Help Stamp Out FOMO
This flyer/poster is available for downloading from the Program Books and Information Page–or use this direct link! Print and post or hand it out to your members!
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Category: Resources for Granges and Grangers
Tick Talk
Tick Bite Prevention
- Wear protective clothing. This includes light-colored clothing so that ticks are easy to spot, long sleeves and pants, closed-toe shoes, and tucking pants into socks.
- Treat clothes with permethrin. Do not use on skin.
- Protect pets. Talk to your veterinarian about tick prevention products for your pets.
- Wear EPA-approved repellent.
- Stay on trails and be aware of tick habitat.
- Check yourself for ticks. Check often during your outdoor activity and when you return to your campsite or home.
Learn about tick ecology, diseases, and prevention measures by watching the Forestry Friday Tick Talk presented by Chuck Lubelczyk, field scientist with Maine Health Institute for Research Vector-Borne Disease Laboratory.
Include this in your next Family Health and Hearing Report!
Patriot’s Day
Only a handful of states recognize an upcoming state holiday that many others around the country know little about. Patriot’s Day is on Monday, April 17, and is celebrated officially only in Maine, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Connecticut, and North Dakota. The latter two recently adopted the holiday in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
With origins stemming from Fast Day, a holiday tied to a time when Maine was still a Massachusetts territory before achieving statehood in 1820, Patriot’s Day (spelled Patriots’ Day outside of Maine) was officially adopted long after statehood in 1907 and originally celebrated on April 19. It was moved to the third Monday of April in 1969.
The holiday commemorates the battles of colonists against British soldiers in Lexington, Concord and Menotomy in Massachusetts on April 19, 1775, which officially began hostilities in the American Revolutionary War. In fact, it was the day referenced in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Concord Hymn,” in which he describes the first shot fired at Concord’s North Bridge as the “shot heard round the world.” Today, the holiday is also marked by the Boston Marathon, which has been held on Patriot’s Day nearly every year since 1897. Click here for more historical information about what the day celebrates.
Reprinted with permission from an e-newsletter published by Senator Stacey Guerin, Maine District 4.
Tips for Tackling the Holiday Blues
Grange Heirloom Program Kicks Off
Resources for Granges
produced by the
Maine State Grange Communications Department
Warning! This is a long video! You may decide to watch it in stages or steps but you will definitely want to watch it. This is a truly amazing program that will end up spanning a five-year period and it’s been over 150 years in the making.
Important additional resources for you:
- A Resource Page on the MSG Website This is an “easy peasy” page that will get you started discovering and using the Heirlooms.
- The Entire Program with all it’s parts This may admittedly take some effort, here you’ll find all of the pieces of the program that have been created so far! This is maintained by National Grange.
Check out:
- More Resources for Granges — Program Information and Inspiration
- Program Books and Information –Information arranged by committee and topic.
Is It Time for a Re-run?
Are you old enough to remember when television programming involved sometimes dreaded and sometimes eagerly anticipated summer re-runs? What we call “media” was certainly different.
In completing some recent research, I happened to look at a program Amanda Brozana Rio and I did together on April 18, 2020. While it was centered on the book I wrote about the Grange Way of Life, we spent considerable time on the challenge of maintaining the Grange Way of Life during the pandemic.
Whether or not things have changed much since this interview is perhaps debatable, but that’s not the intent of reposting it. The Grange Way of Life doesn’t change much fundamentally, even if how we live and practice it does. Therefore, it seems worth reposting this for consideration. Don’t miss the part about caterpillars and butterflies.
Flying Our Flag
In response to a request during the state session, we have researched and are providing the information below. Note this information will also appear permanently at the very top of the Program Books and Information Page. Special thanks go to John Lowry of Porter Grange and Vicki Huff of Hollis Grange for their help!
How we display the flag communicates! The image to the left indicates recent state proclamations regarding flying the flag at half-staff. The image to the right indicates current federal proclamations.
This is a link to a guide to the Federal Law regarding displaying the Americal Flag: US Flag Code.
To sign up for email alerts advising when to fly your flag at half-mast, visit Half Staff American Flag
Learn more from the Department of Veterans Affairs about the rules and traditions for flying the flag at half-staff
How to Sponsor Garden Tours in your Community
Resources for Granges
produced by the
Maine State Grange Communications Department
While searching for ideas to promote agriculture, the Maine State Grange Farmers’ Initiative discovered that Victor Grange #49 in Fairfield had a jump on us by several years. We asked Barbara Bailey from Victor Grange in Fairfield Maine to share her energy, tips, and success stories they experienced.
Barbara also put together a resource booklet containing planning information, tips, and samples of the material they have used. The booklet also includes Barb’s contact information–she would love to help your Grange set up a similar tour!
Check out:
- More Resources for Granges — Program Information and Inspiration
- Maine Grange Farmers’ Initiative — Information about the Initiative
- Program Books and Information –Information arranged by committee and topic.