Tag: Grange Halls

Grange Hall Insurance Information

We’re Grangers–we help each other!

With thanks to those who answered our help-wanted request, we can offer some information regarding Grange Hall insurance.

Person holding insurance umbrella over another.

First, some vocabulary clarifications as we’ll use them. We’ll keep it simple–it can get complicated. It’s important to distinguish between an agency and a carrier.

Carrier: A carrier creates, manages, and prices insurance policies and coverage.

Agency: An insurance agency sells those policies to customers and handles customer questions or concerns. Independent agencies often represent more than one carrier and have more than one agent.

We should further note that there are significant differences between personal insurance, such as what you may have on your home, and commercial insurance for businesses. When insuring a Grange Hall, commercial insurance is necessary.

Property insurance covers the property itself against certain types of damage. A typical example would be fire.

Liability insurance protects against claims resulting from injuries and damage to other people or property. An example would be someone tripping on a loose stair tread.

An excellent, objective source of information about commercial insurance can be found on the State of Maine Bureau of Insurance website. You might also consider downloading this Consumer Guide to Commercial Insurance.

From what we’ve gathered, most Granges deal with an agent and agency. If it’s a large agency, you may need to find an agent who is familiar with commercial insurance. The agent will assist with finding a carrier. (Not all agencies are involved in commercial insurance.) Also, note that a carrier may be represented by more than one agency.

Some agencies and carriers that have worked with Granges include:

Cross Insurance Agency in Augusta offers property and liability coverage. Contact Matthew Ellis, Senior Account Manager–207 430-4721, Matthew ellis@crossagency.com.

Norman Assurance Associates in South Thomaston offers liability insurance through Main Street America Insurance Company in Keene, NH.
Contact 207 596-6400, info@atlantic-insurance.com

Strong Insurance Agency in Thomaston may also provide commercial property insurance.
Contact 207 596-6775, markstrong@strongagency.com

Kimball Agency in Guilford
Contact 207 876-9777, Tom Panciera tpanciera@kkorp.com and/or Olivia Schmiedlehner olivia@kkorp.com

A printable, one-page summary of this post is available here.

Read All About It!

By Walter Boomsma, MSG Communications Director

Elizabeth Walztoni wrote an excellent article about Maine Granges, published in the Bangor Daily News yesterday (August 4, 2024).

Once town centers of agriculture, these public spaces haven’t quite disappeared

(If you read news online, you are probably familiar with paywalls—but try it! I think BDN will allow a limited number of free reads. This article is definitely a very positive one that’s worth reading!)

I’ve always said, “It’s easier to make news than it is to write press releases!”

What’s your Grange doing?

Wayside Grange Returns to Hall

“It’s nice to be back in the building,” says Dave Pearson during their first “Open Mic and Sunday Brunch.” Dave also gives us a tour and briefly explains some of the major repairs that have been made over the past year and a half. Public events were canceled in 2020, but behind-the-scenes care and maintenance of our 100-year-old building continued. The north wall has been reinforced, and an entrance has been made on the ground floor for access to the kitchen and dining room. Ellms Construction did the ground preparation, and Lancaster Construction did the wall reinforcement. Grangers are working on finishing the renovation building the roof over the entrance and restoring our dining and kitchen areas.

Wayside Grange and Theatre is located at 851 North Dexter Road (Route 23) in Dexter, Maine. Concerts are planned throughout the summer on the last Saturday of every month through October. Doors open at 6:30 pm, and Concerts begin at 7:00 pm.

Visit the Wayside Grange Facebook Page

Quick Tip – Grange Bees!

Cool Idea

Valley Grange uses “Grange Bees” in conjunction with our meetings… simply stated, Grange Bees are members who agree to be the official hosts for a meeting. While all members pitch in, we find it efficient to rotate the “official” responsibilities among members. Grange Bees are responsible for opening and closing the hall. (Our checklist is available on the Valley Grange website.) We try to set up a schedule for the entire year each fall. We also occasionally all “swarm” to the hall for major cleaning and projects. Everybody can be a bee!