Patrons of Husbandry – a website dedicated to the Granges located in Maine
August 16, 2024, 11 am
Senior Circle – a potluck for Seniors to get together with others for socializing, networking and a game or two. Held on the 3rd Friday of the month at 11 am. . FMI Deb 207-453-4844 or Sherri 207-815-0615. Victor Grange 144 Oakland Rd Fairfield Center. No Charge.
Articles in this edition include:
Upcoming Deadlines:
Click the button below to read and/or subscribe to the Patrons Chain!
Note that all recent issues are available on the National Grange Website. To save space, we only post the table of contents on the MSG Website.
According to Good Day! magazine, the following Maine Granges took in the following (more than fifty!) new members.
Bauneg Beg #382
Pam Gerry
Cambridge Valley #582
Gail A. Watson
Fairview #342
Mika Levitt
Nicole Vera
Jonesboro #357
Janice Philbrook
Merriconeag #425
Jim Alexander
Jan Davis
Abigail Hight
Will Hight
Elizabeth Manning
North Jay #10
Angelia Courchesney
Norway #45
Dennis Fenney
Jeffrey K. Windom
Saco #53
Pamely Beckley
South Sangerville #335
Warren Nuite
Tranquility #344
Diane Berenzy
Lee Cronin
Dwight Emerson
Wade Graham
Elizabeth Hand
Jany Hardy
Stephen Hardy
DeAnna Hartel
Alan Larson
Sandy Lehman
Diane O’Brien
Robert Olsen
Pat Shannon
Jack Silverio
Susan Silverio
Cyrene Slegona
Cheryl Wienges
Karen Womer
Trenton #550
Robert Alison
Greg Askires
Joanna Dotts
Lynn Gregonel
Bing Miller
Teryn Miller
Mary Turner
Cecila Zaveskotis
Union Harvest #591
Deborah Bailey
Beatrice Martin
Jeffrey Todd
Victor #49
Margaret Blair
William Blair
Donald Green
Joyce Green
Samuel Green
Adam Lerette
Joe Robles
Lisa Robles
Richard Tompkins
Sherry Tompkins
Mark Williamson
Sabrina Williamson
Winthrop #209
Robert Faucher
No worries! It’s not THAT difficult!
With all the great Grange events around the state this summer, we should be able to show our communities the opportunities the Grange offers and how successful our programs and events are!
You won’t earn cash, but you will get credit. Consider yourself appointed as a reporter for the Maine State Website.
Smartphone photos are welcome for posting. Send them by email to webmaster@mainestategrange.org. Include at least a few details–think of it as captioning your photo so we know what it’s about. Remember the “who, what, where, when” basics.
We’ll try to keep this simple but here are a few guidelines.
Of course, written stories without photos work, too! We’re here to help! Send us what you have and we’ll write, edit, and let you know if we need additional information. Let’s show off the Grange!
The codfish lays ten thousand eggs,
The homely hen lays one.
The codfish never cackles
To tell you what she's done.
And so we scorn the codfish,
While the humble hen we prize,
Which only goes to show you
That it pays to advertise.
Articles in this edition include:
Click the button below to read and/or subscribe to the Patrons Chain!
Note that all recent issues are available on the National Grange Website. To save space, we only post the table of contents on the MSG Website.
What’s happening at your Grange? Submit your event for publishing on the Maine State Grange Website! It’s not much of a party unless you invite people!
Articles in this edition include:
Click the button below to read and/or subscribe to the Patrons Chain!
Note that all recent issues are available on the National Grange Website. To save space, we only post the table of contents on the MSG Website.
Submitted by Walter Boomsma, MSG Communications Director
It is my sad duty to inform you that Rolf Staples Sr. passed away on June 10, 2024, following a long illness. Rolf was a member of Bangor Grange and Old Town Grange, where he held numerous offices, including Master/President.
Rolf served as Deputy of the North Penobscot Pomona from 2006 to 2009 and on the Maine State Grange Membership Committee. He led numerous Degree Days and an Officer Installation Team. He and his wife Anne supported Granges in the area, including the Piscataquis Pomona. Rolf’s knowledge and understanding of “the Grange Way” was deep, and he truly loved the Grange. When Rolf said, “for the good of the Order,” you could trust it.
