President’s Perspective – May 2025

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

Degree Day

CONGRATULATIONS and a warm welcome to our members who received their Degrees on April 27 at the State Grange Home. A most hardy thank-you to the many who participated and helped in any way to make the day such a success. I also want to thank those behind the scenes, those asking someone to join our Grange family, bringing folks to the Degree Day, and all those folks who attended.

Resolutions

The resolution deadline date is August 15, as stated in our By-laws, and must be submitted to the State Grange office via e-mail and/or hard copy by that date to be considered at the 2025 State Grange Session on Friday, October 17 and Saturday, October 18 at the Black Bear Inn, 4 Godrey Drive in Orono. This year will also be a full State Grange election. Yes, it is only three months to get your resolutions into us, but this early deadline date allows time for the State Grange to compile all the resolutions, get them printed and mailed in advance of the session to be reviewed by the Subordinate and Pomona Granges.

Election of Officers

  • Yes, Maine still uses paper ballots for each officer and election should be held in June for all Subordinate and Pomona Granges.
  • The Master will appoint tellers to count the ballots.
  • Count the members from your Grange who are eligible to vote. Provide ballots to all. Yes, the tellers may ballot if they are from that Grange.
  • Then the Master will say: “The Chair awaits presentations of names for the office of…”
  • Any member of that Grange may present or suggest a name (nominate is not the proper term). Anyone’s name may be presented for any office by any member.
  • The Master will repeat the name presented and ask “are there any others?”, asking a total of three times, repeating the list of names for that office each time they ask “are there any others?”. A person may decline or withdraw their name for the office.
  • The Master will repeat all the names and say “You will prepare your ballots for the office of …” After a brief pause, the Master will instruct the Assistants to collect the ballots and may excuse the Assistants from carrying their staves.
  • You do not have to ballot if you do not wish to. You must write the word “Blank” on the ballot if you want to cast your ballot, but do not want to vote for one of those names presented or any other name, but want your ballot to count in the “total ballots cast.” (A plain ballot may have been stuck to another and not intended to be put in the ballot count; plain ballots will not be counted in the total of ballots cast.)
  • Once the Assistants have collected the ballots, the Master asks, “Have all balloted who desire to do so?” Hearing no one speak up, the Master will say, “I declare the ballot closed.” The ballot is then given to the tellers, and the Assistants return to their seats.
  • The tellers will count the ballots and make the report. Reporting as follows each time: “WM, there were x total ballots cast for the office of…, necessary for choice… (majority, one more than half of the ballots cast), then will list the number of ballots cast for each person or name on the ballots, including any that say ‘blank’ on them. The ballot is then thrown away after the result is given by the Master.
  • The final choice is announced by the Master, “By your ballot, you have elected to the office of _.” and the results are recorded. Once a majority has been reached, the Master will ask the person, “Brother or Sister ___, do you accept the office of __.” If they decline or there is no majority of the ballots cast, the Master will say, “Since we have no majority, you will prepare your ballot for the office of _,” repeating all names listed. You will proceed to ballot once again on the same office until a majority is reached. The same procedure is followed for each office.
  • Upon completion of the election, the tellers are excused with thanks.
  • After the election, the elected Master will appoint a chairperson for each of the committees used in their Grange. (These Committee chairs will take over at the time of installation in the fall. The Subordinate or Pomona Secretary will provide the meeting day and time, and the Grange address, Officer (Master, Lecturer & Secretary name, address, phone & email), and the same for the Committee Chairs, to the State Grange as soon as possible for the new roster.

Fraud Watch- Sweepstakes Scams

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

Who wouldn’t want to win thousands or even millions of dollars, or the chance to go on a luxury vacation? There are many legitimate sweepstakes and contests out there, and the idea of winning some fabulous prize can be mighty alluring. Criminals get that, and they exploit our excitement to score that big check or dream trip.

When a sweepstakes or a contest is fraudulent, there is often a big red flag: you must first pay upfront fees or taxes to get your prize. No legitimate sweepstakes or contest requires upfront payment. Another clue is if you are asked to share sensitive information to receive your prize, such as your Social Security number or bank account information. Again, this is something perpetrators do, not legitimate entities.

