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Fire Burns Down Hall, But Not Spirits |
Damages to the Big Knob Grange Hall reached almost $400,000
(Photo by Lucy Schaly). Inset: Happier times at the Big Knob Grange. |
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By Molly Thompson, Program Assistant
Sunday, May 10th was expected
to be just like any other Sunday
for the members of Big Knob
Grange. Many had plans to attend
church, spend time with
their families, or just enjoy the
remainder of their weekend,
but what they woke up to was
completely unexpected. A fire
had ripped through portions of
their Grange hall. It was shocking
none-the-less to see their
beloved Grange hall destroyed
by fire, but what came truly as
a shock was that someone had
intentionally set the fire – it was
arson, according to the police.
Early Sunday morning a passer-by noticed a blaze in the Big
Knob Grange Hall and alerted the
authorities. Once fire engines
arrived and were able to contain
the blaze, police were able
to identify that this was no accidental
fire. As far as they could
tell, an unknown arsonist had lit
four or five different spots around
the hall on fire. When members
of Big Knob Grange found out,
they were outraged. Who could
do such a thing? This building
served as a community center,
hosting countless events benefiting the community as a whole.
Not to mention, the Grange hall
was booked throughout the summer
with various events including
the annual Big Knob Fair.
Because the fire was set in
several different spots throughout
the hall, the damage was
fairly extensive. According to
Big Knob Grange Master, Bill
Steel, “The damage estimates
now top $300,000 for the building,
and nearly $50,000 for contents.”
Fortunately enough, Big
Knob Grange had just checked
their insurance in March, and according
to Steel, “are so glad that
we did! Our losses would have
been well over the amounts of
our previous coverage. Check
your insurance, Brothers and
Sisters.”
With an estimate of the damages
taken, the members of Big Knob
Grange were now faced with the
challenge of completely restoring
their hall with one goal in
mind: to have the hall re-opened
in time for the annual Big Knob
Fair, scheduled for the beginning
of September. This left them
with a little over three months to
complete the restoration, but the
members of Big Knob Grange
had faith this could be done – an
arsonist was not going to break
their spirit.
Restoration of the various damaged
parts of the hall has been
ongoing throughout the summer.
The kitchen, which only suffered
smoke damage, was the first
area to be completed and ready
for use. The dining room followed
and has been re-papered,
received a new ceiling with new
lights, and all new floor tiles were
laid.
“The main meeting hall had to
be “gutted” - everything removed
to the structure itself,” lamented
Steel. “Insulation was replaced
in the walls, drywall was put up,
and finally the paper and wainscot
[were hung]. Then the drop
ceiling goes in with new lights
and speakers and finally, the
floor will go down - hard number
two maple - and the room will be
finished. We have also upgraded
the heating system and the
electricity in that portion of the
building, and added a foot of fiberglass insulation in the attic of
the entire building,” said Steel.
Finally, the main entrance hall
had to be repaired. The heat
from the fire in that area was so
hot that the structure itself had to
be completely demolished and
rebuilt from the ground up. Additionally, a local landscaper has
donated new shrubs for the entrance,
so the restoration look
will be complete.
It is clear through seeing the extent
of the damage that the arsonist
intended harm to this grange
hall, but what is most puzzling to
Big Knob Grangers is why someone
would want to do this to
them. Not only is this structure
used for Big Knob Grange meetings,
but also it serves as a community center for many activities,
just as most Grange halls do. It
truly is baffling to contemplate
who could do such a thing. A witness
reported seeing someone
fleeing from the scene near the
time of the fire, but as of now, the
arsonist has not been caught.
The public is urged to contact
New Sewickley Police with any
information.
Although waking up to your
Grange hall ablaze is not the way
Bill Steel, or any Big Knob Grangers,
envisioned the beginning
of their summer. And although
the reason for this destruction
remains a mystery, Big Knob
Grange members chose to move
past that and concentrate on the
rebuilding of their beloved hall.
The Big Knob Grangers could
have easily scrapped their annual
Big Knob Fair plans for the end of
August, but they chose to commit
to completing this project. The
unknown arsonist may have derailed
a few plans for the summer,
but whoever it was cannot break
the spirit of the Grangers!
At the time of publication, the hall
was nearly complete and is expected
to be in full operation for
the Big Knob Fair opening day,
September 1st.
