Degree Days and Major Events
- October 30-31, 2026, Maine State Grange Annual Meeting in Orono.
The Maine State Grange Office is located at 36 Anthony Avenue, Suite 102, Augusta, ME 04330. The email address is mainestategrange@gmail.com.
Communication Shorts 06-15-2026
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!
The Maine State Grange Office is located at 36 Anthony Avenue, Suite 102, Augusta, ME 04330.
mainestategrange@gmail.com. For website matters, email webmaster@mainestategrange.org.
June Bulletin
The June Bulletin is available for download and distribution. Recent issues of the Bulletin are available on the Program Books and Information Page in the communications section.
Valley Grange Resolution
Valley Grange is planning to submit a Resolution Supporting Consistency Between Citizen Initiative Petitions and Ballot Questions. If other Granges would like to consider supporting it, a copy is available on the Valley Grange Website. Remember, resolutions are due August 1, 2026.
Fair Season
It’s fair season! For more information about Maine’s Agricultural Fairs, visit the association’s website.
Monroe Grange Store
FYI: The Monroe Grange Store recently announced that it has been advised by National Grange that, effective August 26, 2026, the Uses License will not be renewed. This means Monroe Classic will no longer be able to operate a Grange Store or sell products containing the Grange name or logo.
What’s Going On?
Don’t forget to submit your special events and programs for our event calendar! We want people to know the Grange is thriving! Surely, there are lots of things happening in Maine, especially in the summer. We also love photos and reports of events that have happened. What’s your meeting magic?
To Ponder…
You can’t go into a bank with a mask on and expect to be treated as a valued customer.
Seth Godin
An Idea for Your Grange
We recently published contact information for a Speaker’s Bureau on the topic of elder abuse. Speakers’ bureaus and other civic organizations in your area are often sources of good programs. Many have a broad appeal and can help develop the public’s interest in your Grange.
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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 and Grange friends!
Online Directories Available 24-7 ROSTER REMINDER
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 frequently consult these directories.
- The ODD Directory features all state officers, directors, and deputies, along with their contact information. Updated January 16, 2026.
This Granger is Tri-ing
Granger Vicki Huff Takes on Challenge
Vicki Huff, Master of Hollis Grange, is participating for the first time in the annual Tri for a Cure Triathlon, in a commitment to her own health and recovery. Vicki explains her motivation in this short video.
Maine Cancer Foundation (MCF) leads this statewide effort to reduce the impact of cancer in Maine, investing in the most promising and effective programs that:
- Improve access to care for all Maine people;
- Advance cancer prevention
- Increase screening and early detection
The triathlon consists of three parts. Vicki has teamed up with her sister Veronica. Veronica will handle the swimming and biking portions, while Vicki handles the walking and running portions. The name of their team is VForce.
This year’s event happens on Sunday, July 12, 2026. Tri for a Cure has become the largest triathlon in the state of Maine, providing a gorgeous race course along the shores of Cape Elizabeth and South Portland.
“The Tri” certainly has many impacts on everyone who is somehow touched by it. We asked Vicki to comment on how the Grange might be affected and how the Grange might have an effect.
The Triathlon has a great fundraising approach with several components. First, participants are required to raise a minimum of $500 each to be eligible. The Maine Cancer Foundation (MCF) recruits sponsors for the event itself, so all of the money raised goes directly to the cause.
While the VForce Team has raised the minimum. Additional donations are certainly in order! Use the link below to show your support. 100% of funds raised stay in Maine to support cancer prevention, screening, and improved patient outcomes. The money you help us raise will make a difference in the lives of your neighbors and communities around Maine. Now, more than ever, cancer patients need our help!
Membership Moments, June 2026
By Rick Grotton,
Membership Committee Director
207 582-5915
There was a previous column where the Grange was compared to a four-story building. The Subordinate or Community Granges were on the bottom floor, followed by Pomona, State, and National Granges. However, there are many cracks in our foundation, which have a name: Membership. If our membership problems are not resolved soon, the foundation will give way to a big collapse. Granges that don’t improve their membership collapse first, and as your membership dwindles, there are no replacements.
