Patrons of Husbandry – a website dedicated to the Granges located in Maine
One of the software providers for our website recently blogged some ideas for community events that will draw people in.
What are you going to do this summer? Don’t forget to submit your events to the MSG website calendar!
Saturday, May 25, 2024 – 9:00 am until 1:00 pm
Attic treasures, books, RADA cutlery, baked goods, beans and chili (to go), pick your prize raffle, 50/50, plants and more.
Tables are available for rent, $20 each. For more information or to rent a table, contact Maynard Chapman at 207 312-5591.
Danville Junction Grange is located at 15 Grange Street, right off Route 202 in Danville.
Guest Ag Article by Nate Pennell
MSG Executive Committee Member
Some flowers in your vegetable garden will be very helpful to attract native pollinators and other beneficial insects. Marigolds are one example. Try several of your favorites. Pansies are great for early gardens and will last all summer and into fall. Try a few glads. Some of the most productive gardens in Maine, include flowers. Always try to produce enough for your family and some to give or sell to others.
Community gardens are also very popular. They grow for many in their community and enjoy doing it. It is very easy to enjoy what you do when you do for others!
Raised Beds for Farming
Warming the soil in raised beds before you plant in Maine, it needs to be done in March and April, or early May up north. Adding some compost and additional soil if needed, will insure a successful crop. Raised beds can be replanted with lettuce, greens, radish, and other quick growing items. If you do not have very successful crops at any time, be sure to take a soil test! The University of Maine Soil testing service can get you results in a couple of weeks. Soil and Water Districts across Maine as well as your local Cooperative Extension Office can assist and guide you. Other ideas that can work for you are window boxes, door step planters, and small gardens, especially for the elderly.
Happy gardening this year and next!
By Roberta Meserve, MSG Ag Director
(207) 998-3857
A big Thank-you for those who provided fudge in March for the Legislators. They loved it.
The Agriculture Committee met in Augusta on May 10, 2024 to discuss Agricultural Scholarship applications. We awarded scholarships to these applicants:
Each recipient will receive $500.00.
Grange Agricultural Enterprise Award Application deadline date August 1.
Applicants must earn at least a portion of their income from their Agricultural Enterprise.
The application form approved by the Maine State Grange Agriculture Committee must be used. The form is available here.
Awards: The winner will receive $100 cash prize and will be invited to showcase their enterprise at the State Grange Annual Session in October of that year, and share display space with the MSG Agriculture committee at the Agricultural Trade Show the following January at the Augusta Civic Center, at no expense. The sponsoring Grange will also receive a $100 cash award.
Articles in this edition include:
Click the button below to read and/or subscribe to the Patrons Chain!
Note that all recent issues are available on the National Grange Website. Occasionally, a weekly issue isn’t sent. For example, the last Friday of the month is usually a View from the Hill week, so the fact that one hasn’t been posted on the MSG website doesn’t necessarily mean we skipped it! You can double-check using the link (Read the Current Issue) above. Effective 2024, we will only maintain one year of issues on the MSG website.
In a recent post, Seth Godin reminded us that some restaurants keep a photo of the local food critic in the kitchen. That way, if someone notices that person in the restaurant, everybody bends over backward to make things right.
But why not try to get things right even if the critic isn’t there?
What if we conducted every meeting as if there were a dozen potential new members sitting in the back? Or do we ask the gatekeeper to warn everyone, “We have guests!”
For that matter, there’s a place in the opening for honoring “special guests.” Traditionally, that means someone from “higher up” in the Grange. Maybe the steward should at least announce ALL guests, regardless of their status.
Quick tips from Granges and Grangers are always welcome… on any topic that might improve or make things easier for other Granges. Use the submission form or email yours to the webmaster for consideration!
By Sherry Harriman,
Maine State Grange President/Master
207 490-1029
WELCOME to our 37 new members who received their degrees at last month’s Degree Days. The first held at North Scarborough Grange conferring all four degrees on ten candidates from North Scarborough, Deering, St. George, Hollis and White Rock. Thank you, officers from Cumberland and Androscoggin Pomonas for filling the chairs, nice job everyone. Thank you, Yvonne Johnson for putting things together. The second held on Maine State Grange’s 150th Anniversary April 21 at the State Grange Home in Augusta. Candidates were from Danville Junction, Excelsior, Mill Stream, Farmington, Androscoggin, Cambridge Valley, St. George, Victor, and Merriconeag. Thank you to the officers from Androscoggin and Cumberland Pomonas for taking the office parts, super job everyone. Thank you to Maynard Chapman, Chief Deputy for getting things organized. Thank you to the folks who attended the two meetings just to view the Degrees.
