Valley Grange Gives Words and More!

Third graders at Brownville Elementary School received lots of words recently in the form of brand-new dictionaries from Valley Grange. The students learned a little bit about Valley Grange, farming, and agriculture, not to mention how to use a dictionary. Since there is a lot more than words in their books, we even said “Hello” to each other using sign language.

Mr. Boomsma demonstrates the use of the shepherd’s hook.
Students really get into their dictionaries.
Getting ready for a dictionary race–whowill find the word first?
Is that hand going up or down?
The welcome mat is out!

Valley Grange #144 is located in Guilford, Maine.

The Dictionary Project is designed to aid third-grade teachers with their goal of seeing all their students leave at the end of the year as good writers, active readers, and creative thinkers. The dictionary is for the student to keep, take it into the fourth grade, and use it throughout his or her entire school career. “The kids become really engaged,” Valley Grange Program Director “Mr. Boomsma” notes. “I think they like the idea that people in the community care about them and, as we explain, they own the dictionary and all the words in it.”

“We also get to talk about the staves as farmer’s tools and how the Grange uses them as reminders of the qualities we should strive for in our classrooms and communities.”

The Valley Grange Program extends across four districts and five schools. This is our 24th year and we’ve given out close to 4,000 dictionaries since starting the program. Additional Dictionary Days are being scheduled at SeDoMoCha Elementary in Dover Foxcroft, PCES in Guilford, Harmony Elementary, and Ridgeview Elementary in Dexter.

Postponement!

The take-out lunch at Kennebec Valley Grange scheduled for October 28, 2023, has been postponed. We’ll provide the new date when it becomes available.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

While the reason for this postponement is unclear, note that there are a number of closings, cancellations, and postponements due to the recent events in Lewiston.

Free Webinar–Managing Mental Health in Rural America

This one-hour, moderated webinar will present one woman’s lived experience with managing her adult son’s mental illness and overcoming barriers to mental healthcare in rural Wisconsin and a community psychiatrist sharing her expertise in treating patients in rural America.

Flyer with Additional Information
Register For the Workshop

Community Service Contest Winners

Gleaned from the Annual Report

Community Service Notebook Contest Winners
First Place: Highland Lake Grange #87
Second Place: Maple Grove #148
Third Place: Jonesboro Grange #357
Tied for Fourth Place: Valley Grange #144 and Saco Grange #53
Of 84 Subordinate Granges, ten reports were submitted. We are required to have a 25% participation rate to receive monetary support from the National Grange. We did not make it this year.

There were no entries for EMT/Firefighter/Educator of the Year and no entries for Granger of the Year. Previous Grangers of the Year included:
2017 – 2018 Victoria Huff
2018 – 2019 Ann Burns
2019 – 2020 Walter Boomsma
2020 – 2021 Rebekah Hodgson
2021 – 2022 John Cox Jr.

Family Health and Hearing Contest Winner
Highland Lake Grange #87

Link to Master’s Address

In our rush to release state convention information at least one mistake was made. In the original “news,” the link to the Master’s Address actually led to the Treasurer’s Report! Apologies for any inconvenience. The link in the story has been corrected and is provided here!

So far we’ve uploaded 25 documents and created links for them. That’s not a case of whining, just creating perspective. If this is the only mistake, it’s not TOO bad. Thanks to Brother Rolf Staples for reporting it!

Sorry for any inconvenience!

2023 Resolutions Report

For the sake of brevity, only the resolves are listed. For additional information, contact the Legislative Director.

Nonsmoking National Grange Events, submitted by Bingham Grange #237

Resolved, when future sites for the National Grange Convention or National Grange-sponsored conferences are chosen, only sites will be considered that are totally non-smoking.

The Good of the Order Committee recommended this ought to pass, and the delegate body agreed.

Activate Cameras at Major Intersections, submitted by Androscoggin Pomona #1

Resolved, that the Maine State Grange support legislation to activate the cameras that are at intersections and install cameras wherever they are needed.

The Legislative Committee recommended this ought not to pass, and the delegate body agreed.

Automatic Lights on All Vehicles submitted by Androscoggin Pomona #1

Resolved, that the Maine State Grange support legislation that all new vehicles have automatic lights.

The Legislative Committee recommended this ought not to pass, and the delegate body agreed.

