Patrons of Husbandry – a website dedicated to the Granges located in Maine
Highland Lake Grange Is Having a Busy Spring
Highland Lake Grange is donating supplies, can tabs and food to Ronald McDonald House in Portland today. Items were donated by Grange members and by the Grange itself.
Also this week, the Grange received a Citizens Award from the Westbrook Police Department for its work raising funds for the Westbrook K9 department in 2023.
Next up is a donation of personal care items for Windham Food Panty.
If you are wondering what to do with your eclipse glasses, we are collecting them for Astronomers Without Borders! Come drop off glasses any time, putting them in our mail slot if you have a couple, or leaving them outside in a bag. We will also have a collection box very soon. You can also drop them off Sunday, the 21st, at our 150th Celebration, 1-4!
Haraseeket Grange #9 is located at 13 Elm Street in Freeport Maine.
And if you do not live near us, check the Astronomers without Borders website for locations.
Granges currently collecting glasses:
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!
The April Bulletin is now available for downloading and printing! You can find recent issues of the Bulletin on the Program Books and Information Page.
Just another reminder not to automatically respond to email or text messages that “don’t sound right.”
April is being observed as National 9-1-1 Education Month, an observance designed to ensure that the public is ready to access help during emergencies.
NHTSA: National 911 Program and Know 911
This is also an excellent time to make sure you know the 911 address for your Grange Hall–it’s usually also the GPS address. Post in around the hall so if there’s an emergency, you can provide it to the dispatcher!
Discussion Groups! We recently learned of a local Council on Aging sponsoring General Quarters!, a monthly roundtable discussion group focusing on military topics. What a great name! But almost any topic could work. It wouldn’t have to include a formalized program–just an opportunity for people to come together and discuss a mutually interesting topic. Gardening, cooking, reading… use your hall!
Since some may have participated in a card shower for Basil Clement, it is my sad duty to inform you that he passed away on Easter Sunday, just 21 days short of his 95th birthday. His niece and hospice nurse have both expressed much appreciation to the Grange for making his final days happy and for providing companionship.
Recipients of the Community Matters More Grants have been announced! See the list here!
The MSG website is easy to find and gets a lot of use! In the last seven days, 132 people visited the site after searching on Google. It really does make sense to submit your events and make sure your information is correct in the online directory! We especially need working email addresses that are checked regularly!
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!
“…I will endeavor to be a true and faithful Patron of Husbandry, perform the duties enjoined in this order and aid others in the performance of the same…”
Obligation from the First Degree
Until insurance regulations required us to remove a wood stove, the foyer of our Grange hall included a non-working woodstove with several chairs around it. One day, during a quick stop, I found my companion sitting in one of the chairs, staring into space.
He explained that he was visualizing a scene from a century earlier. He pictured a few farmers sitting there, absorbing the warmth and discussing their challenges. I joined him in his reverie as we speculated the topics of conversation.
While the past is behind us, sometimes it’s worthy of a visit. When we consider those early members, we should consider how difficult their lives were as farmers and as early organizers of the Patrons of Husbandry. Consciously or not, they didn’t focus on the low-hanging fruit in their farming practice and in growing the Grange.
Those familiar with Grange History will know that the term “Granger” was a relatively new term introduced amid some significant controversy. From the beginning, members were (and still are) Patrons of Husbandry. Those who fought against adopting the term “Granger” pointed out that the “Grange” was a building. Patrons of Husbandry went to the building (Grange) to meet.
Viewed in the frame of Grange vocabulary, that makes sense. A grange was (in the historical sense) “an outlying farm with the barns belonging to a monastery or feudal lord.” (Cambridge Dictionary) Small wonder that we have members who serve as masters, stewards, and gatekeepers.
We can debate the value of the changing vocabulary, but the bigger question might be what is a “true and faithful Patron of Husbandry?” What is a new member agreeing to? The answer is found in the entire obligation and Degrees, but we don’t include that in the membership application.
What are the duties of a Patron of Husbandry?
When I explain this to third graders, we look up the words in their new dictionaries. The keywords in the definitions are “support” and “agriculture.” Kids are usually quite literal, and that works for them. Adults may want to know, “What’s the fine print?” For the most part, the answers are found in the degree work. But you don’t get to experience that until you’ve decided to join.
Ultimately, we all develop our answers to the question. I remember one third grader who visited the Grange Hall. She explained to her young friend that Grangers lived there and read a lot because we like books. Maybe that was close enough.
Pull up a chair next to the virtual woodstove. Someone who knows little about the Grange has joined us. He asked, “What do I have to do if I become a member?”
That might be more important than “What do I get if I become a member?”
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.
By Brenda Dyer, MSG Community Service/FHH Director
(207) 608-9193
The unplanned community service activities are bountiful. Helping the community during the last few storms and power outages are endless. Congratulations!!!
