Patrons of Husbandry – a website dedicated to the Granges located in Maine
Submitted by Marilyn Stinson
Public Corned Beef & Cabbage Dinner
Saturday, March 14, 2026, 5:OO PM – 7:00 PM
Corned beef OR ham, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, rolls, desserts, beverages, home made pickled beets. Served buffet style, but we will assist anyone; takeout available without the coffee.
Only $18.00 (cheaper than most restaurants and no tip), Seniors 65+ only $15.00, Family rates.
Reservations or FMI – Marilyn at 207-308-3901. Gluten-free dessert option.
You don’t have to be looking for love to be targeted by a relationship scam. Increasingly, perpetrators take the friendship route, building deep connections over time, starting by claiming they share your interests, experiences, or struggles.
They may initiate contact by commenting on your social media posts, reaching out through direct messages, or even sending what seems like a text sent by mistake. Over time, they earn your trust before asking for money or pitching an investment opportunity.
Because these relationships appear platonic, they can be harder to recognize. Red flags include pressure to move conversations to encrypted apps and eventually urgent requests for money or encouragement to invest in cryptocurrency.
Make it a habit to talk to a friend or family member when new relationships bloom. Together, you may be able to see signs of a scam that you couldn’t see alone.
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.
Dilemmas and Decisions
I confess to having recently watched several fictional movies about time travel. The science is interesting. The application is fascinating. When someone travels back in time, there’s usually a dilemma about whether to take an action that might alter the future. Seth Godin points out, “When you give people a choice, they make a choice.”
Traditions rarely happen deliberately. But the development of the Internet is one example of how traditions will change dramatically. For example, somewhere along the way, Grangers developed an interest in cooking and recipes. Consider how many Grange Cookbooks exist and notice that recipes continue to be a feature in the National Grange Magazine. It’s not just limited to Grangers. You can probably find a recipe box and several cookbooks in most homes today. That may not always be the case.
It may not matter how many cookbooks you have. If you can’t find (or don’t have) a recipe box, AI (artificial intelligence) can create a new recipe for you in just a few seconds. It may not be unique or have secret ingredients. Without getting too technical, it will create your recipe by analyzing and combining vast pools of information. Some will no doubt see this as good news. Others will see it as bad news. They’ll all be correct.
In a very real sense, this is one of the major challenges we face as an organization. No, not cookbooks and recipes, but balancing the old with the new.
We may not be time travelers to the past, but we have similar dilemmas and decisions. We are given choices and shouldn’t ignore them.
Time-travel movies often make the point that small changes can have big effects in the future. It’s true for both organizations and individuals.
An individual who decides to read for ten minutes every day is potentially altering his future, and if you appreciate the ripple effect, the future of others, and, literally, the world.
The Grange decided in 1867 to give women equal standing (at least in theory), full voting rights, and leadership positions. We can rightfully claim that those radical decisions contributed to women gaining the right to vote fifty years later.
While our crystal ball is often cloudy, it’s worth keeping an eye on it as we make decisions. It’s important for individuals and organizations to accept the idea that we can at least influence our future if not control it. As we travel through time, it might be fun to consider what the Grange Way of Life looks like in the future. The decisions we make and the actions we take will determine it.
“As we are again to separate, and mingle with the world, let us not forget the precepts of our Order. Let us add dignity to labor, and in our dealings with our fellow men be honest, be just, and fear not.
We must avoid intemperance in eating, drinking, and language, also in work and recreation, and whatever we do, strive to do well. Let us be quiet, peaceful citizens, feeding the hungry, helping the fatherless and the widows, and keeping ourselves unspotted from the world.”
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.
By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director
Where Are You?
The name and number of a Grange should be on the building or on the sign at the road AND should include the day and time of the meetings. This way someone passing by or visiting the area will know when you meet.
Master Sherry
One of my earliest attempts to visit a Grange had a somewhat humorous result. It was over two decades ago. I was relatively new to the Grange, and technology was still young. I drove to Lincoln, thinking that the Grange wouldn’t be too hard to find. I stopped for directions (more than once), and no one could help. In fact, no one had ever heard of a Grange Hall. It took a few phone calls to learn that Lincoln Pomona Granges were several hours away.
In more recent adventures, I’ve learned that some Granges appear to have multiple locations. It goes with the territory of rural life. There are countless examples where someone unfamiliar with the area could become mightily confused.