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National President Ed Luttrell. |
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Yes, no, these two words can be
the most powerful tools you as a
Grange member have. They will
affect your Community Grange
by having an impact on the relationships
between members, and
determining how your Grange interacts
with the community.
Consider the power of your answer
when a member presents a
new idea. Do you look at all the
problems that could be associated
with that idea? Or do you look at
all the opportunities that may present
themselves if you go with that
idea? Do you think of the reaction
of the member if their idea is shot
down? More importantly, do you
think of the other members who
are watching what happens to
someone else’s proposal?
If you want to empower your fellow
members, yes is the answer that you need to be searching for.
Find ways to avoid no and find a
yes. Members will become vested
owners when their ideas are incorporated
into the Grange. We don’t
always have to do exactly what
they suggest, we just need to find
ways to make their ideas part of
what we are doing.
When we say yes, it empowers
both the ones we say yes to and
ourselves by saying yes. We aid
others to grow as members, we
expand their horizons, we open
doors to the future when we say
yes. Saying yes also helps us by
developing others who can aid us,
take our place, and if we are lucky,
exceed our potential. The bigger
and better our team becomes,
the more success our Grange will
have.
When we say “yes” to others who
wish to learn and grow, it pays us
back in so many positive ways.
Each person that we assist in becoming
a leader helps to build a
stronger Grange. Why else be a
Grange leader than to bring members
into the leadership circle and
build something that will outlast
each of us?
Outside the Grange, people are
watching what your Grange does
in their community. When your
Grange says “yes” to a project,
what is the reaction of the people
affected? What happens when the
Grange says “no” to a project?
We need people to see that the
Grange is relevant to them and to
their community; otherwise they
will not be inclined to think about
joining.
Think about why people would
want to join your Grange. Is it
because you say “yes” or is it because
you say “no” to them? No
should only be used when members
go outside the broad framework
of our rules.
When you can’t say “yes”, there is
one word that can take its place:
maybe. Maybe later, maybe some
other way, maybe we can get
someone to help us. Try to avoid
no and find an answer that gives
hope for that idea.
Think about how you answer the
ideas, comments, and questions
of your fellow members. Yes is the
most powerful team building word
you can use. The challenge is finding
ways to use “yes” when “no” is
the easiest answer to give.
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Update on Grange Trademark Protection Efforts |
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By Ed Luttrell, National President
 Since my last update, your National
Grange has made significant
progress to protect our
registered trademarks for our
exclusive beneficial use. Our
registered trademarks, including
the names GRANGE, NATIONAL
GRANGE, and the GRANGE
LOGO, are among our organization’s
most valuable assets. Each
year, Granges across the nation
conduct millions of dollars in fund
raising efforts using our trademarks
to advertise their events.
These successful fundraising
efforts help sustain our Grange
chapters financially. They are a
significant source of funding for
Grange sponsored community
service projects and promote local
economic development efforts.
Given our successes, it is probably
no surprise that for-profit
corporations and others without
ties to the Grange organization
would attempt to use our registered
trademarks to brand their
products to appeal to consumers.
If successful, these corporate
efforts to acquire exclusive
use of our registered trademarks
could eventually require
Grange chapters to cease using
the name GRANGE to advertise
the sale of goods, products, or
services to the general public.
It could allow further infringements
that would associate the
name GRANGE with products,
services, and even partisan
political activities that are contrary
to the historic mission of
the organization. Your National
Grange remains deeply committed
to defending the use of our
registered trademarks exclusively
for the good of the Order.
The good news I have to report is
that, to date, we have never lost
an infringement case or trademark
registration challenge. While we
still have several on-going major
infringement and/or registration
Update on Grange Trademark Protection Efforts
By Ed Luttrell,
National Master
cases pending, our legal position
in these cases remains strong.
We are confident that we will ultimately
prevail in each and every
one of these cases.
Unfortunately, I must report that
the legal costs of defending our
trademarks in multiple cases are
a major financial burden on your
National Grange. It is challenging
because we cannot anticipate
when the next major infringement
or trademark registration will occur.
This forces us to address
these situations as they arise and
devise unique defenses for each
occurrence. Your National Grange
leadership has developed a four part
strategy to address the legal
and financial challenges we face.
