and Others. Other Committees may be named as needed and specific to your Grange. Special Committees are set up as required for a special event or activity. Please tell your secretary who will be the chairmen so she/he can report the roster information to the office.

It is important to provide the following information to us for each Grange for the 2025 Roster: Grange Name and number; street address and town of Grange Hall; meeting day(s) and time. (Maine State Grange By-Laws: ARTICLE XXII – MEETINGS Section 1. The Bylaws of each Subordinate Grange should definitely fix the day and hour of all regular meetings.) Include if you havesupper or refreshments and time.

Plus we need the following information for the Officers and chairmen.

Master/President: name; address; phone; (cell if they want it listed) and e-mail address.
Lecturer: name: name; address; phone; (cell if they want it listed) and e-mail address.
Secretary: name; address; phone; (cell if they want it listed) and e-mail address.
CWA Chairman: n name; address; phone; (cell if they want it listed) and e-mail address.

If you want to type the information out separately and mail or email it to us, that would be fine. We will be sending the 2025 Roster information forms to the Grange Secretaries. Please fill them out legibly and return them to the office as soon as possible.

I know I am repeating myself again, but remember Resolutions are due in the office by August 15^th. Every resolution must have a title already named by the presenting Grange and must be voted in the affirmative in that Grange, in a regular meeting opened in full form. Any resolutions to make changes to State or National Grange By-Laws must refer to the Article number; Section number; and sub-section number(s) and be written out in full as it currently appears in the State or National By-laws, then the new change written out in full with the change(s) to be made written out in full.

Another reminder I have not mentioned for a while. I have only received 45 updated membership lists of the 80 Subordinate Granges. Obviously, I am still looking for the rest of them! Please get them updated and sent to the office or emailed to me.

Patrons Chain Changing

from the MSG Communications Department

(Read that headline quickly out loud three times!)

Many know the National Grange E-Newsletters “Patrons Chain” and “View from the Hill.” Effective June 1, 2024, both will be discontinued and replaced by “Grange Today!” The first issue of Grange Today! will be released on June 14, 2024.

If you subscribe to Patrons Chain, your subscription will automatically transfer to the new publication. No action on your part is necessary.

At this time, our intent is to continue publishing a summary of each issue when it is released. That summary will include a link to the full issue as a PDF on the National Grange Website. We’ll also include a link allowing you to subscribe to Grange Today! and receive the complete issue directly from National Grange.

Do not confuse Grange Today! with the National Grange quarterly magazine, “Good Day!”

Communication Shorts 05-15-2024

By Walter Boomsma,
MSG Communications Director
207 343-1842

Communication Shorts are brief (short) but important items posted for your information and use. Send us your ideas and thoughts!

May Bulletin Is Now Available!

The May Bulletin is complete and available. You can find recent issues of the Bulletin on the Program Books and Information Page.

Take the National Grange Survey!

National Grange has announced a goal of increasing overall member satisfaction by 20% within the next year, as measured by an annual member feedback survey. They are asking members to complete a survey (about ten minutes of your time) regarding current feelings and attitudes toward the Grange. Please take the survey by June 30.

National Convention Registration Available

Registration for the 158th Annual National Grange Convention is now available. Register and submit your payment by July 31 and save $5 on registration.

Website Outages

We are getting reports of brief outages of the Maine State Grange Website. These usually only last a minute or two and are caused by the host server. We are monitoring their frequency and will request action if the situation doesn’t improve soon.