If you find yourself reacting to an out-of-the-blue communication with a heightened emotion, and it comes to you with great urgency, let that be an indicator or a fraud attempt. Take an “active pause” – consider what you are being confronted with, what you might know about it, and then react with intention. That moment of deliberation could be what keeps you safe.

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.

Maine State Grange Announces Yard Sale!

Celebrating Grange Membership

Information gleaned from the current issue of GoodDay!TM magazine.

75 Years of Continuous Membership

Grace Addison, Benton #458

50 Years of Continuous Membership

Steven Cyr, Golden Harvest #33
Richard Lawrence, Benton #458

Granges Gaining New Members

  • Chelsea Grange #215, 2 new members
  • Community Grange #593, 1
  • Deering Grange #53, 8
  • East Sangerville #177, 6
  • Enterprise #48, 4
  • Fairview #342, 27 new members!
  • Farmington #12, 2
  • Granite #192, 2
  • Harraseeket #9, 1
  • Huntoon Hill #398, 1
  • Jonesboro#357, 6
  • Lakeside #63, 2
  • Merriconeag #425, 6
  • Mill Stream #574, 2
  • Ocean View #463, 1
  • Saco #53, 1
  • St George #421, 11
  • Topsham #37, 2
  • Tranquility #344, 14
  • Trenton #550, 3
  • Valley #144, 3
  • Victor #49, 5
  • Waterford #479, 2
  • White Rock #380, 1

You’ll Miss Us!

a “webatorial” by MSG Communications Director
Walter Boomsma

Seth Godin wrote an interesting post suggesting that when people move away, cards and cake should read, “You’ll miss us” instead of “We’ll miss you.” He points out that the community remains.

One of the more powerful sentences in the short post was, “When a marketer serves a community, they create the conditions where they’d be missed–because the ideas or products or services they bring are important, not simply tolerated.“

With apologies to Seth, I changed a word or two. “When a Grange serves a community, they create the conditions where they’d be missed–because the ideas or services they bring are important, not simply tolerated.“

My revision raises a question for Granges. Would your communities miss you if you were gone? Would they even notice? Are you important or simply tolerated?

One of the challenges we face as an organization is relevance in communities that are loosely defined and increasingly diverse. If our vision is narrow and our goals are limited, we will be missed by an ever-diminishing number of people. For example, not everyone likes potluck suppers.

Seth’s short message is that marketers should see a worthwhile goal of creating ideas, products, or services that the community would miss.

Maybe it’s time for Granges to figure out what they can create and offer that their communities would miss.

Karen loves the Grange!

I love the Grange for all the support to all people! It’s awesome to hear so much about the history .

Karen Small, Golden Harvest Grange #33

Phil loves the Grange!

Why I love the Grange is the feeling of belonging. It really is the definition of family.

Phil Roberts, Jonesboro Grange #357

Communications Column – April 2025

By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director

Whazup?

Ironically, our Grange fiscal year starts in the fall but for many Granges, their program year starts in the spring! If you attend this year’s Degree Day, you’ll also discover that conferring the First Degree takes place on a farm in the springtime. April is traditionally celebrated as Grange Month. So maybe it does all start here.

One way we find out is by answering the question “Whazup?” For those uninitiated in contemporary contractions and lingo, the question facing us is “What’s up in your Grange?” We could further complicate it by creating a series of questions:

  • What has happened (projects, programs, celebrations) in your Grange recently?
  • What is going to happen (projects, programs, celebrations) in your Grange in the future?

“Inquiring minds want to know…” is a phrase attributed to the tabloid newspaper “The National Enquirer” in the 1970s. In its original form, it was spelled enquiring, making it a catchy slogan that reflects the value of a curious mind that wants to know as much as possible.

Some of you will remember when the Maine State Grange published a bit of a print tabloid newspaper. Most Granges had a correspondent who submitted a version of whazup in their Grange. Sometimes the results were a bit “gossipy” but generally included short summaries of recent meetings and activities. It worked because it was informal and simple. It worked because it kept members around the state feeling connected.

