Tag: Ocean View Grange

A Strange Coincidence!

This is just too weird not to share. I have been working diligently on a book titled “Memorials, Monuments, and Memories” to release it in time for Memorial Day this year.

My cover illustrator is located in another country. It was interesting trying to describe to her what the cover image should look like. About the time she finished the front cover illustration, Jill Sampson of Mill Stream Grange submitted photos of their members placing flags on veterans’ graves in Vienna, Maine (in this country).

Mill Stream Grange
Walter’s Book Cover

The similarities are a little uncanny. Maybe I should have waited and used the Mill Stream Photo!

There is a bit of a Grange connection. A huge thanks to Larry Bailey of Ocean View Grange for his generous permission to use his artwork on the back cover. It’s great to “bump into” good Grangers on “Main Street America!”

Memorials, Monuments, and Memories is a collection of personal essays and reflections spanning more than a decade of Memorial Days, Veterans Days, and moments of quiet civic remembrance. Drawing on childhood memories of small-town parades, a father’s honor guard, and the family cemetery plot, author Walter Boomsma weaves together the personal and the universal — exploring what it truly means to honor the fallen, keep faith with the past, and celebrate our shared humanity. From the red poppies of Flanders Fields to a weathered “Baby” gravestone in rural Maine, these pages remind us that remembrance is not about loss — it is about love, legacy, and the living obligation we carry forward.

The book is on sale! Ordering information is available here.

Pride at Ocean View Grange

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:

  • The damaged side door on the 1st floor will be replaced by Trip today. It is underway.
  • Sister Gillie moved to donate $150 to the Maine Children’s Home and House in the Woods. Both are Grange Charities, which will split the donation. The vote approved the donation.
  • There is a leak in the water tank piping that needs to be looked at.
  • The 1st floor was cleaned, and the cleaner did a very good job of it.

Ocean View Grange Cleans Up!

By Larry Bailey, Master

A few of our members got together yesterday to paint the entire first floor of Ocean View. They did a magnificent job. Also, we replaced our 50-year-old cook stove with a new one. The old 10-burner, double-oven has provided wonderful service all these years, but time has aged it to the point where we can no longer rely on it.

There is a stirring of the energy here at Ocean View Grange in Port Clyde!

Ocean View Grange Farmers Market

by Larry Bailey, Master/President

Ocean View Grange is located at 435 Port Clyde Road in St George, Maine.

Spring is near (I think) and the Ocean View Grange is coming alive. I would love to see our Farmers Market program reopen. People who have veggies, fruits, bread, meat, pies, cookies, flowers, and any kind of farm/home/garden products to sell should join the Farmers Market at the Grange. This is how it works…There is no cost to you. You come to the Grange parking area, set up your table and/or tent, and display your products. You decide the days(s) and the opening and closing times for yourself. The only thing the Grange provides is the space for you to set up.

If you are interested, please contact me via the Facebook message area or email larrybailey@roadrunner.com -207-372-8075

Ocean View Grange Facebook Page

Flying the Flag!

This section currently exists on the Program Books and Information Page:

How we display the flag communicates! You can check whether or not the U.S. Flag should be at half-mast and sign up for email alerts.

This is a guide to the Federal Law regarding displaying the American Flag: US Flag Code.

Learn more from the Department of Veterans Affairs about the rules and traditions for flying the flag at half-staff

As technology advances, here are a few more resources we’ll be adding soon:

  • The American Legion: Text “FLAG” to 35893 (or 534466) to receive text alerts on your mobile phone.
  • Flag Day – US Flag Alerts App (iOS): Sends alerts for federal, but not state, half-staff days to your mobile phone.
  • Service First: Flag Alerts (iOS/Android): Covers federal, state, and weather-related alerts to your mobile phone.

“I believe our flag is more than just cloth and ink. It is a universally recognized symbol that stands for liberty, and freedom. It is the history of our nation, and it’s marked by the blood of those who died defending it.”

John Thune

Thanks to Larry Bailey, Master of Ocean View Grange, for an “unintentional” reminder to update this resource!

Ocean View Grange Craft Sale

Ocean View Bean Supper

Ocean View Grange Rummage Sale

Friday, August 8 and Saturday, August 9, 2025

9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.