Once this strategy is implemented,
our trademark protection costs
will be reduced and we can redirect
National Grange resources to
serve our members and promote
Grange growth and development.
The outline of this strategy is:
Provide Guidance and Direction for the Appropriate Use of Grange Trademarks:
At last November’s National
Grange Convention, the delegates
adopted a resolution on first
reading entitled “National Grange
Intellectual Property.” This resolution
will create a new article,
Article XVIII, in Chapter 4 of the
National Grange Digest of Laws
that will define the ownership and
permitted uses of Grange trademarks.
Final adoption of this resolution
at this year’s annual convention
is critical to our efforts to
defend our trademarks. It demonstrates
that we have a well thought
out regime that defines how local,
county, and state Granges can legitimately
use our trademarks. It
will remove the ambiguities that
have arisen regarding Grange
trademarks incidental to the sale
of former Grange properties and
the formation and/or continuation
of Grange affiliated entities, such
as fairs, farmers markets, foundations,
and service companies.
Defend Our Grange Trademarks in All Pending Infringement and Trademark Registration Cases:
In 2009, we have successfully
resolved or settled 10 major infringement
cases and trademark
registrations including our dispute
with Tyson Foods. We continue
to build on our successes and oppose
or pursue licenses for numerous
infringements and trademark
registrations. These cases
are at various stages in the legal
process and we will pursue some
of these cases well into 2010.
Register Grange Trademarks Under Additional, Specific Commercial Categories:
Most controversies arising with
infringement and registration cases
arise from confusion related to
the scope of commercial activities,
products, and services that
carry the GRANGE trademark.
Currently our trademark registrations
are general in nature and
broadly encompass current and
potential uses. But when we are
challenged by another party that
is infringing or registering to use
the name GRANGE for a specific
purpose, we are required
to provide specific evidence to
the trademark authorities that
demonstrate how our general
uses of our trademark would conflict with the specific use proposed
by the other party and/or would
create confusion in the minds of
the public. Producing evidence in
each and every trademark case is
currently the most time consuming
aspect of our trademark legal
defense strategy.
Fortunately U.S. trademark
law allows us to add specific registrations
to our general trademark
registrations. By applying
for trademark registrations
under specific, commercial categories,
we would be protected
under both specific categories of
commercial activities as well as
generally protected under trademark
law. It would reduce our
burden to produce evidence for
each trademark case. The National
Grange has developed an
18-page research matrix outlining
numerous categories of programs,
products, and services
that are, or have been, marketed
using Grange trademarks. This
research project is too large to
rely only on National Grange staff.
We have sent this document out
to the State Granges for their assistance
in recruiting volunteers to
conduct research on the history of Grange commercial activities. As
a side benefit, this research will
give us new information regarding
a part of Grange history that
has not been extensively covered
by previous research.
Seek Federal Legislation to Provide Enhanced Legal Protection for Grange Trademarks:
Even if we are successful in implementing
the first three points
of our trademark protection strategy,
we remain vulnerable to potentially
catastrophic legal costs
associated with defending our
trademarks against powerful corporations
like Tyson Foods, Inc.
and Aldi Corp. who have time,
money, and lawyers to legally
contest ownership of general
trademarks held by non-profit
organizations, like the Grange.
Fortunately, the National Grange
is not the first non-profit organization
to face this challenge. In the
past, Congress has provided enhanced
trademark protection to
certain iconic trademarks held
by non-profits. To date, 44 other
famous, non-profit organizations
have benefited from enhanced
trademark protection. Examples
include: 4-H, FFA, Boy Scouts,
Girl Scouts, American Red Cross,
Daughters of the American Revolution,
and the U.S. Olympic
Committee.
The National Grange Legislative
Department has discussed introducing
legislation to provide the
National Grange with enhanced
trademark protection with several
of our allies in Congress. The
response has been highly favorable.
I am certain that, with the
strong support of our community
Granges, we will have widespread
support for legislation to protect
our National Grange trademarks
from financially devastating challenges
from major corporations.
I also want to share with you the
financial situation facing the National
Grange. As of June 30,
2009, we have spent $213,611
on trademark protection efforts.
This is already $91 more than
we spent in all of 2008. We have
only received $77,727.01 from a
budgeted income of $250,000, to
come from a one-time donation
of $100 per community Grange.
