Duck Pond Heritage Day

Duck Pond Variety, Highland Lake Church, Highland Lake Grange, and Lenny’s at Hawkes Plaza are pleased to announce a celebration of history at Duck Pond Corner, located at the intersection of Route 302, Duck Pond, and Hardy Roads in Westbrook.

August 17, 2025 from 10-4. 

The Day will feature open houses at the church, Grange, and Lenny’s, live music, historic photos, Scout & 4-H activities, food sale fundraisers, a special church service, displays of artifacts, Westbrook Police K9 demonstrations, a display of historic signs at Duck Pond Variety, and much more! 

Come join us to explore the long history of this community. No cost to attend. 

Watch for updates over the summer!

National Grange Apparel Sale

National Grange Apparel Sale

The National Grange is launching a limited-time apparel sale through CustomInk. We have chosen “business apparel” – as requested – in a few different styles.

Button-down shirts in both long-sleeve and short-sleeve, in men’s and women’s cuts, and a polo shirt (also in men’s and women’s cuts). Each will have the Grange emblem embroidered in the pocket area. (Actual placement may be slightly different than pictured). This sale is only available in adult sizes. (Sorry!)

Access the apparel sale at https://grange.biz/apparel or http://customink.com/fundraising/ng-apparel . 

Fraud Watch- Travel Scams

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

Travel scams are heating up just in time for summer, from bogus deals to fake booking sites and other schemes. Here is how to spot some of the most popular vacation scams.

Scammers often create fake vacation rental listings, then pressure you to pay upfront through wire transfers, gift cards, or other hard-to-trace methods. If a host asks you to pay outside the platform, it’s a scam.

Be skeptical of steeply discounted offers and use a credit card for stronger fraud protection. If something feels off, take the time to verify before making any payments. Also, learn about any new-to-you travel site before booking by searching the company’s name along with the word “scam” or “complaint” or “review” to read about other people’s experiences.

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.

National Grange Launches Rural Life Initiative Grants

The National Grange is doubling down on its commitment to revitalizing rural communities with the launch of two new competitive grant opportunities through the Rural Life Initiative.

On June 24, during the “GPS to Success” webinar, National Grange President Christine Hamp announced the launch of two new grant opportunities as part of the expansion of the Rural Life Initiative (RLI), a program designed in partnership with Grange Advocacy to strengthen rural communities through health, wellness, agriculture, and community projects and events.

If you missed the webinar, it is available to watch on the National Grange YouTube channel.

Following the 2024 successes of programs in seven pilot states and nearly 25 Granges that received mini-grants for holiday events, the National Grange is expanding the RLI program and eligibility for all Granges.

Successful examples of past projects include senior fitness classes, building Grange awareness at a community zucchini race event, vaccination and wellness clinics, a cancer research fundraising 5K, and more.

The grant opportunities are as follows:

$1,000 Summer Grants (30 available)

  • Projects must be completed and report submitted by September 30, 2025
  • Applications reviewed as received. Must apply by July 31, 2025.

$5,000 Long-Term Grants (2 available)

  • Projects must be completed and report submitted by December 31, 2025
  • Applications are due by July 31, 2025, with notification of grant winners on August 8, 2025.

Both grant opportunities are open to either local or State Granges.

While the main grant amounts are fixed, there are additional incentives available for completing projects and submitting reports on time, and for each new member gained through your project.

What are the grant requirements?

Because RLI aims to build stronger communities across the country, there are three main components to the grants:

  • You must include at least one partner organization beyond your Grange.
  • You must submit a current membership list with the application proposal.
  • You have the flexibility to choose topics based on local needs, but:
    • Projects cannot involve building improvements or equipment purchases. Projects must focus on recruiting and engaging new members.

“We are excited to see what Granges will create for their communities,” said Hamp. “The flexibility of this grant cycle encourages Granges to truly think outside of the box and the Grange ‘norms.’ I look forward to seeing the dynamic events and powerful programs that this grant helps make possible.”

During the June 24 webinar, presenters Beth Westbrook and Nona Bear offered guidance on how local Granges can apply for these grants, develop project ideas that align with the program’s mission, and measure community impact. Participants were encouraged to think creatively and collaboratively in identifying rural needs and proposing solutions.

The tips and tricks presented also encouraged Granges to go after other community-based grants, always aiming for success.

“These grants are about investing in the people, traditions, and future of rural America,” said webinar leader Beth Westbrook, a member of the Grange Advocacy Board of Directors. “By empowering Granges to take action on local priorities—from health to heritage—we’re building stronger, more connected communities.”

To watch the full announcement, visit the National Grange YouTube channel and view the full grant requirements and submit your applications at the Rural Life Initiative page on the National Grange website.

Murphy’s Law?

Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

Edward A. Murphy, Jr.

This was the week for it! As some of you probably know, the MSG website was “down” (unavailable) for a while, starting sometime on Saturday until this morning.

