Jonesboro Grange Yard Sale
Tag: Grange Activities
Kennebec Valley Grange Ham Dinner
Saturday, March 26, 2022 – 11: 30-until gone
Public Ham Dinner, take home only, NO dine in. Menu includes ham with raisin sauce, mashed potato, green beans, coleslaw, homemade biscuits, 4 choices of homemade pies.
Kennebec Valley Grange #128
560 Main Street Madison, ME
$10.00 per meal
FMI- call Diane Pinkham 314-5135
Grange Month Resources Now Available
Grange Month Resources are now available on the National Grange Website! In addition to the traditional sample press release, proclamation, etc. there are a number of graphics including customizable posters! These are all free for downloading and use.
Don’t forget to submit your events and news to the Maine State Grange Website!
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.
Valley Grange Gram — We Came, We Saw…
Our February Meeting included a number of guests, some great food, good conversation and a good time! We were especially pleased to “obligate” our newest members, Sarah Mahan and Nick Jackson. Some of us got to try lamb for the first time, thanks to their potluck contribution and most of us went home with some eggs! For those of you who didn’t come and haven’t seen it, you must watch this video. Not only will you get to meet the family, but you’ll also find their regeneration techniques fascinating.
In other news, we approved the new Hall Use Agreement. A copy will be uploaded to the website soon. We also began discussing Grange Month (we celebrate in May) and Community Citizen of the Year. If you now someone in the area who deserves recognition for their service to our communities, contact Mary Annis or Walter Boomsma. We’re looking for an unsung hero.
We received socks and have more on the way. Thanks to Helping Hearts Ministry in West Virginia for their generous donation! We’ll likely be making our final delivery for this year next week… if you intend to “Sock it to us,” please do so soon!
Thanks also to Phyllis Lyford from the Dover Foxcroft Historical Society for her donation of two patriotic lap afghans for the Operation Gratitude Hospice Project for Veterans.
We started to get writer’s cramp signing thank-you cards and notes. We’ve been so fortunate this winter to members of our communities who have helped us keep our hall open. I’m afraid I’ll forget someone, but thanks to Brian and Cindy Woodworth, Jimmy French, John McKusick… the anonymous donor who left socks in the tote on the porch… with all this help, we were able to come to the February meeting, see the fruits of our labor and have a certain sense that we conquered winter.
Our new Busy Box was put to good use! As a reminder, we are still looking for puzzles, games, etc. suitable for kids. I recently was able to replenish our Book Bin after a visit to the Abbot Liberry. Now that we have kids attending, we welcome any contributions to both! If you can’t come to a meeting, you can leave them in the tote on the front porch.
I stopped at the hardware store on the way to the hall to start the furnace. One of the clerks asked if he could ask a question. “Are you the guy who does that bookworm club thing?” I was able to explain that COVID has our Bookworm Program on hold, but yes, Valley Grange has bookworms who listen to the kids read at school. He complimented the program and said how great it was. (Little does he know that he’s on my list of potential volunteers when we get started again!)
These questions and the support we receive help us remain committed “…to labor for the good of our Order, our country, and mankind.” Thank you!
And if you want to experience the warmth and welcome of the Grange, our next meeting is Friday, March 18, 2022. Potluck is at 6 pm–bring a dish to share if you can. Our meeting and program start at 7 pm and we are usually finished by 8:30 pm. Come as you are and bring a friend! Remember, we are kid-friendly!
There’s Still Time!
Grange Heirlooms are snippets from the lessons of the Grange as taught in the Ritual and Declaration of Purposes.
The new Heirloom Program kicks off in March. If you haven’t heard about it yet, it’s an exciting program designed to remind seasoned members and introduce new members to the values and lessons of the Grange. National Membership and Leadership Development Director Amanda Brozana Rios is hosting several introductory Zoom meetings to provide more details about the program and its use, answer questions, and brainstorm how Granges may build from this great resource. Several sessions have been scheduled to ensure everyone who wants to attend can. Each of these sessions will cover the same material, so you need only attend one.
