By Todd Milbourn | KVAL News

EUGENE, Ore. — On a recent Saturday night, the Spencer Creek grange hall was swinging.

Silver-haired gentleman twirled their ladies. Eager young men moved swiftly to impress dates.

An 80-year-old dance caller presided over it all, instructing the nervous dancers on the precise way to waltz.

None of this would’ve been possible until recently.

Membership at the grange hall — and its counterparts across the state — had been dropping. The organization was short on cash.

“It wasn’t looking too good,” said Malcolm Trupp, the Spencer Creek grange master, who grew up in the area and has been involved with the grange for 50 years.

But Trupp said the grange hall reached out. They sought new members who brought in new ideas, from establishing a grower’s market to pancake breakfasts and barn dances like this one.

Read the full story here.

Filed Under: Grange in the News

Robert G. Waggoner, 1925-2012: Man detailed Grange in Lake Twp. history book

By Mark Zaborney | Toledo Blade

Robert G. Waggoner, a mainstay of the Lake Grange who wrote about his unit of the fraternal organization for a history of Wood County’s Lake Township, died Sunday in Mercy St. Charles Hospital, Oregon. He was 86.

He had heart and kidney problems. He experienced chest pains while at dialysis Feb. 10, his wife, Sally, said.

Mr. Waggoner lived for most of his life within a two-mile radius of the unincorporated community of Moline, according to his biography in A History of Lake Township Wood County, Ohio. His family has lived in the community, near what is now East Broadway and State Rt. 795, since the late 1860s.

He and his wife were among contributors to the 350-page volume, and he wrote about what he knew best: Lake Grange No. 2205, of which he was a former master, as his father had been. His research included reviewing material in the archives of Bowling Green State University.

“We enjoyed finding different bits of information you didn’t know before,” his wife said. “It was really a great experience.”

Read the full story here.

Filed Under: Grange in the News

National Master to visit Rainbow Valley Grange

RAINBOW – National Grange Master Ed Luttrell will visit three California Granges this month, including Rainbow Valley Grange #689, to address local members and answer questions about what’s going on at the National Grange. He will be accompanied by California State Grange Master Bob McFarland.

The first stop will be on Feb. 9 at the Morgan Hill Grange in Morgan Hill. The following night, on Feb. 10 the Masters will visit Danville Grange in Danville. On Feb. 11, the three-day tour will conclude at the Rainbow Valley Grange, 2160 Rainbow Valley Blvd. The meeting starts at 4 p.m. and is a good opportunity to meet the National Master, ask questions, and keep informed.

Everyone is welcome to attend, including non-members interested in learning more about the Grange. There is no admission charge. For more information, call (760) 489-9502.

Read the full story here.

Filed Under: Grange in the News

Portsmouth Grange Offering Leadership Development for Community Projects

By Sanne Kure-Jensen

What do you know about the Portsmouth Grange?

Did you know granges offer leadership development for local community service projects within their theme of “American Values, Hometown Roots?”

Granges also offer a legislative voice through grassroots advocacy. While Granges are non-partisan, they urge full participation in the American political process.

Family is a part of every grange meeting. Children, youth, adults and senior are welcome participants in competitions such as music, art, public speaking, crafts and more. Members and visitors enjoy the fellowship, recreation and social activities of grange meetings.

Read the full story here.

Filed Under: Grange in the News

Wolcott Grange Reorganized and Revitalized

By Terri Fassio, Connecticut State Grange Public Relations

State Grange President Jody Cameron presents the Charter to the new President of Wolcott Grange, Henry Ouimet. (Photo by Robert Charbonneau)

Monday, February 13, 2012 is a date that will go down in history for Wolcott Grange. It’s the date that began a new chapter in the community as the family-oriented group reorganized. It’s the date that the Connecticut State Grange reinstated their Charter.

There was excitement in the air as Connecticut State Grange President Jody Cameron presented the Charter to Henry Ouimet, who was elected as President of the revitalized Grange.

“This was without a doubt one the most exciting evenings for the Grange,” said Cameron. “I want personally thank Mr. Ouimet for all of his hard work in making this reorganization possible.  His efforts have guaranteed that Wolcott Grange will be serving the community and all of its citizens for many, many years to come.  You can?t do anything but celebrate knowing the impact this energetic group is going to have; I can?t wait to see what they have in store for the community.”

18 new members were recognized and initiated to helm Wolcott Grange during its revitalization. Jeff Barnes, Connecticut State Grange Vice President and Chairman of the Grange Growth Team, performed part of the evening’s ceremonies. Over 40 people were in attendance, cheering on the new members as they looked forward to a positive future.

Barnes knew that an infusion of energy was needed to bring Wolcott Grange back to its community service roots, and sees good momentum moving forward. “This is exactly the catalyst we needed.  It will inspire all of the Granges in Connecticut to grow,” Barnes said.

