Happy Anniversary, Harraseeket Grange!
Freeport Grange Celebrates!
Happy Anniversary, Harraseeket Grange!
Tag: Grange Activities
President’s Perspective – April 2024
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.
Recycle Eclipse Glasses
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!)
Jonesboro Indoor Yard Sale
Jonesboro Grange #357 and Roque Bluffs Volunteer Fire Department are conducting a HUGE indoor yard sale during the month of April, daily from 9 am to 6 pm.
Closed April 8 and 9th – Other dates and times for April will be posted at a later date on our social media pages. (Jonesboro Grange Facebook Page)
Donations may be dropped off on any day we are open. Contact LouAnn Cox at 207-434-2101 for donation drop-off, questions, and more info.
Communication Shorts 03-24-2024
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!
Happy Anniversary to Whom?
We’ve had a request for information regarding any 150th Anniversary Celebrations being planned. If it’s your Grange’s Year, let us know!
Save This Idea!
It’s too late for this year, but the town of Falmouth, Maine, is sponsoring an April Stools Day event (that’s not a typo). Volunteers will clear the Falmouth Community Park trails for spring (with special attention to dog waste). Trash bags and gloves will be available for participants. The event will have a party atmosphere and fun prizes.
Grange Rideshare–New England Lecturers’ Conference
We have at least one person seeking a ride to the NELC in June who is willing to share expenses. The conference is June 21-23 in Norwich, CT. If you are going and have some room, let’s see if we can create some connections!
Submit Events! Be “findable”
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!
Submit News! Be “famous”
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!
Online Directories Available 24-7
- The ODD Directory features all state officers, directors, and deputies with contact information.
- The Directory of Granges features all Granges in the state with a contact person. Please make sure your listing is correct!
April Events
(Before we leave March, don’t forget this weekend [March 23-24, 2024], is Maine Maple Weekend!) April is Grange Month, with celebrations throughout the month. Here’s some we know about!
- April 2, 2024, Open Mic Night at Trenton Grange. Doors open at 5:30 pm, and the event is from 6:00 to 8:30 pm. $5 donation cover. Trenton Grange Website.
- April 2, 2024, Piscataquis Pomona Meeting at Valley Grange Hall. Contact Bill Bemis FMI. (Note different day of the month.)
- April 5, 2024, Community Potluck Supper at Trenton Grange, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., 1134 Bar Harbor Road in Trenton. For more information, see this post or visit the Trenton Grange Website.
- April 6, 2024, Benton Grange Craft Fair and Flea Market, 9 am until 2 pm. Call 207 453-4796 for information.
- April 6-7, 2024, Community Bazaar (crafts, farmers’ market, yard sale…) at Trenton Grange from 9 am until 2 pm both days. For more information, see this post or visit the Trenton Grange Website.
- April 8, 2024, Solar Eclipse Day Are you safe?
- April 13, 2024, Kennebec Valley Grange Take-out Dinner, starting at noon. For more information, see this post.
- April 13, 2024, Parkman Grange Daddy Daughter Dance starting at 6 pm, see this post!
- April 14, 2024, Deadline for the MSG Bulletin
- April 14, 2024, Cumberland Pomona Degree Day at North Scarborough Grange starting at 1:00 pm. Contact Yvonne Johnson FMI. (603 506-1374)
Parkman Grange Springs into Spring!
The Parkman Grange has a busy spring planned, starting with its Daddy Daughter Dance on Saturday, April 13, 2024, from 6-8 PM. Young ladies are invited to attend with their dad or an important person in their life. D.J. Steve Boddy will spin tunes and have fun dance games with prizes. Light refreshments will be available. A keepsake photo will be taken to remember this special night. Admission is $5 per person at the door.
The popular Mother’s Day Tea will be on May 11, 2024 from 10 to noon. Kelly Brasier is the guest of honor. Tea sandwiches, sweets, and beverages will be served. Live entertainment and lots of door prizes make this a special occasion which has become a spring tradition for family and friends. Admission is $5 per person, under 5 free. Reservations are required at 207-717-6248.
