Trenton Grange Bean Suppah
Fraud Watch- Natural Disaster Scams
Following extreme weather events, dubious contractors and outright scammers descend on affected communities, offering quick, cheap fixes. They canvas neighborhoods in search of “work” that they may or may not even attempt to do—often, specifically targeting older homeowners.
Before any disaster, it’s a good idea to call your insurance company to clarify your coverage and ask any questions you might have. Investigate before hiring a contractor and check the vehicle of any contractor who arrives unsolicited for a business name, phone number, and their state contractor license number. You can also look businesses up on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and other consumer review sites to double check.
Not everyone who shows up after a storm is there to help you rebuild. Take your time, ask questions, and know that you are not alone.
Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.
Pesticide Disposal
Maine residents looking to get rid of pesticides can take advantage of the Obsolete Pesticide Collection Program, a joint initiative of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Board of Pesticides Control (BPC) and Maine Department of Environmental Protection. The program aims to safeguard Maine’s natural resources and prevent agricultural pollution by promoting the safe and proper disposal of outdated, unused or unwanted pesticides.
Homeowners and family-owned farms are encouraged to bring their unwanted pesticides to one of several collection sites around the state. Pesticides include herbicides, insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides, disinfectants and similar products used in agricultural production or around the home.
Programs typically take place once a year in October. Pre-registration is required and collections are held at four sites across the state in Portland, Augusta, Bangor and Presque Isle. Event dates, times and locations are subject to change; and only registered participants will be notified of this information upon acceptance into the program. Registrants may apply at any time but will typically be contacted about the program in August and September. The program only accepts pesticides and spray adjuvants – a list of more than 11,000 registered products can be accessed here. For more information about the program’s drop-off locations or instructions on how to register, visit BPC’s webpage
Resources for Seniors
The five Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) in Maine serve as “one-stop-shops” to answer questions from older adults, individuals with disabilities and their care partners about a wide range of in-home, community-based, and institutional services.
Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) are experts at answering questions about in-home care services and other types of long-term support. Maine’s five AAAs are also Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) that:
- provide information and assistance to individuals needing either public or private long-term care resources;
- serve professionals seeking assistance on behalf of their clients’ long-term care needs;
- serve individuals planning for their future long-term care needs;
- serve as the entry point to publicly-administered long-term supports including those funded under Medicaid, the Older Americans Act and state-funded programs.
Maine’s Aging & Disability Resource Centers (ADRC) are designed to serve all older adults, people with disabilities and their care partners who have long-term care community or program needs. To see which center serves your area, visit the Office of Aging and Disability Services’ website.
Communication Shorts 8-16-2025
By Walter Boomsma,
MSG Communications Director
207 343-1842
Communication Shorts are brief (short) but important items posted for your information and use. Please send us your ideas and thoughts!
August Bulletin
The August Bulletin is finished and will be mailed soon. Recent issues of the Bulletin can be found on the Program Books and Information Page in the communications section.
Having a Raffle?
Raffles (gambling) are heavily regulated, and licensing is required! That’s easy to forget when fundraising because Granges usually fall under some exceptions provided in Maine Law. One exception is raffles where the prizes are less than $2,500. A second exception involves “certain organizations,” including “an agricultural society.” It can get complicated, particularly if the raffle is conducted as an “internet raffle.” While we, MSG, will promote your raffle, we are not assuming responsibility for meeting these legal requirements.
- Title 17, Chapter 62, Section 1832 (“Games of Chance”)
- Title 17, Chapter 62, Section 1837 (specific to raffles)
Dates and Deadlines
Fall is coming. Some might say it’s already here. With the start of another Grange Fiscal Year, essential dates and deadlines abound! Just one example is that roster information is now due!
Annual Purge Begins
We’ve already started removing dated information from the website. This includes documents, posts, and photos. While some things are considered timeless, a general policy is to remove items that are more than two years old.
Think About This!
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”
William James
An Idea for Your Grange
We are currently drafting a resource and information page about establishing Little Free Libraries at Grange Halls. If you have one or are interested, please let us know!
Subscribe!
