Mill Stream Member Recognized

Mill Stream Grange member Lisa Goucher (r) receives the Vienna, Maine Spirit of America Award. It was presented to her at a recent Grange meeting by Secretary Jill Sampson on behalf of the Vienna Selectmen. Lisa’s hard work helping elderly community members, and any neighbor in need, was recognized and praised by the Spirit of America Foundation. Thank you, Lisa, for your selfless, generous, and kind help to friends, family, and organizations in the area!

Grange Heirloom — May 2023

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.

Franklin Grange Reorganization Meeting

Saturday, May 6, 2023 — 1:00 PM

A group of folks interested in reorganizing the Grange in Franklin Grange is meeting at the Franklin Library! Anyone in the area who is curious or interested is invited! For more information or to express your interest, email FranklinMEGrange@gmail.com!

You’ll Miss Us!

a “webatorial” by MSG Communications Director
Walter Boomsma

Seth Godin recently wrote an interesting post suggesting that when people move away, cards and cake should read, “You’ll miss us” instead of “We’ll miss you.” He points out that the community remains.

One of the more powerful sentences in the short post was, “When a marketer serves a community, they create the conditions where they’d be missed–because the ideas or products or services they bring are important, not simply tolerated.

With apologies to Seth, I changed a word or two. “When a Grange serves a community, they create the conditions where they’d be missed–because the ideas or services they bring are important, not simply tolerated.

My revision raises a question for Granges. Would your communities miss you if you were gone? Would they even notice? Are you important or simply tolerated?

One of the challenges we face as an organization is relevance in communities that are loosely defined and increasingly diverse. If our vision is narrow and our goals are limited, we will be missed an ever-diminishing number of people. For example, not everyone likes potluck suppers.

Seth’s short message is that marketers should see that as a worthwhile goal, creating ideas, products, or services that the community would miss.

Maybe it’s time for Granges to figure out what they can create and offer that their communities would miss.

Communication Shorts 5-1-2023

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!

May Bulletin

The deadline for the May Bulletin is May 14, 2023. Remember, you can always find recent issues of the Bulletin on the Program Books and Information Page.

Submitting Events and News

We’ve recently been receiving requests to post information with a reference to Facebook. While we are anxious to support Granges, this is not practical–primarily because it requires additional steps and time to find, copy, and process information from Facebook. Please email your news and events or use the submission tab on the website. We will, of course, be happy to include a link to the Facebook post “for more information” as long as you provide that link with your submission.

Once your event or news is posted, it’s quite easy to post it to Facebook by using the share links at the bottom of the post! Or you can copy the link (right-click on the title or headline) and simply paste it into Facebook.

Also, when submitting events, please plan ahead! Posting events at the last minute is not good stewardship. For one thing, it can take 24-48 hours for it to be posted, then another 24 hours for the post to be sent to subscribers. You should plan to have your event submitted at least one week prior to it happening!

Grange Month Happiness

Don’t forget to tell us what happiness you experienced during Grange Month at your Grange. Use the Submissions Tab or send an email!

Ideas for Granges

The Freedom, NH, Public Library recently hosted a Fun Friday event that included After-School Activities (3:45-4:45 PM – Students are welcome to come directly after school for crafting with perler beads), Pizza Time (4:45-5:15 PM), and Family Movie Night (5:15-7:00 PM – showing Puss In Boots: The Last Wish).

Thought for You…

“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”

Michael Altshuler

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!

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!

Sagadahoc Fifth Degree Day

Guests at Sagadahoc Pomona Fifth degree, April 26, 2023. Mr. and Mrs. Gerry Simmons from Minuteman Pomona in Massachusetts, Henry and Sharon Morton, and Rick Grotton from Lincoln Pomona in Maine.  They were a great help to us filling in as Guest Master, Assistant Steward, Lecturer, and Spector. We had no candidates but new Graces who need the experience, so we did the Degree anyway. Everyone needs a reminder of what Pomona is all about including our secretary, who filled in as our acting candidate.

Jonesboro Grange Crush Cancer 5K

Sunday, June 25, 2023
8:30 am Kids Run
9:00 am 5k Walk/Run

Why should you participate? 
🦞 Proceeds donated to help area non-profits serve those who are battling cancer
🦞 Racecourse is on a quiet, scenic, ocean-view road far from traffic
🦞 A Professional Chip Timing service will be timing our race this year
🦞 Unique lobster 5k t-shirts for sale
🦞 Mostly flat out and back course 
🦞 Water Station at the turnaround point
🦞 Handmade lobster-themed awards
🦞 Photo booth with lobster-themed props
🦞 Fun race atmosphere 
🦞 An AMAZING finish line view 
🦞 FREE cupcakes and post-race treats 
🦞 Lucky number
🦞 And MORE – We will share soon!!

Sign up today! $30 Online registration closes June 18. $35 Day of registration.

Can’t join us in person?  Register as a virtual participant! Join folks from Colorado, Florida, New York, Indiana, Ohio, and Maine. Walk or run when and where it is convenient for you!