Our Youth and Junior Granges are nonexistent, with scattered pockets of younger members around the state. How do we survive without this foundation? Who will replace us if we cannot continue or pass away? It is a scary thought, but in reality, it is true. We have no organized leadership among our younger members. Even within our total membership, not many want to lead, and there are “social Granges” that do not follow the rituals and traditions of the Grange. Those granges will, and have, dampened our reputation. They hide behind the Grange name with no respect. When they lose their meeting places, they will be the first to wonder what happened.
We all need to “repair” those gasping cracks in our foundation before it’s too late. Many Granges cannot meet since they cannot make their seven-member quorums. We need a state-wide revolution to work together and beef up our future before we don’t have one. Scared? Yes, I am scared, and you should be, too. I understand that it is difficult, but we need to try harder. Are you with me?
Exploring Traditions – June, 2026
Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life
By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist
From the First Degree
During our recent Degree Day, someone commented that they wished more people could hear the words from the Degree Work. We continue to share them.
In the First Degree, the Overseer explains to the candidates:
“I exhibit to you now a memorandum book, a knife, and a pencil. Note down the new and useful ideas that come to you that they be not lost; for new ideas are the material with which progress is made. The knife is used to prune a straggling branch, to cut off the nests of insects, or to cut a plant whose nature you may wish to study. In your intercourse with your fellow beings, correct an error kindly and with the smooth edge of affection, and do not bruise a wound you wish to heal.”
The ongoing references to agriculture and farming may be obvious to most. And, while these visual aids may seem a bit dated, they remain appropriate. “Record new and useful ideas in your smartphone…”When I am filling the Overseer’s role, I often take the liberty of changing the word “intercourse” to “dealings” and repeating the last sentence with emphasis. “In your dealings with your fellow beings, correct an error kindly and with the smooth edge of affection, and do not bruise a wound you wish to heal.” It’s powerful advice. Read it again. “In your dealings with your fellow beings, correct an error kindly and with the smooth edge of affection, and do not bruise a wound you wish to heal.”
Of course, it’s not limited to correcting errors. Patrons of Husbandry should be known for treating others kindly. In simple form, it means to be gentle and considerate. While shopping recently, I was passing a woman riding one of those electric shopping carts. She dropped a credit card, and I said, “I’ll get that for you,” and did. A child caught up to us. After thanking me, the shopper (Grandma?) said to the child, “He helped me. You’re supposed to be helping me.”
Read that last sentence from the Overseer again. “Do not bruise a wound you wish to heal.” Grandma’s response wasn’t especially mean, but did she “bruise the wound she wished to heal?”
As it happened, I had noticed the child a few seconds earlier, stretched on tiptoe, trying to reach something on a high shelf for someone else in their shopping party. I redirected Grandma’s directions. “I almost stopped to help you get that item on the top shelf but you did it yourself.” I was tempted to add, “Being kind and helpful isn’t always easy, but it’s always good.”
By the way, before the Degree Police come after me, I think it’s okay to occasionally expand or emphasize aspects of the teachings of the Ritual. Yes, there are some hazards, and I’m not suggesting long editorial comments. In this example, I’m suggesting deliberately repeating one sentence. We need to guard against robotic repetition of the written words. Remember, the Degrees are ultimately about learning.
In the same conversation with the candidates, the Overseer concludes, “In this Degree—your Spring season in our Order—begin anew the acquisition of knowledge.”
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://wboomsma.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.
Communications Column – June 2026
By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director
Summertime Communications and Thinking
That it’s summertime affects communication in both positive and negative ways. longer days and vacations promote casual, authentic connections, extreme heat often reduces language complexity and lowers frustration tolerance, which can quickly lead to irritability and conflict. As is often the case, we have some “good news, bad news.”
