Valley Grange Gram Reviews Fall Plans

Valley Grange #144 is located in Guilford, Maine.

The dictionaries are here! Dictionary Days are coming! I’ll probably start working on the schedule later this week… but we have a job to do at our next meeting—sticking the labels in over 200 dictionaries! We’ll also be creating the bags of hats and mittens made by our Blistered Finger Knitters—we usually deliver those at the same time as the dictionaries. As usual, Piscataquis Community Elementary School, SeDoMoCha, Brownville Elementary, Ridgeview Elementary, and Harmony Elementary third graders will receive dictionaries. The hats and mittens will be placed in the care of school nurses for distribution as needed.

Sock it to us? This program was so successful last year we’re hearing that schools are still well-supplied. Janice will check on this and see what the needs look like.

Our next meeting is Friday, October 21, 2022. Did you notice that I left it out of the last Grange Gram? This will be a “working” meeting, so your hands will be helpful. Last year we discovered that a “Grange Angel” named Sandy had “snuck in” and done all the labeling before the meeting. Since she’s now in Pennsylvania, it’s doubtful that will happen again!

State Convention, October 20-21, 2022. As you may know, we are entitled to two voting delegates at State Session. At the September Meeting, we voted to appoint Walter and Janice as delegates, Pat Engstrom as an alternate. This becomes an interesting two days—I (Walter) can only attend Thursday due to teaching commitments in Bangor. The tentative plan is for Janice and I to attend on Thursday and Janice and Pat on Friday.

Raffle Ticket Sales… keep those cards and letters coming in! As of today, ticket sales have grossed $326 and we’ve received $250 in related donations from our fall letter.

Bookworming! I’ll be chatting with Mrs. Wright about this soon… and contacting previous bookworms. By the way, I just learned about the passing of Bob Kimball… a great guy and community supporter. His wife, Tyne is one of our most enthusiastic bookworms. Details regarding arrangements are not available yet, but please remember the family in your thoughts and prayers.

Our Schedule for 2022. We may host at least one Dictionary Day at the Grange Hall… if this happens, remember that it is not a public event, but Grange Members are encouraged to attend. Passing out dictionaries and helping the kids find words is fun! The actual date is “TBA,” but will be later this month or early November.

  • Friday, October 21, potluck supper at 6 pm, meeting/program at 7 pm. Grange Bees are Jim and Mary. We’ll be getting dictionaries, hats, and mittens ready for distribution.
  • Friday, November 18, potluck supper at 6 pm, meeting/program at 7 pm. Grange Bees are Walter and Janice. We’ll be drawing our raffle winners! Make sure you have all tickets and money turned in that night at the latest!
  • Friday, December 2, potluck breakfast for supper at 6 pm, program at 7 pm. You can wear your jammies! Because of the nature of this particular program, we’re all Grange Bees*!

*Grange Bees are those who prepare the hall for that event or meeting. Responsibilities include ensuring we have staples such as milk, rolls, and butter, turning on the heat, lights, etc. Everyone chips in, so it’s not a hard job! It’s that time of year when adding antifreeze to the furnace is an essential part of closing up the hall after meetings and events. Instructions are on the side of the furnace… and there is a “Grange Bee Checklist” posted in several locations in the hall.

Stay warm and enjoy the foliage! See you in a couple of weeks!

Grange Makes Front Page Headlines

By Walter Boomsma, MSG Communications Director

Some may recall that Vicki Huff and I were invited to speak at the Waterboro Maine Historical Society–headquartered in a former Grange Hall. Coverage of the event made the front page of The Reporter— “Your Community Newspaper” in the Waterboro area. It is always fitting and appropriate to see the words “Grange” and “community” together.

When I talked with Cynthia Matthews, the reporter who wrote the story, it was also rewarding that she was familiar with Porter Gange and some of its activities. Too often, the local Grange is the best-kept secret in an area–not only from the media but also from the people who might be interested in joining or supporting it.

The media business has changed dramatically over the past decade or two. We no longer see local reporters showing up at events or chasing down stories. (In this case, Matthews didn’t attend, but asked a friend to take photos, and she subsequently did her interviews by telephone.) I know many people are intimidated by the idea of writing articles for the media, but it’s not that difficult to develop relationships with reporters and editors. We can help them with “tips” and simply let them know what’s going on at the Grange.

Don’t forget, there’s a Communications Handbook available for free on the MSG Website. It lists a number of daily and weekly newspapers throughout Maine and lots of tips and tactics for getting your news and events published. If you’re having an event, make sure you publicize it! Don’t have a party and forget to invite people!