Each Grange that sends a representative to attend one of the meetings will receive a certificate of recognition and a prize. The State Grange with the highest percentage of Granges attending meetings AND with at least one of the following attending will also receive a prize (President; Lecturer; Secretary; State Communications Director or Newsletter Editor; State Membership Director). You can attend any of the scheduled meetings by clicking this link a few minutes before the meeting.
We’ll be adding a resource page to the Maine State Grange Website soon. It will include all of the information you need to take advantage of this great new program. We’ll also be posting a Grange Heirloom every month. Make sure every member in your Grange knows about this! It’s a great time to subscribe to the Maine State Grange Website!
Sweet Jonesboro Grange!
Jonesboro Grange Creates Candyland
On February 12, 2022, Jonesboro Grange #357 hosted the first Candyland event at the Grange. For $5, guests were given a box to fill with sweet Valentine’s Day treats.
The hall was decorated with candy decorations and transformed into a candy land. We had eight tables filled with Needhams, cookies, fudge, homemade chocolates, dessert bars, peanut butter balls, and more!
$1,200 was raised for the 2022 Grange budget. Grange members have been working hard to bring new and exciting opportunities to the community while raising funds to restore the historic building.
A table full of Valentine’s Day baskets was raffled off and two Candyland games were offered as door prizes.
Valley Grange Gram — We are meeting!
Friday’s Meeting!
You haven’t forgotten we have a meeting Friday, right? Let me explain that I will always make every effort to have our meetings. If you are not comfortable traveling for some reason, just don’t feel obligated to come. When we cancel meetings, we deprive those who want to come of the opportunity and start down a path that suggests a foreboding future for our Grange. Janice and I are Grange Bees for the February Meeting. Unfortunately, I will be returning from teaching in Augusta that day. I may be late for dinner. I plan to visit the hall Thursday afternoon to make sure the furnace is running, etc. Thursday is actually supposed to be a warm day with rain… yay! Between starting the furnace and the forecast, the well should be thawed. Potluck Supper at 6 pm, Meeting at 7 pm will include voting to accept our new members and a review of the hall use policy. During the supper hour, we’ll be sorting socks! Don’t forget to bring your donations! Socks have been arriving from as far away as Pennsylvania and West Virginia!
We’re Needed!
I received an email over the weekend from Carol Smith, Principal of Brownville Elementary. It seems, unfortunately, one of the third-grade students, Garrett Ames, who received a dictionary from us has been diagnosed with leukemia. He won’t be able to attend school for a while and his teacher, Ms. Cail, and his classmates are making an effort to support him. We can too, right? You can watch the news story on WABI-TV 5’s website. It’s both heartbreaking and heartwarming. Garrett has a dream of becoming a firefighter and “rescuing people from the house.” Fire Departments around the country are responding with support. (If you are associated with a Fire Department or know a fire fighter, why not pass the word along. Our member Pat Engstrom has already found some cool material and is working on a blanket. I’ll be working on this during the week and hopefully have some additional information for our meeting, if not before. I did share the WABI story on the Valley Grange Facebook page and Mr. Boomsma’s Facebook Page.
And as Further Proof
One town office called Mary Annis and requested our letter asking for financial support! As a reminder, as town meeting season approaches, please consider attending and speaking on behalf of Valley Grange. I can help you with talking points and give you a copy of the information sent to the towns in the area. You know you’re doing something right when people call and ask for an opportunity to donate!
Say “Thanks!”
We will be sending a note of thanks to John McKusick and McKusick Petroleum for “bailing us out” several times recently. Most recently we learned a powerful lesson. We’ve been using RV antifreeze in the furnace. The label says “rated to 50 below.” Well, I don’t think it got down to fifty below but I can tell you that the anti-freeze froze! John not only patiently helped me through the thawing process, he’s donated some special antifreeze to help us out. When I offered to pay he said, “We gotta keep you going.” If you see John, let him know you appreciate his support of Valley Grange! With the support we’re getting, “We gotta keep us going!”
We Now Have a Busy Bin
I picked up a tote and “seeded” it with a puzzle and a few games. We’re looking for activities especially for kids who attend meetings and events… coloring books, crayons, board games, and puzzles. (How cool would it be to have a puzzle going on one of the dining room tables?) Whatcha got to offer? The Busy Bin, the Book Crate, and the extra remaining dictionaries are probably going to end up under the dessert table. We’re running out of room under the Bulletin Board… our blistered finger knitters are refilling those bins!
