Tag: Grange Heritage

Limited Time Offer! Get Your Four Degrees!

Well, at least the first four! If you’ve joined the Grange through the “Obligation Ceremony,” you’ve missed the best part! The Four Degrees will be offered at Mill Stream Grange on Saturday, October 15, 2020, starting at 9:00 a.m. Mill Stream Grange is located just about 20 miles northwest of Augusta–convenient for many Granges. Plus, you’ll likely experience some great leaf peeping during the drive! For planning purposes, please call Judy Dunn at 207 293-2330 and tell her you’re coming! This will be a great opportunity to experience the rich heritage of the “lessons of the Grange.”

And if you already are “degreed,” you can still attend! Mill Stream Grange has eight new members who are degree candidates. That’s exciting and worth being part of, even as an observer. But you can’t just observe. In addition to being reminded of your experience, you can be part of the altar circle, a wonderful representation of the fraternal nature of the Grange. Many would agree that “opportunities like this do not come very often.” Don’t miss this one!

But Wait, There’s More!

The folks at Mill Stream are showing their energy and enthusiasm by offering an Installation of Officers the same day at 1:00 p.m. Even re-elected officers are supposed to be installed but don’t do this because you are required. It’s a great reminder of the duties and opportunities officership offer.

So maybe charter or borrow a van and come as a group for one or both of these opportunities! A light lunch will be served for those staying for the day–one reason you need to call is to help establish a lunch count.

Years ago, there were times when Granges would come together for an entire weekend, “camping out” at the hall. A few hours on a Saturday may not be quite that intense, but it will be fun and beneficial. Mill Stream Grange is a very active Grange. (Eight new members is quite an achievement in itself!) Maybe you can learn their secrets.

“I would say my biggest and best benefit is the extended family I have found in the Grange. Where else can you go and have so many brothers and sisters? I have met so many people in my Grange travels, and they are all family.“

Vicki Huff, Hollis Grange #132

Grange Heirloom — October 2022

Use the icons below to share this Grange Heirloom on social media and help others understand what the Grange stands for! If this heirloom has a particular meaning for you, click the responses link at the top right and share your comment with us!

Grange Heirlooms are snippets from the lessons of the Grange as taught in the Rituals and Declaration of Purposes.

For additional information and resources regarding the Heirloom Program, visit the Heirloom Resource Page on the Maine State Grange Website.

Degree Information Given and Needed

  • Opportunity for the first Four Degrees – information given
  • Seeking an opportunity for the Fifth Degree – information needed
  • Opportunity for the Sixth Degree – information given

Four Degrees

Let’s take a quick look at some Degree Information. We have some information to give and some that is needed.

As most know, the first Four Degrees are considered “Subordinate Degrees.” They are an important part of the path to Grange Membership at the local level. We can receive the instruction for those Degrees at Mill Stream Grange on October 15, 2022!

Fifth Degree

The Fifth Degree is often referred to as the “Pomona Degree.” It is an important part of the path to Grange Membership at the Pomona Level and is most often offered at the Pomona Level. We always have a few people seeking the Fifth Degree this time of year, in part because it is a prerequisite to the Fifth Degree. On behalf of those people, we are seeking information about any Pomonas offering the Fifth Degree in the near future! Please email the webmaster with the basic information about your event!

Sixth Degree

The Sixth Degree is often referred to as the “State Degree” and signifies membership at the State Level. (Note that State Session is opened in the Sixth Degree, then lowered to the Fourth to conduct business. Completing the Sixth Degree is not required to attend.) The Sixth Degree is offered in conjunction with State Session. This year it is planned for Friday, October 21, 2022, at 2:30. Additional information is available here.

Seventh Degree

The Seventh Degree is considered the “National Degree” and, comparable to the Sixth, is offered at National Convention.

Opportunities for the first five Degrees can be offered at any time throughout the year. If your Subordinate or Community Grange is offering Degrees, please share the details so interested Grangers can attend!

Exploring Traditions — September 2022

Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life

by Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist

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Keep the eye of the mind open…

“Let me caution you, that you keep the eye of the mind open among your members. Encourage improvement; remember that Nature’s motto is ‘onward.’ She never goes backward.”

From the Installing Master’s Charge to Masters

The installing officer’s charge to the masters being installed is one of the longer ones. As a result, it’s easy to stop listening. As with the Grange Ritual in general, there is much to learn.

Not every member is destined to hold the office of master, but every member could benefit from what masters are taught during the installation ceremony. I’ve chosen just a few sentences for consideration.

“Keep the eye of the mind open…” is a skill that can be developed. Here, we are talking about being observant of our members. That’s consistent with being a fraternal organization. By most definitions, a fraternal organization is a social club or membership organization formed around a common bond, ideology, or personal background. We might do well to consider how strong that bond is. But one of the things that makes it stronger is “keeping the eye of the mind open” or, in other words, “keeping an eye on each other.” Can you answer these questions?

  • Who, now, is the happiest person in your Grange?
  • Who, now, is the most discouraged person in your Grange?

You get the idea, right?

“Encourage improvement.” I suspect this is a two-word sentence by design because it allows us to be broad in our thinking. What do we want to improve? This is not subtractive thinking designed to get us focused on what’s wrong. It’s opportunity thinking. What can we make better? I’ve thought it would be fun (a lecturer’s program, maybe) to spend some time during a meeting asking everyone to identify one thing relative to the Grange he or she could improve. It doesn’t have to be monumental. Does the fridge need cleaning?

“Nature’s motto is ‘onward.’” Sometimes I think the Grange is stuck in the fall season and has become focused on declining. One of the saddest emails I’ve read recently included, “Our Grange seems to be falling apart… how can I bring back the excitement that I still feel in our Grange?” It’s a simple but not easy question to answer. “Encourage improvement and remember that Nature’s motto is onward.” Nature uses fall and winter to her advantage. We often think of winter as a time for rest. In Maine, we may well “hunker down.” But just as sure as winter arrives, so does spring together with an awaking and a time for growth and blooming.

