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Tag: Grange Events
Mill Stream Grange Supports Education
Fifth Degree Offered in Richmond
Sagadahoc Pomona will have our annual Fifth Degree at Enterprise Grange #48, on Wednesday, April 29, 2025, with a potluck supper at 6:00 pm and a meeting at 7:00 pm. Candidates from other Pomonas are welcome. Please bring your entry form signed by your master or secretary. For more information, contact Marilyn Stinson at 207-737-2611 or marilynstinson41@gmail.com. Enterprise Grange is located at 15 Alexander Reed Road in Richmond, Maine.
WABI-TV5 Explains Valley Grange Blanketeering Program
Mystic Valley Grange
Rummage, Craft, & Bake Sale
April 26, 2025 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Grange is located on Route 17 in East Dixfield next to the East Dixfield Fire Department. For more information, contact Nancy Farrington, (207) 623-0395.
Membership Moments – March 2025
By Rick Grotton,
Membership Committee Director
207 582-5915
Grange month is here again which is a perfect time to boost your membership drives. Many events are happening all over the state; don’t be left behind!!! What are your plans to boost membership? Is everyone on board in your Grange on how to increase membership? Make it a contest. Challenge each member of your Grange to bring in one new member! Last year, there were a number of Granges who ended the membership year with a net gain (meaning the new members less death and demits). Let’s strive to beat the record of last year. It isn’t hard to do. Use your Grange projects to attract new members. Ask your community and various other organizations to help with the projects you have planned. For example, we advertised on social media to have the community children help make May baskets in the past, and some did show up and had a great time. We even got a few new members from our projects.
Community, cooperation and communication are the three C’s we should follow. Community is important for us to carry out our duties as Grangers. If there is no community, who will attend our suppers, craft fairs, farmers markets, etc. Then what would be our purpose? Cooperation makes the projects go smoothly and makes our Grange meetings run smoothly. We need cooperation to carry on the projects, to fill our Grange offices, to spawn ideas for future projects. Every member is unique and has their own ideas and thoughts. Every member is important, regardless of title or office. Let us all help one another and be there when needed. Not only your own Grange, but others, which is the purpose of the idea of a “sister” Grange. We would open up a new world of cooperation and learn from others as they will learn from us. Fresh ideas and new faces will give us a new perspective on how we view things on the outside and a new routine. Communication is a big deal. Everyone should be on the same page and all members be notified of events, projects, and meetings. Granges are not “social clubs” and must follow the rules of being a Grange. The social clubs are only interested in using a hall for their events and ruin the reputation of the Grange. They are subject to be shut down. Advertising is big because who will attend our events if no one knows about them. Miscommunication or no communication brings confusion, misunderstandings and bad blood. It has destroyed many Granges over the years and still does today. No one person “owns ” their Grange or is entitled to “own” a specific project. So many times we have heard or seen this happen. No good comes from it. Selfishness has no place in our Granges. We are there for a purpose. What is yours?
On April 27 at the State Grange Headquarters, a Degree Day will be held beginning at 1 pm. The first four degrees will be performed so anyone who has new members who have not seen the degrees are encouraged to attend.
State Grange Session Date Change!
Please note that the dates of the 151st Maine State Grange Session are now October 17-18, 2025. The session will open at 11 am on Friday, October 17, the banquet will be Friday, and the Sixth Degree Conferral will be Saturday, October 18 at 1:45.
The Session is being held at the Black Bear Inn, 4 Godfrey Drive, Orono (Exit 193 off I-95). The hotel number is 207-866-7120. If you have already made reservations, they will be automatically changed, but you may wish to confirm this. To receive the group rate of $148.60 per night, use the code “Maine State Grange.” You may also book online at https://www.choicehotels.com/reservations/groups/RR30X5
This change was necessary due to a conflict with the UMO Homecoming Weekend.
We’ll be posting the traditional State Convention Information Page soon and adding information as it becomes available. Remember, each Subordinate and Pomona Grange should send two “official” delegates but any Grange Member may attend! Hope to see you there!
Valley Grange Seeks Blanketeers!
On March 22, 2025, volunteers will create blankets for children in need.
Guilford–Valley Grange of Guilford is sponsoring a blanket-making event on Saturday, March 22, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. until noon, and volunteers are needed! Organizer Pat Engstrom notes, “no sewing skills are needed. If you can measure, cut a straight line with scissors, or tie a simple knot you can become a ‘blanketeer’ and help support Project Linus. We’ll show you how!”
Project Linus, a non-profit organization, provides homemade blankets to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need. Similar events in previous years have resulted in dozens of blankets being made by a diverse group of volunteers. Engstrom hopes to see the number of blankets made increase.
“We have a great time doing this, and truly just about anyone can help. We create quite a production line, and it sometimes gets quite competitive! It’s exciting to realize we’re providing love in the form of ‘blankies’ representing love, security, warmth, and comfort to kids. We consider them fabric hugs.”
While supplies will be provided, volunteers are encouraged to bring scissors, rulers, and masking tape. Light refreshments will be served.
For additional information, contact Pat Enstrom at 207 564-8290 or visit the Valley Grange Website at http://valleygrange.com. Valley Grange is located at 172 Guilford Center Road, at the corner of Butter Street.
Chelsea Grange Gets Lift!
submitted by Linda Weston
The Chelsea Grange Hall on Route 226 on February 20th got a new Stair Climber System (from MAC) installed to our second floor (and stage) from a grant awarded by Lifelong Communities/AARP/AFC! And a big THANK YOU to Grange Member Marion Bowman on all her efforts on this grant.
Pictures of the work efforts of Maine Accessibilities Corp (MAC). They did a GREAT job !!!!
We are hoping to do more community work with the increased access to this space. Lots of ideas discussed at our last meeting.
Stayed tuned for future use of the Chelsea Grange #215!
Coming Soon! Degree Day 2025!
What a great way to end Grange Month–a celebration of membership and Grange Tradition that includes the ritual of the First Four Degrees!
This should be on the calendar of every Grange in the state as a potential activity! To keep things manageable, select someone in your Grange (usually the Master/President) to organize a “carpool” to MSG Headquarters on Sunday, April 27, 2025. Remember, the Degrees aren’t just for new members! When these days were more common, it was not unusual for a group to join whoever had the biggest vehicle for a trip to the hosting Grange and an opportunity to discover (or rediscover) what the Grange Way of Life is all about.
While a “reservation” isn’t required, it will facilitate planning if we can have some idea of how many are attending. But first we need to get the word out!
We have two posters/flyers available for you! Downloading is easy-peasy. Just click the link!
- 2025 Degree Day Print Flyer is the best one for printing as it can be done in B&W and doesn’t use much ink!
- 2025 Degree Day Digital Flyer is “prettier” and is best distributed as an attachment to an email.
Both are also available in the Communications Section of the Program Books and Information Page.
Since it’s already close to the end of February, there’s not much planning time left! Print and distribute flyers (especially to new members) and see what you can put together!
Additional information is available from Chief Deputy Maynard Chapman. Send him an email, or call and leave a message at 207 312-5591. It wouldn’t hurt, certainly, to ask him what you can do to help!