As we spring into a new year, it’s tempting to suggest every Grange needs a correspondent—someone who is at least informally interested in proactively answering those whazup questions. The MSG Website is committed to serving, sharing, and connecting local Granges. That also means local Granges need to connect with us! Inquiring minds DO want to know (including mine!). We don’t need to formalize a program, we just need a few people who are willing to share whazup in our Granges.

There are many ways to do this. You can, for example, submit basic information about your events using the submit tab on the website. The advantage of this route is that the form will ensure you provide all the required information. (How many times have I seen events listed on social media with no location given?) Submitting to the site accomplishes a lot of things! If the event is in the future, it gets listed on the MSG Events Calendar. We’ll also create a post for you. Those posts stay on the site, get emailed to our website subscribers, and are easily shared on social media by anyone who subscribes to or visits the site. If you have a flyer for your event, attach it to an email and send it to webmaster@mainestategrange.org. We’ll take it from there!

If you volunteer to do this for your Grange, you might find the MSG Communications Handbook helpful! That handbook includes information that will help you communicate, publicize, and advertise your Grange. There are tips submitted by Granges and lists of major and weekly newspapers. Lots of helpful information!

We still have close to one hundred Granges in Maine. There should be (and probably are) more events than those listed on the calendar. That’s a great place to start—easy peasy! At least send the basics! We don’t list “regular” meetings—with the exception of Pomona Meetings—but if your regular meeting includes a special program, that qualifies! When in doubt, share it! The more advanced notice you give, the more we can help.

Inquiring minds do want to know. When we recently promoted Valley Grange’s Blanketeering event, we had people come from miles away and produce a record number of blankets. It works. Help us prove it by sharing whazup at your Grange.

The News Is Where You Find It. If you wonder how the Amish (who tend to shun technology and the Internet) stay connected around the country, check out this article.

► FACT: Did you know that the MSG Communications Handbook includes a list of daily and weekly newspapers in Maine with contact information?

View from the Farm – April 2025

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.

Winter Dairy Farming

Winter dairy farming makes for a horrible workout routine.  Short bursts of activity are often followed by longer bursts of “rest.”

Winter chore time includes twice-a-day cleaning of the main area of the barn that houses the cows.  We push the bedding and manure into a pile by the door and then shovel it into a pile outside the door where it can be accessed by a tractor.  All well and good–gets a body moving and warmed right up.

Then, we water and feed the cows.  While they are all bellied up to the feeders, we brush them clean.   You can imagine this takes a bit of doing in the winter.  Then we wash their udders and begin milking. 

All that activity before milking is enough to work up a sweat in the coldest weather.  The (lack of) activity during milking is enough of a slowdown to cool you off.

Hauling hay is an even worse workout.  Our hay suppliers are around half an hour away.  We drive the half hour, load a truck for half an hour, then sit and drive home for half an hour, and then unload for half an hour–a physical therapist’s nightmare.

This is all to say, by April, we are watching that sweet grass pretty closely.  The sooner we have 5 or 6 inches in the fields, the sooner we can liberate the cows, stop pushing manure, and stop hauling hay.  We can start just walking the cows about to do their jobs. 

We love cows of grass!  We love cows pooping on grass, where our labor is not needed for clean up.  We love cows eating grass where our hauling labor is not needed.  Here is to the coming of spring and retiring, well, seasonally retiring anyways, the winter shovel.

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 her area and generously permit us to share some of their columns with Grangers. Visit the Quill’s End Farm Facebook Page for more information.

CWA Report – April 2025

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

Committee on Women’s Activities

Happy Spring!  If the old saying “April showers bring May flowers “ is true, there should be many this year.  I hope that it starts to warm up soon.

The Grange yard sale will be held on June 7. Hope to see many of you there.

Good news!  We will be able to sell food at State Grange this year.  I am hoping to have fudge, brownies, cookies, and other snacks.

Entries for the contests need to be at Headquarters by Tuesday, August 19.

I will be there from 9 to 2 on that day. If you can not bring them that day, let me know so that we can make arrangements to meet and ensure that your entries are logged in and judged.

I hope that you will all have a blessed Easter with your families.