Parkman Grange Scholarships Awarded

The Parkman Grange awarded four MSAD#4-area college students Minnie Welts Bridge Scholarships of $500 each for the 2023-24 school year. Winners this year were: Matthew Chadbourne, Sangerville, a Social Work major at the University of Southern Maine; Mercy Harper, Sangerville, a Criminal Justice major at Husson University; MacKenzie Kain, Parkman, an Early Childhood Education major at Kennebec Valley Community College; and, Merrilee Levensailor, Guilford, an Accounting major at the University of Maine Augusta. Awards were made at the ninth Minnie Welts Bridge Memorial Supper on Saturday, August 12th, where approximately 40 diners enjoyed smoked pork loin, potatoes, and a variety of salads and desserts. With these four, Parkman Grange has awarded $15,000 in scholarships.

2023 Minnie Welts Bridge Scholarship Winners Matthew Chadbourne and Mercy Harper with Parkman Grange Master Sue Manchester. MacKenzie Kain and Merrilee Levensailor also received Scholarships but were unable to be present.

2024 Maine Ag Trades Show

Participation Interest Form Now Open

Reprinted from a UMaine Extension Newsletter.

Are you an agricultural business, producer group, organization, or service provider who would like to participate in the 2024 Maine Agricultural Trades Show? Would you like to give a talk, host a meeting, rent space, offer business advising, have a booth, or sponsor a portion of the 2024 Maine Agricultural Trades Show? More info here including how to apply.

MSG Convention Information

Celebrate the 150th Annual Session in Auburn

Are you making plans to attend the 150th Maine State Grange Convention? Your Communications Department has created a special page with tons of information you’ll want and need.

  • A list of important deadlines
  • A basic schedule for the two-day event
  • A link to an Information Packet that includes the form used for meal reservations
  • A list of motels in the Auburn Area
  • Answers to frequently asked questions regarding the Convention.

Note that delegates must be registered by your Subordinate or Pomona Grange Secretary. Non-delegates are welcome to attend and can speak to resolutions with the permission of the delegate body. Non-delegates do not need to register to attend! Non-delegates who intend to attend meals must make reservations by October 5, 2023

Visit the 2023 MSG Convention Page

From the Deacon’s Bench – August 2023

By Clay Collins, MSG Chaplain
207 837-0564

“Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.”      

Ephesians 5:15-16

Here it is August already! Where has the time gone? May all of your plans be accomplished, and you have a great time with your family and friends.

I was talking to a friend of mine a while ago gave me the following poem. It was attached to a figurine of an owl that was purchased at a county fair that he attended recently. It seemed very appropriate in these times.

There once was an owl
Who perched on an oak;
The more he observed
The less that he spoke.

The less he spoke
The more that he heard;
There’s wisdom for sure
We can learn from this bird!

As you go through life
Remember you know
What you know;
When you listen and watch
You’ll continue to grow

Until the next time, I am continuing to pray for good health for you and yours, and remember, “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.”

Don’t forget to thank a Veteran for his/her service in the defense of our country and pray for their safe return to their families!

Benediction: “Gracious Father of us all help us to spend less time thinking of ourselves, and more time thinking of You and Your many wonders. Amen.”  

Thought for the month:

May good luck be your friend in whatever you do and may trouble be always a stranger to you.

An Irish Blessing for Health and Prosperity

Communication Shorts 8-15-2023

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!

August Bulletin Reminder

The August Bulletin is now available for download and printing. Remember, you can always find recent issues of the Bulletin on the Program Books and Information Page.

National Grange Lecturers’ Newsletter

It’s not just for lecturers! Here’s a link to the third quarter issue of “A Quarter’s Worth.” Take a look! Thanks to MSG Lecturer Margaret Morse for sharing!

What Can You Say Other than “WOW!”

 For the second full week in August, the most visited post was “High Season Market at Ocean View Grange! One thing that makes this especially interesting is that the post covers an event that already happened! Should Granges be doing more markets?

Article About Grange and Other Halls in Maine

The Maine Monitor recently published an article entitled “Saving the Halls and Granges that House So Much of Our Heritage.” We’re particularly proud of the fact the author depended upon and quoted from the Maine State Grange Website!

Ideas for Granges

See this month’s Communications Column! Why not publish an annual report of your Grange’s accomplishments? You could even offer them for inclusion in your town’s annual report!

2023-2024 Events Calendar

This is a great time to start planning your programs and events for the next Grange Year. Please submit the information for posting on the MSG Website Calendar.

Thought for You…

Let’s be honest; it’s rather easy to be busy. We all can think up a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules. Some might even think that their self-worth depends on the length of their to-do list. They flood the open spaces in their time with lists of meetings and minutia – even during times of stress and fatigue.

Dieter F. Uchdorf

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!

Subscribe to the Maine State Grange Website

Exploring Traditions – August 2023

Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life

Where do I find a Manual?

