Exploring Traditions – May 2023

Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life

by Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist

When you don’t know what to say…

By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist

“Give us patience and wisdom in our counsels as a body, that our work may be good and acceptable in Your sight, and that our labors may be blessed with a liberal harvest.”

(The Chaplain’s Prayer while opening a meeting..)

While preparing for our Grange’s Community Celebration, I found myself distracted more than once by the words used in the recommended “Open Meeting” format, also referred to as the “Subordinate/Community Grange Alternate Opening and Closing.” I found myself occasionally thinking of different words than the ones I was seeing. Given my interest in words, I wondered how precise we ought to be in the Ritual. Is there a noteworthy difference between “declaring” and “proclaiming?” We could have an interesting discussion about that. It is my understanding that the latest (2013) manual made some efforts at “updating” the language. Did they succeed?

I also found myself paying closer attention to the words of the Ritual. One of the downsides to any ritual is how easy it becomes to “perform” it somewhat automatically. That may be doubly true when we have memorized the words. I occasionally listen to a Granger speed through the language and am sorely tempted to interrupt. “What did you just say?”

For reasons I can’t fully explain, I paid closer attention to the Chaplain’s opening prayer than usual. In the included snippet, there are several interesting thoughts or questions.

“Give us patience…” I chuckled a bit because I found myself thinking we are sometimes too patient. Where’s the line between patience and apathy? Of course, that’s not exactly what the Chaplain is asking for and talking about. The key is found in the word “counsels,” which refers to advice. (Think of “legal counsel.”) So we need divine assistance with each other as we work together (“as a body”) as we develop advocacy. I suspect our forebears spent time in friendly, positive debate before formally writing resolutions—or considering whether or not to support them.

Notice also how often the word “labor” is used in both the opening and closing. The Master/President begins, “The hour of labor has arrived, and the work of another day demands our attention…”

Wait. Grange Meetings are work?! I think they’re supposed to be. Come back to the Chaplain’s Prayer. “… that our labors may be blessed with a liberal harvest.” So as we think about the words of the Ritual in general and specifically the Chaplain’s Prayer, there’s an important question to ask ourselves. “What’s this liberal harvest we’re supposed to gather?” We keep referring to the work and the harvest. What is it that we are trying to harvest?

“Give us patience and wisdom” as we consider the answer. We only need to open a copy of the “Declaration of Purposes,” the first general objective. “United by the strong and faithful tie of an agricultural fraternity, yet welcoming all of good moral character to membership, we mutually resolve to labor for the good of our Order, our country, and mankind.” And we get further guidance in the two specific objectives.

When filling the officer of Overseer, I am occasionally tempted to have a little fun. The Master asks, “Worthy Overseer, are the labors of the day complete?” I sometimes want to say, “Can we talk about that?” See, we didn’t gather together for fellowship and fun. We gathered together because “the work of another day” demanded our attention. Did we complete it? What can we expect to “harvest” as a result of this meeting?

Imagine walking to the garden along the same path and sitting there on a regular basis. Sing a song or two. Recite some poetry. If that’s all you do, what will you harvest in the fall? We are still an agricultural organization. We should know how this works.


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.

Communication Shorts 5-16-2023

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

Website Links

Thanks to technology, we do get a report of links that are no longer working. Most often, these are links in older posts. Currently, we have been getting a lot of “broken link notices” that involve government/COVID information. In general, we do not investigate and/or repair these broken links. In addition to being very time-consuming, it’s often “old news.” If you happen on a link that doesn’t work and think it is important and should work, let us know, and we’ll look into it!

Nostalgia and History

If you are familiar with eBay, here’s a fun idea. Search for Grange-related stuff. You’ll find some nostalgia and history–things like manuals, cookbooks, jewelry (some very affordable), and even implement cases!

Ideas for Granges

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!

Do You Love the Grange?

If your hall has outdoor space, how about a Family Day Picnic? You could include a variety of activities like face painting, music, games, and food. If it rains, move inside! It might be possible to tie into another community event…

Thought for You…

“Even the mundane task of washing dishes by hand is an example of the small tasks and personal activities that once filled people’s daily lives with a sense of achievement.”

