Patrons of Husbandry – a website dedicated to the Granges located in Maine
Jonesboro Grange is recently featured on WABI-TV5. Watch the story online!
and don’t forget their Easter Basket Festival March 22-24, 2024!
By Rick Grotton,
Membership Committee Director
207 582-5915
April is Grange Month, and many Granges are busy with events scheduled during this time. Do you have any members who have not seen the four degrees or need to take them? If you do, then you are in luck! Below are the scheduled dates when the Community (Subordinate) Grange degrees will be performed. Please inform your new members and encourage them to attend one of these sessions. I haven’t been to a degree day in a while, so I am looking forward to them.
April 14 at North Scarboro Grange, 74 County Rd., Scarborough. Contact Mike Griffin, Master, for information and to let him know how many will be coming. The meeting starts at 1:00 p.m.
April 21 at State Grange HQ, 146 State Street, Augusta. Contact Maynard Chapman, Chief Deputy, for information and to let him know how many will be coming. The meeting starts at 1:00 p.m.
Please refer to the website at mainestategrange.org to find out what other Granges are doing. The site has a ton of information pertinent to all members, so please visit and subscribe.
April 6, 2024, 9 am until 2 pm
May 4, 2024, 9 am until 2 pm
Benton Grange is holding a Craft Fair and Fle Market from 9 am – 2 pm on April 6 and May 4, 2024. For additional information or questions, call 207 453-4796.
Benton Grange #458 is located at the corner of River Road and School Drive in Benton, Maine.
March 22- 24, 2024
Jonesboro Grange announces affordable family fun with a reasonably priced Easter Basket Festival!
Festival includes :
Come buy tickets to try and win fun and unique Easter Baskets!
The drawing of winning tickets will be live-streamed on Facebook at 2:30 pm.
Visit us on Facebook at Jonesboro Grange #357 or email Jonesborogrange357@gmail.com with questions!
Jonesboro Grange Hall is located at 746 US Route 1 in Jonesboro, Maine.
April 13, 2024
Kennebec Valley Grange will offer a public take-out dinner on Saturday, April 13, 2024, from noon until the food is gone. The menu includes ham w/raisin sauce, mashed potatoes, green beans, biscuits, and carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Cost is $12.00.
For additional information, contact Diane Pinkham (207 314-5135).
Kennebec Valley Grange is located at 560 Main Street in Madison, Maine.
150th Anniversary Celebration – March 16, 2024
150th Anniversary Meeting, March 16, 2024. The meeting starts at 11 am with a ham dinner at noon. Please RSVP for the meal by calling 207-998-2301 or email Steve Verrill. The program will start at 1 pm and will consist of a history of the Grange, a presentation of membership certificates, and music by Kathy Hammond, a local entertainer. Pictures and other memorabilia will be on display.
Excelsior Grange #5 is located at 446 Harris Hill Road, Poland ME
March 9, 2024 – 5:00 pm
By Rick Grotton,
Membership Committee Director
207 582-5915
Some of you who read my columns may be thinking that I may be on some Cloud 9 somewhere with the way I explain how to gain membership. You may think, “That does not apply to my Grange,” “We are too small and do not have community events,” or “What he says does not seem realistic,” or the worst one of all, “We are not interested in gaining new members because we are fine.” Which word, however, appears in each of the above-quoted sentences? Ah, yes, did you find it!! The word NOT!!!! A negative connotation. Negative energy. How do you know the suggestions and hints will not work? If you do not try, they certainly will not work! We all can and must continue to keep our Granges active. New membership is a priority for all organizations. The Grange has much to offer, so let us build on changes and improvements.
The information provided to you is basic and realistic to all Granges and other organizations for that matter. Such information contains the building blocks and principles needed to build a strong organization and needs to be maintained and updated according to your needs without losing the identity of the original basic rules.
Yes, there are Granges in Maine that are not interested in adding new membership. The majority of those have closed due to such, however, there remains a few who want to keep things the way they have always done without outside interference. The Grange is more than just “our” organization. It belongs to everyone who comes through the doors, those whose lives have been changed because of something the Grange has done for them, those who have attended suppers, bingo, and yard sales, and to those who will be our successors who will keep the Granges active and touching lives in their communities for a good cause. Remember to inform others about joining the Grange when talking to them that it applies to ages five and up. Explain the Junior Grange and its function to them. The Grange is a family organization, so advertise it as such.
By Susan Manchester, Master/President
The Parkman Grange would like to thank you all for your continuing support. Since reorganizing in 2010, we have made some changes while maintaining popular events, including the town meeting luncheon, the Mother’s Day Tea, and the Hunter’s Supper. We have added the Minnie Bridge Scholarship fund, giving away over $12,000 in scholarships to local students. The Daddy Daughter Dance, which will be on Saturday, April 13th this year, is a fun time for all, with DJ Steve Boddy getting the crowd up, dancing, and playing party games. We also started the Pre-K book program, giving away books to encourage young readers. Our Christmas party is always well attended; Santa and Mrs Claus come and give out presents and take pictures with the kids. Eight tables are set up with crafts to make for gifts to give to family and friends. Our biggest program is the SAD 4 Santa Project, which provides winter coats, boots, and toys to local kids. In addition, each month, we give a $100-$200 donation to locals who are facing a difficult time or could use a little help.
We meet at the Grange Hall on the first Tuesday of each month at 5 PM, starting in April. Meetings are casual and usually last about an hour. If you are new to the area or would like to make a difference in our town, we invite you to attend a meeting.