You’re Needed!
If all goes as planned, we might be able to “Obligate” our new members at Friday’s meeting. It sure would be nice to meet upstairs again, fill most of the chairs, and “do it right!” I’m going to try to “draft” a few people from other Granges… this will be a “Cabin Fever Reliever” with lots of fun!
→FLASH UPDATE!
As I was finishing this up, I learned that Garrett is starting to lose his hair as a result of the chemo. The journey begins in earnest. I also now have an address for mailing cards and other items: Garret Ames, 5690 Bennoch Road, LaGrange ME 04453. If you do send a card, mention Valley Grange so he and his Mom know who you are and where you’re from!
Exploring Traditions — February 2022
Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life
by Walter Boomsma
Grange Heirlooms
National Grange is kicking off a program called “Grange Heirlooms.” I recently realized I’d been referring to it as “Grange Heritage.” Since words interest me and I think they’re important, I couldn’t resist wondering about the mistake. For those interested, several dictionary definitions suggest an heirloom is a “thing,” handed down from previous generations. There are several connotations, including the idea that an heirloom stays within the same family for generations.
Anyone interested in farming and gardening is probably aware of a revived interest in heirloom seeds and plants. An heirloom variety or cultivar often exhibits distinctive characteristics such as superior flavor or color.
So the name of the program is wisely chosen. It’s an ambitious five-year program that will make it possible for every Grange to take just a few quick moments at one meeting each month to introduce a key lesson and reflect upon it – thereby passing on part of our heritage. (Maybe that’s why I got confused!) The words were written more than a century and a half ago, but they have much application and meaning to daily life today.
Words like “heirloom, heritage, tradition, and ritual” have more importance every day. Not only is the naming of this program on target, so is the timing. We need more than ever to become aware of the things in our life that do not change but offer us assurance and stability. Without that awareness, we can easily become the victims of the future instead of creating and contributing to it.
I remember a conversation a few years ago with a Granger who insisted her Grange was “not doing any ritual.” I assured her that was not true. My proof went something like this, “You may not be ‘doing’ THE ritual but I’ll bet many of you are parking in the same place every time and probably sitting in the same seats. The same person probably makes the coffee every time…”
We could, of course, explore the difference between ritual and habit. Habits have value with the obvious downside being we stop thinking. (We don’t have to decide where to park–unless someone “took our spot.” That can be very disconcerting to some. Humans like predictability.)
The Grange Heirloom Program will be an opportunity to create some predictability by tapping into our heritage and looking at some heirlooms. At least once a month we can revisit principles that have remained with us through generations of time. We won’t do it out of habit because we’ll think and reflect on one. How many times have you said, “A patron places faith in God, nurtures hope, dispenses charity, and is noted for fidelity.”
Most will realize that we say it twice during a Grange Meeting that is opened and closed “in form.” We accompany it with hand motions that help us remember. (See if you can do it sitting down without the motions.) While we’re thinking and reflecting on this “heirloom,” consider this question: “How many of those four things have you done today?” We are not just Grangers during a meeting, right?
Fifteen words make us think about what it means to be a Granger. Fifteen words that we could recite every morning. We have a lot of heirlooms in the Grange. It may be past time to explore them. The heirlooms haven’t disappeared, but we may have stopped looking at them and thinking about them.
In describing the Grange Heirloom Program, Amanda Brozana Rio said, “[The heirloom lessons of the Grange] are easily overshadowed by the business of the Grange and hampered when spoken by short attention spans and language that is beautiful but uncommon. New members often wait years to see or hear all of these words of wisdom. More seasoned members may recall the words but have not taken the time to think about them and apply them to daily life for some time.”
It’s time.
The first heirloom will be revealed in March. Are you ready?
Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-sixth edition of the 2013 Subordinate Grange Manual or the most recent edition of the Pomona Grange Manual. The views and opinions expressed in “Exploring Traditions” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine and policy of the Grange. Information about the book “Exploring Traditions—Celebrating the Grange Way of Life” can be found at http://abbotvillagepress.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.
Winthrop Grange Plant Sale