Officers Elected, 2023-24

The delegate body elected the following officers during the 150th Maine State Grange Convention.

Master, Sherry Harriman
Overseer, Mike Griffin
Lecturer, Missy Baldwin
Steward, Ben Edgerly
Assistant Steward, Rick Grotton
Lady Assistant Steward, Roberta Meserve
Chaplain, Christine Hebert
Treasurer, Laurie McBurnie
Secretary, Sharon Morton
Gatekeeper, Peter Ivers
Ceres, Betty Huff
Pomona, Kathy Gowen
Flora, Deborah Ivers
Executive Committee, James Meserve – 4-year term

Directors and Committee Chairs will be announced upon receipt of information. If you have been elected or appointed, please be certain that we have your contact information by checking the online officer directory.

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State Session News

A complete summary of the State Session will come in several forms over some period of time. Of course, the official is the Journal of Proceedings, which will be posted when received.

A first priority is the Master’s Address, in part because it’s easy to do! In fact, it’s done! Click this link to download and print a copy of the Master’s Address!

Second are the results of the election. It may, however, be a while before directories are updated with complete contact information. Gathering that information tends to be the biggest challenge. If you were elected or appointed to an office, it will speed things up if you send me your email address and phone number!

Third are the “missing” annual reports. (Some are not available until the state session. You can check the program books and information page. I should have all reports that I’ve received uploaded within a day or two of this post.)

Fourth are the results of the three resolutions considered by the delegates.

Fifth will be some things I’ve requested from people. One example is the MSG history facts prepared by Margaret Morse as “filler” during the elections while counts were being done. Some were very interesting!

Things may not appear in exactly the order given, but my goal is to have at least one through four completed before the end of this week (October 28, 2023).

If you subscribe to the site, you’ll get an email when new posts are made! Thanks to the delegate who told me he loves how easy it is to get information from the site, especially the emails!

Lastly, please continue to submit your events! When I have multiple submissions, I prioritize local Grange events and news first. You matter! Use the submit tab, or send an email!

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Winter Heating Guide and Tips

blur close up coffee coffee cup
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

FHH Committees: You could this part of your Family Health and Heating Report! (Read carefully!)

Maine’s Energy Office has prepared a Winter Heating Guide to help Maine people stay warm this winter and know where to find assistance if needed. This includes steps to receive emergency fuel if necessary, sign up for automatic fuel delivery, or find support for energy bills or to help insulate your homes. If you need to order heating fuel, we advise contacting your supplier before your tank falls below one-third full, to give busy fuel delivery companies time to schedule your delivery.

Extended periods of low temperatures can result in frozen water pipes.

To prevent water pipes from freezing, try these methods:

  • Keep garage doors closed, especially if there are water supply lines in the garage.
  • Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing, especially if your sink is on an exterior wall. (If you have small children, be sure to remove any harmful cleaners and household chemicals from the open cabinets.)
  • Let the cold water drip from the faucet of the exposed pipes. Running water through the pipes, even at a trickle, helps prevent pipes from freezing.
  • Keep the thermostat set to the same temperature during day and night. A cold snap is not the time to set back the thermostat at night to save a few bucks on your heating bill.
  • If you plan to be away during cold weather, leave the heat on in your home and set to a temperature no lower than 55 F.
  • For the long term, add insulation to attics, basements, and crawl spaces. Insulation will maintain higher temperatures in those areas. To prevent drafts, seal cracks and openings around windows, doors, and at sill plates where the house rests on its foundation.

If your pipes do freeze, you can safely thaw them with the following actions:

  • Turn on the faucet. Running water through the pipe, as cold as it is, will help melt ice in the pipe.
  • Apply heat to the section of the pipe using an electric heating pad wrapped around the pipe, an electric hair dryer, or a portable space heater (kept away from flammable materials). Do not use a blowtorch, a kerosene or propane heater, a charcoal stove, or any device with an open flame as high heat can damage the pipes or even start a fire.
  • Apply heat until full water pressure is restored. Check all other faucets in your home to see whether you have additional frozen pipes. If one pipe freezes, others may freeze, too.
  • Call a licensed plumber if you are unable to locate the frozen area, if the frozen area is not accessible, or if you cannot thaw the pipe.