Mill Stream Receives Diamond Grange Award
Fraud Watch- Common Holiday Scams
The holiday season usually means fun with friends and family, goodwill and giving. Unfortunately, it’s also a prime time for cybercriminals to perpetrate fraud. Here are some common holiday scams to look out for this holiday season:
Online shopping scams. Criminals create professional-looking websites and ads promoting popular items at steep discounts, but what you receive may be different than advertised—if you receive anything. Be cautious of unusually low prices and avoid clicking on ads in emails, texts, or social media. For safer shopping, go directly to a trusted retailer’s website or app and pay with a credit card for stronger protections.
Delivery scams. As holiday packages crisscross the country, scammers send out phishing emails and texts that appear to be from UPS, FedEx, or the U.S. Postal Service, notifying recipients about incoming or missed deliveries. Links lead to fake sign-in pages that request personal information, or to sites that may be infected with malware.
Gift card scams. Criminals steal gift cards in bulk from store racks, collect the information from the card, and return them to the rack for unsuspecting buyers. When the gift card is bought, criminals immediately drain the money. It is safer to buy cards that are kept behind the counter, or directly from the retailer’s site.
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.
Grange Heirloom — December 2025
Grange Heirlooms are snippets from the lessons of the Grange as taught in the Rituals and Declaration of Purposes.
Use the icons below to share this Grange Heirloom on social media and help others understand what the Grange stands for! If this heirloom has a particular meaning for you, click the “leave a comment” link at the left and share your comment with us!
For additional information and resources regarding the Heirloom Program, visit the Heirloom Resource Page on the Maine State Grange Website.
President’s Perspective – December 2025
Sherry Harriman,
Maine State Grange President/Master
207 490-1029
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Richard and I wish you all a very wonderful holiday season.
Deputy School and instructions will be held in the spring, date and place to be determined.
We are very excited to announce this great news. Our office building at 146 State Street has been sold! We have moved to a new office and hope to be completely in our new space by December 13, 2025. Sharon, Henry, Richard, and I have worked many hours to get everything sorted, packed, and ready to go, especially Sharon & Henry. THANK YOU-THANK-YOU-THANK-YOU. Thanks Jimmy & Roberta who also came to give us a hand. We hired professional movers to get everything from one place to the other. They took two days to get the bulk of our items moved, placed and set up for us. A few odds and ends are left to transfer.
Our new mailing address and location is: 36 Anthony Ave., Suite 102, Augusta, ME 04330
Our phone will remain the same: 207-623-3421 and the same toll free number 1-800-464-3421
Our email address will change. (To be finalized upon installation on the 10th of Dec.)
To get to the new office
- From Rt 95, Exit 112B going north or Exit 112 going south. Stay to the right.
- Follow Rt 27 North, toward Belgrade about ½ mile.
- Take left at the light between Irving and Kentucky Fried Chicken.
- Take 1st left onto Anthony Ave (go past Great Wall Buffet and past Fairfield Inn)
- Number 36 is the third building on the right. It has a brick archway at the entrance with glass doors. Suite 102 is straight back through the lobby to the left.
Letters announcing the change were mailed to all Subordinate & Pomona Masters and Secretaries, Officers, Deputies, Department heads & Committees giving them the same information as listed above. The effective date of the change of address of December 1, 2025, has been provided to the Post Office. All communications, quarterly reports, etc., are to be sent to the new address listed above. For those of you who drop things off directly at the office, there is a mail slot in the door of our Suite 102.
As a reminder, the password(s) and key will be mailed this month to the Secretary and the Master/President of each Grange after the Grange’s quarterly dues & report forms are submitted to the State Secretary. We must receive the report and monies before the passwords are sent to your Grange. Do we have your current and correct information for your Master/President and your Secretary at our office? As an individual member, your 2026 dues must be paid before you may receive the password.
Legion Scholarship Oratorical Program
The American Legion Department of Maine’s High School Oratorical Scholarship Program will be held on Saturday, Feb. 14 at Thomas College in Waterville. Interested students can begin preparations now for the contest.
The program’s purpose is to help high school students develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for the U.S. Constitution. Other objectives of the contest are the development of leadership qualities, the ability to think and speak clearly and intelligently, and preparation for the acceptance and discharge of civil duties as American citizens.
The scholarship program, held by the American Legion for nearly 80 years, is for those students who look for an academic challenge and the opportunity to win scholarship money for their education careers. For more information about the February event, visit the Maine American Legion’s website.
Volunteers are sought to assist with the program held in Waterville on February 14, 2026. Great opportunity for Granges!
Grange Today! 11-28-2025
Articles in this edition include:
- National Grange President calls for action to strengthen rural America
- National Grange holds elections
- A Call to Act: President charts a future of connection, courage, and growth
- “What does the Grange mean to you?”
- Support the Grange Foundation through the Common Routes Challenge
- As Temperatures Drop, Respiratory Risks Rise
- View from the Hill
- Free Webinar on Alcohol Use Disorder among Women in Rural America
- We need Red, White, and YOU!
- Keeping America Fed: Why Farm Labor Reform Can’t Wait
- Grange honors and celebrates
- Grange Foundation elects advisory board members
- Juniors and Youth Learn at Sea
- Recipes from the Heartland
- Health Care Premium Tax Credits: What’s at stake for rural America?
- 3 Ways You Can Help Tackle Hunger and Strengthen Communities This Holiday Season
- Member Benefit: MemberDeals
- Grange Store: Stocking Stuffers
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- Unwrap Real Deals, Not Scams
The holiday deals are already rolling in, but not every offer you see online is the real deal.
Fraud criminals often create websites that look professional and offer big discounts on popular items. But after you pay for the item, the product you receive might be of poor quality, not what was advertised, or it never arrives at all.
Be cautious of any online offer that’s priced way below what other retailers are charging. The safest way to shop is by using trusted retailers’ apps or typing their website directly into your browser — not by clicking links from texts, emails, or ads.
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.
Happy Thanksgiving!
We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction.
Henry Allen Ironside
Best wishes for a happy and thankful Thanksgiving!
The Thanksgiving Reader is a fun activity about gratitude, family, and possibility. It was created several years ago by Seth Godin to”bring people together to not only celebrate the end of the harvest but to look one another in the eye and share something magical.” It’s absolutely free, simple and easy! Check it out!
MSG Office Building Sold
By Sherry Harriman, MSG Master/President
Our office building has been sold!
Our new mailing address and location are:
36 Anthony Ave., Suite 102
Augusta, ME 04330
We hope to be completely in our new office by December 13, 2025.
Our phone will remain the same: 207-623-3421 and toll-free number 1-800-464-3421.
Our email address will change. (To be finalized upon installation.)
Letters are going in the mail tomorrow to each Grange, Master, Officers, Deputies, Directors, and Committee folks. You can share the exciting news and info with everyone!
Fraternally,
Sherry
Directions to the new office:
- From Rt 95, Exit 112B going north or 112 going south. Stay to the right.
- Follow Rt 27 North, toward Belgrade about ½ mile.
- Take left at the light between Irving and Kentucky Fried Chicken.
- Take 1st left onto Anthony Ave (go past Great Wall Buffet and past Fairfield Inn)
- Number 36 is the third building on the right. It has a brick archway at the entrance with glass doors. Suite 102 is straight back to the left.
Santa Is Coming to Vienna
