Patrons of Husbandry – a website dedicated to the Granges located in Maine
This one-hour, moderated webinar will present one woman’s lived experience with managing her adult son’s mental illness and overcoming barriers to mental healthcare in rural Wisconsin and a community psychiatrist sharing her expertise in treating patients in rural America.
Gleaned from the Annual Report
Community Service Notebook Contest Winners
First Place: Highland Lake Grange #87
Second Place: Maple Grove #148
Third Place: Jonesboro Grange #357
Tied for Fourth Place: Valley Grange #144 and Saco Grange #53
Of 84 Subordinate Granges, ten reports were submitted. We are required to have a 25% participation rate to receive monetary support from the National Grange. We did not make it this year.
There were no entries for EMT/Firefighter/Educator of the Year and no entries for Granger of the Year. Previous Grangers of the Year included:
2017 – 2018 Victoria Huff
2018 – 2019 Ann Burns
2019 – 2020 Walter Boomsma
2020 – 2021 Rebekah Hodgson
2021 – 2022 John Cox Jr.
Family Health and Hearing Contest Winner
Highland Lake Grange #87
In our rush to release state convention information at least one mistake was made. In the original “news,” the link to the Master’s Address actually led to the Treasurer’s Report! Apologies for any inconvenience. The link in the story has been corrected and is provided here!
So far we’ve uploaded 25 documents and created links for them. That’s not a case of whining, just creating perspective. If this is the only mistake, it’s not TOO bad. Thanks to Brother Rolf Staples for reporting it!
Sorry for any inconvenience!
For the sake of brevity, only the resolves are listed. For additional information, contact the Legislative Director.
Nonsmoking National Grange Events, submitted by Bingham Grange #237
Resolved, when future sites for the National Grange Convention or National Grange-sponsored conferences are chosen, only sites will be considered that are totally non-smoking.
The Good of the Order Committee recommended this ought to pass, and the delegate body agreed.
Activate Cameras at Major Intersections, submitted by Androscoggin Pomona #1
Resolved, that the Maine State Grange support legislation to activate the cameras that are at intersections and install cameras wherever they are needed.
The Legislative Committee recommended this ought not to pass, and the delegate body agreed.
Automatic Lights on All Vehicles submitted by Androscoggin Pomona #1
Resolved, that the Maine State Grange support legislation that all new vehicles have automatic lights.
The Legislative Committee recommended this ought not to pass, and the delegate body agreed.
An officially licensed Supplier of Grange Items
Fundraising Programs, Custom Printed Apparel, Promotional Items, Awards, Signs and Banners, Pins, Pens and more!
The delegate body elected the following officers during the 150th Maine State Grange Convention.
Master, Sherry Harriman
Overseer, Mike Griffin
Lecturer, Missy Baldwin
Steward, Ben Edgerly
Assistant Steward, Rick Grotton
Lady Assistant Steward, Roberta Meserve
Chaplain, Christine Hebert
Treasurer, Laurie McBurnie
Secretary, Sharon Morton
Gatekeeper, Peter Ivers
Ceres, Betty Huff
Pomona, Kathy Gowen
Flora, Deborah Ivers
Executive Committee, James Meserve – 4-year term
Directors and Committee Chairs will be announced upon receipt of information. If you have been elected or appointed, please be certain that we have your contact information by checking the online officer directory.
A complete summary of the State Session will come in several forms over some period of time. Of course, the official is the Journal of Proceedings, which will be posted when received.
A first priority is the Master’s Address, in part because it’s easy to do! In fact, it’s done! Click this link to download and print a copy of the Master’s Address!
Second are the results of the election. It may, however, be a while before directories are updated with complete contact information. Gathering that information tends to be the biggest challenge. If you were elected or appointed to an office, it will speed things up if you send me your email address and phone number!
Third are the “missing” annual reports. (Some are not available until the state session. You can check the program books and information page. I should have all reports that I’ve received uploaded within a day or two of this post.)
Fourth are the results of the three resolutions considered by the delegates.
Fifth will be some things I’ve requested from people. One example is the MSG history facts prepared by Margaret Morse as “filler” during the elections while counts were being done. Some were very interesting!
Things may not appear in exactly the order given, but my goal is to have at least one through four completed before the end of this week (October 28, 2023).
If you subscribe to the site, you’ll get an email when new posts are made! Thanks to the delegate who told me he loves how easy it is to get information from the site, especially the emails!
Lastly, please continue to submit your events! When I have multiple submissions, I prioritize local Grange events and news first. You matter! Use the submit tab, or send an email!
FHH Committees: You could this part of your Family Health and Heating Report! (Read carefully!)
Maine’s Energy Office has prepared a Winter Heating Guide to help Maine people stay warm this winter and know where to find assistance if needed. This includes steps to receive emergency fuel if necessary, sign up for automatic fuel delivery, or find support for energy bills or to help insulate your homes. If you need to order heating fuel, we advise contacting your supplier before your tank falls below one-third full, to give busy fuel delivery companies time to schedule your delivery.
Extended periods of low temperatures can result in frozen water pipes.
To prevent water pipes from freezing, try these methods:
If your pipes do freeze, you can safely thaw them with the following actions:
The most recent Grange Membership Year runs from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023.
According to the Membership Annual Report, 19 Granges in Maine had net gains that year, taking in some 75 members.
The top three membership gains were:
Congratulations and well done! Wow!
Are you aware of any “Wows” (new members, funds raised, successful events, other accomplishments) we should announce? Send a few details!
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!
The October Bulletin is complete and available for downloading and printing. However, with the State Convention happening this week, there may be some delay with the actual mailing. Remember, you can always find recent issues of the Bulletin on the Program Books and Information Page.
Are you planning a holiday event such as a Craft Fair or Party? Don’t forget to submit the details for a website post and event calendar listing!
You can request a Maine Absentee Ballot online. Election Day is November 7, 2023.
Rory Feek of Plain Values Magazine recently wrote an article on gardening and included a photo of his daughter’s “rolling garden.” It’s a child-sized “box” on wheels with child-sized “tools” kept on a port or deck. What a great idea! A Grange could make some as a fundraiser… provide a version for senior citizens… put your thinking caps on!
Between what I think, what I want to say, what I believe I say, what I say, what you want to hear, what you believe to hear, what you hear, what you want to understand, what you think you understand, what you understand…They are ten possibilities that we might have some problem communicating. But let’s try anyway…
Bernard Werber
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!
“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!