Community Service/FHH – May 2025

By Brenda Dyer, MSG Community Service/FHH Director
(207) 608-9193

This is the time of year to start gathering items to display at the local fair. What a great way to show the community what the Grange does. This could lead to canning classes, craft sessions, quilting, plant and gardening care, woodworking, art and photography, soil types, bugs and their contributions to agriculture, and education in general. The projects can be simple or challenging, and the list is endless. The MAAF (Maine Agricultural Association of Fairs) theme this year is “Be A Farmer.” You do not have to use this as your Grange exhibit theme, but you may.

I would like feedback on what Community Service means to your Grange, members and non-members. Please respond by June 30, 2025, to:

Brenda Dyer
MSG Community Service Director
9 Marial Ave
Biddeford, ME 04005

Continue to work on reports and enjoy spring!

Family Health & Hearing

May is Mental Awareness Month. Do something for yourself. Read a book, listen to music, go to the beach, watch a movie, take a walk, go bowling, go to the garden, do a puzzle, etc., which are a few suggestions for having time for YOU. Also, checking on neighbors, volunteering, visiting family and/or friends, etc., can be mentally motivating to others’ mental health.

CWA Report – May 2025

By Margaret Henderson, Director
Committee on Women’s Activities
207 948-2762

Committee on Women’s Activities

I am so thankful for all of the ladies who are on the C.W.A. Committee.

We got together and had a planning meeting and chose what the entries for the baking, sewing, wooden craft, and decorated items would be. This was a very informative and productive meeting. The new booklets will be available at the conference in August.

I hope there will be donations coming in for House in the Woods, Home for Little Wanderers, and Prize money that will be given to the winners of the contests in August.

Looking forward to seeing you at the yard sale on June 7, 2025, and the CWA Conference on August 23, 2025.

Membership Moments – May 2025

By Rick Grotton,
Membership Committee Director
207 582-5915

I attended the recent Degree Day in Augusta in which 24 new members saw the first four degrees. A big thanks to the members of Androscoggin Pomona for organizing this yearly event. It was great to meet new Grangers and to see present Grange friends from all over the State of Maine. Congratulations to the new members. Hopefully, those who didn’t get a chance to see the degrees this year will attend the next one. There are still many obligated members who should be learning the lessons of the Grange first-hand. In the meantime, keep attracting those new members! 

June is coming, and with that month comes, yes, elections! Elections, believe it or not, are very important for the progress of your Grange. Please consider your new membership when electing officers (if they are interested) to keep them involved. Teach them the floorwork; we all could use a refresher course from time to time. Keep your Grange meetings running smoothly and listen to all ideas, especially from your new members. They do have their reasons for joining. 

Forming committees is also important to the well-being of your Grange. Too many times, there are no reports given on the selected committees or no active committees to report. A membership committee is recommended in each Grange. The membership committee can be a select few or the whole of your current membership. Please report on this committee at each meeting. Some discussions about membership planning and ideas should be shared at all meetings.  

Kudos to all Granges who have a full calendar of events this year. I wish them the best in their accomplishments, and may they continue to prosper and grow!  

Historic Moment at Jonesboro Grange

by Rebekah Hodgson

For the first time in history, Jonesboro Grange has water inside the building from their OWN water source!

Jonesboro Grange President, John Cox Jr., can be seen in the red checkered plaid looking over the project.

“Back in the 1960s, Jonesboro Grange shared a water source with the town office. Construction on the Route 1 road severed that water line, and since the 60’s, the Grange has been without a water source. This is a historic moment to have our own well, which we did a lot of fundraising for, to be hooked up to our building. Everything we do is for the people, they are the reason we are where we are in 2025.” – John Cox Jr.

From the doors almost closing for good in 2019 to a new metal roof, new windows, and a well with water IN the building, along with many other improvements in 2025, this moment is treasured by many.

Members, volunteers, and the community have rallied to raise funds, along with receiving funds from welcoming members from a neighboring Grange that unfortunately closed. There have been many high and low moments leading up to this moment with early mornings, late nights, brainstorming, stressful moments, waiting, fundraising, sacrifices, joy, and literal blood, sweat and tears have brought us here.

Thank you to Shannon Drilling Waterwells and J & J Construction for making this happen!

Congratulations to Jonesboro Grange and the community on this momentous event!

Photos courtesy of Jim Cox of J & J Construction.

