Patrons of Husbandry – a website dedicated to the Granges located in Maine
Submitted by Dave Gowen
On May 16, 2026, eight members of Highland Lake Grange placed American flags on veterans’ graves at Highland Lake Cemetery for Memorial Day. The Grange has been placing flags for over ten years. Grange markers (made by the members) were placed next to the graves of past members of the Grange.
From the First Degree
During our recent Degree Day, someone commented that they wished more people could hear the words from the Degree Work. For the next few issues, we’ll be sharing some of them!
Early in the First Degree, the Overseer explains to the candidates:
“Friends, the Grange is a great fraternity, and the lessons of its ritual are expressed by the use of symbols drawn from the field, the farm and the farm home. The first four Degrees of our Order are based upon the seasons of the year, each conveying its appropriate lesson. You are about to enter the mysteries of the First Degree, symbolic of springtime on the farm, when all Nature is bursting into newness of life. The wild flowers are making the woods and the hills glorious with their beauty; orchards are in bloom, and the air is redolent with their perfume; plowing the fields has begun and soon the sower will go forth to sow.
Additional Laborers and Maids are needed for work in field and household, and we accept you as willing workers, now in waiting for the tasks to which you will be assigned: For in our fraternity there is work for all, and the idler has no place among Patrons of Husbandry.”
Of course, the idea is to do more than simply hear (read) the words. With this, we have the opportunity to digest those words. It was not an accident that the Degree Work starts with the spring season, “when all Nature is bursting into newness of life.” Joining the Grange is also about newness in our lives as we commit to live differently, in accordance with the “precepts of our order.” There is work to be done on our farms, our communities, and ourselves. Joining the Grange was never meant to be a passive experience, and the “idler has no place among Patrons of Husbandry.”
Another advantage of reading and absorbing these words is that we’re allowed to drift off into visualization. We can take the time to see what the overseer is describing. Imagine standing at the gate to a farm, ready to enter and become responsible for what happens on it. There is no sense of dread. Perhaps some anxiety and tension, but a deep sense of excitement and possibility.
As the Lecturer accepts the candidates’ applications (signets), he explains, “An honest man is the noblest work of God… The first and highest object of our Order is to develop a better and higher manhood and womanhood.” That’s not just something we do to and for others. It’s something we do to and for ourselves.
Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-seventh edition of the 2023 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://wboomsma.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.
By Rick Grotton,
Membership Committee Director
207 582-5915
One of the best parts of being on the State Membership Committee is the pleasure of awarding longevity certificates to members and certificates of appreciation to community individuals who have done outstanding work to improve the lives of those around them. The positive energies are felt throughout the room, and their imprints are embedded in the walls of the Grange Halls. Listening to the recipients as they give their acceptance speech and watching their faces as their eyes sparkle, their positive energies emerge from their voices, and feeling their gratitude as it flows freely from their person gives me a warm, happy, proud feeling. It makes me grateful and proud to be a Grange member. Whether the recipient is receiving a 25-year or an 80-year certificate (yes, it is true), the responses all resonate with the same happy feelings, with good memories of their Grange membership. You can tell that being a Grange member has had a grand impact on their lives and the lives of their family and friends. I certainly can relate to that reasoning. The family of the recipients who attend but are not Grange members also listen with awe and gratitude while their family recipient is truly immersed in good thoughts and projects, conveying such feelings to the audience.
Utilize your Halls to give awards to non-members who are outstanding in your communities. There are many people doing positive things, and they are mainly overlooked. Recognize them and offer your thanks and appreciation for what they have done for the community and for the Grange. This ceremony will bring people to the Grange building, and for many, it will be their first time in a Grange Hall. The families of those recipients will learn what the Grange does. Usually, when I host such an event for non-members only, I give them a brief history of the Grange before giving awards, so they become aware of their surroundings.
Submitted by Diane Pinkham
The Maine Council for Elder Abuse Prevention (MCEAP) has a Speakers Bureau with presenters who are available to give a 60-minute presentation on elder abuse. To raise awareness of the serious problem of elder abuse and the many valuable resources that are available in Maine to help those who are affected by it, the Council developed an Elder Abuse: A Community Problem with Community Solutions presentation.
MCEAP’s goal for this presentation is to provide an overview of the issue of elder abuse including statistics, general information about the different types of elder abuse, and where to go for help. This presentation does not provide profession-specific content, and it does not include information about legal reporting mandates.
