Communication Shorts 6-1-2023

By Walter Boomsma,
MSG Communications Director
207 343-1842

Communication Shorts are brief (short) but important items posted for your information and use. Send us your ideas and thoughts!

June Bulletin Deadline

Columns and articles for the June Bulletin must be received before June 15th. Earlier is good! Remember, you can always find recent issues of the Bulletin on the Program Books and Information Page.

Monroe Classic Grange Store

As a reminder, the Monroe Classic Grange Store is still open as an officially licensed Grange Store. They carry a wide assortment of Grange-related and branded items such as jewelry, flags, signs, awards, fundraising and promotional items, apparel, signs, and name tags.

Cumberland Grange Information

We’ve had a request for information regarding “Cumberland Grange” from Judy Gagnon of the Cumberland Historical Society. Apparently, there were actually two: Cumberland #69 and Cumberland #500. If you can help Judy and the Society, please add a comment or let us know and we’ll put you in touch with her! Thanks!

Open Mic at East Madison Grange

Bring your talent and friends to the East Madison Grange for an Open Mic night on the first Friday of every month at 7 PM. Refreshments are available, free to the public, but donations are appreciated. Contact hideandgopeep@gmail.com or 207 716-6441.

Do You Love the Grange?

The world wants to hear about it! Fill out the simple I Love the Grange Form… it only takes a couple of minutes! Thanks to all who have shared so far!

Ideas for Granges

How about a collaboration with your local Commission on Aging or another Senior Group to create a Grange Cares Day, a day when people are able to give back and help the senior citizens in their community?

Thought for You…

“When everyone’s thinking alike, someone’s not thinking.”

General George Pattaon

Online Directories Available 24-7

  • The ODD Directory features all state officers, directors, and deputies with contact information.
  • The Directory of Granges features all Granges in the state with a contact person. Please make sure your listing is correct!

Do You Have FOMO?

“FOMO” is, of course, a Fear Of Missing Out. One strongly recommended treatment is to subscribe to the Maine State Grange Website. We’ll send you a daily summary whenever news and columns are posted, and we won’t share your email address with anyone!

Subscribe to the Maine State Grange Website

Ag Committee Report — June 2023

By Wilma Grenier, MSG Ag Director
(207) 437-2099

On Thursday, May 4th, the Agriculture Committee of the Maine State Grange met at headquarters with eight members present.

The scholarship fund is currently at $5,980.42 due to fundraising and donations from the Grange Store at Fryeburg Fair, Maine Agriculture in the Classroom, and the raffle at the State Conference. Two of the three winners from 2022 have been paid. Sharon will contact the remaining student, Chantal Cyr, to see if she is eligible for her scholarship after the fall 2022 semester.

The group voted to fund five exceptional applications for 2023. 2023 Winners are:

  • Lily Mae Jaffray from Blue Hill to study Pre-Veterinary Science.
  • Emma L. Alexander from Dexter to study Forestry,
  • Zachary Dean Skidgel from Newport to study Sustainable Agriculture,
  • Grace Cassandra VanBuskirk from Thomaston to study Pre-Veterinary Science,
  • Ashley Nicole Stubbs from Addison to study Animal & Veterinary Science.

The committee discussed fundraising to continue the scholarship program into
the future and will conduct a raffle with the drawing at State Grange Session in October. Granges wishing to support the scholarship program should send funds to State Grange labeled AGRICULTURE SCHOLARSHIP FUND.

2023 Fairs and events calendar was mailed by the State master to existing judges. Some fair dates may have changed. The Fryeburg Grange Ag Store moved last year and had a much better location. Volunteers are needed to work during the week of October 1 – 8. Let Sharon know if you would like to volunteer.

The group discussed the 2023 State Conference on October 20 & 21 (Friday &
Saturday this year) at the Auburn Masonic Hall, which is behind the Auburn Mall. It will start on Friday after lunch and include a Friday dinner banquet and Saturday lunch. The dining room made it difficult to hear a speaker last year, so the group decided instead to just draw the raffle winners and have some Maine Ag in the Classroom bookmarks and other information to hand out at the luncheon. It will be a very busy session this year!

MAITC supplied over 800 books for both virtual and in-person readings this year. The book was “Honeybee” and was very well received by everyone.
The committee will meet again at state headquarters in August to review Grange Enterprise applications, go over fall plans, and any other business. Please submit applications! They are due August 1, 2023. Be well, everyone! Spring is here, the rain has finally stopped, and the sun is shining!

Tick Talk

Reprinted from June 2023 Newsletter from the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands

Tick Bite Prevention

  • Wear protective clothing. This includes light-colored clothing so that ticks are easy to spot, long sleeves and pants, closed-toe shoes, and tucking pants into socks.
  • Treat clothes with permethrin. Do not use on skin.
  • Protect pets. Talk to your veterinarian about tick prevention products for your pets.
  • Wear EPA-approved repellent.
  • Stay on trails and be aware of tick habitat.
  • Check yourself for ticks. Check often during your outdoor activity and when you return to your campsite or home.