We monitor the National Grange
budget closely and we are currently
in the black, but it is very
tight. I want to thank Minnesota
and Rhode Island for exceeding
their goal. Also deserving
recognition are Idaho, Illinois,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana,
Nebraska, North Carolina,
and Pennsylvania for reaching
over 50% of their goal. I am also
encouraged that the average donation
per community Grange is
more than $180, well above our
goal of $100 per Grange. I remain
optimistic that when our
local Granges become aware of
our financial burden to defend
their Grange trademarks, they
will respond generously. Your
help in communicating the importance
of our trademark protection
efforts to our community Granges
and the need for additional financial
contributions to the National
Grange to address this problem is
crucial to our eventual success.
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Around Washington, D.C. and Beyond |
| Agricultural Export Program Funding |
 The National Grange in conjunction
with the Coalition to Promote U.S.
Agricultural Exports recently wrote
to Congressional leaders urging
them to support vital funding for
USDA’s important exporting programs
including the Market Access
Program (MAP) and the Foreign
Market Development (FMD) Program.
The group strongly urged
that MAP be funded at no less than
$200 million for FY 10, as authorized
in the 2008 Farm Bill. In addition,
they supported FMD funding
at its fully authorized level of $34.5
million, as provided in the Farm Bill.
These are the same levels of funding
included in the FY 09 omnibus
appropriations bill.
MAP, which is administered by USDA’s
Foreign Agricultural Service
(FAS), forms a highly successful
partnership between non-profit
U.S. agricultural trade associations,
farmer cooperatives, nonprofit
state-regional trade groups,
small businesses, and USDA to
share the costs of overseas marketing
and promotional activities,
such as consumer promotions,
market research, trade shows,
and trade servicing. Exports are
a vital part of the U.S. economic
engine, and agricultural exports
continue to be its strongest component.
Since its creation in 1985,
MAP has proven to be highly successful
in helping to boost U.S.
agricultural exports, protecting
and creating American jobs, and
increasing farm income. Over this
period, U.S. agricultural exports
have increased by nearly 300 percent,
and today over 1.2 million
Americans have jobs that depend
on these exports. A study commissioned
by USDA prior to the 2008
Farm Bill debate showed that farm
net cash income increased considerably
as a result of spending
on market development activities.
We believe it makes little sense to
reverse that trend, especially during
an unprecedented economic
downturn.
By any measure, MAP has been
tremendously successful and extremely
cost-effective in helping
maintain and expand U.S. agricultural
exports, protect and create
American jobs, strengthen farm
income, and help, at least in part,
to offset the government-supported
advantages afforded foreign
competitors. MAP is one of the
few tools U.S. agriculture has to
compete in the international marketplace,
and is even more important
today as our competitors
increase their financial resources
to gain market share.
| American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 Increases Agriculture Production Costs |
The Agriculture Energy Alliance,
including the National Grange,
recently wrote to Speaker of the
House Nancy Pelosi to express
concerns about the American
Clean Energy and Security Act of
2009. The House Committee on
Energy and Commerce recently
approved this legislation, HR
2454.
The coalition explained to Speaker
Pelosi that the legislation burdens
U.S. farmers with higher production
costs by placing U.S. producers
of key agriculture imports, such
as fertilizer and petroleum products,
at a serious competitive disadvantage
and forces even more
production of these products overseas
to countries with no carbon
reduction policies. U.S. farmers
already depend on energy imports
for about 55% of their nitrogen
fertilizer needs. If energy production
is forced to operate overseas
to countries that do not regulate
carbon emissions, agriculture production
costs will significantly increase.
In addition, the bill does
not provide farmers with the ability
to recover these cost increases
through the sale of carbon offset
credits.
The bill as currently drafted does
not recognize and support the
benefits that agriculture provides
reducing carbon emissions
through agricultural Best Management
Practices (BMPs) that play a
key role in carbon sequestration.
The coalition suggests that HR
2454 be amended to recognize
the important role agriculture has
played in protecting and restoring
our environment.
| Scientists Sign Support for Biodiesel |
Over the past four months more than 100 scientists have voiced
their support for biodiesel by signing
the “Scientists for Biodiesel”
declaration. The “Scientists for
Biodiesel” declaration began in
February 2009, by Dr. Rob Myers,
a director of the Thomas Jefferson
Agricultural Institute, and
Roger Beachy, President of the
Donald Danforth Plant Science
Center. According to Myers, the
goal of this declaration is to “increase
awareness and information
sharing about the depth and
breadth of the scientific research
behind biodiesel that contributes
to its sustainability.” The 100-plus
signatures by scientists from U.C.
