Tag: Grange Activities

Vermont State Grange Fall Festival

By Beth Morse, VSG Fall Festival Director
802 388-2653

abundance of orange pumpkins
Photo by Tom Fisk on Pexels.com

Maine Grangers are invited to join us at the VT Grange Center (located at 308 West St, Brookfield, VT 05036) for our annual Fall Festival on Sept 5th, 6th & 7th. 

Like many fairs, we give Grangers the opportunity to showcase the quality products they produce. (Forms are listed at the end of this post.)

Here is a copy of our schedule of activities for the weekend:

Friday:

  • 5:00 pm – Entries for judging can be turned in with entry form
  • 5:30 pm – Potluck Supper
  • 6:00 pm Bonfire (weather & burn ban permitting, plan B movie)

Saturday:

  • 7:00 to 8:00 am Breakfast  ($8) Waffles, Bacon, Syrup, Fruit, Coffee & Juice
    • 8:00 am Activities will commence:

Cribbage Contest
Checkers Contest
Hula Hoop Contest
Horseshoe Contest
Cornhole Contest
Selfie Photo Booth
Pumpkin Checkers
Pumpkin Ring Toss
Frying Pan Throwing
Rolling Pin Throwing

There will be sign-up forms available for each contest. 

  • 9:30 am All Vegetable, Flower, Cooking, and Craft Contest entries are due with the entry form (no form, no entry).  
  • 10:00 am Winter Building will be closed while the judging is going on (signs will be posted on the doors).
  • 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm Lunch ($12) Meatball Grinders with/without sauce, Macaroni & Potato Salad, Brownies & Ice Cream, and Drink
  • 1:00 pm Activities will recompense, and Winter Building will reopen for viewing winners.
  • 1:30 to 2:30  – Live music provided by Granville Daze. 
  • 3:30 pm Action – items that have been exhibited and donated to auction. 
  • 5:30 pm Dinner ($15) Ham, Scalloped Potatoes, Vegetables, Coleslaw, and Apple Crisp
  • 6:30 pm Awards and prizes for the activities will be announced and presented.
  • 7:00 Movie 

Sunday

  • 7:00 am Breakfast ($10) Egg Sandwiches, Bacon or Ham, Hash Browns, Fruit, Coffee & Juice
  • 8:00 am Chapel Service
  • 9:00 am Clean/Pack Up

Festival Registration (Meals and accommodations)
Festival Information (Contest Categories)
Festival Entry Form
Vermont State Grange Website

Staying Cool…

Can you stand one more reminder to use caution during the heat we’re experiencing in Maine? Here are some resources we’ve found. (If you receive this post as an email, you’ll need to visit the site to watch the video.)

The American Red Cross offers a fairly complete page of resources including a guide to the three types of heat illness and a complete Extreme Heat Safety Checklist.

This is a great time to be a good neighbor by checking on others. Something as simple as handing out bottles of cool water can help. Staying hydrated is important. If your Grange Hall can serve as a “cooling center,” send us the details and we’ll post an annnouncement.

Duck Pond Heritage Day Update

Duck Pond Variety, Highland Lake Church, Highland Lake Grange, and Lenny’s at Hawkes Plaza are pleased to announce a celebration of history at Duck Pond Corner, located at the intersection of Route 302, Duck Pond, and Hardy Roads in Westbrook.

The Day will feature open houses at the church, Grange, and Lenny’s, live music, historic photos, Scout & 4-H activities, food sale fundraisers, a special church service, displays of artifacts, Westbrook Police K9 demonstrations, a display of historic signs at Duck Pond Variety, and much more! 

Click to enlarge this schedule of events. There are a lot to choose from!

Come join us to explore the long history of this community. No cost to attend. 

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These are some of the many raffle items available.

Oxford Pomona Raffle Supports Words for Thirds

Submittted by Steven Haycock

Oxford Pomona Grange #2 is holding a Lottery Ticket and Cash Raffle! The proceeds of the raffle will be used to purchase dictionaries via the Words for Thirds program for various third-graders in Elementary Schools in Oxford County! This is an ambitious goal, and we need everyone’s help to make it happen!

