Maine participates in the National Grange Junior 1+ Program. If your Subordinate Grange has Junior 1+ members, please advise Maine State Grange.
Mill Stream Juniors Cleanup!
Tag: Grange News
Vermont State Grange Fall Festival
By Beth Morse, VSG Fall Festival Director
802 388-2653
Maine Grangers are invited to join us at the VT Grange Center (located at 308 West St, Brookfield, VT 05036) for our annual Fall Festival on Sept 5th, 6th & 7th.
Like many fairs, we give Grangers the opportunity to showcase the quality products they produce. (Forms are listed at the end of this post.)
Here is a copy of our schedule of activities for the weekend:
Friday:
- 5:00 pm – Entries for judging can be turned in with entry form
- 5:30 pm – Potluck Supper
- 6:00 pm Bonfire (weather & burn ban permitting, plan B movie)
Saturday:
- 7:00 to 8:00 am Breakfast ($8) Waffles, Bacon, Syrup, Fruit, Coffee & Juice
- 8:00 am Activities will commence:
Cribbage Contest
Checkers Contest
Hula Hoop Contest
Horseshoe Contest
Cornhole Contest
Selfie Photo Booth
Pumpkin Checkers
Pumpkin Ring Toss
Frying Pan Throwing
Rolling Pin Throwing
There will be sign-up forms available for each contest.
- 9:30 am All Vegetable, Flower, Cooking, and Craft Contest entries are due with the entry form (no form, no entry).
- 10:00 am Winter Building will be closed while the judging is going on (signs will be posted on the doors).
- 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm Lunch ($12) Meatball Grinders with/without sauce, Macaroni & Potato Salad, Brownies & Ice Cream, and Drink
- 1:00 pm Activities will recompense, and Winter Building will reopen for viewing winners.
- 1:30 to 2:30 – Live music provided by Granville Daze.
- 3:30 pm Action – items that have been exhibited and donated to auction.
- 5:30 pm Dinner ($15) Ham, Scalloped Potatoes, Vegetables, Coleslaw, and Apple Crisp
- 6:30 pm Awards and prizes for the activities will be announced and presented.
- 7:00 Movie
Sunday
- 7:00 am Breakfast ($10) Egg Sandwiches, Bacon or Ham, Hash Browns, Fruit, Coffee & Juice
- 8:00 am Chapel Service
- 9:00 am Clean/Pack Up
Festival Registration (Meals and accommodations)
Festival Information (Contest Categories)
Festival Entry Form
Vermont State Grange Website
Duck Pond Heritage Day Update
Duck Pond Variety, Highland Lake Church, Highland Lake Grange, and Lenny’s at Hawkes Plaza are pleased to announce a celebration of history at Duck Pond Corner, located at the intersection of Route 302, Duck Pond, and Hardy Roads in Westbrook.
The Day will feature open houses at the church, Grange, and Lenny’s, live music, historic photos, Scout & 4-H activities, food sale fundraisers, a special church service, displays of artifacts, Westbrook Police K9 demonstrations, a display of historic signs at Duck Pond Variety, and much more!
Come join us to explore the long history of this community. No cost to attend.
These are some of the many raffle items available.
Oxford Pomona Raffle Supports Words for Thirds
Submittted by Steven Haycock
Oxford Pomona Grange #2 is holding a Lottery Ticket and Cash Raffle! The proceeds of the raffle will be used to purchase dictionaries via the Words for Thirds program for various third-graders in Elementary Schools in Oxford County! This is an ambitious goal, and we need everyone’s help to make it happen!
The details:
- Prize: $250 in Maine State Lottery Scratch Tickets and $50!
- Tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20.00
- Drawing will be at our September 2, 2025, meeting at Porter Grange.
If anyone is interested in supporting this worthy community service program, please reach out to Steven Haycock, Secretary of Oxford Pomona at:
44 Pond Road, Raymond, Maine, or Granger04071@aol.com
You can also find me on Facebook
Thanks in advance for your Support!
Win This Quilt!
Each year, during the Big E, the New England Grange Building has a quilt raffle. The state that donates the quilt (done on a rotation) chooses the non-profit that the money raised goes to.Last year, over $6,000 was raised for a Veterans’ Center in VT. This year, NH is donating the quilt, and all money raised will go to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
If you are the winner, the NEGB will pay to ship it to you. The pattern, for those of us not familiar, is Jacob’s Ladder, and this quilt will fit a double bed.
If you make a donation of any reasonable amount to the New England Grange Building, your name goes on a ticket to win. To enter the drawing, send a check made payable to the New England Grange Building. Please be sure to include the name and phone number you want to be on the ticket. Checks can be sent to:
New England Grange Building
C/O Vicki Huff
90 Linton Street
South Portland, ME 04106
Donations must reach me by September 8th, 2025. Remember, the mail hasn’t been particularly speedy lately, so don’t wait until the last minute! I will take donations with me when I go to work in the building. If you see me out and about before then, I can take cash as well.
Ocean View Grange Rummage Sale
Friday, August 8 and Saturday, August 9, 2025
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Summer Events at Vassalboro Grange
A few updates on July Events from Vassalboro Grange are below, as well as our posters (click the event link) – it helps us A LOT if you print a few posters and put them up around the area. Lots of our new Coffee on the Porchers come from Winslow, Benton, and Waterville!