B. F. Skinner

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!

Membership Moments – May 2023

By Rick Grotton,
Membership Committee Director
207 582-5915

Now that Spring is in full bloom and the weather is much warmer, all of us have the itching to go outside and get “stuff” done. This ranges from planting your garden, growing flowers, mowing lawns, and especially spring cleaning. Our Grange halls are also in need of such. In order to attract prospective members, you may want to try the following during this time:

Gather members, friends, and community for a “Grange Cleaning Day.” You never know what “treasures” you may find, especially if your hall hasn’t been cleaned in a while. Have a small lunch or barbecue for the community or just for the helpers. Give them a tour and history of your Grange. Keep applications handy.

Have an open house. Invite community organizations and maybe some child games for fun and to create a pleasant atmosphere. Make plans with these organizations to help the community. Again, have lunch or refreshments, small prizes, baskets for a raffle, or a 50/50 drawing. Invite a motivational speaker or entertainment. Display some of the long-forgotten “treasures” found for others to view. Many people enjoy historical items.

 Host a community night with a talent show, entertainment, music, and fun “stuff.” Advertise a month in advance. Social media works wonders if you have a Facebook page or other forms of advertising.

Use your hall for vendors for an indoor or outdoor lawn sale. It is a good way for you and your members and the community to sell unwanted things that have been found during their own Spring cleanings. Again, have lunch or refreshments for the vendors with maybe background recorded or live music.

Have a jam day or night where local musical talent can get together, and the community can enjoy dancing and socializing. This works well for a Grange (as my Grange can testify). Sunday afternoons are a great time.

Host a meet the candidates night where all parties must be invited, and the public can get to know them. Ask them a series of questions for each to answer concerning important issues, with a time limit per question, of course.

The above suggestions require some work, so recruit family, friends, and the community to help. As you can see, you need to do these things: be active, have much publicity, and awareness, and open your hall to the public. Do they know you exist? The answers will surprise you! Listen to what the public says and jot it down. Membership is the lifeblood of our organization and the number one priority for your Grange. Without members, we cannot grow. Like without food in our bodies, we cannot survive. So, keep motivated, keep talking about Grange, and be educated (and educate others) on Grange history and what the Grange stands for, and how to help your communities grow.

    Mill Stream Grange Members Hosted by Mr. Vernon Baptist Church

    Mill Stream Grange members marked Grange Sunday by visiting the Mt. Vernon First Baptist Church on April 23. Eighteen members attended a nice service and were treated to a lovely brunch spread in the church’s Hall. 

    Communications Column – May 2023

    Are you giving out or getting through?

    By Walter Boomsma
    207 343-1842
    Communications Director

    Someone should do a study to answer this question: How much genuine communication takes place on social media? Stay with me—it’s an important question that actually isn’t limited to social media.

    There’s a quotation from Sidney Harris on the masthead of the Bulletin. The two words’ information’ and ‘communication’ are often used interchangeably, but they signify quite different things. Information is giving out; communication is getting through.” If you have read the Bulletin and didn’t notice it, we’re not getting through. That shouldn’t be a surprise. One-way communication has its drawbacks. And, as a society, we are increasingly relying on one-way communication, whether we realize it or not.

    I had an exasperating exchange on Facebook recently. I won’t bore you with the details as interesting as they might be. I was answering a writer’s question. Another person almost immediately jumped on me, “correcting” me. I responded to his comment by pointing out that I did not say (write) what he was criticizing me for, hoping he would see we weren’t communicating. He then proceeded to take a slightly different approach to telling me I was wrong anyway. I did not respond further and attempted to see some humor in it. Part of the humor was that the person who originally asked the question didn’t take part in the exchange.

    My attacker had no desire to communicate. He was more interested in demonstrating how smart he was. He went off-topic, particularly when I challenged his understanding of what I’d written.