The details:

  • Prize: $250 in Maine State Lottery Scratch Tickets and $50!
  • Tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20.00
  • Drawing will be at our September 2, 2025, meeting at Porter Grange.

If anyone is interested in supporting this worthy community service program, please reach out to Steven Haycock, Secretary of Oxford Pomona at:
44 Pond Road, Raymond, Maine, or Granger04071@aol.com

You can also find me on Facebook  

Thanks in advance for your Support!

President’s Perspective – August 2025

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

Roster Information is now due.

Resolutions – The August 15 deadline has arrived for resolutions to be at the office. After the 15th, delegate registration forms, meal forms, and resolutions will be mailed to each Grange.  The delegate registration form will not be posted on the website. Other State Session items have been posted. By vote of each Subordinate and Pomona Grange, you are entitled to name two Delegates and two Alternates to represent your Grange at State Session.  You must be a member of that Grange to be a delegate for them. The Grange dues must be paid up to date, through the Sept 2025 quarter, to be qualified to have delegates. An individual may only represent ONE Subordinate Grange, and may also be a delegate for their Pomona, but again, they must be voted on by the Grange.

Installation of Officers – The Installation Ceremony may be handled by each Grange on their own. Granges are required to install their officers annually, usually in September.

Annual Audit

“It shall be the duty of the Executive Committee of each Subordinate Grange to see that the books of the Secretary and Treasurer and any other funds of the Grange are audited at the end of the fiscal year.“

Maine State Grange By-Laws:  Article XXI – Subordinate Officers and Their Duties   Section 8.1

You will need the  Secretary’s Records and Secretary’s Order Book, the Treasurer’s books, checkbook, bank statements, savings book, etc., and receipt book (for funds received from the Secretary).  You compare the Secretary’s minutes and Order Book with the Treasurer’s checkbook and statements for receipts and expenditures.  All items should match between the Secretary and the Treasurer.  All Committees of the Grange, that handle funds, should also keep written records to be audited at the end of the Grange year.

Grange Behavior – There is no place in the Grange for the use of foul language, no matter what you feel the circumstances are; it is not acceptable behavior. I must stress again your Obligation you took when you joined the Grange. It states in part…  “ I will not knowingly wrong or defraud a Brother or Sister of the Order or allow it to be done by another if within my power to prevent it…”  I have had more calls from members in different areas to complain about the use of profanity during meetings and public events. Whether in a meeting, around the kitchen, or at an event, you may feel it is just words, but it is offensive to others.  Maybe you normally talk that way, or you don’t think about the words you are using.  If you feel the need to talk like that, I would suggest you go to the bar or sporting event where you will fit right in. But even those places have rules and limits, and even those places, where that talk is common, you would be asked to leave! I am sorry if you are offended by this message but it needed to said. Sadly, those who do the cursing, won’t be the ones to heed the comment.  The Master/President of the Grange has the right to ask you to leave if you are being disruptive and offensive. They also can ask you not to return.    

Communication Shorts 8-3-2025

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!

August Bulletin

Information for the August Bulletin must be submitted by Thursday, August 14, 2025. Recent issues of the Bulletin can be found on the Program Books and Information Page in the communications section.

2026 = 250

In 2026, the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of our founding– also known as the Sesquicentennial. Will your Grange participate in some way? The Grange has certainly contributed to the growth and development of our country!

Dates and Deadlines

Fall is coming. Some might say it’s already here. With the start of another Grange Fiscal Year, essential dates and deadlines abound! Just one example is that roster information is now due!

Think About This!

“Adopt the pace of nature: Her secret is patience.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

An Idea for Your Grange

At one time, Granges often scheduled a “Booster Night” program in the fall with an emphasis on membership growth. While the term may be passe, the idea certainly isn’t. An “open house” program might be just the ticket. It could include tours of the hall and presentations about its history. Time it for October and call it “Ghosts of the Grange.”

Subscribe!

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!