Reminder dates:
June 1, 2024 Maine State Grange Yard Sale at Manchester Grange
June 21 -23, 2024 North East Lecturers Conference hosted in Norwich, Connecticut
RESOLUTIONS are due to the State Grange office by August 15 — email or standard mail.
MAINE STATE GRANGE ANNUAL SESSION dates set for October 18 and 19 at the Auburn Masonic Lodge in Auburn. Details coming out soon.
PROCEDURE FOR ELECTION OF OFFICERS. Maine still uses paper ballots for each officer and should be held in June. The committees are named by the elected Master ASAP after elections.
By Rick Grotton,
Membership Committee Director
207 582-5915
Spring has sprung and warmer weather has us out and about and ready to plant our crops. Enjoy the wonders of Nature as the seed becomes a healthy plant, then bearing fruit. We are grateful for all the resources that Nature provides so we can have a bountiful harvest.
I am pleased to hear that the Degree Days in April were successful as well as Granges that recruited new members. I know of fifty, yes fifty, new members who saw the degrees or were obligated last month. Our Grange had 2 who were obligated. Out of the fifty new members, three Granges alone totaled 36; Fairview (Smithfield) had 18, Meericoneag (Harpswell) had 10, and Androscoggin (Greene) had 8. I am also aware that Deering Grange (Portland) took in 4 new members! Keep up the good work!
The new members will need proper training in the ritual and floorwork. Please offer to help mentor them and provide them with the resources and information they can use to become active in their communities. In previous columns, it was explained how your Grange can help these new members. For a quick review, remember to greet them and make them feel welcome, listen to their ideas, get to know their interests, and have an active Grange for them to be able to participate in events. I am available to attend and mentor if needed. Membership takes work, but we are well equipped to handle the task with ease. Enjoy!
Christine Hebert, MSG Chaplain
(207) 743-5277
We trust our leaders in the Grange that they will continue to follow the By-Laws and improve communication in their leadership roles.
We trust financial institutions; that is why we use them. Therefore, shouldn’t we trust in one another as God trusts us? If you believe in God, then you trust in God
Justice and judgment are the foundation of your throne; kindness and truth go before you.
Psalms 89:16, Catholic Bible Publishers 1972-1973 edition
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence rely not; in all your ways be mindful of him; and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6, Catholic Bible Publishers 1972-1973 edition
Guilford—Valley Grange in Guilford has announced their annual Celebration of Community, which will take place on Friday, May 17, 2024, at the Guilford Grange Hall. The event includes honoring one or more Community Citizen(s) of the Year. This year, the Grange will honor the Piscataquis County Emergency Dispatchers. The event celebrates the strength of rural communities with a potluck supper at 5:30 pm, followed by a program featuring a presentation of certificates of recognition at 7:00 pm. The program includes an opportunity for guests to share testimonials and appreciation.
Program Director Walter Boomsma noted in announcing the celebration, “We always try to honor people who have their boots on the ground and give of themselves to strengthen and build our communities. These too often unsung heroes are a lifeline for our communities. The event itself brings neighbors and friends together. Even the meal demonstrates the strength and value of our communities. In the truest sense, the communities prepare the potluck supper by bringing dishes to share.”
911 dispatchers are the vital link between individuals in distress and the emergency services they desperately need. Their ability to gather crucial information, provide life-saving instructions, and coordinate emergency response teams makes them invaluable assets to their communities. They embody compassion, professionalism, and resilience, serving as the first responders in every emergency call. They work behind the scenes, gathering crucial information, providing life-saving instructions, and coordinating emergency response. Valley Grange is honored to offer this opportunity to recognize their compassion, professionalism, and resilience.
“When you think about it,” Boomsma noted, “every citizen and visitor benefits from the work these people do daily. This is a chance to thank them in person and maybe shake hands and give a hug.” Community Service Chair Mary Annis adds, “This is always such a great evening as we enjoy the chance to connect with each other, share a great meal, and celebrate our rural lives.”
Additional information about the event is available at http://valleygrange.com and on the Valley Grange Facebook page.