Wolcott Grange was originally formed March 17, 1909. Their Grange Hall was built in the 1920s as part of the Wolcott Green Historic District. Through the years the group presented floats in local parades, hosted pancake breakfasts, supported its agricultural roots, presented dictionaries to local school children, and was well-known for their delicious Dairy Dinners. The organization grew quickly, at one time having more than 200 members. But time took its toll, and despite all of the Grange’s community-service work, members were growing older and tiring.

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of Ouimet and community members he recruited to become a part of the revitalization core, the new Grangers are now reinvesting in the pride and future of their organization. Membership growth and building partnerships within the community are first on the priority list.

According to Cameron, the new Wolcott Grange is seeking local-minded people who would like to make a difference in their community. “This is a great opportunity for members of the community to be part of a collective voice that betters the community for all citizens,” he said.

Wolcott Grange will be meeting on the fourth Monday of each month at 7:30 PM at the Grange Hall, located at 313 Bound Line Road, Wolcott. Their next meeting will be held on March 26th, and will be the installation of the new officers. For membership information, please contact Cameron at 860-759-2326 or via e-mail at president@ctstategrange.org

Information on the nearly 60 Community Granges in Connecticut can be found on the Connecticut State Grange website at http://www.CTStateGrange.org.

Filed Under: Grange in the News

Southeast Third Graders Receive Dictionaries from Echo Grange

By Southeast Elementary School

Mansfield’s local chapter of the National Grange has provided its yearly donation of dictionaries to Southeast Elementary School’s third graders.

The Grange is proud to support The Dictionary Project through its Word for Thirds program. Through the tireless efforts of the Grange’s network of more than 300,000 volunteers, America’s oldest rural and agriculture organization has presented third grade students across the nation with more than 100,000
dictionaries.

A dictionary is one of the most powerful reference tools young children will be introduced to during their schooling years. Its usefulness goes beyond just providing correct spellings, pronunciations, and definitions. It is also a companion for solving problems that arise as children develop their reading, writing, and creative thinking abilities.

Read the full story here.

Filed Under: Grange in the News

Pomona Grange observes 100th anniversary Sunday

The Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties’ Pomona Grange celebrates 100 years in community service this Sunday.

“There are not a lot of organizations that make it to 100 years, especially as a county organization, so it’s something special that we are certainly going to celebrate,” said Grange Master Tom Gwin.

Gwin described the Grange as a bit of a 4-H for adults: Members perform community service with an agricultural focus. On the Washington coast, however, there just isn’t as much agriculture as there used to be, so members have expanded their focus to things such as food banks and raising money for other local charities.

“In this county, we don’t have a whole lot of agriculture left, so it’s more community development and family activities,” Gwin said.

Read the full story here.

Filed Under: Grange in the News

Grange hosts town hall meetings for congressional candidates Saturday

By The Willits News

Little Lake Grange will host the first in a series of town hall meeting with congressional candidates Saturday, February 4, at 2:30 p.m.

Saturday’s meeting will featured Democratic Party candidate Norman Solomon.

Besides being a journalist, author and commentator, Solomon is serving his third consecutive term as an elected delegate to the California’s Democratic Party’s State Central Committee. Hewas elected as an Obama delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Solomon is founder and executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy which seeks universal justice on matters of climate change, foreign policy, labor rights, economic fairness, civil liberties, women’s rights, regulatory safeguards and a wide range of other issues.

Read the full story here.

Filed Under: Grange in the News

Pumpkin, apple, coconut custard – Granges celebrate National Pie Day

By Arline A. Fleming, Valley Breeze Correspondent

GLOCESTER – Long before there was a Food Network to demonstrate the fine points of baking a pie, and long before there was an Internet to announce National Pie Day to warm up winter, pie-making was a kitchen craft to share, to pass down to offspring, to serve to company, to compete with at a county fair.

In Rhode Island, the humble, homemade pie is being celebrated at various Grange meetings during these winter weeks. Pumpkin, apple, coconut custard, chocolate cream – they are all being tasted and judged at the Grange meetings held closest to National Pie Day, which was Jan. 23.

“Who doesn’t like pie?” asked Carol Gafford, creator of the statewide event and Rhode Island State Grange Agriculture chairwoman.

Gafford said many of Rhode Island’s 20 community Granges were making plans to take part on the local level, competing among themselves for the fun and the taste of it, while championing local foods. One of the contest rules stipulates that at least one ingredient should be a local food product, be it milk or eggs, apples or peaches.

At the Chepachet Grange Number 38, located at 28 Chopmist Hill Road, Glocester, members said yes indeed to scheduling a pie night. They did it last year, too, hosting an event that turns out to be a win-win for all because even those who don’t place first, second or third get to taste the offerings.

This year’s first-place winner was last year’s second-place winner, a member who has been baking pies for some six decades. Marge Casbarro, 82, of Glocester, came in first with her strawberry cream pie with butter crust.