I should have received a notification by email. For some reason, that didn’t work.

In short, this was caused by some changes in how security certificates are handled. I should have been warned of the changes. I wasn’t. You don’t want to know all the details.

Anyway, this has been resolved. Sorry for any inconvenience! I’m assured it will not happen again. It could be a lesson in communication for the providers, but I’m not optimistic.

And, since I’m whining, I’ll share that I have had not one, but two credit cards violated last week. The good news is that both were caught quickly by the card providers, and no charges were successfully made to either account. But both cards need to be replaced, an action that takes “seven to ten days.” Perfect timing since we’ll be traveling without them.

It’s tempting to think Murphy was an optimist. However, the real lessons to be learned from this are the importance of effective communication and the need to remain vigilant.

Hope and persevere!

Free Curtains and Chairs Available!

Victor Grange has some stage curtains and chairs available for free! Preference will be given to requests from Grange Halls, but these curtains and chairs need a good home!

The curtains are not from a Grange Hall. They came from a high school that built a new theatre. They are red velvet. The curtains are 36 feet wide and 11 feet high. The valance is 30 feet wide and 32 inches high.

There are about thirty chairs available for a Grange that can use them. (They appear to be “standard issue” – the kind of chairs typically seen in Grange Hall dining areas.)

For additional information, contact Barb Bailey at 207 313-0717. She might be willing to deliver in Maine if it’s not too far!

Fraud Watch- Medicare Fraud

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

To protect yourself, protect your Medicare number. Don’t share it with anyone who contacts you out of the blue. Be wary of offers for free medical equipment or services that you are told Medicare will cover. The only equipment or services Medicare will cover are those that are prescribed by your doctor.

Review your Medicare statements regularly and report anything suspicious to your medical provider. If your concern persists, contact Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE.

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.

Danville Junction Grange Yard Sale

July 12, 2025 – 9 am until 1 pm

Danville Junction Grange will be holding a yard sale on Saturday, July 12, 2025, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., at the hall, 15 Grange Street (off rt. 202) in Danville.

Items available will include “pick your prize” raffle, 50/50, baked goods, baked beans to go, RADA Cutlery, attic treasures, plants, and more! Tables are available for rent. FMI contact Maynard at 312-5591

Communication Shorts 6-16-2025

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!

June Bulletin

June Bulletin is available for download and will be mailed soon. Recent issues of the Bulletin can be found on the Program Books and Information Page in the communications section.

Email, Deputy Dave Gowen

Please note that Cumberland Deputy Dave Gowen and Master of Highland Lake Grange has a new email address: davegowen84@gmail.com.

Think About This!

“There is no reward equal to that of doing the most good to the most people in the most need.”

Evangeline Booth

An Idea for Your Grange

Does your Grange have a membership directory–even just a simple one you can easily share with each other? Since we’re all electing officers this month, they could be identified in it.

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! With the election of officers coming up, don’t forget!

  • 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.

Exploring Traditions – June, 2025

Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life

Growing the best fruit..

By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist

Many years ago, one of my consulting assignments included auditing the hiring process of a manufacturing company. That process included giving prospective employees a tour of the plant. I followed one of those tours, staying at the end of the line and observing.

One of those prospective employees would often reach down and pick up stray pieces of paper and trash on the floor. Based on my observation and recommendation, at the end of the tour, he was pulled from the group and hired on the spot.

Wherever you go, whatever your calling, aim to do good. Good deeds are ever fruitful of yet more good.

Lecturer to Candidates, Second Degree

It didn’t occur to me to ask if he was a Grange Member, but he could have been!

The second sentence of the lecturer’s instruction is a bit obtuse. Just prior to this advice, she asks the Assistant Steward if the candidates have been furnished with seed. The reply is that Ceres has provided corn and “enjoined” them to save the best for planting. The Lecturer notes that the candidates have been “guided by the lesson of faith.”

If we save the best seed for replanting, the harvest will increase. Doing good is much like planting seeds. Doing the most good produces even more good and that’s true regardless of who we are and where we are.

A candidate for employment picks up trash. He does some good and gets hired. He demonstrated that he aims to do good. His simple act demonstrates his potential as a good employee.

A candidate for membership in the Grange gets some good but simple advice. “Aim to do good.” It might be interesting if the lecturer were to ask each candidate to share an example of something good they have done. It shouldn’t be an intimidating question, although for some, doing good is instinctive and unconscious. The job candidate didn’t call attention to himself.

After receiving the Lecturer’s instruction, the Grange candidates move on to the Chaplain. The Chaplain reminds us “the springing seed teaches us to increase goodness…” and to “Do good, hoping for nothing in return, and your reward shall be great.”

This is not so complex or controversial. But in today’s society, where there is much complexity and controversy, a value of the Grange and Grangers is the demonstration of “doing good.”

A demonstration doesn’t have to be a protest.

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.