Mill Stream Grange Supports Food Bank
Trenton Grange Announces Suppers
Trenton Grange will host free Community Pot Luck Suppers on the first Friday of the month as follows
- December 1, 2023, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
- January 5, 2024, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
- February 2, 2024, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
- March 1, 2024, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
- April 5, 2024, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
The Trenton Grange Hall is located at 1134 Bar Harbor Rd, Trenton, Maine. All are welcome! Contact Emily Muise for more details.
Open Mic at Trenton Grange
Tuesday, December 5, 2023 – 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Open Mic Event (acoustic) at the Trenton Grange Hall, 1134 Bar Harbor Road, Trenton featuring music, comedy, stories/poetry. Admission is $5 per person. Contact Emily Muise for more details.
National Grange Elects New President
NIAGARA FALLS, NY – The National Grange, the country’s oldest agricultural and rural service fraternity, has elected its 24th President – Christine “Chris” Hamp of Spokane, Washington.
A member of Tualco and Five Mile Prairie Granges in Washington, Hamp has served as Vice President of the National Grange since 2021, Program Director/Lecturer for four years before that, and has been a National Grange officer for more than a decade.
“Thank you for your trust and honor in electing me as your President,” she said. She is also a proud member of the Board of Directors of the Quilts of Valor Foundation. Hamp succeeds Betsy E. Huber, who was elected in 2015 as the first woman in the position in the Grange’s history.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Have a Happy–and thankful–Thanksgiving!
December Events Around the State
- December 1, 2023, Fellowship Breakfast for Supper at Valley Grange. Potluck Breakfast at 6 p.m., meeting at 7 p.m. FMI visit Valley Grange Website. This will be a joint meeting with Piscataquis Pomona Members.
- December 2, 2023, Deputy School at MSG, 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 pm. Contact Master Sherry for more information.
- December 8, 2023, Baked Bean Supper at Community Grange in East Wilton, 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. FMI see this post.
- December 9, 2023, Kids’ Christmas Party at Parkman Grange, 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. Additional information is available from Sue Manchester, Parkman Grange Master, at 207 717-6248
- December 14, 2023, Deadline for the MSG Bulletin
- December 16, 2023, MSG Junior Grange Meeting at Danville Junction Grange at 11 am. Contact a Junior Director for more information.
- December 17, 2023, MSAD 4 Santa Project Distribution at Parkman Grange. Additional information is available from Sue Manchester, Parkman Grange Master, at 207 717-6248
Community Grange Bean Supper
Bake Bean Supper Friday, December 8, 2023, from 5:00-6:30. Community Grange in East Wilton will be having a Bake Bean Supper with molasses cake for dessert. $10 per adult, $5 for children under 12. Hope to see you there!
Mill Stream Places Stickers
Mill Stream Grange members Paul Lavender, Jill Sampson, Kirsten Heck, and her daughter Natalie met at the Franklin Cemetery in Vienna to attach ID stickers to the stones of veterans. The small, unobtrusive stickers were placed low on the back of the stones in an effort to make them easier to find when placing flags for Memorial Day. Permission for this project was given by the Association which oversees the care of the cemetery on Tower Road in Vienna.
Excelsior Grange Christmas Fair
November 25, 2023, 9 am-1 pm.
Vendors, White Elephant Table, wreaths, raffles, and lunch eat-in or take-out (beef stew, corn chowder, chili, or baked beans plus dessert and a drink $5). For more information, call 207-998-2301.
Excelsior Grange is located at 446 Harris Hill Road in Poland, Maine.
Email Cautions
By Walter Boomsma, MSG Communications Director
This is a strange irony. As I was writing the “Caution and Suspicion” post, I received a weird email that appeared to be from MSG Chaplain Christine Hebert. Shortly after that, I received a legitimate email from her requesting I let people know she had been “hacked.”
Unfortunately, this is likely to become a more common event than we’d like. Many will remember getting similar bogus emails and text messages that appeared to be from MSG Master Sherry. Some even received bogus emails from NG Master Betsy Huber.
How this happens can vary, and I honestly can’t be helpful with resolving it. I can tell you that having a strong email password is necessary. Also, a virus-checking program on your computer is essential. The simplest explanation is that “bad people” are somehow gaining access to your email address book. Once they have that, it’s relatively easy for them to spoof or actually use your email address to send messages to people you know. It’s not much different from the telephone calls you get that appear to be from a local number.
This is not something related to or stemming from the Maine State Grange Website. We use very aggressive virus and malware protection software, and any email addresses on the website are “obfuscated,” making them impossible to harvest by bots.
Similarly, I receive at least a half-dozen fake invoices every day (a typical day shows 300+ emails coming in). It annoys me, but the best reaction is to simply delete them. If you receive an email from someone that looks strange or suspicious, you can probably ignore it and delete it. You can also contact that person by some other means to investigate. If you think your email account or address book has been compromised, you should immediately change your password and contact your service provider.
When in doubt, delete!
We will not be posting a warning every time a suspicious email is reported. We’ll count on you to be “suspicious and cautious.”In a sense, it’s the price we pay for the technology we enjoy. AI (Artificial Intelligence) will be a positive in prevention but like most tools, it can also be used for evil. Certainly, if you have any questions or concerns, let me know!