    How often does that happen in our conversations? Are we giving out or getting through? We all want to be heard, and that’s not a bad thing. But we should be equally interested in being understood and at least mildly interested in our listeners. That’s much simpler to achieve in “live” in-person conversation. But it’s only easier if both parties are committed to communicating to create understanding.

    A down-to-earth technique is called “clarifying and confirming.” It’s based on the assumption we should understand both what the other person is saying and why they are saying it.

    “I love ice cream,” seems like a clear statement, at least as far as what is being said. If we want to understand, let’s be a little curious and ask (clarify) why the person loves ice cream. “Because it tastes good.” How’s our understanding? We won’t know for sure until we confirm it. “So what you’re saying is that you like ice cream because it tastes good.” That just might trigger more information. “Yeah, and I feel like I’m getting a treat…”

    This becomes particularly important when our initial reaction to someone’s statement is to reject, ignore or disagree. How we react determines what happens next. A knee-jerk reaction may mean the conversation ends or develops into an argument. The few minutes required to demonstrate a desire to communicate by clarifying and confirming are well worth the effort. If you confirm that you are in total disagreement, understanding the “what and why” equips you to remain friends and perhaps even find a middle ground or compromise.

    FACT: Last week, the MSG website was viewed 328 times. The two most visited items were the Directory of Granges and the Mill Stream Grange post.

    Lecturer’s Column – May 2023

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

    Book Reading Contest

    Did you know that approximately 1700 books are published daily? These books, from history to science fiction and biographies to children’s books, hit the shelves of bookstores and libraries soon after. So, no matter what your favorite genre is, there are plenty of new titles to choose from each month.

    The book reading contest is easy to enter. It is open to all Subordinate Grange and Junior Grange members, children, and grandchildren of Subordinate members. All that is required to enter is a list of all the books you have read since September 2, 2022, including the title, author, and number of pages.

    Each entry must include your name, Grange, including number, address, total number of books, and the total number of pages read. Juniors should include their age as of September 1. Students may include books read for class. Awards will be given for both most books and pages read. New this year is an optional section that asks you to recommend a book from your list. If you choose to recommend a book, you should include your name, the book title, the author, and the genre. Then write a short summary of the book and tell why you recommend it. All recommendations received will be printed and given to all members who entered the book reading contest.

    All entries must be received by September 2023.

    CWA Report – May 2023

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

    Committee on Women’s Activities

    My Grange is getting busy. We will be having bake sales, strawberry shortcake sales, and hopefully, our chicken bar-b-que.

    We will also be hosting a memorial service for a 103-year-old veteran, who recently passed away. He was a wonderful man and will be missed.

    Have been doing some work in my flower garden. My tulips are in full bloom and beautiful. My azalea bush is loaded with buds, so it is getting very colorful in front of my house. Next month will plant tomatoes. I enjoy spring and keeping busy.

    I am looking forward to seeing everyone’s entries in the contests.

    Jessica loves the Grange!

    I love all of the activities and events that the Grange does throughout the year.

    Jessic Thurston-Creations Custom and Homemade, LLC, Hollis Grange #132

    What about you?

    Do you love the Grange? Can you explain what’s great about being a member? It only takes a minute to click the button and tell the world!

    Excelsior Grange Open House

    Excelsior Grange at 446 Harris Hill Road in Poland will have an open house on May 20, Noon to 2 pm. Lunch will be served at noon and is free to all. Rick Grotton, membership director of the Maine State Grange, will be the guest speaker.

    Excelsior Grange is entering its 150th year of continuous operation in Poland, and we would like to introduce friends and neighbors to the opportunities available to them through Grange membership. The Grange today is not only for farmers, even though agriculture is still very important to the Grange. Membership is open to all who are over the age of 13, with social and service activities of interest to all. If you like working with others for the common good, the Grange is for you.
    Seeds for the Grange-sponsored 2023 Pumpkin Growing Contest, for youth ages 5-12, will be available that day.

    For more information and/or rsvp for lunch, please call 998-2301.