Recurring Events:
- Coffee on the Porch, Tuesdays from 8:30 – 10:00 am
- Philosophy Table, second Sunday of the month, potluck and discussion 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
- Zumba, Tuesdays at 7 am, starts July 15, 2025
- Zumba, Thursdays at 5:30 pm, starts July 17, 2025
Scheduled Events:
- Natural Dye Workshop, Saturday, July 12, 2025 from 1:00 – 4 p.m.
- Philosophy Table and Potluck, Sunday, July 13, 2025 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm
- Open Mic Coffee House, Saturday, July 19, 2025 from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
- Contra Dance, Saturday, August 30, 2925 potluck at 6:00 pm, dance from 7:30 – 10:00 pm.
Vassalboro Grange is located at 353 Main Street in Vassalboro, Maine
Duck Pond Heritage Day
Duck Pond Variety, Highland Lake Church, Highland Lake Grange, and Lenny’s at Hawkes Plaza are pleased to announce a celebration of history at Duck Pond Corner, located at the intersection of Route 302, Duck Pond, and Hardy Roads in Westbrook.
August 17, 2025 from 10-4.
The Day will feature open houses at the church, Grange, and Lenny’s, live music, historic photos, Scout & 4-H activities, food sale fundraisers, a special church service, displays of artifacts, Westbrook Police K9 demonstrations, a display of historic signs at Duck Pond Variety, and much more!
Come join us to explore the long history of this community. No cost to attend.
Watch for updates over the summer!
National Grange Apparel Sale
The National Grange is launching a limited-time apparel sale through CustomInk. We have chosen “business apparel” – as requested – in a few different styles.
Button-down shirts in both long-sleeve and short-sleeve, in men’s and women’s cuts, and a polo shirt (also in men’s and women’s cuts). Each will have the Grange emblem embroidered in the pocket area. (Actual placement may be slightly different than pictured). This sale is only available in adult sizes. (Sorry!)
Access the apparel sale at https://grange.biz/apparel or http://customink.com/fundraising/ng-apparel .
National Grange Launches Rural Life Initiative Grants
The National Grange is doubling down on its commitment to revitalizing rural communities with the launch of two new competitive grant opportunities through the Rural Life Initiative.
On June 24, during the “GPS to Success” webinar, National Grange President Christine Hamp announced the launch of two new grant opportunities as part of the expansion of the Rural Life Initiative (RLI), a program designed in partnership with Grange Advocacy to strengthen rural communities through health, wellness, agriculture, and community projects and events.
If you missed the webinar, it is available to watch on the National Grange YouTube channel.
Following the 2024 successes of programs in seven pilot states and nearly 25 Granges that received mini-grants for holiday events, the National Grange is expanding the RLI program and eligibility for all Granges.
Successful examples of past projects include senior fitness classes, building Grange awareness at a community zucchini race event, vaccination and wellness clinics, a cancer research fundraising 5K, and more.
The grant opportunities are as follows:
$1,000 Summer Grants (30 available)
- Projects must be completed and report submitted by September 30, 2025
- Applications reviewed as received. Must apply by July 31, 2025.
$5,000 Long-Term Grants (2 available)
- Projects must be completed and report submitted by December 31, 2025
- Applications are due by July 31, 2025, with notification of grant winners on August 8, 2025.
Both grant opportunities are open to either local or State Granges.
While the main grant amounts are fixed, there are additional incentives available for completing projects and submitting reports on time, and for each new member gained through your project.
What are the grant requirements?
Because RLI aims to build stronger communities across the country, there are three main components to the grants:
- You must include at least one partner organization beyond your Grange.
- You must submit a current membership list with the application proposal.
- You have the flexibility to choose topics based on local needs, but:
- Projects cannot involve building improvements or equipment purchases. Projects must focus on recruiting and engaging new members.
- Projects must connect to at least one Project Sustenance pillar (Food Security, Community and personal resilience, Self-sustainability) Tip: Watch the Introducing Project Sustenance webinar for more information on these topics.
“We are excited to see what Granges will create for their communities,” said Hamp. “The flexibility of this grant cycle encourages Granges to truly think outside of the box and the Grange ‘norms.’ I look forward to seeing the dynamic events and powerful programs that this grant helps make possible.”
During the June 24 webinar, presenters Beth Westbrook and Nona Bear offered guidance on how local Granges can apply for these grants, develop project ideas that align with the program’s mission, and measure community impact. Participants were encouraged to think creatively and collaboratively in identifying rural needs and proposing solutions.
The tips and tricks presented also encouraged Granges to go after other community-based grants, always aiming for success.
“These grants are about investing in the people, traditions, and future of rural America,” said webinar leader Beth Westbrook, a member of the Grange Advocacy Board of Directors. “By empowering Granges to take action on local priorities—from health to heritage—we’re building stronger, more connected communities.”
To watch the full announcement, visit the National Grange YouTube channel and view the full grant requirements and submit your applications at the Rural Life Initiative page on the National Grange website.