Degree Day Celebration April 2025

Several dozen candidates completed the Four Degrees at MSG Headquarters. Candidates came from Vassalboro, Union Harvest, Manchester, Androscoggin, Victor, Danville Junction, Lamoine, Winthrop, and Huntoon Hill Granges. In addition, Excelsior, Hollis, Chelsea, Willow, East Madison, Valley, Alexander and Halcyon Granges were represented, more than doubling the total attendance!

Lots of new members! As you might suspect, the altar circle was a challenge! Welcome to our Order!
Photo by David Colby Young.
Serving as Degree Masters were Bridget McKeen, Roberta Meserve, and Lynne Pomerleau.
Photo by David Colby Young.

The day was organized by Maynard Chapman and members of Androscoggin Pomona with assistance from other Granges around the state. It was great to see so many Grangers in one place–and many young faces. Thanks go to the many people who made this day possible.

Harvest Marchers are ready to go!
Photo by David Colby Young.

Special thanks go to Norma Meserve and Steve Verrill for their assistance gathering information for this post!

Happy Day!

Danville Junction Grange Yard Sale

May 17, 2025 – 9 a.m until 1 p.m.

woman in white dress shirt carrying paper bags
Photo by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels.com

Danville Jct. Grange, 15 Grange Street.(off rt. 202/100) in Danville will hold an indoor/outdoor yard sale on Saturday, May 17, 2025 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be something for everyone. Baked goods, chili, Harvard beets, and beans to go. A raffle and 50/50. Attic treasures, RADA cutlery, books, puzzles, plants, and much more! Tables for rent, $20 each, please contact Maynard at 312-5591 Hope to see you there!

Fraud Watch- Fake Checks

MSG Communications Resources Logo
Reprinted with permission from AARP’s Fraud Watch Network.

Checks might seem like something from the past, but scammers often use fake checks in their crimes so they can exploit the time it takes for them to bounce. During that waiting period, scammers will ask you to act on those funds. But once the check bounces, any amount you acted on is gone. This tactic shows up in several scam types from fake job and work-from-home scams (the fake check is to purchase equipment from the “employer” or for you to wire or otherwise send funds to “vendors”), to a seemingly innocent overpayment you received where you’re asked to send part of the money back.

It’s important to know that, just because the check looks like it cleared, it doesn’t mean it has – it can take time for a bank to validate a check, but the federal rules are to make the amount available, usually within 24-48 hours. Use caution when accepting a check: ensure it is validated by your bank and reject seeming overpayments where you’re asked to pay back the overage to the sender.

Be a fraud fighter! If you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam.

More Topic Resources

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.

AARP Fraud Watch Network

Need a scam prevention speaker for your group? Click the link to fill out the AARP online form or email me@aarp.org.

Grange Heirloom — May 2025

Grange Heirlooms are snippets from the lessons of the Grange as taught in the Rituals and Declaration of Purposes.

Use the icons below to share this Grange Heirloom on social media and help others understand what the Grange stands for! If this heirloom has a particular meaning for you, click the “leave a comment” link at the left and share your comment with us!

For additional information and resources regarding the Heirloom Program, visit the Heirloom Resource Page on the Maine State Grange Website.

More Scam Emails

Here we go again! Please, when you receive an email, be a bit suspicious! Because you are, I’m receiving emails questioning whether or not emails that appear to be from President Sherry are legitimate. They are not!

The short version is that a scammer has figured out how to make it look like the email is from Sherry. One recent version is a two-step process where it looks like she is asking for help. When you reply (which you shouldn’t–all that does is confirm your address is correct and you may take the bait), you are asked to purchase gift cards.

I have blurred information identifying the recipient.

This is happening in many organizations, not just the Grange. One reason we are publishing the weekly Fraud Watch is that scammers are getting better at what they do! Whenever you receive an email that involves gift cards, urgency (so you don’t stop to think) and confidentiality (so you don’t ask somebody) the odds are extremely high it’s a scam! This one is extra sneaky because the first email arouses curiosity. If you take the bait and reply, the next email won’t show the sender’s real email address.

If you receive a suspicious email, the best thing to do is ignore it. If you’re concerned, contact the alleged sender (in this case, Sherry) either by using her legitimate address or by telephone.

Other than these warnings, there is nothing I, the website, or Maine State Grange can do to prevent or stop this. It’s the price we pay for the convenience of technology.

Stay smart and suspicious!