Patrons of Husbandry – a website dedicated to the Granges located in Maine
Saturday, October 11, 2025, 9 am-2 pm
Featuring fresh baked goods, coffee, mulled cider, homemade jelly, jam, fudge, and canned goods. Lunch will be available: soup with biscuit, hot dogs, nd drinks. For information regarding table rentals, call 207 372-6424.
There will also be a public supper at 5 pm.
St George Grange is located at 32 Wiley’s Corner Road in St George, Maine.
Drive through, Roasted Turkey Dinner
Saturday, October 11, 2025, from 4-6 pm
There will be roasted turkey, vegetables, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, bread, cranberry sauce, and cake. The cost is $10.00 per person. Please have the exact price for the meal(s) you want. No substitutions, no pre-orders, you drive up, pay, and receive your meal.
The Grange is located on the corner of Route 302 and Hardy Road in Westbrook.
FMI Joann 207 233 7119
This is a sample of our newsletter. You can subscribe here.
Our October Meeting has been rescheduled to October 10, 2025, due to a conflict with the MSG Convention. Potluck at 6 pm, meeting at 7 pm. Grange Bees are Mary and Jim. Walter & Janice were elected delegates to the State Convention in Orono.
A highlight of our September Meeting was the jars of PB & J that appeared as people arrived! We’ve delivered these to Bangor Savings Bank for their annual drive. You can also donate directly to any Branch before 9/30.
Members approved the purchase of dictionaries for this year’s program. We’ll be scheduling presentations and deliveries starting in mid-October. We need team members for these–it’s mostly a matter of carrying things and then helping the kids find words in their new dictionaries. Stay tuned for the schedule and consider lending a hand! Presentations are only about 45 minutes and will be held in Brownville, Dexter, Dover-Foxcroft, Guilford, and Harmony. We’re checking with Athens and the Amish School in Corinth.
We deliver hats and mittens in conjunction with Dictionary Presentations. If you have completed items, we’d appreciate receiving them by October 15, although we collect year-round. Contact any member to arrange delivery! Thanks! Keep those kneedles clicking!
Walter continues to help the Abbot Historical Society with gravestone cleaning. We have a couple of weeks left this year… Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the old village cemetery across from the Town Hall is where and when. It’s easy and fun! Supplies and instruction are included.
Mary Annis is selling raffle tickets to benefit the DUV. She will humbly admit she made the first prize Afghan.
Pat and Steve will be doing some traveling soon… we wish them a safe trip to Texas and will miss them. When they return, Pat will be busy getting ready for Craft Fairs.
The Guilford Register Magazine September Issue featured an article by Walter, “Sticker! Sticker!” It’s about some kids at an Amish Farmstand in Corinth. The October Issue will include a story about the Dover Foxcroft Kiwanis Auction.
South Sangerville Grange is holding a Bean Hole Bean Supper on October 25, 2025, from 4:30 to 6:00 pm. More information is available here.
Remember, Valley Grange is happy to publicize your event, but we have to know about it! Submit it to the MSG Website and it’ll get state-wide publicity!
(Click names to send email.)
Jim Annis, Master/President – 207 564-0820 (home)
Mary Annis, Secretary – 207 564-0820 (home)
Walter Boomsma, Program Director/Treasurer – 207 343-1842 (cell)
Janice Boomsma, Chaplain – 207 343-1496 (cell)
Valley Grange Website
Valley Grange Facebook Page
Valley Grange Hall’s GPS Address is 172 Guilford Center Road, Guilford. (Do not send mail here!) The Hall is located at the corner of Guilford Center Road and Butter Street.
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!
Yes, there will be an October Bulletin, although with the State Session, the mailing of the physical copy may be delayed a bit. The deadline for submission is October 14th. Recent issues of the Bulletin can be found on the Program Books and Information Page in the communications section.
Some recent changes to the National Grange Website have resulted in some links not working. If you encounter broken links on the Maine State Grange website, please report them to Walter. If you encounter them on the National Grange website, report them to National Grange.
With the start of another Grange Fiscal Year, essential dates and deadlines abound!
We’re 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. One of the significant challenges this time of year is updating online directories. Please make sure we have your current information!
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”
Albert Camus
At Valley Grange, we schedule meetings a full year in advance and assign “Grange Bees” – individuals responsible for tasks such as ensuring the hall is open and ready, as well as maintaining a supply of staples for potluck meals. It may not be a one-person job, but we want to be clear on who is responsible!
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!
Thanks to those who help us keep these directories current by letting us know of changes!
