Friday, September 19, 2025 A potluck supper will take place at 6:00 pm. Our meeting follows at 7 pm
Valley Grange is located at 172 Guilford Center Road in Guilford, Maine.
No, we won’t be having sandwiches for supper. Again this year, we are supporting Bangor Savings Bank’s PB & J Drive. Since 2012, the Bangor Savings Bank Peanut Butter & Jelly Drive has collected more than 146,000 jars and donated them to local food insecurity programs. That’s nearly 2.5 million peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for children, families, and individuals. That’s the power of community!
Please bring your donations to the meeting on Friday, September 19th, or drop them off at the Hall. Note that we must receive donations by September 25th. You can also drop off donations at any Bangor Savings Branch until September 30th. Tell ’em we sent you!
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!
September Bulletin
Deadline for this month’s Bulletin is September 14th. Recent issues of the Bulletin can be found on the Program Books and Information Page in the communications section.
An Annual Report?
It’s the end of the Grange Year. Certain State Officers and Directors are expected to file an annual report of their activities and accomplishments. (We’ll be publishing them on the site as they are received.) Have you considered putting one together for your Grange? You can think of your communities as your stockholders. Let them know what you have done this year!
Dates and Deadlines
Fall is coming. Some might say it’s already here. With the start of another Grange Fiscal Year, essential dates and deadlines abound! ODDs Note:Annual Reports and Program Books are due soon!
Annual Purge Continues
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.
Think About This!
“The more I want to get something done, the less I call it work.”
Richard Bach
An Idea for Your Grange
It’s time to start thinking about Words for Thirds! And it’s not too early to think about Holiday Craft Fairs.
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!
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.
Here’s a short message for kids and parents everywhere. Things don’t always happen the way they’re supposed to. Let me explain.
I recently stopped for a school bus. That’s not big news. It is an example of things happening the way they should. I was facing the bus and could see past it, noticing that the cars behind it had also stopped exactly as they should.
The lights flashed, the stop sign on the bus opened, and the safety arm across the front of the bus swung wide.
Four or five kids got off the bus. They ranged in size from tiny ones with outsized backpacks to some older ones. They came around the front of the bus. So far, so good.
Some ran, some walked in front of the bus and across the highway.
When they started across my lane, I started yelling at them even though there was no way they could hear me. They didn’t stop or even pause to look up and down the road. Fortunately, everything was working the way it should. Well, almost everything. I think the kids were supposed to look both ways.
Safety shouldn’t be delegated; it should be shared.
“Mr. Boomsma”
Sometimes, things don’t work the way they should. I can think of several ways that might have been the case. Several days later, there was a headline from a distant state where someone didn’t stop for a school bus, and a child was injured.
If we want kids to feel and be safe, we need to involve them in the process. It wouldn’t be so bad for them to learn they have some responsibility for staying safe. A few seconds’ pause to look up and down the road is just plain smart.
At the start of the school year, parents should consider meeting the bus and ensuring their kids do this. I’d be happy if the bus driver kept the window open and told the kids to stop and look — at least until they got into the habit. It’s been a few years since I’ve attended a school bus safety program, but I’d be thrilled if crossing in front of the bus was part of that curriculum. Safety shouldn’t be delegated; it should be shared.
Photo by Mary Taylor on Pexels.com
Make this part of your Family Health and Hearing Program?!
Winthrop Grange is having a flea market on September 13, 2025, from 8 to 2. Tables are available outside for $10 and inside for $15. Contact Kathy at 207-500-9864 if interested.
Winthrop Grange is located at 598 Old Lewiston Road in Winthrop, Maine.
Reprinted with permission from AARP’s Fraud Watch Network.
Following extreme weather events, dubious contractors and outright scammers descend on affected communities, offering quick, cheap fixes. They canvas neighborhoods in search of “work” that they may or may not even attempt to do—often, specifically targeting older homeowners.
Before any disaster, it’s a good idea to call your insurance company to clarify your coverage and ask any questions you might have. Investigate before hiring a contractor and check the vehicle of any contractor who arrives unsolicited for a business name, phone number, and their state contractor license number. You can also look businesses up on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and other consumer review sites to double check.
Not everyone who shows up after a storm is there to help you rebuild. Take your time, ask questions, and know that you are not alone.
Reprinted with permission from an enewsletter published by Maine Senator Stacey Guerin.
Maine residents looking to get rid of pesticides can take advantage of the Obsolete Pesticide Collection Program, a joint initiative of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Board of Pesticides Control (BPC) and Maine Department of Environmental Protection. The program aims to safeguard Maine’s natural resources and prevent agricultural pollution by promoting the safe and proper disposal of outdated, unused or unwanted pesticides.
Homeowners and family-owned farms are encouraged to bring their unwanted pesticides to one of several collection sites around the state. Pesticides include herbicides, insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides, disinfectants and similar products used in agricultural production or around the home.
Programs typically take place once a year in October. Pre-registration is required and collections are held at four sites across the state in Portland, Augusta, Bangor and Presque Isle. Event dates, times and locations are subject to change; and only registered participants will be notified of this information upon acceptance into the program. Registrants may apply at any time but will typically be contacted about the program in August and September. The program only accepts pesticides and spray adjuvants – a list of more than 11,000 registered products can be accessed here. For more information about the program’s drop-off locations or instructions on how to register, visit BPC’s webpage
Reprinted with permission from an enewsletter published by Maine Senator Stacey Guerin.
The five Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) in Maine serve as “one-stop-shops” to answer questions from older adults, individuals with disabilities and their care partners about a wide range of in-home, community-based, and institutional services.
Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) are experts at answering questions about in-home care services and other types of long-term support. Maine’s five AAAs are also Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) that:
provide information and assistance to individuals needing either public or private long-term care resources;
serve professionals seeking assistance on behalf of their clients’ long-term care needs;
serve individuals planning for their future long-term care needs;
serve as the entry point to publicly-administered long-term supports including those funded under Medicaid, the Older Americans Act and state-funded programs.
Maine’s Aging & Disability Resource Centers (ADRC) are designed to serve all older adults, people with disabilities and their care partners who have long-term care community or program needs. To see which center serves your area, visit the Office of Aging and Disability Services’ website.
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!
August Bulletin
The August Bulletin is finished and will be mailed soon. Recent issues of the Bulletin can be found on the Program Books and Information Page in the communications section.
Having a Raffle?
Raffles (gambling) are heavily regulated, and licensing is required! That’s easy to forget when fundraising because Granges usually fall under some exceptions provided in Maine Law. One exception is raffles where the prizes are less than $2,500. A second exception involves “certain organizations,” including “an agricultural society.” It can get complicated, particularly if the raffle is conducted as an “internet raffle.” While we, MSG, will promote your raffle, we are not assuming responsibility for meeting these legal requirements.
Fall is coming. Some might say it’s already here. With the start of another Grange Fiscal Year, essential dates and deadlines abound! Just one example is that roster information is now due!
Annual Purge Begins
We’ve already started 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.
Think About This!
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”
William James
An Idea for Your Grange
We are currently drafting a resource and information page about establishing Little Free Libraries at Grange Halls. If you have one or are interested, please let us know!
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!
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.
