Successful
Actions of Butternut Valley - NY
Butternut Valley Grange is located in Gilbertsville, a small community in upstate New York. “We’re about one hour northeast of Binghamton near the Pennsylvania border and two hours southwest of Albany which is near the Vermont and Massachusetts border,” says Roger Halbert, Master of Butternut Valley Grange. “We’re in Otsego County and our county seat is Cooperstown – known for the Baseball Hall of Fame. And it’s also the home of James Fenimore Cooper so it’s ‘Leatherstocking’ country. We’re a very small community – about 500 people. We have three churches, a school system, and a few other organizations. Our Grange is the leading civic organization in the community.”
Butternut Valley Grange was organized in 1934. “We’re the youngest Grange in our county. We did not participate in the Action Grange program because we had already – through the Visioning Program in New York – developed a ‘thinking-outside-the-box-attitude’ in our Grange. We actually did a lot of the things that the Action Grange program has been promoting since.”
“During the 1950’s and 60’s when Grange membership was at its peak nationally, our Grange had an average membership of between 60-70 members with an average attendance of 25. In January of 1989, our Master at the time, Keith Klingman, sent a letter to our members expressing a concern that our average attendance at meetings had dwindled to below 20. In fact, at the meeting prior to the letter going out, there were only nine people in attendance! In effect, the letter said that we can’t be a successful Grange with so few at meetings.”
Rather than blame members for not attending, though, the letter encouraged Grangers to think creatively about what it would take to really make it worthwhile for members to attend meetings. “That was really forward-thinking at that point in time. We started brainstorming, and in 1990 we embraced the Visioning Program and what it could do for us,” says Roger. “Ours is one of the few Granges who really took the Visioning Program to the limit. And the key elements of what we did – that’s what Action Grange is now stressing.”
Keith Klingman adds, “A great part in our success story was that our older, seasoned members did not put up roadblocks to trying the drastic measures that were proposed. Even they knew and accepted that if our Grange continued, we might have to make some changes. You don’t find that level of faith and risk-taking in many Granges.”
“We wanted to be noted for our ritual that has meaning and purpose for our members – then and in the future. And what I would like other Granges who might be struggling to know is that it does work. Since 1992, we have consistently had a net gain in membership – most every year!” Halbert continued.
Some of the changes that Butternut Valley implemented were these. “We don’t take up the password – and we haven’t in 14 years. We do believe in the Salutation, so much so that it shouldn’t be “secret” but performed in front of non-Grangers. We’re that proud of it – and we want to share it with others. We don’t require members to work their way into or out of a meeting in the traditional way. Really, that was very revolutionary thinking at the time. We wanted members to know that they shouldn’t stay home if they couldn’t get to the meeting right exactly on time. We didn’t want them to worry about whether they’d remember the password for that year or the proper knocks at the door or be somehow embarrassed or reluctant to join us when the meeting had gotten started. Instead, we just asked them to come in and take a seat quietly. The important thing is we asked them to come!”
“We also came to the conclusion that while the Four Degrees are very important as a way to remember our heritage and how the seasons relate to our lives, doing the degrees might not be the best initiation process for a new member. We have had for a number of years a very active Degree Team in our county, and 85% of the members of the First and Fourth Degree teams come from our Grange – and most have their parts fully memorized. We really believe the degrees are important for teaching and impressing the lessons of the salutation, but they aren’t necessarily the best first impression and experience for a new member. We do use an obligation ceremony, but we don’t ask new members to go through the Four Degrees until they’ve experienced Grange a while.”
“We also decided that coming to two meetings a month might be too much to expect of our busy members. We thought that one meeting a month would be more understanding of people’s really valuable family time. When making our first changes, our Grange met at 8:15 p.m., then 8 p.m., and now for several years, our start time has been 7:30. Meeting day of the week and meeting time can be crucial to a Grange’s success. In the 2000 study by National Grange, most of our successful Granges nationwide (71%) have start times between 7 and 7:30 p.m. and 70% of our growing Granges meet between Monday and Thursday as opposed to a Friday or weekend meeting day.”
For the last several years, Butternut Valley Grange’s vision has been focused on three important components – community service involvement, legislative discussions and policy formation, and strong Lecturer programs. “All three of these are really appealing to people,” says Roger, “and they make for lively discussion and interaction at our meetings!”
Suzanne Winter, Community Service Chair for Butternut Valley Grange describes some of the projects they take on. “We do some really nice things that help people in our community. We adopt a family every Christmas – and give them food, gifts, the works. For several years, we’ve gone caroling at the holiday. We went to 12-15 homes last year. One lady who was over 100 was so pleased that we’d come and see her and sing for her. That felt very rewarding.”