April is Grange Month. Have an open meeting, invite the community to participate, and discuss the advantages of being a member!
May is Community Service Month. Choose a new community project.
April
May
Reminder:
Happy Spring!
This is not a fundraiser—it’s a fun raiser! The purpose is to celebrate our communities and way of life. We’ll also honor some special community citizens—the Piscataquis County 911 Dispatchers! Here are some ways you can help support this fundraiser.
In a recent blog post, Seth Godin noted that ideas that spread win and because of technology and the changes in media, ideas that spread “horizontally” spread the fastest and farthest. Yelling from the rooftops doesn’t work so well. Telling a neighbor or friend does.
By Rick Grotton,
Membership Committee Director
207 582-5915
This year is the 150th anniversary of the Maine State Grange and many of the earlier established Granges, which were organized in 1874. I attended the 150th anniversary of Excelsior #5, the earliest of the surviving Granges. It was a great celebration with music, awards, a history presentation, a great meal (of course!!), and a wonderful attendance of both Grange members and non-members. Attendees were amazed to see the history of the Grange in that area and the changes that happened over the years.
Hopefully, all Granges will have a tribute to the 150th Maine State Grange anniversary, as well as those who also will be celebrating this year. It is a great milestone; one we are proud of and willing to share with our communities. Advertise and be proud; let the word out and invite the public to celebrate with you. This is one of the best ways to attract new members! Plan your event with a neighboring Grange or with your Pomona. Don’t miss out on new membership; take action and open those doors!!!
I am excited to hear of the results of the two degree days in April. Remember, make sure all your members who are new or only had an obligation ceremony receive a chance to see the full degrees to enhance their knowledge of lessons and symbolism. The next one is April 21, beginning at 1 p.m. at the Maine State Grange Headquarters in Augusta and presented by Androscoggin Pomona.
Happy Anniversary, Harraseeket Grange!
By Sherry Harriman,
Maine State Grange President/Master
207 490-1029
Richard asked me to say “thank you” for the cards, calls, prayers and words of encouragement after his recent colon surgery. He is mending well, getting about more and more and eating whatever takes his fancy and appreciates your support.
State of Maine Corporation Fillings: The State Grange office has been printing and sending the annual corporation forms for your Granges. Granges are required by law to be incorporated. These forms are to be made out and returned with the $35 filing fee to the Secretary of State, which is a State of Maine Government Agency. Please be sure to send the form and fee together to the proper address.
Reading and Adopting Minutes: Records from the meeting are required to be read aloud at least one time during the meeting which must be open in full form to adopt them. The previous minutes are to be read as the third order of business and may be adopted at that time or read for reference. The records may be read and adopted at the end of the current meeting, just before closing, but must be read and adopted during the business of the Grange one place or the other in the order of business. You may read both previous and current during the order of business where prescribed.
Election of Officers: Full elections are required in each Grange and yes, we use paper ballots for each officer. After election the reelected or newly elected Master will appoint and give the names of the committee chairmen to the Secretary asap after election, so the Subordinate or Pomona Secretary can provide the info to the office. I have included written procedure to follow for election.
Resolutions: These are due by Aug 15 to the Maine State Grange office by email or standard mail. Resolutions must have a title on the resolution provided by the Grange presenting them; we cannot give it a title, and the entire resolution must be written out in full. If you use initials in your resolution, the words must also be written out. The resolution must be voted on & supported by the Grange to be submitted to the State Grange.
Spring in Maine, even with the surprises Mother Nature throws our way, its nice to see the green shoots of the jonquils, daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths, the variety of colors in the crocus beds and patches of green grass showing up here and there, even though those little shoots may still be shivering during the chilly nights, and buried under more than a foot of snow, the sun is warming them more and more. With spring comes reopening. Spring is also clean-up time outside and inside for our own yards, but this should also include our Grange halls. Get the gravel raked off the lawns, pick up the branches and trash lying around, clip the grass and bushes around the steps and foundation, get the tattered plastic off the windows, and maybe even wash the reachable ones. In another month, get some new plants in the window boxes and garden. Repaint your sign, the steps, railings, and even the door. We all need an occasional facelift, and get ready to provide a welcoming place for your neighbors to come and trade seeds, and starter plants, and get gardening advice.
At least one company is collecting used but undamaged Eclipse Glasses. They will be sent to schools in Latin America so children can view the October 2024 Eclipse.
Could your Grange start a collection program as a community service? (The answer is “yes.” All it takes is a box and commitment to ship what you collect by August 1, 2024.)
The shipping address is Eclipse Glasses USA, LLC, PO Box 50571, Provo, UT 84605, and the deadline for shipping is August 1, 2024.
If your Grange decides to do this, please let us know! We’ll post a list of Granges that are “drop-off points.” (Leave a tote on your front porch. Keep it simple and easy!)