Remember, we don’t share your email address with anyone, and you get a weekly summary of what’s been posted. Subscribe here! Share that link with your members!
Online Directories Available 24-7
Thanks to those who help us keep these directories current by letting us know of changes!
- The Directory of Granges features all Granges in the state with a contact person. Please make sure your listing is correct! Visitors to the site consult these directories often.
- The ODD Directory features all state officers, directors, and deputies with contact information.
Mill Stream Juniors Cleanup!
Maine participates in the National Grange Junior 1+ Program. If your Subordinate Grange has Junior 1+ members, please advise Maine State Grange.
Exploring Traditions – August, 2025
Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life
By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist
Let’s Take a Class
If you’ve been following this column, you know that I’ve been “sort of” reading Charles Gardeners book Friend of the Farmer 1867-1947. I confess that it probably doesn’t qualify as a page turner, but it is a fascinating read.
In the past, I’ve raised a question about how we describe the action of new members and the degrees. Most of the current common language is quite passive. I often hear that new members should “take,” “get,” or “receive” the degrees. Of course, as a writer, I find that it feels incomplete and maybe an opportunity. Could the reader form a mental picture of a new member being handed something labeled “degrees” and then wondering where to put it and what to do with it. Wouldn’t that make a great editorial cartoon for a Grange publication? It might also lead to questions like, “Can I get the degrees online?”
That could lead to yet another discussion around the question of how engaged the candidates should be while “getting” the degrees. Are they available in the Grange Store? I can order my groceries online and pick them up without even getting out of the car. Is that possible with the Grange Degrees?
A few years ago, I made a plea for us to consider celebrating the degrees. They are worthy of celebration. But it seems that the founders (as is often the case) had an even more straightforward and accurate approach. According to Gardner’s book, they referred to the degrees as “classes.”
We could certainly discuss whether the lessons offered in the degrees are taught effectively when we “do” the ritual. One of the reasons for these columns and my resulting book is to increase the effectiveness of the lessons of the degrees. Studying those lessons can be revealing and thought-provoking.
We can also consider the impact of the Grange Heirlooms. Created by the National Grange from the degree work and other sources, these snippets offer bits of wisdom that are no less applicable than they were 150+ years ago. In today’s vocabulary, these might be thought of as “micro learning.” I don’t think it would hurt us if the Grange became known as an organization based on learning and discovery.
It’s an interesting distinction. What would happen if we stopped telling new members, “You should get the degrees?” How about instead, “Just wait until you learn the degrees?”
Yes, there will be a test. Life gives it.
***
The Kindle Edition of “Friend of the Farmer” is available from Amazon, currently priced at $2.99.
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://abbotvillagepress.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.
Communications Column – August 2025
By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director
How are you communicating?
A Grange “brother” recently reached out by email, and we had an interesting “conversation” with a series of back and forth. He admitted that he was not spending much time on Facebook as he was “tired of the rants and stuff and knowing that everything I wrote was data that Zuckerberg would sell.” We commiserated briefly.
Facebook is probably one of the least understood communication vehicles we have available. It, and social media in general, serve some useful purposes—one reason these platforms have been so readily adopted. Since this is about and for Grangers, I think it raises some important questions.
In my not-scientific study, most Grangers I know who use social media do so to “stay in touch with family.” I might fall into this category. I try to ignore the “rants and stuff,” including the many ads, sponsored posts, and outright scam attempts. Given my role as MSG Communications Director and naturally curious nature, I wonder how many Grangers have social media accounts. Again, it’s not very scientific, but I know that most of Valley Grange’s members do not have a Facebook account. We (Valley Grange) do have a Facebook Page, but we do not rely on it to communicate. If we only communicated on Facebook, most of our members would be ignored.
My marketing mind would love objective demographic data, What percentage of Grangers are active on social media? A broader question would be, “What percentage of people likely to become members are active on social media?”
Given the rapid advances in technology, the data would almost immediately become somewhat obsolete. Nearly two years ago, Instagram introduced a feature called “threads” that allows users to create text-based conversations. This could make your eyes glaze over because Meta owns both Instagram and Facebook. Let’s not go there.