“We do the Dictionary Project—Words for Thirds. We do a public dinner and contribute the proceeds to such groups as the local Boy Scout Troop, local cemetery association, local food pantry, and others. We rotate who the proceeds go to each year. We assist local families who have a variety of needs. Maybe there’s an illness, or a loss, a fire – that sort of thing. It’s very rewarding to be able to help. We offer a Defensive Driving Course annually, as well as complete two roadside clean-ups. This year we refurbished six Welcome to Gilbertsville signs leading into our community.”
Suzanne added, “This past year we sponsored our first community Halloween party with hayrides and a performing clown. It was so well received, and it was wonderful to see the children – and families – all there together. The children were so excited! We distributed special trick or treat bags with the “Butternut Valley Grange” name on them.
Roger jumps in, “We had 125 people there – and we’re going to have a Community Halloween Party again this year!”
Vic Winter, Legislative Chair for Butternut Valley Grange says that they have a legislative discussion at nearly every meeting. “A lot of people are interested in participating. Butternut Valley Grange has supported endeavors of SUNY Morrisville – a 2-year college in our state university system – to develop a bio-diesel model. They plan to use bio-diesel technology to supply electricity to the whole college – and offer courses in bio-diesel technology. It’s really innovative, and we’re supporting that.”
“Our New York State legislature had a system called ‘empty seat voting.’ that really upset us,” says Vic. “What happened was that our legislators could sign in on the morning of a legislative session – swiping their ID card – and then even if they weren’t present to hear the debate about a vote and their seat was empty, an affirmative vote would be registered for them. We were really opposed to that practice! And now, empty seat voting in New York has been discontinued. In order to vote, the legislators have to actually be there.”
“Another issue that we acted on,” says Vic, “was a year-round burial proposal. It’s very cold here in the winter, but this plan would have required every cemetery to bury people right away no matter what time of year it is. Well, that would have bankrupted most of our local cemeteries. So we contacted our state representatives and registered our opposition to this requirement.
“Whenever we have guests, they really see some very spirited conversations about issues that really matter to them,” says Roger. “I looked through our records for the last few years, and some of the issues we have discussed include the state proposal to ban smoking in restaurants, Social Security preservation, support of the Selective Service, minimum wage, blood alcohol levels, and a lot more. These topics have really inspired our teenage and younger members to voice their opinions and feel equal to the adults when it came to voting our Grange’s position. Many times, our conversations turn into resolutions that go on to the Pomona, State and National Grange.”
Butternut Valley Grangers also credit excellent Lecturer Programs for their Grange’s success. “When you take your membership list and really try to get input from members who don’t attend regularly and try to get them involved – at least a couple times a year and more if you can – then that really makes a difference,” says Butternut Valley Lecturer (Program Director), Georgianna Halbert. “We have all kinds of topics for our programs. We give out Citizen of the Year awards, and this last year, we actually gave an award to a business which we hadn’t done before. That worked out really well. Really, if you plan an hour that’s full of inspiration, and of current interest, you’ll be successful.”
“We have a very good relationship with our school,” adds Georgianna Halbert. “When it comes time for school board elections, the school will ask us to hold a Candidate Night so people can find out more about who is running for the school board. We held a very successful Candidates Night last fall for town and county elected positions with several guests from the area attending.”
Edie Quinn, a professor of history at Hartwick College, Oneonta, about 15 miles from Gilbertsville – says that, “The common ingredient for both our legislative and Lecturer’s programs is that they focus on discussions about all kinds of issues. Many of those issues support legislation about concerns in the community and state – and others celebrate the idea and the practice of community itself.”
Edie adds, “For me the heart of Grange is that when I come to a meeting, it is the closest that I can come to in our modern world to the essence of democracy and the town meetings of our history. Grange is a place where your voice can truly be heard – and the diversity of all the voices is our strength!”
Edie shares her first impressions of Grange when she attended a meeting at Butternut Valley as a guest. “I was so grateful that I was able to be there – allowed to be there – for the whole meeting. Not just the speaker portion of the meeting which is why I was invited, but all the way from the beginning of the meeting. I wouldn’t have become a member if I hadn’t had that experience. I teach local history and rural history, and when I was allowed to attend that first whole meeting, I could feel a touchstone to history – and I wanted to become a member and be part of it. And that’s true of every level – from the local Grange right up to the National Grange. I’ve taken my class to Grange meetings at Butternut Valley because I wanted them to see the part that Grange has really played in the history of our country – and to see what a Grange in today’s world can do.”