By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist

Recently, there have been some questions regarding sources of information for meetings and rituals. The fundamental source is the Subordinate Grange Manual (SGM). So where do we find one of those?

First, a few words about the SGM. Technically, “Grange Manuals are sold only to Grange units themselves and are never sold to individuals. They must remain the property of the Grange and, as such, should always be accounted for by the Worthy Steward of said Grange.” While that’s true in principle, it is not so much so in practice. If you don’t tell anyone, I’ll share that one of my treasured possessions is an SGM published in 1908 that belonged to a relative. His name is written in the front, and many handwritten notes throughout the book. I guess the rules haven’t been strictly enforced for some time. I occasionally see them offered for sale on eBay.

The SGM contains much of the “ritual” used throughout the Grange: procedures for opening and closing a Grange Meeting, conferring the First Four Degrees, and installing officers. There’s even a Grange Burial Service. I recently had the distinct honor of conducting one!

We can think of the SGM as a procedure manual—the “how to” book focused on the ritualistic aspect of Grange meetings and events. There were some significant changes and additions made to the paperback SGM published it 2013. A few language updates were made, and a number of  “alternate” procedures and ceremonies were added. For example, this edition includes the Welcoming and Obligation Ceremony—streamlined paths to membership approved by National Grange. (Conferral of the Four Degrees is still highly recommended but not required for a new member to become “official” with voting rights, etc.)

Another SGM reality is that copies (pre-2013)can often be found lying around Grange Halls. These older copies remain useful because procedures have not altered significantly. Sometimes, the older editions are useful for their additional detail. For example, when I conducted that burial service, I used an older manual for its rich language and some additional information.

A Grange seeking copies of these older editions can try contacting:

  • Neighboring Granges. Many will have more copies than they need, particularly if they’ve accumulated manuals from closed Granges.
  • The local Grange Deputy. The deputy has contact with those neighboring Granges and is charged with assisting.
  • A State Officer. The State Master/President would be a good place to start.

It might also be possible to find one on eBay or in a used bookstore, but looking “in-house” will likely be most efficient.

The most recent (2013) SGM will be a bit more challenging. Normally, it can be purchased from the National Grange Store, but as of this writing, it shows as “out of stock.” Hopefully, it’ll be available again soon!

Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-sixth edition of the 2013 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.

Lecturer’s Column – August 2023

By Margaret Morse, Maine State Grange Lecturer
207 439-0413

As the days rush towards October and the State Grange session, it may be time to look over the photos you have taken during the last year and decide which ones you are going to enter into the photo contest. The categories for this year are water, animals, winter, and gardens. All photos must be turned in to the lecturer’s table no later than 2 pm on October 20, 2023. The photography contest is open to all Grangers and Junior Grangers as well as children and grandchildren of Subordinate members. The photographer must select the category for the entry and may enter as many photos in a single category as they wish. Entries, including matting or backing, must be no smaller than 4”x 6” and no larger than 11”x 14”. Frames and glass are NOT permitted.

Also, this year the adult coloring contest is still open for all who find coloring challenging and/or relaxing. All entries must be from an adult coloring book and no smaller than 4”x 6” and no larger than 11”x 14”.

The Art contest for Junior Grangers will also be judged at this time. The mediums that will be judged include oils & acrylics, watercolors, charcoal or pencil, markers or crayons.

The photography, coloring, and junior art contest entries will be judged against each other based on composition and arrangement, presentation, and technique. Junior Grangers’ work will be judged in three age groups: 5 – 7, 8 – 10, and 11 – 14.

View from the Farm – August 2023

Webmaster’s note: The format of this column has changed a bit, with all of the Quill’s Endians participating at various times and in various ways! This month’s column is written by Phil.

She’s an Easy Keeper!

This week, I was reminded of the age-old acronym KISS.  Keep it simple, stupid.  For some time now, my main form of transportation has been misbehaving, and even a short to the mechanic’s shop this week drive provided a massive dose of adrenaline. 

Since my appointment with the mechanic was scheduled three weeks after my phone call, I had time to research, troubleshoot, and possibly save some money by doing some of the work myself.  The more modern the vehicle, the deeper the rabbit hole of sensors and components.  My little Toyota Tacoma is a 1996, and fortunately, still has a fair amount of mechanical, rather than electrical, components.  I should have concentrated on corrosion instead of sensors, it seems.  My research complicated a problem fixed by a professional with WD40.

I was flabbergasted when, after a harrowing drive to the mechanic shop on Wednesday, they called with a fix mere hours later.  Thank God for knowledgeable professionals.  Mechanics are a mystery to me.  I lack the patience for discovery and the mechanical sense that clicks so easily in their minds.

It is that “click” that sets an individual apart in any field.  Sometimes, creatures just intuit a skill.  Cows as well as humans.  True in fields of pasture as well as mechanical fields.  Ariel is like that.  She is just three and on her first lactation as a dairy cow, a novice in her career.   Yet, she is the essence of a dairy cow…she embodies it.