Learn about tick ecology, diseases, and prevention measures by watching the Forestry Friday Tick Talk presented by Chuck Lubelczyk, field scientist with Maine Health Institute for Research Vector-Borne Disease Laboratory.

Include this in your next Family Health and Hearing Report!

Notes from National – May 2023

If you have not sent in your latest “new member” list, please do so ASAP! I’m working ahead on the next issue of Good Day! and would love to be able to finish off that section. Thank you all for your great work!?

We hope to see you “at” some of our June Events!

National Grange Heirloom Program

Grange Heirlooms are snippets from the lessons of the Grange as taught in the Ritual and Declaration of Purposes. Please share “success stories” about the use of the program with us or if you come up with other innovative ways to incorporate the Program in your Granges. Information and materials are now available on the National Grange Website.

“Notes from National” is based on a monthly email received from the National Grange Communications Department.

Valley Grange Wants Five Minutes

(Click the arrow on the bottom left to begin the video.)

During their recent celebration of community, Valley Grange named Roger Ricker Community Citizen of the Year. Roger passed away last December but left behind a legacy of constant and lifelong support for his community.

After honoring Roger, Valley Grange Program Director Walter Boomsma challenged attendees to consider the impact of spending just five minutes a day in support of their communities. A five-minute video provided examples of the Guilford Grange’s programs and supporters. Boomsma noted, “If you buy a raffle ticket from us, you’re also buying a dictionary for a third grader.”

“We are restarting some of our programs suspended due to COVID. You don’t have to be a member to help and support us. When we asked people to ‘Sock it to us’ with donations to help provide socks to kids throughout the county, we received support from as far away as Pennsylvania and West Virginia.”

He also pointed out that five minutes a day isn’t much. “But it adds up. If there are 2,000 people in your community and just half (we’ll excuse young kids and people over 80) of them give five minutes per day, that equates to having nearly thirteen people working full time, making your community stronger. Based on the average salary in Maine, that’s worth over $700,000 to your community. Just five minutes every day. Of course, the ultimate value is not in dollars and cents. It’s in the difference you will make in individual’s lives.”

Just Five Minutes.

Mill Stream Grange Places Flags

Mill Stream Grange members (l-r) Ingrid Grenon, Debbie Lavender, Jill Sampson, and Wendy Leighton (plus Paul Lavender taking photo) placed American flags on Veterans’ graves at three cemeteries on the Tower Road in Vienna. This is Mill Stream’s annual Memorial Day community service project honoring Veterans. If anyone visits the cemeteries and your loved one did not get a flag, please call 293-4960.

Stay Smart, Stay Safe!

The attempts to scam innocent people are running rampant. Fortunately, the scammers aren’t always the brightest bulbs on the string!

National Grange recently posted a warning in Patrons Chain regarding emails appearing to be from National Officers and Staff. Facebook is overrun with stolen profiles and hacked accounts.

By nature, we often go on “autopilot” when processing information, and it becomes very easy to click “reply” to emails or accept friend requests on Facebook. Slow down. Stay smart, stay safe.

From the Deacon’s Bench – May 2023

By Clay Collins, MSG Chaplain
207 837-0564

The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.

Psalm 29:11

I hope you are having a very productive spring season getting your vegetable and flower plants ready for planting. I, also, hope that any frost that is going around the state hasn’t affected you in any way.

As it is the month of May, we, as Grangers, ready ourselves and our meetings for memorials. Memorials for loved ones and those service men and women who have passed on to the “Great Grange above.”

It is fitting that we remember loved ones, and members of the armed forces, but instead of just remembering the military in one group, may I suggest that you include four newly commissioned Lieutenants in the army who gave their lives so that many would live.

 They are known as the “Four Chaplains,” and they died on February 3, 1943, when the USAT Dorchester was torpedoed carrying troops to Europe during World War II. As the ship was sinking, and the troops were getting to the lifeboats, these chaplains (1-Rabbi, 2-Protestant ministers, 1-Priest) were passing out life preservers. When the preservers ran out, they gave up their life preservers to the next four men in line.

Survivors said later that they witnessed the four chaplains on the deck, arms linked, feet braced against the deck, praying and offering encouragement to those men in the lifeboats.

During this time of remembrance in your Grange and in your personal life, please remember the heroism and selflessness of these four men of God. Also, remember that they were of different faiths “working” for the same God. If we choose to emulate these four chaplains, what a difference we could make in the little world around us.

Remember, God loves us all!!

 Until the next time, remember, “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.”

Benediction: “Father, please don’t help us get over it; help them get through it.  Amen.”

Thought for the month: May the saddest day of your future be no worse than the happiest day of your past.

An Irish Blessing for Health and Prosperity