Suicide is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Today, our knowledge about suicide has evolved, as have conversations about mental health. We know that we save lives when we work to #EndTheStigma around seeking help. In September and always, we stand together in strength, dignity, hope, and purpose
During the month of September, the MSG Communications Department will be featuring brief weekly resources for suicide prevention. We’re Grangers. We help each other.
by Walter Boomsma, MSG Communications Director
As of today, there are 371 public schools in Maine (according to The Dictionary Project website). Of those, only 16 have a Dictionary Project Sponsor so far this year. That’s slightly over 4%.
The good news is that it’s still early in the year, and we can do better! If you have been sponsoring in the past, it’s time to start working on this year’s effort.
If you haven’t been a sponsor, this is a good year to start. For a list of unsponsored schools, visit the Dictionary Project Website. Remember, we have many great resources available on our Words for Thirds Resource Page. We’ll even provide you with your Grange’s very own logo!
There are also Rotary, Kiwanis, and Elks Clubs that sponsor schools in Maine. One possibility might be to partner with a local civic organization in your area, particularly if you’re concerned about the cost and effort involved. There are several dictionaries available to choose from. All come in cases of 24 at a cost of around $100 per case, including shipping. Obviously, much depends on school size, but you can start a powerful community service with a minimum investment!
If you doubt the power of this program, check out this short news story about a Valley Grange “Dictionary Day” at Ridgeview Elementary School in Dexter.
If you have questions or would like some help. Let me know! We’re Grangers. We help each other. And let us know about your Words for Thirds Project!
This week, the week of 21-27 September, is being observed as National Farm & Ranch Safety and Health Week. This year’s theme is “Safety First. Avoid the Worst.”
There were 1,604 reported agricultural injuries in Maine between 2008 and 2022, according to a recent study. In 2022, Maine recorded one agricultural fatality.
Note that these statistics may not accurately reflect the total number of incidents, as many small family farms are not required to report injuries.
One excellent resource to help “avoid the worst” is the University of Maine Cooperative Extension AgrAbility Program. Resources range from a tractor driving video to a list of items to include in a farm first aid kit. Think safety. Always.
Safety First. Avoid the Worst.
Identity fraud and scams are a massive and growing problem, but there are things each of us can do to protect against identity fraud, even if our data has been exposed.
One way to help safeguard your personal information is to enable automatic updates on your device’s operating system and antivirus software. These updates often fix known security vulnerabilities that criminals could exploit.[JP1]
Another way to stay protected is to be cautious of unsolicited calls, texts, emails and social media messages. Criminals spoof phone numbers and impersonate trusted sources to appear legitimate. Avoid clicking on links in emails, texts or online ads. Rather, type the web address of the company whose site you want to visit directly into you web browser. Let your voicemail or answering machine handle unfamiliar calls. If the call is important, the person will likely leave a message, and you can verify the number and information before calling back.
Despite the rise of online threats, criminals still rely on traditional methods like dumpster diving to steal personal information. Shred anything containing sensitive information that you don’t need to keep for specific purposes. For example, shred credit card statements, sales receipts, medical statements and credit offers that you no longer need. AARP offers free document shredding and other fraud-related events across the country. To see if one is planned near you, visit aarp.org/local
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.
A short webatorial by Walter Boomsma
“Work that matters for people who care…”
Seth Godin
In a recent post, Seth Godin suggested we need a north star to provide a sense of direction and purpose, much like the literal North Star guides sailors and travelers. While he was writing about individuals, I was immediately struck by what a great practice this would be for Granges.
I recently asked someone what they knew about the Grange. After stumbling around a bit, they admitted, “practically nothing.” I was stuck with the challenge of deciding how much to share with her.
Perhaps in the future, a good answer would be “The Grange is an organization doing work that matters for people who care.” It’s tempting to edit this to “…for people who matter.” It’s catchy. But that might miss the point because an essential word for Grangers is “stewardship.” Sharing the work that matters gains power when we share it with people who care about it. That’s good stewardship.
Using the Words for Thirds Program as an example, it provides dictionaries to third graders as work that matters. We do so for people who care, and that includes students who want to learn (they care), teachers who enjoy and benefit from (care about) the resource we provide. Shall we go on?
Sometimes, simple works best. If you want to write a 500-word mission statement, go for it. If we’re considering a new project, a North Star will probably suffice. If you’re using this one, you just have to ask, “Are we doing work that matters for people who care?”
If people don’t seem to care about the Grange, we might do well to consider what the Grange cares about. What is our guiding star?