News from Ocean View Grange

Ocean View Grange is located in Martinsville, Maine

by Larry Bailey, Master/President

Grange member Ryan’s idea about serving a Strawberry Palooza of Strawberries and Cream was a success. We ran out of strawberries and whipped cream at 2 pm…, two hours before the advertised closing time. 

We served 92 cups of strawberries and cream and grossed $610. The net after expenses of $146 was $464.  Many of the folks who stopped in had never been in a Grange before and I gave tours of our meeting room. That went over well and, we may get a new member or two out of it.

We need to thank the following who worked to make the event both a financial and, just as important, a public relations success:

  • Ryan Aponte
  • Nancy Fagley
  • Joss Coggeshall
  • Dan Anderson (Ryan’s stepfather)
  • Pat Deussing (Ryan’s mother)
  • Bill Swittlinger 
  • Diane Bailey

Thanks to all of our members who helped and those members who came in to have a taste.

Webmaster’s Note: I highlighted the part about tours of the meeting room… what a great idea when having events!

Grange Heirloom — July 2022

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 responses link at the top right and share your comment with us!

Grange Heirlooms are snippets from the lessons of the Grange as taught in the Rituals and Declaration of Purposes.

For additional information and resources regarding the Heirloom Program, visit the Heirloom Resource Page on the Maine State Grange Website.

Happy Fourth of July!

The Fourth of July – also known as Independence Day or July 4th – has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941, but the tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to the 18th century and the American Revolutionary War.

On July 2nd, 1776, the Second Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later delegates from the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson.

The Declaration of Independence allowed Congress to seek alliances with foreign countries, and the fledgling U.S. formed its most important alliance early in 1778 with France. Without France’s support, America might well have lost the Revolutionary War. The war waged by the American colonies against Britain, which began more than a year earlier in April 1775 at Lexington and Concord near Boston and ended at Yorktown, Virginia in 1781 when British forces surrendered, had far-reaching effects around the globe as other nations saw a small novel nation win its freedom from the greatest military force of its time.

From 1776 to the present day, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth of American independence, with festivities ranging from fireworks, parades and concerts to more casual family gatherings and barbecues.

This article is reprinted with permission from an e-newsletter published by Paul Davis, State Senator for District 4.

News from Victor Grange

Victor Grange Is Located In Fairfield Center Maine

Check out the latest Victor Grange Newsletter! Lots of accomplishments and activities… note they need some help moving furniture on Sunday, July 24, 2022, so all the first floor floors can be refinished! Hot dogs and burgers will be included for helpers!

Thanks to donations from the Mosher & Pellerin Celebration of
Life we have secured enough money to have the first floor refinished. We have also had a donation of a trailer to store Grange
belongings by Timmy’s Trailers and Pro movers will come to pick
up and store the two pianos & return them in a couple of weeks.
That’s what we call Community!

Additional articles mention the twentieth anniversary of Fairfield’s Senior Circle… a floral design class… and an opportunity to purchase chairs for $10 each! Don’t miss the July Issue!

Coming up in July…

  • July 9, 2022, Seaside Grange Rummage and Bake Sale, 9 am-noon. Email Seasidegrange@gmail.com for more information.
  • July 9, 2022, St George Grange Public Supper, 5 pm at St George Grange Wiley’s Corner. Call 372-8904 or 372-6768 for more information.
  • July 11, 2022, Piscataquis Pomona Fun and Fundraiser at 5 pm. Contact Pomona Overseer Walter Boomsma for further information.
  • July 14, 2022, MSG Bulletin Deadline — columns and posts are due.

This information is from the Conferences and Dates Page. We do our best to list conferences, regional events, state meetings, Pomona meetings, and local Grange events with dates and links to information! Please remember, we can’t post what we don’t know. 

Remember Standish Grange?

Ernie Easter of the Standish Historical Society is seeking any information about the former Community Grange #551 in Standish, specifically when the building was erected and the current owner. (Click on his name to send an email.

Webmaster’s Note: We checked “A Fair Field and No Favor” and found that Community Grange #551 was chartered on November 19, 1925. It’s interesting that they used the word “Community” in the name.

Ocean View Grange Looks Great!