“I have told people all around the country about Edie’s first reactions,” says Roger who served as Membership Director of the National Grange for several years. “After that first meeting she asked which part of what she saw might have been ‘secret,’ we told her that it was really just the Salutation at each end of the meeting. And she said, ‘But that’s a beautiful and important way for you to express who you are and what you believe in.’ We’re really proud of Grange and we want other people to share that pride.”
“I know that many of the Action Granges have opted to have one business meeting a month and then a second meeting that’s more social and informal. We chose to just have one,” says Roger. “We don’t have an ‘official’ social meeting every month, but we do a card party and game night in the winter and a picnic with croquet, bocce ball, and cards every summer. The competition gets quite lively! And we do a day-long bus trip to some area of New York State once a year.”
“Some people are attracted to Butternut Valley Grange because of our Grange Choir,” adds Roger. We have a really talented group of singers. They’ve gone to National Grange in Eugene, Oregon in 1985, and again to Springfield, Massachusetts in 1997 to sing. We’re an amateur group, but we do very well with our four-part harmony. We have quite a few people who really want to sing with a group and gotten into Grange because it’s a place where they can do what they love.”
“We also – for fun – have provided a Secret Pal for those who wish to participate. For well over15 years now, about 30 of our members take a Secret Pal – a brother or sister that they’ll remember secretly throughout the year. We hold a ‘Revealing Party’ at Christmas time when each finds who had their name all year.”
Roger chuckles, “We’ve made a lot of choices to take the secrecy out of Grange, but the Secret Pal aspect has been something that has gotten a lot of people involved in Grange. It’s just for fun and for the sense of connection that helps us feel like we know and care about each other.”
Roberta Halbert adds that Butternut Valley Grange is very active at their County Fair. “We’ve run a refreshment booth over 50 years. It’s our major fundraiser and nets us usually between $4-5,000 every year which helps us maintain our beautiful Grange Hall and assists us with our community service projects.”
Butternut Valley Grange has more members now than in the 50’s and 60’s – and also than they had just a few years ago. “When we started the Visioning Program,” Roger says, “we had a membership of 103. In 2000, we had 112 members. In 2006, we have 120 members. We have four new members coming in this month. Our attendance for the last 5-7 years has averaged 35-40 members at each meeting. So we’re actually stronger now than we’ve ever been. Our peak time has been in the last ten years. And a big part of that has been that we’ve made our Grange and our meetings open. Edie is a great example. If we hadn’t welcomed her to be part of a full meeting, she wouldn’t have joined. We’re committed to being open and to sharing what we believe in. We want non-members to see what we do and who we are – and we want them to take those positive impressions away with them when they leave.”
Shirley Anne Roos says that the chance to attend a Grange meeting at Butternut Valley enticed her to join Grange five years ago. “I had a connection to Grange since my great grandfather Wilber Sanford was the first Grange Master in Camden Grange in Oneida County at their first meeting in 1875. At Butternut Valley Grange, there is just so much support – for each other and for the organization. In addition, I’ve never been to a meeting that didn’t include a lot of hearty laughter! Grange means a lot to me. And the coffee and cake is good too!”
Other Butternut Valley Grangers agree that laughter is an important component of their positive meetings.
“I did some estimating about the age ranges of the people in our Grange – even though it can be fairly dangerous to try and guess people’s ages,” says Roger. “I have estimated that about 12% of our membership is 35 and under; 20% between 35 and 50; 37% between 50 and 65; 20% between the ages of 65-80 and 11% are probably over 80.”
“We have had several teens who have been members – and they take part in our discussions just like anyone else. It’s quite rewarding to see them chime in and feel like their voices are as valuable as any adult in the room!” says Roger.
“We make a point of celebrating their talents, academics, and successes,” adds Edie. “If they went on a trip, or were in the school musical, or competed in some sports event, then they’ll bring us a report. I think they appreciate our respect of their youth and that we include them in adult discussions.”
“We have good success with press releases in our daily and weekly newspaper and publicizing what we’re doing. It’s important to get comfortable with your local paper and find out just how they prefer you communicate with them. It really helps our success to be able to get information out to the public. It helps take away the image that Grange is just for farmers or older people,” adds Halbert.
“The big message I’d like other Granges to hear,” says Roger, “is that it is possible to see a Grange turn around its membership – even if you’ve gotten quite small. If you have enough people who really want Grange to thrive in your community – and you start thinking outside the box – then good things can happen.”
“I’d encourage struggling Granges to have open activities and meetings to invite people in. When there’s a perception of a closed and secretive organization, those Granges suffer in their communities. It’s been exciting to see Butternut Valley Grange’s turn-around. If we have fewer than 35 members turn out for a meeting, that’s an off night, and fortunately we don’t have many of those! We’re really proud of Grange at Butternut Valley – and we’re proud of what we do!” | 