One important aspect of social media is that the platform tries to figure out your interests and decides what you should see. Equally important, you are the product, not the beneficiary. As my Grange brother noted, Zuckerberg is selling that data to advertisers and, more recently, using it in the runaway development of AI (artificial intelligence).
This is not an attack on social media. It is an attempt to encourage perspective among Granges and Grangers. I know posting events and information on Facebook is easy, and doing so can create a sense of accomplishment. But what have you truly accomplished?
Once a year, I “audit” any Facebook Pages or Groups I’m aware of or stumble upon. You might be surprised at how many of those are for Granges that no longer exist. You might also be surprised that, for some, where the Granges still exist, nothing has been posted for a year or two. The only action I can take is to eliminate any reference to the defunct page on the MSG Website. (I will advise the Grange involved.) I also occasionally discover inappropriate posts on individual pages and groups.
We could, and probably should, revisit the Grange’s social media policy. But for now, let’s get thinking about how we are communicating with members and potential members.
An important reality is that it is relatively easy to move information from the MSG Website to Social Media. Moving in the other direction is almost impossible. (And, remember, Facebook decides whether or not I get to see the information you have posted.) There are several methods for submitting your news and information to the site. More about that later. Once we have it on the site, you can share it on Facebook with a couple of mouse clicks.
A secondary reality is that when you submit events and news to the website, we offer a degree of quality control. I recently stumbled on a Grange Facebook post full of spelling and grammatical errors, not exactly an example of putting our best foot forward. Perhaps even more importantly, we check for missing information. In fact, if you submit using the website itself, you fill out a form that asks for the specific details. If time permits, I will also assist with flyers, etc. We’re Grangers. We help each other!
Enjoy social media, just keep it in perspective. When you’re planning an event (or have had one and want to share the news) make sure someone is assigned the task of submitting them to your MSG website!
► FACT: The Communications Department of one has a goal that email and voice mail will be replied to within 24-48 hours.
Membership Moments – August 2025
By Rick Grotton,
Membership Committee Director
207 582-5915
There are many active Granges doing many events, which are well-advertised and appealing to the public. What a great way to attract new members. I know of a few that have done so successfully. This is probably the easiest way to attract new members. Keep in mind that any public or community event is also a membership drive, not just a fundraising event. Take advantage of this opportunity.
When speaking to interested parties, be prepared to answer their questions. Subjects in which they are interested include the following:
- The history of the Grange.
- What is the Grange?
- What does the Grange do?
- Rituals and traditions.
- What has the Grange done to affect our lives now and in the past?
- Is the Grange just for farmers?
- Is it family-friendly?
- Meeting times and dues.
- Why did you join?
- Benefits (insurance, discounts (for example car rentals)
If you are unsure of the answer of any of these questions, we have literature that explains and covers these areas. Give them contact names and numbers, and make sure they are not confused when you end your conversation. The Grange is a great organization and an opportunity to change one’s life for the better. There are many people out there who are waiting for you to ask or invite them to become a member. Do your best to encourage them into membership. Open up a new world for them; one of knowledge, history, and helping fellow community members. Make this world a better place in your little corner of it. Get out there and recruit!
Fraud Watch- Pause, Reflect, Protect
Keeping up with the latest scams and all the red flags that warn us of each one is exhausting. Scams constantly evolve, and each comes with its own red flags to remember. But some warning signs apply to a wide range of scams, and recognizing them can help you to react safely.
Most scams come at us with three elements: unexpected contact, a surge of emotion, and a sense of urgency. Together, these elements form a “trigger” for a safe response. Many of us learned as children that if our clothing caught fire (the trigger), our response should be to “stop, drop, and roll.” The safe response for scams is to take an “active pause.” The active pause is a deliberate act that allows us to move away from an emotional response and engage with logic.
With the active pause, we can reflect on what we might know about the situation confronting us. Is this something I have heard about before? Does the scenario make sense? Is there some way I can verify the communication? In the end, the active pause can help us recognize the scam and protect our money and sensitive information.
Know the triggers, know the response: Pause. Reflect. Protect.
Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.