Berkeley, Texas Tech, Penn State,
the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory (NREL), U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA),
and Sandia National Laboratories,
among others, “demonstrates the
strength and breadth of support
for biodiesel within the scientific
community,” said Wendy Wintersteen,
Dean of the College of
Agriculture and Life Sciences and
director of the Experiment Station
at Iowa State University. For more
information on the “Scientists for
Biodiesel” declaration, including a
list of signatures, please visit www.biodieselsustainability.com.
| National Grange Endorses National Broadband Resource Center |
The National Grange is pleased
to announce the endorsement of
the National Broadband Resource
Center (NBRC). NBRC will succeed
the Alliance for Public Technology
(APT) and will act as a connecting
point for non-profit entities
to receive information and referral
for the development and implementation
of broadband applications.
It will also act as a catalyst
for new innovations in broadband
applications. We believe these
connections and catalysts are
needed to ensure that the nearly
60 million Americans living and
working in remote, tribal, farming,
and rural communities across the
United States benefit from efforts
to expand broadband capacity.
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| "The Grange Has Made Me the Person I am today" |
By Molly Thompson, Program Assistant
If you have ever had the chance to meet Jim Tetreault, one word you would not use to describe him is shy. Jim is outgoing, animated, and full of vitality. He is engaging to all around, well spoken, and makes you instantly feel welcome and that you are a friend. But as a child, Jim was not as outgoing and “painfully shy,” as he puts it. He credits this transformation to his years spent with the Grange.
Jim grew up in Keene, New Hampshire and at 9 years old he joined his first Grange, Wattannick Junior Grange. As a 4th generation Granger, joining the Grange was just something that was expected of him. But as a painfully shy 9 year old, joining the Grange opened the door to a whole new world.
“I always like to say that the Grange has made me the person I am today,” says Jim. With the numerous activities Grange offered ranging from public speaking opportunities, talent contests, community service projects, and simply learning how to run an effective meeting, Jim blossomed. As Jim puts it, “the Grange gave me the ability to have a safe environment to learn to speak publicly, talk to people and to learn things.” During Jim’s youth and adolescent years spent in the Grange, those around him slowly began to see a transformation. By early adulthood, he was no longer the shy kid in the back of the room; Jim had become outgoing, animated, and low-and-behold, found himself the Master of his Subordinate Grange.
After Jim joined Wattannick Junior Grange, he joined Wattannick Grange, followed by Cheshire Grange, and has been a member of Arlington Grange since 1984. Along the way he has held almost every position within the Grange. He has held the positions of Steward, Lecturer, Master, and currently Treasurer of Arlington Grange. Additionally he has served in a multitude of roles in the New Hampshire State Grange. He served on the Youth Committee for 7 years, was Youth Director for 4 years, Lecturer for 2 years, as well as serving as Assistant Steward and Steward. In 2006 he was elected Overseer, a position he still holds. He has also been the New Hampshire State Grange Legislative Director for the past 9 years.
Jim has clearly worked through his shyness as a child and became an active and engaging leader within his Community and State Granges. But his passion for service extends beyond Grange and into his personal life as well. 2 ½ years ago he was elected tax collector of the town of Winchester, New Hampshire, where he has been a resident for 30 years. He is also very politically active, working for a presidential campaign, as well as serving as the Campaign Manager for a New Hampshire House candidate.
It is easy to see the rewards Jim has reaped through his experience with the Grange. He knows that his successes in life are directly linked to the training and experiences he received through Grange. The Grange gave Jim a chance to grow in a safe environment where “nobody mocks or rejects people,” says Jim. “It gave me confidence. I am not shy today; I like to think of myself as outgoing and personable,” he exclaims. The true message Jim wants to convey, however, is that Grange offers so much to each individual person. It gave him the confidence to overcome his shyness and become a leader within his Grange and community. While not everyone is searching for the same experience, the Grange has something to offer to everyone. “The Grange has a lot to offer and it has given us so much, so why not let other people experience that,” gushes Jim.
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