Pesticide Disposal

Registration Opens for Free Pesticide Disposal Events Set for November

Pre-registration required by Monday, October 5, 2026

  • Event Dates: One-day collections in November 2026 in Presque Isle, Bangor, Augusta, and Portland 
  • Registration Deadline: Monday, October 5, 2026 (pre-registration required; drop-ins not permitted) 
  • Who Can Participate: Maine resident homeowners and family-owned farms 
  • What’s Accepted: Obsolete or unwanted pesticides and spray adjuvants, including herbicides, insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides, and disinfectants 
  • How to Register: Visit www.thinkfirstspraylast.org to complete the inventory form and registration instructions 
  • Note: Registrations must be submitted by the person currently possessing the pesticides. Materials collected on behalf of others will not be accepted. 

Ignore and Delete

Do not pass go… do not collect… Hopefully, by now you’re able to spot these fake emails, and you just delete them.

Just in case, we’ll post an occasional reminder to keep your scam radar turned on. If it looks like a scam, it probably is!

Madison Grange Food Distribution

East Madison Grange is located at 15 Grange Road in East Madison

The East Madison Food Project giveaway day will be Friday, July 31st, from 10 am-11:30 am at the East Madison Grange. 1 box per family. Come early as supplies are limited. Doors open at 10 am. All are welcome!

August Grange Events

This is not all-inclusive, just what has been submitted. Remember that many national and state contest deadlines happen in August.

First and Third Monday, 8 am – 10 am, Coffee Open House at Manchester Grange.
Every Monday, 6 pm – 8 pm, Winthrop Grange offers free sewing classes.
Every Monday, at 7 PM, St George Grange hosts Music Night. Enjoy live music, bring a musical instrument and play, or get up and sing.
Every Monday, 10:30 am- 12:30 pm, Vassalboro Grange hosts Movement Mondays, a kid-friendly dance event. Email FMI
Every Tuesday, 8:30 AM- 10:00 AM, Vassalboro Grange hosts Coffee on the Porch. Email FMI
Every Saturday, 10 AM-4 PM, Kennebec Valley Grange hosts a flea market that fills two floors. Details here or call Diane Pinkham at 207 314-5135 FMI.

  • August 2, 2026, Pancake Breakfast at Vassalboro Grange,
  • August 7, 2026 East Madison Grange Open Mic Night at 7 pm. All musicians, poets and other performers are invited to perform.
  • August 8, 2026, Chewonki Owls of Maine at Vassalboro Grange, 8:00 am – 10:00 am.
  • August 8, 2026, Vassalboro Grange Estatic Dance, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Email FMI
  • August 8, 2026, Winthrop Grange Public Bean Supper, 4 pm- 6 pm. Take-out available.
  • August 8, 2026, St George Grange Public Supper, 5 pm. FMI
  • August 8, 2026, Work Day at the New England Grange Building in West Springfield, MA.
  • August 9, 2026, Vassalboro Grange Philosophy Table Potluck, 5:00 pm Email FMI
  • August 12, 2026, Fairview Grange Hunter Safety Class
  • August 14, 2026, MSG Bulletin Deadline
  • August 15, 2026, Resolutions are due at the state office.
  • August 15, 2026, Open Mic and Coffee House at Vassalboro Grange, 6 pm – 8 pm Email FMI
  • August 21, 2026, CWA Deadline for contest entries (except baking) to arrive at Manchester Grange. FMI
  • August 21, 2026, Victor Grange in Fairfield hosts a free senior lunch, 11 AM – 1 PM.
  • August 22, 2026, CWA Conference at Manchester Grange starting at 9:30 am. Subordinate and Pomona Reports are due to the state director.
  • August 22, 2026, Fairview Grange Hunter Safety Class
  • August 29, 2026, Contra Dance at Vassalboro Grange
  • August 31, 2026, Community Service Reports are due, including nominations, FHH Activity, etc. See Program Book FMI.

Grange Today! 7-24-2026

The Newsletter of the National Grange

Articles in this edition include:

  • Raising the Flag, Honoring the Future: Sammamish Valley Grange celebrates America250 with Flag Day Event
  • NREA Partners with National Grange to Expand Collaboration Across Rural America
  • Is Your Grange Ready to Make a Difference?
  • Pave the “Route to the Future” at the 160th Annual National Grange Convention
  • Statement from National Grange Regarding Monroe Classic, Inc.
  • View from the Hill
  • The Countdown is On: One Year Until Grange Revival 2027!
  • Request Alzheimer’s materials for your local fairs
  • Reports and Contests Due Soon
  • Encouraging Creativity in the Age of AI
  • Recipes from the Heartland
  • Grange Member Benefit: Clouse Insurance
  • Grange Store: Good Day! July 2026

Click the button below to read and/or subscribe to Grange Today!

