Sherry Harriman,
Maine State Grange Master/President
207 490-1029

President’s Perspective

By Sherry Harriman, MSG Master and President

During Grange Month, I held a State Officers meeting & ice cream social (extra incentive) and met separately with Deputies & Committee Chairs, yes, they had ice cream too.  Thanks to Judy Meserve for making yummy homemade hot fudge sauce and homemade peanut butter sauce for our officers’ and directors’ meetings. Also, thank you, Roberta, for helping with the cleanup both days.

Attendees were assigned homework before they arrived then we discussed it at the meeting. Responses were quite varied, which I was hoping for, and the discussions were productive. Thank you, everyone, for attending and participating. I appreciate your input.  We met in two separate groups because we can only seat about 20 attendees at each meeting in our new office.

I gave each of them six questions to answer/think about on their own, related to the State level and the Subordinate level.

1. Write down at least 2 (two) suggestions to improve the Grange. Or something you would like to see in the Grange. What should/could the Grange be doing? (Any subject – any level – constructive, not snide or nasty.)
2. Write down at least 1 (one) positive thing your Grange has done or accomplished.
3. Write down at least 1 (one) reply. What is the purpose of your Grange?
4. Write down at least 2 (two) replies. Why do you belong to / attend Grange?
5. Are you an Officer or Committee person? Which one(s)? Give a general description of your duties, or what should they be? If you are neither, pick one and describe what you feel should be the duties.
6. We would like to create a Maine State Grange Mission Statement. Any thoughts or suggestions?

We also discussed Granges who are NOT following proper procedures and ongoing personal conflicts among our members. Both are still very concerning. How do we resolve these issues? What solutions can we utilize? Will it make a difference? Will the right person(s) hear, accept, and adhere to the rules and rulings? I have been reviewing the Grange Manual, State Bylaws, and National Grange Digest of Laws to identify specific sections that define my options and authority as State Master/President. Additionally, and just as importantly, what are the Subordinate/Community Masters/Presidents options and authority? All had pertinent information. I even consulted Robert’s Rules of Order® and found several pieces of advice to deal with disruptions in the meeting.

In the Obligation of the Grange at all levels, we are reminded of our duties to the Order and each other. “…I will not knowingly wrong or defraud a Brother or Sister of the Order or allow it to be done by another if within my power to prevent it. I will endeavor to be a true and faithful Patron of Husbandry, perform the duties enjoined in this Order, and aid others in the performance of the same. Should I knowingly or willfully violate this pledge, I will invoke upon myself suspension or expulsion from the Order.”

Applications & Balloting for Candidates for membership MUST ONLY be done at a regular meeting open in full form with a seven (7) member quorum present. The vote cannot be taken with fewer than seven members from that Grange. The Executive Committee cannot declare the persons to be members.  Balloting is done by standard ballot box using balls and cubes, balls elect & cubes reject. 

State Grange Session is again at the Black Bear Inn in Orono – October 30 & 31, with a very similar schedule as last year except it is not a full election year. The setup will be on Thursday, October 29. Reservations can be made with the front desk  207-962-2708 mention State Grange.  Most of those participating were in agreement to return here again, and liked having everything in one place. First reminder: resolutions for the 2026 State Grange Session are due in the office by August 15, standard mail and/or email.

The facility and other date conflicts directly effects which date(s) we choose for our meeting. In our Maine State Bylaws – “ARTICLE III – MEETINGS  Section 1. This Grange shall hold its annual meeting on any consecutive Thursday, Friday and Saturday in October.  These meetings shall be scheduled at least 12 twelve months in advance.”  You may not remember but, many, many years ago the State Grange session was held the last full weekend of October, oftentimes that included Halloween. When we started going to Skowhegan, we were asked after a couple of years if we could move it to the weekend before Halloween so the Community Center could have other activities and events for Halloween. So we changed our dates to accommodate them. When we moved to Auburn, we adjusted our dates to their schedule. When we changed again to Bangor, we selected appropriate dates to meet our needs and we found out that was homecoming weekend, so we changed our date to accommodate any conflict for the hotel, this put us even earlier in the month. This year I checked the UMO football schedule and found the dates they would not be playing at home. One weekend was very early in the month, the other was the last weekend. I chose the latter.

WINNING WAYS

• Positive Attitude:  Liking what you do and showing it and being willing to try new things, keeps the job fun and interesting. Learn to be enthusiastic. Successful people are the type of person that has learned to persevere. 
• Performance:  Consistently producing and encouraging top quality work. Pay attention to details and the little things. It says that you care about what you do, have pride in your work, and care about those around you.
• Supporting your Grange:  Make your Grange a vital part of your community. Let people know that not only have they been heard, but their words have inspired action and remember to support their projects.
• Strategies:  Knowing where you want to go and develop your plan to get there. Courtesy and speed are two attributes of a good role model.
• Dependability:  Meeting deadlines, following through on projects, being on time. Learn how to find the answer and show that you can be depended on to get the answer.
• Team Playing: Work as part of a team. Learn to get along with people above, below and alongside you –Working with them as a team will accomplish a lot more than each group working on their own agenda. participating in Grange projects, cooperating with others, expecting the best, and then helping them achieve it.  Learn to acknowledge the help you get — That’s the only way you’ll get it.
• Self Development:  Set realistic goals to achieve the level of expertise you want to reach by obtaining your own training, and developing special skills.
• Visibility:  Get your members achievements and projects noticed, volunteering for special projects. Take on projects that promote a positive image, but be careful not to ignore the necessary, but less glamorous tasks. 
• Political Skills:  Knowing and responding to what’s going on around you. Learn to be familiar with organization policies, know what are permitted activities and the procedures for undertaking new projects. 
• Appearance:  Showing neatness and taste, looking the part. Learn that your and your Granges appearance does count.

                                                              Reprinted in part from National Grange Team Speak