Summer may encourage a shift from rigid, formal routines and habits. In non-professional (work) environments, productivity may decrease as people are inclined to take extended breaks or at least become more focused on time off. It’s simply more challenging to get things done, particularly where collaboration is necessary. Just scheduling meetings can become challenging.
On a personal level, communication may become more relaxed and personal. I admit that I’d much rather be writing about my fall travel plans than work topics or Grange business.
A secondary point is how the environment influences communication. When I was working in organizational design and development, one CEO required executives to keep a pair of fuzzy bunny slippers and pajamas at the office. The dress code for many meetings required wearing them. He suggested, “It’ll be difficult to take ourselves too seriously if we’re all dressed like that.” He thought it would help them take the agenda seriously. He wasn’t as crazy as he sounded at first.
The summer weather is certainly part of the environment. Studies show that prolonged exposure to heat and dehydration causes physical discomfort, which lowers frustration thresholds and increases the likelihood of anger or miscommunication. Bear that in mind when you’re meeting on the second floor of your unairconditioned Grange hall.
Maybe we should move the meeting to a picnic table at the local ice cream stand. A change of environment not only improves communication, but it also changes thinking and experience. Perhaps instead of fixing the broken pencil sharpener, we might ignore it and look for a different way to sharpen a pencil
Don’t be threatened by the idea of questioning assumptions, breaking conventions, and exploring unconventional perspectives to solve problems. While the fraternal and ritualistic aspects of our Order have huge, almost immeasurable value, even the founders saw the value of breaking out of traditional thought patterns. If we look at the major accomplishments of the early Grange, they reflect creative thinking for their time. If we remember the lessons of the first four degrees, they align with the seasons. The common thread is change and growth. The farmer’s life adapts to the seasons.
Our thinking, communication, and activity are deeply intertwined. We can’t always control the change of environment (whether it’s the season or something else). Someone wisely said, “The best thing to do when it rains is to let it.” By being aware of the changes happening around us, we can make life more interesting and enjoyable.
FACT: In the past twelve months, there have been over 20,000 views of the MSG Website.
From the Deacon’s Bench
By Clay Collins, Guest Columnist
207 837-0564
And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them , because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. The he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few, therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
John 14:15-17
June is here in all its glory, bringing with it new life and very warm weather. I hope you have the right cup while you enjoy the fine weather we are having.
I heard a story once about a man who was driving through a quiet neighborhood when he came upon some children selling Kool-Aid for 25 cents a cup. He stopped to buy a cup. He gave them a dollar, and they gave him back his change with his cup of Kool-Aid.
The child stood there in front of him while he drank his Kool-Aid. The man was asked if he wanted another drink, and when he said no, the child asked the man for the cup back, for that was the only cup they had, and it was needed for them to continue in business.
It is difficult to operate a Kool-Aid business with only one cup. Are you running your lives with only one cup, attending church services once a week, and thinking that is all it takes to be a good Christian? Just go to church on Sunday, and that is all that it takes.
We need more cups to do God’s work every day.
Until the next time, remember, “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.”
Benediction: Gracious Father, help us to remember that it takes more than one cup to do your work. Amen.
Thought for the month:
“May you live as long as you want. And never want as long as you live!” [Irish Blessing]
While Chaplain Christine is burdened with technology challenges, she has invited Past MSG Chaplain Clay to share some spiritual thoughts with our Grange Flock.
Grange Today! 6-12-2026
Articles in this edition include:
- Grange saves community-favorite Maple Syrup Festival
- Fruitland Grange hosts Tea Party fundraiser
- Grange Heirloom for June
- Welcome to our Intern Team!
- Spotlight: National Grange intern receives Public Service Award
- Opinion: America’s Growing Energy Challenge Demands an All-of-the-Above Strategy
- Celebrate 160 in Broken Arrow
- Tell the Grange Story
- Celebrate America250 with the Grange
- Hamp Watch: Where is our National Grange President?