Read the Current Issue

Note that all recent issues are available on the National Grange Website. To save server space, we only post the table of contents on the MSG Website.

Free Eye Exams & Glasses for Veterans and Dependents

For more information or assistance with booking, individuals can reach out directly to the Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services by calling (207) 287-7020 or emailing MaineBVS@maine.gov. Note: This is only by appointment, and you must preregister online.

Fraud Watch- QR Code Scams

Reprinted with permission from AARP’s Fraud Watch Network.

QR codes have become a convenient part of our daily lives, from viewing restaurant menus to paying for parking meters. However, scammers are increasingly taking advantage of this technology to steal your personal information and money through a tactic known as “squishing.” By physically pasting fraudulent stickers over legitimate ones, or sending fake codes via email or text, criminals can redirect you to malicious websites meant to mimic trusted businesses.

 In public settings, you might unknowingly scan a tampered code on a flyer or parking meter, sending your payment directly into a scammer’s account.

Protecting yourself requires extra caution. When scanning a physical QR code, ensure it’s not a sticker layered over the original. When in doubt, avoid the QR code entirely, and use your phone’s web browser and type in the official web address yourself.  Additionally, keeping your devices’ operating systems updated and using antivirus protection can offer an important second line of defense.

More Topic Resources

Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.

AARP Fraud Watch Network

Need a scam prevention speaker for your group? Click the link to fill out the AARP online form or email me@aarp.org.

Share this news!

Subscribe to the Maine State Grange Website

You’ll Miss Us!

a “webatorial” by MSG Communications Director
Walter Boomsma

Seth Godin wrote an interesting post suggesting that when people move away, cards and cake should read, “You’ll miss us” instead of “We’ll miss you.” He points out that the community remains.

One of the more powerful sentences in the short post was, “When a marketer serves a community, they create the conditions where they’d be missed–because the ideas or products or services they bring are important, not simply tolerated.“

With apologies to Seth, I changed a word or two. “When a Grange serves a community, they create the conditions where they’d be missed–because the ideas or services they bring are important, not simply tolerated.“

My revision raises a question for Granges. Would your communities miss you if you were gone? Would they even notice? Are you important or simply tolerated?

One of the challenges we face as an organization is relevance in communities that are loosely defined and increasingly diverse. If our vision is narrow and our goals are limited, we will be missed by an ever-diminishing number of people. For example, not everyone likes potluck suppers.

Seth’s short message is that marketers should see a worthwhile goal of creating ideas, products, or services that the community would miss.

Maybe it’s time for Granges to figure out what they can create and offer that their communities would miss.

Fraud Watch- Utility Scams

Reprinted with permission from AARP’s Fraud Watch Network.

As rising summer temperatures cause energy demands to increase, criminals exploit fears of losing power and air conditioning by posing as local utility companies.

Scammers place threatening phone calls, phishing emails, or urgent text messages aimed at convincing consumers to supply personal data or to click on unverified links to resolve a past-due balance. Oftentimes these schemes are accompanied by a push to receive instant payment through unconventional payment methods like gift cards, or cryptocurrency.  

If you receive an unexpected threat to terminate your service, take an active pause and contact the utility company’s customer service department using the number from your physical bill or the company’s website (don’t search – go directly to the site) to check your account status. Chances are it’s a scam.

More Topic Resources

Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.

AARP Fraud Watch Network

Need a scam prevention speaker for your group? Click the link to fill out the AARP online form or email me@aarp.org.

Share this news!

Subscribe to the Maine State Grange Website

St George Grange Chair-ity Auction

Recycling at it’s best!

Members of the St. George Grange came up with the whimsical idea of having 17 local artists paint some of their vintage wooden chairs and chose Zero to School as the recipient of this CHAIR-ITY fundraiser auction.  These ONE-OF-A-KIND works of art represent both the talent and generosity of these artists.

Check out the amazing chairs and the auction, and learn more about Zero to School! Bidding closes on July 19, 2026 at 8:00 p.m.

Check ouT the Chairs!