Tag: Vienna Maine

Mill Stream Grange #574 Awarded Distinguished Grange Badge

The National Grange has identified Mill Stream Grange #574 as a 2026 Distinguished Grange.

The National Grange will recognize Mill Stream Grange along with 53 other Community, Pomona, and Junior Granges and four State Granges at the 160th Annual National Grange Convention in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, this November, as well as at a special National Grange Honors Night on November 20th.

“Earning the title of Distinguished Grange is a powerful reflection of what the Grange can accomplish at the local level,” said National Grange President Christine Hamp. “It recognizes a Grange that is engaged, growing, serving its neighbors, developing leaders, and creating meaningful opportunities for members to make a difference. These Granges are not simply gathering for meetings. They are building stronger communities, welcoming people into the Grange family, and turning ideas into action. Their work represents the very best of who we are and shows the lasting impact a strong Grange can have.”

To be named a Distinguished Grange, Mill Stream Grange submitted a recap of activities, events, and other qualifying data from July 2025 through June 2026, which the National Grange then reviewed. Some of the projects and programs included establishing a Little Free Library, decorating Veterans’ graves, providing area third-graders with dictionaries as part of their “Words for Thirds” program, and crafting “heart cards” for the residents of Woodlands Senior Living in Farmington.

Master/President Jill Sampson tells us that much of the credit goes to Lecturer/Program Director Kristen Heck, who “worked really hard on it, and adds, “The Grange has always been about community and family. Our members and our neighbors gather, bond, and build a stronger, healthier community for ourselves and our children. We are excited and enjoy finding new ways to meet the changing needs of our community.”

The Mill Stream Grange Hall is located at 128 Town House Road in Vienna. Regular meetings are held the first and third Friday of every month at 7:00 pm, following a supper at 6 pm. Mill Stream Grange maintains a Facebook Group, or you can contact Secretary Laurena Cunningham at (207) 246-8534 for more information about meetings and upcoming events.

Mill Stream Grange Visits School

Kindergartners Start Farming

Recently, Mill Stream Grange members Jill Sampson, Lisa Goucher, and Paula Hanley visited teacher Melanie Hall’s kindergarten class at Mt. Vernon Elementary School to share information about the Grange and farming.  Each child was given a new book titled “Farming” by Gail Gibbons, a coloring book on farming, and animal stickers. Jill read “Farming” to the students, then Lisa and Paula helped each of them to plant sunflower seeds, which were placed on the windowsill in the sun.  

Mt Vernon Kinders had fun learning
Jill reads to future farmers.
Jill reads to future farmers
The farmers’ tools and future crops

Farming by Gail Gibbons is a popular nonfiction children’s book that uses clear, colorful illustrations and diagrams to explain the year-round work on a farm, from planting and harvesting crops to caring for animals and dealing with seasonal changes. An updated edition includes new safety equipment and procedures, making it an engaging and educational resource for young readers (ages 4-8) about agriculture, tractors, and where food comes from. It is available from Amazon.

What’s not to love about Jill’s apron? “Romaine Calm and Carrot On.”

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.

Mill Stream Grange Honors Vets

Grange Members with Flags
Mill Stream Grange members (l-r) Karen Locke, Kirsten Heck, Jill Sampson, Debbie Lavender, Allan Harville and Natalie Heck placed over 100 flags at three area cemeteries to honor Veterans, including several Revolutionary War soldiers.  Member Paul Lavender took the photo.

Natalie Heck contributes joyfully
Grangers serve

This is the sort of community service that brings Grangers together and demonstrates purpose. Congratulations and thanks to Mill Stream Grange #574!

Mill Stream Grange Officers

1st row: Lecturer Kirsten Heck, Treasurer Debbie Lavender, Overseer Allan Harville, Master Jill Sampson, Chaplain Judy Dunn, Lady Assistant Steward Barbara Gilman.
 
2nd row: Pianist Ellie Andrews, Assistant Steward Paul Lavender, Flora Paula Hanley, Steward  David Varney, Gatekeeper Ingrid Grenon, Pomona Bonnie Gilman, Ceres Lisa Goucher. Missing from photo, Secretary Laurie Cunningham.

Mill Stream Grange Happenings

Mill Stream Grange’s youngest and oldest members together on Grange Sunday, April 26 at the Mt. Vernon Baptist Church. On the left is Junior member Natalie Heck, age 11 (almost 12), and on the right is Beverly Wight Smith, 95 years.
Photo of Kirsten Heck and Jill Sampson
Kirsten Heck (l) of Mill Stream Grange experienced the Four Degrees at the recent Degree Day at Manchester Grange. Shown with her is Master Jill Sampson

Mill Stream Grange Makes Hearts

Our February 6th program was a Valentine card making party! Junior Granger and 2026 Miss Western Maine Jr. Teen Natalie shared some facts with us about the holiday before crafting cards as a group for the residents of Woodlands Senior Living in Farmington.

Big thanks to Girl Scout Troop #2096 for loaning their scissors, glue sticks, and markers!

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Mill Stream Juniors Recognized

National Award Received for Community Service Project

With great delight, Master Jill Sampson presented our Junior Grangers with a FIRST PLACE medal for their National Junior Grange Community Service Project entry, a “Coastal Cleanup” of Vienna’s own Mill Stream. The prize was announced at the Awards Night during the National Grange in November. Congratulations Juniors! We’re very proud of you!

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The Clauses Visit Mill Stream

Santa and Mrs. Claus visited Mill Stream Grange on Sat., Dec. 13, for a community children’s party. While there, Santa presented kids’ books to Caroline Heck, Girl Scout, and Junior Granger for her Little Free Library project located at the Grange. 

Mill Stream Serves Food Bank

“And you shall have some pie!”

Mill Stream Grange members (l-r) Jill Sampson, Rosie Baker, and Debbie Lavender presented the Grange’s annual Thanksgiving donation of cranberry sauce and makings for pumpkin pies to the Mt. Vernon area food bank on Saturday, November 15.