Patrons of Husbandry – a website dedicated to the Granges located in Maine
Valley Grange Teams are currently celebrating Dictionary Days and Words for Thirds with area schools.WABI-TV5 caught up with the team at Ridgeview Elementary School in Dexter.
To learn more about the Guilford Grange’s Project, visit the Valley Grange Website or Facebook Page.
Sherry Harriman,
Maine State Grange President/Master
207 490-1029
We had a very busy schedule at our 151st State Grange Session, which went well. Thank you to the Officers, Delegates, Members, Deputies, Directors, and Committee members who attended. I appreciate your participation and input during the business and activities. Thank you to all those special helpers and workers for your assistance, whether a large part or a small piece of the work, I personally appreciate every one of you. I would like to hear your comments and/or suggestions about State Session – schedule, facilities, location, banquet or any other comment you care to make. Send to my email address.
We welcomed Kathy Gibson, Lady Assistant Steward of the National Grange, who gave us inspiring words of wisdom and also taught us “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” in sign language, we all managed to get through the entire song in rounds. Some of our “boats” didn’t “row” as good as others. Kathy’s enthusiasm is definitely contagious. Brother Glenn Gibson, Executive Committee Member & Past Master of the Massachusetts State Grange and Amanda Gibson, Communications Dir of the MA State Grange both enjoyed being with us also.
A heartfelt Memorial Service was presented. Resolution work started and continued on Saturday with much discussion on each. A wonderful banquet was shared, and the various Committees presented many awards. We held a full election of officers with most of us being re-elected, thank you for your confidence in me. I am pleased to welcome our new officers, Judy Meserve as Ceres, Tracey Small as Pomona, and Dale Holst to the Executive Committee for a four-year term. I want to express my appreciation to our retiring officers Betty Huff, Ceres; Kathy Gowen, Pomona and Jim Owens from the Executive Committee for their dedication and years of service to the Manie State Grange. We welcomed five new State Grange members who received the 6th degree on Saturday afternoon. Vicki Huff installed our officers in an impressive manner. Thank you!
The new Department Program Books and Annual Reports were given to the Delegates for your Grange. If you did not have delegates at the session, you may download the programs and reports from the web under “Program Books,” or if you want a printed copy, email or call the office or me, and we will send them to you. You may request all or just select certain ones. Agricultural Scholarship, Educational Aid & Howes Nurses Scholarship requirements and applications can also be found on the website or requested from the office. We need to promote these scholarships and awards in our communities; each is a wonderful opportunity for our young folks. Grange Enterprise Award (formerly Farm Family) information with the application can be found on the web too or requested.
I hope to get the 2026 Roster done in the near future. Do I have your most current information? I know I have only about 2/3 of them. Welcome to our new Subordinate and Pomona Masters/Presidents, Lecturers, Secretaries and Committee people. There have been a few changes to Deputies and Committees. Several of our dedicated Deputies have retired after long years of service on behalf of the Maine State Grange. I want to THANK each of them, Maynard Chapman as Chief Deputy, David Gowen, Basil Mosher, Harriet Spencer, Holly & Burt Welch, and Phil Parsons. I know I keep repeating myself with the thank-yous. Still, it is well deserved, heartfelt and important especially to me to do so.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Hug your family and friends. Help someone every day.
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!
Deadline for the November Bulletin is November 14th. Recent issues of the Bulletin can be found on the Program Books and Information Page in the communications section.
Through what might be seen as a comedy of errors, we missed posting a Maine-specific video of greetings to our State Session from National President Chris Hamp. We’ve now added it to the 151st Session page — you can watch it there or on YouTube by clicking this link.
If you or your Grange were proud participants in the Bangor Savings recent drive collecting PB&J for food banks, you should know! BSB announced that this year’s collection resulted in over 39,000 jars! They estimate that since the program began in 2012, they’ve collected and distributed more than 185,000 jars. That’s enough to make over 3 million PB&J Sandwiches!
It’s that time of year! In case you missed it, we’ve created a Grange Craft Show Logo or Icon. It will be beneficial when we receive announcements of craft shows that do not include a photo or flyer and help create a sense of “branding” of Grange Craft shows. Feel free to use it! And remember to get your craft show listed on the website, where it will be seen across the state and beyond.
We added 14 website subscribers during the State Session. “Inquiring minds want to know!” We’ve also been getting more since then. Here’s a form you can print (there are two per page) to post and hand out to your members and guests to help keep them in the know! 2025 FOMO Subscriber Form.
He’s playing as fast as he can! We’re still catching up with results and information from State Session.
“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
Melody Beattie
Before you get overwhelmed with the holidays, it’s a great time to review the status of your future projects, such as Words for Thirds and your Book Exchange Box.
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 and Grange friends!
Thanks to those who help us keep these directories current by letting us know of changes! The officer portion of the ODD Directory should now be accurate. Deputies and Directors are being updated.