“You may encounter difficulties. Overcome them, remembering that difficulties are but opportunities to test our abilities. As Master of this Grange, your fellow laborers will look to you to devise work. A judicious Master will use due care that no time is lost in labor. Let all labor and all time tend toward improvement. Your laborers will come in contact with their minds; if they are left uncultivated, if neglect is allowed, the moral weed crop will baffle and torment you.”

Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-sixth edition of the 2013 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.

From the Deacon’s Bench — September 2022

By Clay Collins, MSG Chaplain
207 837-0564

“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”

Jeremiah 1:5

This month’s scripture can be somewhat confusing to some (I know it is to me: sometimes!). I have dwelt on this topic quite a bit. It was not until I heard a pastor preach on this subject recently that I have some understanding of what it means (or what it is trying to tell me!).

Most of you, who are reading this right now, might disagree with me, but that is your right as individuals. I, on the other hand, might just start a dialog with a few of you (I hope that is the case, as we need to be able to exchange ideas and views with one another).

I do not profess to be a Biblical scholar by any means. On the contrary, I try to maintain an open mind that is ready to receive the “word.” This scripture, to me, is saying that we all are one in the spirit, and the spirit is God the Father. He, and only He, knows us. He knows what we are thinking at all times.

You might think, “If He knows what we are thinking, what we want, and such, then why should we be bothered with prayer?” The answer, as I see it, is He might know what we are thinking and what we want, but He wants us to realize what we need, then ask for it!

It is like children wanting a new bicycle. Do they actually need it, or is it because their friends have one, and they do not want to be left out? As a parent, you know what they need, and that might not be a bicycle at that moment in time.

Yes, we are one in the spirit. We are His, and He is ours! He loves us (we are His children), good or bad.

 Until the next time, remember, “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.”

Benediction: “Gracious Father, help us to realize that when we are really one in the spirit and the spirit is God.  Amen.”

Thought for the month:
May the sun shine, all day long,
Everything go right and nothing wrong.
May those you love bring love back to you,
and may all the wishes you wish come true

an Irish Blessing for health and prosperity

Grange Heirloom — September 2022

Use the icons below to share this Grange Heirloom on social media and help others understand what the Grange stands for! If this heirloom has a particular meaning for you, click the responses link at the top right and share your comment with us!

Grange Heirlooms are snippets from the lessons of the Grange as taught in the Rituals and Declaration of Purposes.

For additional information and resources regarding the Heirloom Program, visit the Heirloom Resource Page on the Maine State Grange Website.

Houlton Grange Curtain Travels Home

Well, almost home. Since the Houlton Grange is closed and the hall is gone, it’s about as close as it can get, thanks to Jamie Millar, a Houlton Native who continues to support his hometown roots. How the 12 x 18 foot curtain ended up in an antique shop in Texas remains a mystery but it is now owned by the Aroostook County Historical and Art Museum. It hangs in the County Co-Op and Farm Store in downtown Houlton. An easel near the entrance of the store offers a brief history of the Houlton Grange.

The complete story and photos appear in the Bangor Daily News today.

We became aware of the story thanks to links to the Maine State Grange Website. The article incorrectly lists 1879 as the date Houlton Grange closed–probably a typo. But does accurately note that in 1924, the Houlton Grange was the largest in the world, with a membership of over 1,000.

Jonesboro Grange Gets the Blue!

Jonesboro Grange #357 earns a Blue Ribbon at the 2022 Washington County Fair in Pembroke, Maine. 

Pictured with the display are (L) Jonesboro Grange Vice President Muriel Gay holding the blue ribbon and (R) Jonesboro Grange President John Cox Jr.

The three active Granges in Washington County, which include Jonesboro, Alexander, and Perry, each set up a display for fairgoers. 

The Jonesboro Grange display included vegetables grown in the Jonesboro Grange garden, a quilt made by Jonesboro Grange members, as well as resin art, a wire skidder & dump truck, woodworking, handmade bags, and pot holders, and delicious home canned goods – all from our talented Jonesboro Grange members! WOW! We also brought along our 2021 Grange scrapbook, photo board, and membership information! 

Next stop for the Jonesboro Grange is the Bluehill Fair!

At the Fair

Piscataquis Pomona and Valley Grange Show Their Stuff

Valley Grange Display
Piscataquis Pomona Display

Folks attending the Piscataquis Valley Fair found two Grange Booths to admire and study. The Valley Grange Booth demonstrated what it takes to get wool from “sheep to shawl” and how members use those skills to benefit their communities. The Piscataquis Pomona Display focused on general Grange information such as who we are and what we are about. It included some of our Grange Heirlooms!

Willow Grange Honors 700 Years of Service

By Paula Roberts

Willow Grange #366, of Jefferson, presented membership awards to (from left) Henry Post (70), Leo Glidden (65), Sharon Morton (50), Nancy Post (55), Gladys Glidden (65), Norman Hunt (55), Judy Hunt (25), Patricia Moody (50), and Dottie Parker (60). (Laurie McBurnie photo)

On July 28, 2022, Willow Grange master Ed Worthley and secretary Laurie McBurnie presented membership awards to Judy Hunt (25 years), Norman Hunt (50 & 55), Patricia Moody (50), Sharon Morton (50), Nancy Post (55), Dottie Parker (60), Gladys Glidden (65), Leo Glidden (65), and Henry Post (70). Member earning awards earned but unable to attend were Wilfred Manley (50), Kathryn Brown (65), Hazel Kleinschmidt (75), and Madelyn Creamer (85).