Cards of condolence and encouragement should be mailed to Anne Staples, 487 Grandview Avenue, Apt 202, Bangor, ME 04401
A service is scheduled on Sunday, June 23, 2024, at 1:00 pm, at the Essex Street Baptist Church in Bangor. A complete obituary is available here.
May the example of our Brother inspire us to persevere and
Adapted from the Subordinate Grange Manual, 2023
when we are called to lay down our implements here on earth, may we be reunited with all our Brothers and Sisters who have labored in His glorious cause. May we enter the Paradise not made with hands, eternal in the heavens and receive that welcome plaudit: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” We remember our Brother not as one dead – but as one gone on before us through the gates, where dwells the Great Master of us all.
Norma Meserve, MSG Fundraising Chairperson
207 998-2586
Report of the 2024 Annual State Grange Yard Sale
What a beautiful day it was for the annual State Grange Yard Sale on June 1, 2024. Sunny and warm and people were ready to shop! This event was once again held at Manchester Grange. There were approximately 15 tables rented, including the Lions Club, which once again sold breakfast and lunch. The State Grange Fundraising Committee had a table with sales items available as well as a 50/50 and a Raffle for two $100 VISA gift cards. The winners of the gift cards were Gailene Friedly of Golden Harvest Grange in Carmel and Karen Gagne from Danville Junction Grange in Danville. The winner of the 50/50 was Dana Long from Vienna. Overall, it was a very successful day. We raised over $400. I would like to thank all those Granges and Grangers who sold raffle tickets ahead of time for us.
Your help is greatly appreciated and the Fundraising Committee couldn’t make these events successful without your help. I would also like to thank Manchester Grange for again hosting us, and a special thanks to Linda Cobb, who was very accommodating in meeting us and the renters at various times to set up.
Until next time, have a great summer and I hope to see many of you at Headquarters for the State Grange’s 150th Anniversary celebration on June 29th.
I have been thinking about ways to give back to my community, and I am curious about what the Grange Halls’ main functions are today. There is a great deal of information regarding the history of the Grange Hall but not much about what the purpose is today. I have talked with a Grange member and know that they provide educational scholarships and hold public suppers to raise money but beyond that I am not sure.
Website Visitor Lisa
(Answer provided by Walter Boomsma, Maine State Grange Communications Director. But local Granges should also be providing their own answers. Make your interests, events, and programs known.)
Thank you for your question and desire to give back to your community. The answer to your question is an example of how sometimes an organization’s greatest strength is its greatest weakness.
The Grange is a grassroots organization and, therefore, a very diverse organization. In a general and national sense, the Grange has a “Declaration of Purposes,” but within that framework, local Granges tend to have different focuses and interests. A correct but not very helpful answer to the question could be “It depends.”
For example, I can think of Granges that are focused on being a community center and providing a home to community resources and hosting events. A number of Granges sponsor a “Words for Thirds” Program by providing personal dictionaries to third graders in local schools. Some Granges provide entertainment ranging from concerts to open mics and craft fairs. Given the Grange’s strong agricultural roots, some Granges focus on supporting farms and farmers in their area. Knitting and sewing activities and classes are not uncommon. It really does depend on the interests and commitments of the local members.
That variety means a local Grange is open to new programs and ventures. I’ve occasionally said, “If you have a passion, we have the place.” Originally, the Grange was about supporting and strengthening the American Farmer. Our purpose has expanded to supporting and strengthening our communities and residents of all ages. Any member with an idea for doing that can expect an opportunity to use the hall and Grange resources to achieve a greater sense of community.
An eye to the future would see additional possibilities that go beyond the physical Grange Hall as technology expands the definition of “community.” When the Grange first formed, farm families hooked up their horses and wagons to meet at Grange halls both for socializing and for learning together. The community was defined by how far one could comfortably travel in a horse and wagon. While the local and in-person aspects will always be a bedrock of the Grange, the impact of a local Grange program can readily and quickly reach much farther.
We need to keep asking what we can do and what we want to do while honoring our motto: “In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things charity.”