Submitted by Larry Bailey, Master/President

The front of the Grange has been power washed, sanded, primed, and painted and the newly refurbished signs have been installed.  Words are simply insufficient to express my thanks to the crew of Grangers who worked very hard to get this done in three days. Our Grange looks wonderful and we and our community should be proud of it. This renewal of the Grange look symbolizes the renewed energy and enthusiasm our members are bringing to Ocean View Grange’s programs and community contributions.

The attached photo of yesterday’s crew shows our team, but several others have been on-the-job at different times.  You can thank the following Grangers and FOGs – (Friends of the Grange).

Jim (Spinner) Lee – (Jim started, managed, and did most of the work on this project)
Ben Norton
Joss Coggeshall,
Nat Lyon
Dick Bomba (FOG)
Bill Swittlinger (re-painted the blue Grange arch)
Al Moncovich (painted new wheat and white signs)
Larry Bailey (I got more paint on me than the building)

See you soon at the Grange.

We’re back!

Did you miss us? The site has been “restored” to its status on June 16, before a phishing attack from Turkey. I’ve not checked every function–if you find something not working, please send an email.

There was an issue with the “submit” tab–the submit form disappeared. I have some ideas for improvements to the form and process and will be working on them soon. For now, the easiest way to submit events and information is to send an email.

One priority at the moment is catching up on posts that have been submitted. Do keep those coming!

Also, I’ve purchased a service called “Prevention” that should go a long way towards keeping hackers at bay. We actually made it through nearly twelve years without a major problem–let’s hope we can at least match that record.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please let me know. Thanks for your patience and support.

Communication Alert!

NOTE: The situation was resolved late last night! We are catching up!

For the past 24 hours, I’ve been unable to receive or send email. The problem is NOT resolved–it’s a Microsoft issue, and they are not being at all helpful. I’m working on it, but the end is not in sight. This also means I am not receiving site-related emails such as comments that need approval.

Please be patient. If you have a situation that requires attention, try this address or call or text me at 207 343-1842,

Thanks!

View from the Farm — June 2022

By Heather Retberg, Quills End Farm

Last week, I ran into a friend we have not seen in a while.  She and her late husband have been occupying my thoughts off and on since he passed.  She has not been to the farm in some time because it reminds her of her love.  It should.  I drive his old truck.  I keep his obituary as a bookmark in my bedside reading. 

Nathan was so at home here… a Montana boy with a heart so big it lit up his whole face.  He helped harden my thought that a farm always builds community around it by literally helping us build the farm.  A classic rural genius, he could lay concrete, build with wood, and service anything. 

When we needed our third cow, Cricket, in March 2010, it was he and his wife that loaned us the money.  Then they wished us a merry Christmas in April.  On occasions when they could spare some time, he would bring his cappuccino maker, and she a poppy seed cake, and make us spare the time.   We hold those special times dearly now.

He had an uncanny knack for showing up when Heather was processing our farmstead cheese.  She was messing about with the herbs and spices that she adds to it.  Nathan was a willing guinea pig, with culinary advice to give.  A little more of this, a little less of this, and then a kiss to his fingers…perfection.  It was just spicy enough.

I’ve had the pleasure of another reminder of him every week since Heather is unable to make cheese.  So, I blend and package, ruminate and remember.  I taste test the spicy, sweet, salty combination.  The last step in the farmstead cheese making is labeling, and we hand write every “Nathan’s Blend.”

Editor’s note: Phil continues to write “View from the Farm” while Heather recovers from her recent surgery. Send her a card/note at Quill’s End Farm, 192 Front Ridge Road, North Penobscot ME 04476

Heather and Phil Retberg together with their three children run Quill’s End Farm, a 105-acre property in Penobscot that they bought in 2004. They use rotational grazing on their fifteen open acres and are renovating thirty more acres from woods to pasture to increase grazing for their pigs, grass-fed cattle, lambs, laying hens, and goats. Heather is Vice President of Halcyon Grange #345 and writes a newsletter for their farm’s buying club of farmers in her area and has generously given us permission to share some of her columns with Grangers. Visit the Quill’s End Farm Facebook Page for more information.