Applications for the Minnie Bridge Scholarship are available at the Parkman Town Office or anytime on the bulletin board on the porch of Grange Hall. These $500 scholarships are for SAD #4 area, second-year higher education students. The deadline is July 12, 2024.
The Parkman Grange meets on the first Tuesday of the month at 5 PM at the Grange Hall. If you are interested in these and other community-based events, come join them; you don’t need to be a Parkman resident. The hall is located on the corner of State Hwy 150 and North Dexter Road in Parkman
Jonesboro Grange Featured on WABI
Jonesboro Grange is recently featured on WABI-TV5. Watch the story online!
and don’t forget their Easter Basket Festival March 22-24, 2024!
- Free Easter Egg Hunt for ages 12 and under with 7,000+ Eggs on March 23rd1
- Free Photos with the Easter Bunny
- $50 Door Prize
- 50/50 Raffle
Communication Shorts 03-15-2024
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!
March Bulletin Now Available
Get it here! Remember, the past few Bulletins are available for downloading and printing on the Program Books and Information Page. We also occasionally accept “guest posts” on topics of interest to Grangers. See the guidelines!
Starling Hall Auction
Have you placed your bids yet? (There’s a copy of Exploring Traditions available and it benefits a good cause!)
Update on Subscription Feature
This isn’t going to be a quick fix! In the meantime, I’ve instituted a manual workaround and will be creating regular emails to subscribers. These won’t be daily and will be based on posting activity. Communication will not stop! It may be a little slower, though. Thanks for your patience.
Grange Month Resources Available
The traditional resources (proclamation, sample press release, posters, etc.) are now available on the National Grange Website.
Deering Grange Website
Check out the new Deering Grange Website! It’s great that another Grange now has an Internet presence.
Ideas for Granges
Is it time for some spring cleaning? Can your hall and grounds become a community effort? Is there a local garden club that might help with landscaping?
Thought for You…
“I find my greatest freedom on the farm. I can be a bad farmer or a lazy farmer and it’s my own business.”
Robert Frost
Do You Love the Grange?
The world wants to hear about it! Fill out the simple I Love the Grange Form… it only takes a couple of minutes! Thanks to all who have shared so far!
Online Directories Available 24-7
- The ODD Directory features all state officers, directors, and deputies with contact information.
- The Directory of Granges features all Granges in the state with a contact person. Please make sure your listing is correct!
Do You Have FOMO?
“FOMO” is a Fear Of Missing Out. One strongly recommended treatment is to subscribe to the Maine State Grange Website. We’ll send you a daily summary whenever news and columns are posted, and we won’t share your email address with anyone!
Community Service/FHH – March 2024
By Brenda Dyer, MSG Community Service/FHH Director
(207) 608-9193
March is when Spring officially starts. We are on Daylight Savings Time, and the days have more daylight. Many have started seedlings for themselves, neighbors, or a community plant sale. Craft fairs are starting to spring up. EVERYONE is Irish for one day. The opportunities for community service are endless.
There are many services that will overlap with other Grange committees. Please make sure to include these in your report ( ie. The CWA committee may make a quilt to be used for a community service event.) This should be reported in the Community Service report under the event and the CWA report.
I am receiving some Coupons for the Coups for Troops. Keep sending them! Thank you Valley Grange and Lakeside Grange.
Family Health and Hearing
March Women’s History Month
17th ST. Patrick’s Day
30th National Doctor’s Day
April Grange Month
Maine State Grange is 150 years old as well as several Subordinate Granges.
Have an open meeting and invite the community to learn about the Grange. CELEBRATE!
Follow the National Grange Theme. Make sure to take pictures.
If you email me, please text me to let me know so it won’t go to spam and/or get deleted. Thank you. Happy Spring!