Online Directories Available 24-7

Thanks to those who help us keep these directories current by letting us know of changes! With the election of officers coming up, don’t forget!

  • The Directory of Granges features all Granges in the state with a contact person. Please make sure your listing is correct! Visitors to the site consult these directories often.
  • The ODD Directory features all state officers, directors, and deputies with contact information.

Win This Quilt!

Click on the photo to enlarge!

Each year, during the Big E, the New England Grange Building has a quilt raffle. The state that donates the quilt (done on a rotation) chooses the non-profit that the money raised goes to.Last year, over $6,000 was raised for a Veterans’ Center in VT. This year, NH is donating the quilt, and all money raised will go to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

If you are the winner, the NEGB will pay to ship it to you. The pattern, for those of us not familiar, is Jacob’s Ladder, and this quilt will fit a double bed.

If you make a donation of any reasonable amount to the New England Grange Building, your name goes on a ticket to win. To enter the drawing, send a check made payable to the New England Grange Building. Please be sure to include the name and phone number you want to be on the ticket. Checks can be sent to:
New England Grange Building
C/O Vicki Huff
90 Linton Street
South Portland, ME 04106

Donations must reach me by September 8th, 2025. Remember, the mail hasn’t been particularly speedy lately, so don’t wait until the last minute! I will take donations with me when I go to work in the building. If you see me out and about before then, I can take cash as well.

Words for Thirds-Screen or Paper?

Are you anticipating a Words for Thirds Dictionary Project this fall? If not, it’s a great community service project–or perhaps more accurately, a great kid service project.

According to a recent Dictionary Project Newsletter, “A study published in 2023 found that only about 67% of 3rd grade students in the US are reading at grade level. Children who don’t read proficiently by the end of third grade are four times more likely not to graduate high school on time. One contributing factor to the fall in children’s literacy is the rise in screen time, which often replaces quiet reading or meaningful conversation. Limiting screen time can help children develop stronger attention spans and focus on building their reading skills.”

The same newsletter (July 20, 2025) “Sweden went all-in on tablets in the classroom, then saw 4th grade reading scores tank. Now they’re spending 60M Euros to bring back real books, because screens weren’t helping. And here in the U.S., only 30% of 8th graders read at grade level, with writing scores just as bleak. If one of the most tech-savvy nations is pulling the plug, maybe America should start asking if screen time is quietly dumbing down a whole generation.“

MSG Words for Thirds Resource Page

We have lots of resources… let us know how the Communications Department can help you help our kids and communities! We’re Grangers. We help each other!

Project Wild

Reprinted with permission from an e-newsletter published by Maine Representative James White.

Project Wild is a series of activity guides that can be used as part of any class instruction designed for pre-K through 12th grade.  The guides, which are part of the Maine Project Wild suite, are Project Wild (terrestrial) guide, Aquatic Wild, and Growing Up Wild.  All of Project Wild is facilitated nationally by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and coordinated by an agency or organization in each state.

It is the mission of Project Wild to provide wildlife-based conservation and environmental education that fosters responsible actions toward wildlife and related natural resources.  Each of the individual guides has its own focus, but all are designed with hands-on, inquisitive, student-led learning in mind, and are aligned with education standards. 

Anyone can use Project Wild guides.  Teachers, parents, scout leaders, and other organizations and community groups will find that these activity guides are useful and easy to use. To learn more and to view the Project Wild guides, please click here.

Webmaster’s Note: Could your Grange sponsor an outdoor activity? Project Wild is specific to children and youth, but the idea is also very adaptable. There’s an interesting potential program built around the idea that “Our Grange Gets Wild!”

Lecturer’s Column – July 2025

By Melissa Baldwin, Maine State Grange Lecturer
207 324-4661

Just a reminder to get all contest entries submitted by the September 1 deadline. Pictures are due Friday morning, before the start of state session, which starts at 11:00. Be sure to get them labeled and no frames, any arriving with frames, the frames will be asked to be removed from the frame or will NOT be allowed due to limited space and are too heavy to hang.

Hope to see everyone at the session. State Lecturers Conference with next year’s programs to be announced soon.