I’ve been guilty myself of giving directions like “turn left where the schoolhouse used to be.” When my sister and family from North Carolina first visited us, I talked them in and, without thinking, actually said that. After a short silence, my brother-in-law reminded me that this was their first visit to Maine and asked how they would know where the schoolhouse used to be.
Under the heading, “Nothing’s perfect…” I’ve also learned that travelers coming from a certain direction to our home need to ignore their GPS at one suggested turn. But the simple truth is, we need to make it easy for people to find us, and “us” includes our Grange Halls.
One way to do that is to know and use your hall’s street address. Street addresses in Maine are assigned by local municipalities (usually the code enforcement officer or town clerk), plantations, or county commissioners (for unorganized territories), adhering to E-911 standards. The E-911 system requires that each structure be linked to a unique physical address that clearly identifies the caller’s location (e.g., 35 Pine Road). Remember that dispatchers are often far away from the communities they serve.
The additional benefit of standards for street addresses make it possible for anyone to locate a building. Once you have your hall’s street address, please use it. I recommend placing the street number outside the building or on a post. It also wouldn’t hurt to have it posted inside the hall. There are additional steps you can take online, including locating your hall on Google Maps.
As an aside, the National Grange’s “Find a Grange” program does not include Maine; you should not rely on it. Our Maine State Grange online directory is based on the published roster. We’ll update it soon, when the roster is issued, but we can also make changes at any time.
Making your hall visible and easy to find is another great spring project!
FACT: During a recent seven-day period, more than fifty people visited the website from Facebook.
Every Saturday, 10 AM-4 PM, Kennebec Valley Grange hosts a flea market on two floors. Seamstress in attendance 10 AM-2 PM. You’ll find baked goods such as whoopie pies, regular pies, and Needhams. (Pies by preorder. Doris 399-1191) There are also baked beans, Dynamites, and haddock chowder available to go, by the pint or quart. Fresh local eggs. We also offer a small lending library of books and magazines on homesteading, cooking, and farming. FMI Diane Pinkham, Master, 314-5135
Kennebeck Valley Grange is located at 560 Main Street in Madison, Maine.
Submitted by Tina Thurston, 207 515-2361
Please forgive the last-minute notice and invitation, but we at Norway Grange 45 want to ensure we don’t exclude anyone from our draping of the Charter this coming Saturday, February 14, in honor of our long-standing, now-at-peace Grange sister, Ethel Lacourse. She led the good fight and lasted 95 years. We will honor her memory with a noon meal, with the ceremony commencing at 1 pm.
Please join us. Even if you’re unable to attend, please send us a written remembrance, and someone will read it in your proxy. Thank you, good brothers and sisters.
For more information, please contact Tina Thurston at 207 515 2361 or email us at norwaygrange45@gmail.com
Please let us know if you can come.
Norway Grange is located at 15 Whitman Street in Norway, Maine.
Information gleaned from Good Day! ™ Magazine, January 2026
Fifty Years
To ensure anniversaries and new members are listed in Good Day!™ Magazine, send the information to Philip Vonada at pvonoda@nationalgrange.org.
Reproduced from The Middle Ground, newsletter of the West Bath Historical Society
While it’s sad when a Grange closes, this serves as an example of collaboration and cooperation as reported by the West Bath Historical Society.
By Clay Collins, Guest Columnist
207 837-0564
“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything but is thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:13-16
Here it is, another month. What happened to the month of January? Here we are in the second month, looking at a lot of snow and very cold weather, wondering if spring is ever going to get here. Well, take heart, my fellow brothers and sisters, it will come.
While we are waiting for the warmer weather to come, let’s work on letting our light shine on others. By that I mean during the cold weather, many people (especially the elderly) are spending more time indoors trying to keep warm.
Those of us who can and are able to get out should spread our “light” to those who need help. By calling our friends and neighbors to see if they are doing fine or if they need rides to the store or the doctor. They might just need to talk.
Until the next time, remember, “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.”
Benediction: “Gracious Father, help us to be better people. Teach us to learn how to help those who are sad and mourning. Amen.”
Thought for the month:
“May good luck be your friend in whatever you do, and may trouble be always a stranger to you.”
While Chaplain Christine is burdened with technology challenges, she has invited Past MSG Chaplain Clay to share some spiritual thoughts with our Grange Flock.
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.