- Recipes from the Heartland
- Grange Member Benefit: Harvest Hosts
- Grange Store: Veteran Recognition Pin
Click the button below to read and/or subscribe to Grange Today!
Note that all recent issues are available on the National Grange Website. To save server space, we only post the table of contents on the MSG Website.
Fraud Watch- Amazon Imposter Scams
Criminals often impersonate major brands with large audiences—and Amazon is one of them.
In two newer tactics, scammers send text messages claiming a recent order was recalled, with a link to a fake Amazon website designed to steal account information. Or you get an email saying your Amazon Prime subscription is renewing at an unusually high price, prompting you to click a “cancel subscription” button that leads to a fake sign-in page.
If you have an Amazon account and get a communication seemingly from Amazon, sign into your account with the Amazon app or online at Amazon.com to see if there is a problem. You can report suspicious messages at amazon.com/reportascam or by emailing reportascam@amazon.com.
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.
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View from the Farm – June, 2026
Webmaster’s note: The format of this column includes all of the Quill’s Endians participating at various times and in various ways! Phil writes this month’s column.
A Living Diet
In the first couple of weeks on pasture, the cows’ milk flow increases. The composition of the milk changes along with the volume, and the cream takes on a golden yellow from the pasture.
The flavor also changes. A living diet replaces the stored forage of winter, and every grass and legume is cropped by the cows for immediate use. The whole process changes the microbes in the rumen, the first chamber of four that make up the incredible digestive system of ruminants. The cellulose content of rooted, growing pasture encourages bacteria that can handle higher protein and energy foods. This more digestible food increases the volume of milk, as the cow’s energy needs are more than met.
The cream’s change of color to yellow is breed specific. Jerseys and Guernseys tend to put the most color into their milk from excess beta carotene in their diets and an inability to fully process it.
We have the now unusual opportunity to watch the change in real time. When rotating stock in the farm store, there is always amusement as this week’s cheeses and yogurts are set behind last weeks. One could almost date them by color.
The butter made in late May and into June is a hoot. The color intensifies with every step and yields a deep yellow color and smooth texture that always return us to this time of year when consumed in the winter.
With plenty of milk comes plenty of cream, so butter making, not on the schedule for months, now enters our minds for rainy days. If you’ve made butter, you know the satisfaction of watching the impossible change from liquid to solid. If you’ve not made butter, well, you should. It is a magic show in the kitchen.
Heather and Phil Retberg and their three children run Quill’s End Farm, a 105-acre property in Penobscot that they bought in 2004. They use rotational grazing on their fifteen open acres and are renovating thirty more acres from woods to pasture to increase grazing for their pigs, grass-fed cattle, lambs, laying hens, and goats. Quill’s Endians are members of Halcyon Grange and publish a newsletter for their farm’s buying club of farmers in the area, and generously permit us to share some of their columns with Grangers. Visit the Quill’s End Farm Facebook Page for more information.
Farmers’ Markets in Maine
In any given week, there are more than a hundred farmers’ markets across the state offering fresh fruits, vegetables and meats directly from the farm. The Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets (MFFM) is a statewide organization that helps sustain Maine farms, connects farmers to markets and widens access to locally grown food for Maine residents and tourists alike.
The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry took initial steps to organize a farmers’ market association beginning in the late 1980s. In the spring of 1991, farmers’ market members from a number of key markets pulled together and officially organized MFFM.
Today, the organization keeps a listing of these fresh and nutritious happenings on their website. Some of the larger markets opened in May, but all will be operating in earnest next month as early crops begin to mature. Some of the markets on MFFM’s site also accept SNAP and WIC benefits. To see the complete list of farmers’ markets across the state as well as those that accept SNAP and WIC, visit the Federation’s website.