Delegates to the 151st Annual Maine State Grange Convention had a busy few days and a lot of work to do! We’ll be sharing a few highlights. For some, even more work starts now. We’ll be updating directories, but we can at least share this list of officers elected.
Appointments will be updated and shared as they are made and confirmed.
This year’s convention opens at 11 am! Since most officers, directors, and deputies will be in attendance, communication may be challenging. In website terms, we’ll be checking email as time permits, and you can expect a reply within 24 hours. That’s always our goal, and we usually beat it!
Thanks for your patience and understanding! For information about the convention, check this page.
By Walter Boomsma, MSG Communications Director
Did you know that for many years, Granges often maintained a library of books available to members? I suspect some still do! Well, here are some ideas that will drive traffic to your Grange Hall and, more importantly, make your Grange more relevant to your community.
The first is inspired by Caroline Heck, Junior Granger from Mill Stream Grange #574. Caroline is working on her Girl Scout Silver Award to raise awareness of the importance of childhood literacy. Her project includes building and placing a Little Fee Library™ (LFL) at the Grange and informing the community of the importance of access to books in early childhood. Master Jill Sampson is her Project Advisor. She has already collected 203 books, a mix of board books, picture books, early chapter books, and middle-grade novels, all donated by the local community. She’s scouted a location at the hall for placement: out front at the edge of the flower bed where it meets the parking lot, so it will be safe from the plow but always accessible.
Ocean View Grange in Port Clyde went from an idea to completion quickly. The idea came from someone who has a bit of a hobby of filling area libraries, and she suggested the Grange would make a great location! The idea truly took on a life of its own. Interestingly, much of the work that went into the project was completed by folks who are not Grange members. Yet. The entire project was accomplished from start to finish in a matter of weeks!
(Just to clarify, an outside library cannot be considered an LFL until registered and assigned someone–a steward–to monitor and maintain the box.)
Several other Granges have different programs and approaches, and the MSG Communications Department wants to help! We’re pleased to announce that we’ve created a BEB Resource Section on the website for Granges who are interested in or operating a Book Exchange Program.
The section includes more information on creating a Little Fee Library™ or Book Exchange Box, a comprehensive list of potential sources of free books, document templates… it will always be under construction, so please share your ideas and experiences. And let us know how we can help!
Sherry Harriman,
Maine State Grange President/Master
207 490-1029
Among many other things, Master Sherry is busy preparing her annual address for the 151st Annual State Convention. It will be posted after she gives it!
The October View from the Farm is “Moving a Bit Faster.” That might be an understatement as we begin another Grange Year!
Please also understand that while the October Bulletin will be available online just before State Session, mailing of the printed version will likely be delayed. Thanks for your patience and understanding.
See you in Orono!
Written by Walter Boomsma, Maine State Grange Communications Director
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!
Yes, there is an October Bulletin, although with the State Session, the mailing of the physical copy may be delayed a bit. The digital copy is available on the site. Recent issues of the Bulletin can be found on the Program Books and Information Page in the communications section.
Some recent changes to the National Grange Website have resulted in some links not working. If you encounter broken links on the Maine State Grange website, please report them to Walter. If you encounter them on the National Grange website, report them to National Grange.
A comment made on the post about the recent degree day: “The Maine State Granges are evolving in amazing ways these days. Wonderful! Sharing ideas, working together to make friends, and getting to know each other is a joyful experience and an engaging way to connect with our communities. Thank you for the access and information about what being a friend or member means. All are welcome!
We’re removing dated information from the website. This includes documents, posts, and photos. While some things are considered timeless, a general policy is to remove items that are more than two years old. One of the significant challenges this time of year is updating online directories. Please make sure we have your current information!
“Being annoyed is the price you pay for community. It means having guests when you’d rather be alone. It means letting someone live with you even when they get on your nerves. It means showing up for events that you’d rather not go to. It means turning the other cheek.”
Divya Venn
Your Grange Hall could include benches outside for resting, a bike rack, a bicycle repair station with essential tools and an air pump, an electronics charging station, outdoor restrooms, and an information board for local events and points of interest. Oh! Did we mention a Book Exchange Box?
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!
Thanks to those who help us keep these directories current by letting us know of changes!
By Rick Grotton,
Membership Committee Director
207 582-5915
Now that your officers have been installed (hopefully you all have had them installed), there will be those in new offices. In order to keep the Grange rituals flowing smoothly, make sure all are educated in the duties of their new office. It is very important that we help one another become familiar with our new positions. New membership wants to see a well-organized, smooth-flowing meeting and new members, upon becoming an officer, want to know the history and duties of their new office. Explain what the Grange is all about. Encourage them to take the remainder of their degrees in order to fully understand what the Grange is all about. It does not end with the 4th degree. If you have not gone beyond that then you haven’t totally learned all the lessons of the Grange and are missing part of the Grange experience. That seems to be a problem in our Grange today as more Pomonas are closing and less resolutions sent to State Grange.
Hope to see and speak to all of you at the State Grange session Oct 17-18!