Born from Pippin, of whom I wrote three weeks ago; and sired by Hughbert, the mellowest bull we have ever had, Ariel has been eager to please and unwilling to make a fuss from day one.  She goes about her business with class and skill, no matter what you ask of her.

She calved last fall when we had too much milk and were trying to sell a few cows to even out the supply-demand cycle.  We felt we had to list her for sale along with some other difficult choices.  We are glad no one bought her. 

She raised three veal calves for a few months and then willingly came into the milking parlor to provide you all with dairy products.  This would not be an easy transition for many cows.  She would melt into a larger herd, but is all too happy to be treated to royal care here at Quill’s End, where we can seek her and her wonderful, willing personality out and value the ease she provides us. 

Old-timers would call her an “easy keeper” and I am beginning to understand just what that understated metaphor means, thanks to Ariel.

Heather and Phil Retberg and 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 permitted us to share some of their columns with Grangers. Visit the Quill’s End Farm Facebook Page for more information.

Communications Column – August 2023

An Annual Potpourri and Update

By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director

As we approach the end of another Grange year, making this month’s column a bit of potpourri that includes a few updates and thoughts about our ongoing communication efforts seems appropriate.

As a director, it’s that time of year when, as a director, I have the opportunity to write an annual report. I get to think about the past year’s accomplishments and look ahead to the following year. While it’s work, it’s good work well worth doing. I challenge each Grange to consider a similar effort. Written reports force discipline and accountability. Can you at least list the programs and projects your Grange has completed? (The Grange Year is fiscal and runs from October 1, 2022, until September 30, 2023.) If you create a year-end summary or report, send it to me so I can post it on the website!

Additionally, each committee, director, and certain elected officers publish a Program Book for the upcoming year. These books serve as a resource for members and their local Granges. I’ll be making some significant changes to the MSG Website Handbook to reflect the major changes that have been made to the site.

Of course, both activities are completed in anticipation of this year’s State Convention held on October 20-21, 2023. This will be the 150th time delegates from Granges around Maine have met to look back and ahead. This year I’ve created a graphic celebrating that anniversary using the theme “A Road to the Future.” You’ll also find the traditional page on the site offering many details regarding the convention, such as the preliminary schedule, local hotel information, FAQs, and a material packet.

Keeping the website valuable and relevant requires your help! We typically receive over 20,000 views yearly, which doesn’t count posts sent to subscribers. (Subscribers receive posts by email once daily.)  I’ll share more about this in my annual report. Please consider using the site to promote your Grange’s programs and activities. Both Grangers and non-Grangers visit the site. Many of those who aren’t members are seeking information. One of the most visited pages is the director of Granges. Please make sure it includes your most current contact information!

In addition to information about Granges, the site also carries information of interest to members. For example, I recently posted information about the Maine Referendum Questions on the ballot this fall. At least one Grange will be sponsoring an informational meeting for their community. I also received a “tip” that a local news outlet published an article, “Saving the Halls and Granges that House so Much of our Heritage.” A link to the article has been posted on the site. And, by the way, the article notes that it relied on the Maine State Grange Website for historical and background information! If you see an article that interests other Grangers, please send me at least a link.

Speaking of links, I receive daily reports of links on the site that have stopped working. This happens for many reasons, and nearly all of it is beyond my control. Thankfully, most are links in older posts to items that have either been moved or deleted. Please understand that it would be extremely time-consuming to investigate all of these. Let me know if something is missing that is important, and I’ll try to research it. (You can also do so. If you find it, please let me know!)

In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a theme here. Communication is about more than just getting information! It’s about giving information too! I received an email recently asking why a particular Grange’s Facebook Page wasn’t listed on the website. The answer was easy: I didn’t know they had one! I occasionally get questions about events at local Granges and know nothing about them! Using the online directory, I refer the inquirer to someone from that Grange, but wouldn’t it be great if the information was readily available on the site? We can’t share what we don’t have or tell what we don’t know!

► FACT: During the first week in August, there were 513 emails delivered to website subscribers. (The most subscribers get is one email per day.) A big advantage for subscribers is that they don’t have to remember to check the website and can choose which posts they are going to read entirely.

Email the MSG Webmaster
Subscribe to the Website

CWA Report – August 2023

By Margaret Henderson, Director
Committee on Women’s Activities
207 948-2762

Committee on Women’s Activities

The tomato plants are giving us some nice tomatoes. It is wonderful to have fresh produce.

Everything is ready for the conference. A big thank you to Sister Sherry and Brother Richard for setting up the tables and chairs. It is greatly appreciated. I am so excited about seeing all the entries. It does my heart good to see how you are all blessed with these talents.

Next month I will post a list of all the winners.

Hope that everyone is healthy and safe.