For more information or to request a speaker for your event, please contact:
Jill Randall
Co-Chair, Maine Council for Elder Abuse Prevention
jrandall@mainelse.org
207-620-3114
by Larry Bailey, Master
It is an understatement to say that our Monday night meeting was both a great experience and, more than that, a very sad and moving Grange matter. The matter that was so moving was the Draping of the Charter for our Sister Loa Lee Blake. Our team performed a very professional Ceremony. Loa Lee was an extremely talented person. She was an accomplished musician – piano and organ player, singer, member of many clubs and orders. Loa Lee was a very active, lively lady. She is missed by many of her relatives, friends, and fellow Grangers.
The item that was so uplifting was the surprise visit from two officers from the Maine State Grange who drove all the way here from Norway, Maine, to visit us. The two visitors were Sister Christine Hebert, the Maine State Grange Chaplain, and Sister Linda Allen, Oxford Pomona Deputy. Both are members of the Norway Grange. I made a phone call to Sister Hebert, whose Grange recently held a Charter Draping ceremony, to ask about proper procedures. She was a great help. They just wanted to take the ride to see our Grange in action. They both said, after the meeting, that they were very impressed with our Grange… specifically the Grange building, the members who were there, the proper procedure for Draping the Charter, and the large number of projects we were involved in. All of us at the Grange should feel proud that we were applauded by senior Grange officers.
A few of the other items discussed were:
By Steven Haycock, Legislative Director
(207) 329-6835
Spring has sprung and Primary Elections are coming right up on June 9. Participating in the primary is important step in our election process. By participating in the primary process, you have the best opportunity to choose the candidate that best represents your personal point of view. As always, do your research and vote your conscience. I mentioned at a meeting one day during refreshments that we here in Maine politically are a purplish blue state, and one of the members didn’t understand what I was referring to. She had heard the terms “red” states and “blue” states, but didn’t understand what they meant. It started with the 2000 Presidential election, the major networks agreed when calling the various states in the Presidential elections that states won by a Republican candidate on the maps would be colored red, and those won by the Democratic candidate would be colored blue. Apparently, major networks had been using color-coded maps on Election night since the 1970’s, but in 2000 agreed that, across all networks, red would represent Republicans and blue Democrats. There are states that almost always vote Republican or Democratic during most elections. The other states, according to political commentators, are purple or swing states as they tend to change from election to election. We here in Maine are mostly in a blue state with a weird red streak, so we are purple(ish) in my view. What does this mean for every Mainer? We are going to spend the next six months or so getting bombarded by political ads, signs, and mailings. It is nice to have an independent streak, but it comes with a lot of political noise.
So, I hope everyone is thinking about and writing resolutions for the State Grange session this fall, the deadline for resolutions to be considered at theState Grange Session is August 15. As a reminder, the whereas sections of a resolution outline the problem or issue you want to address, and the resolved section more or less covers the solution to the problem. This is resolution writing in an extremely small nutshell. Please reach out if you need some help getting your ideas into resolution form. I have some significant experience with this. I might not necessarily agree with your resolution, but I promise to help you get the correct form for presentation to your Grange. All resolutions must be passed or adopted by a Subordinate or Pomona Grange to be submitted to the Maine State Grange for consideration. (Note: certain Maine State Grange committees can also submit resolutions.) I also wanted to note that hundreds of resolutions are submitted to the National Grange every year for consideration. Resolutions regarding public policy, not internal Grange policy, do not automatically become the policy of the Maine State Grange unless adopted by the delegates at a session of the Maine State Grange. Until next time….
This is the sort of community service that brings Grangers together and demonstrates purpose. Congratulations and thanks to Mill Stream Grange #574!
Busy night at Highland Lake Grange. 37 people turned out, including Grange members and guests, to celebrate this year’s Community Citizen Award recipient: Suzanne Joyce. We also recognized six members of Highland Lake Grange for their dedication and membership over many decades. Maine State Grange Assistant Steward, Membership Director, and Past Master/President Rick Grotton presented the certificates with the assistance of Judy Meserve, Maine State Grange Ceres, and Jim Meserve, Maine State Grange Executive Committee. It was a wonderful evening of celebration, conversation, laughter and, of course, food!
Submitted by Wendy Carr
June 14, 2026 at 11 am
Evening Star Grange
31 Old Union Road
Washington, ME
For more information, contact fullmooncreamery@gmail.com
Every day, and in every way, we’re getting better and better! We’ve had a few glitches–one regarding email that I think has been solved today.
There are a few minor things we’re discovering and fixing. If you see anything weird, please let me know!
There are also just enough differences with this new server to create a steep learning curve. The good news is that the differences are mostly positive.
I’ve been using a good friend’s observation a lot lately. Jack says, “Life is like a rollercoaster. You can’t steer a rollercoaster, so hang on and enjoy the ride!”