She not only has been baking pies since her girlhood, she has been making them from the very same street off Snake Hill Road where her mother showed her how to roll out the crust. She has been baking pies since the days when she first went to a Chepachet Grange meeting with her parents in the 1930s. In other words, she knows her pies, yet recently said after taking first place:

“I didn’t expect to win. All the pies were good.”

“There was just something about that pie,” said contest judge Pam Arsoniadis, owner of the Gentleman Farmer Restaurant in Chepachet. “The strawberry pie was perfect,” she said, noting her pleasure in having the juicy summer fruit on a cold winter night.

“I’ve been making pies for a long time,” Casbarro says, seeming to equate accumulated time to prize-winning pie talents. Though she won with her strawberry pie this year, and placed second with her velvety chocolate cream pie last year, she practiced with her signature apple pie recently to prepare for the contest.

But she admitted to having had trouble making the pie crust when she was a young bride baking for her new husband.

“But I didn’t give up. I kept trying.”

“I used to use lard, but I got away from that and use Crisco,” she said. “It always comes out good.”

Sometimes she uses a mixture that includes butter, which is how she made the award-winning strawberry pie crust.

Add that to the flour, ice water, and a dash of salt, and that’s her recipe. It sounds simple, but as she points out, “You’ve got to get the right water or milk or whatever you use.”

She apparently got it right at the Chepachet Grange contest, beating out second-place winner Marie A. Robidoux with her coconut cream pie and Gilda Desormier with her apple pie, who placed third.

“They were all good, but one had to be number one,” noted judge Arsoniadis.

When state agriculture director Gafford, of Warren, a librarian, stumbled upon an article about National Pie Day several years ago, she decided, she said, that it would not only be a fun activity, but also a way to promote local products by requiring the pie bakers to use a Rhode Island ingredient.

“I wanted to make people aware of local ingredients, and there are a lot in Rhode Island that can be used,” she said, having been a judge recently at the Ashaway Grange where the winning key lime pie used Rhode Island milk, and a winning lemon meringue pie used local eggs.

Some local Granges are still planning their pie nights, she said.

“This year we are also doing a pie recipe swap so that people who cannot bake a pie can at least bring in a recipe and trade with others,” Gafford said. She hopes to put together a little booklet of the pie recipes and hand them out to participating Granges, such as Chepachet Grange, one of northern Rhode Island’s largest and most active granges and one which was recently selected as one of 16 Granges from across the country as a “Distinguished” Grange.

The award is given to Granges that meet certain requirements regarding membership, participation in state and national conferences, hosting youth activities and legislative events, as well as other grange functions. State Grange Master Stephen Logan of West Kingston said he was “extremely proud and privileged to accept this award on their behalf during our National Convention in Tulsa, Okla. All of the Granges in Rhode Island are extremely proud of Chepachet for being one of the 16 Community Granges in the nation to receive this award.”

“It was an honor,” said Chepachet Grange Master Dennis Robidoux, of Glocester, about accepting the award. Robidoux also gladly suggested that his Grangers take part in the pie contest, encouraging longtime members like Casbarro to dust off their rolling pins. Casbarro didn’t hesitate for a second, pulling out her stack of well used recipe cards, many with stories attached.

She told how in summer she makes blueberry pie and key lime with recipes that don’t have to be baked, keeping the kitchen from heating up. And she told how her own mother, Beatrice Beebe, made her own mincemeat for mincemeat pie, but Casbarro said that’s something she doesn’t do.

“When I feel like mincemeat pie, I buy a frozen one,” she admits.

Casbarro is on the executive committee of the Chepachet Grange, and still works one or two days a week in a local office in addition to her baking and cooking hobby.

The dedicated member said she enjoys what the Grange has to offer, the people, the activities, and “the good refreshments,” such as the samples of eight different pies that were sliced up after the recent contest.

Said Casbarro: “They were all so good”

Filed Under: Grange in the News

Local Man Heads to Washington D.C. in Support of Rural Broadband Internet

By Herb Woerpel| MLive

Jeff Swainston attempts to gain a wireless signal in the back yard of his New Salem home. Swainston recently joined 125 others in Washington D.C., lobbying in support of rural broadband Internet.

One man’s desire to bring broadband Internet coverage to rural America recently landed him in Washington D.C.

Jeff Swainston, 47, of New Salem, and 125 others recently stormed the nation’s capital as part of the “Broadband WORKS for Rural America” advocacy.

The coalition featured members of the National Grange, the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, farmers, ranchers, teachers, small business owners and others from rural communities and small towns across the country. The group met with national leaders, pleading that increased access to high-speed Internet is a critical component of job creation and economic development, and is necessary to ensuring a prosperous future for citizens living in remote or hard-to-reach communities.

“There are approximately 26 million Americans living in areas unserved by broadband capable of originating and receiving high-quality voice, data, graphics and video telecommunications,” said Swainston, legislative director for the Michigan State Grange. “Approximately 654,000 of them live in the state of Michigan.”

Read the full story here.

Filed Under: Grange in the News
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