Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help), April 20, 2020

COVID-19 and the food system:  immigrants, local food and resilience

Given the current circumstances, we are not holding the full Grange meeting, using the ritual, the sashes for officers, and the rousing sing-alongs.   Instead….
       Our 2nd “Virtual Program”, at 5:00 PM on May 2nd will feature VT organic farmer and Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, discussing the future of food.  The pandemic has shown us weaknesses in our current system:  U.S. farms are having difficulties getting the immigrant workers they need.  Large food facilities like meat-packing plants are shutting down amidst spikes of COVID-19.  Long distance supply chains seem more fragile than ever.   What are sensible policy responses to building a more resilient, self-sufficient food system?   As individuals, what are some of the best things for us to be planting to feed ourselves and help our neighbors?
       David Zuckerman has thought about food resilience for decades.    He’ll share his thoughts on these issues, and other questions people bring up in this hour-long Zoom meeting.
         To join this Zoom Meeting from your computer, follow this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81592514215         (If you have not been involved in a Zoom meeting before, you will need to allow a few minutes to download & install the Zoom connection.  Once you have done this, a window will pop up, offering a choice of “Phone Call” or “Computer Audio” for hearing the meeting.)
       With your computer and an attached webcam you will be able to see any video presented, plus the faces of others with webcams activated.

       To join this Zoom meeting from your phone, call this phone #:  646-558-8656.  When prompted enter this “Meeting ID”: 815 9251 4215, followed by the # sign.

       It’s fine to try out these links before the meeting, you will just hear nothing before the meeting starts!  We will get to see how we like this program compared to the “GoToMeeting” set-up we used last time.   Zoom has made security enhancements since the problems experienced soon after many users started using it in the earlier days of the Coronavirus.

Spread the word:  please share this invitation with your friends, with your family, with the many people we hope you are staying in touch with!   These subjects are important to everyone!  This Program is completely free and open to the public!

Grange Lecturer Carl Etnier has set up this meeting with Dave Zuckerman, and will be the moderator for it.

1/2 hour Grange meeting before the programFrom 4:30 to 5:00: 

We will have a non-ritual Grange meeting, to discuss what is going on with finances and the Grange Hall, and to check in on how we are all doing.  GrangeMusician Matt Nunnelly will play and sing an opening song for us; we learned at the last meeting that we can’t sing along through the meeting app, but feel free to join in at home!
Treasurer Merry Shernock will present a Treasurer’s Report, and will discuss our minimal cash-flow; she’ll also be wearing her Rental Agent hat, and will report on our tenant relations.
       I will report on the Grange Hall; Patty Giavara will report on the final grant report that she has been writing up.
       Carl Etnier has set up a separate Zoom meeting for the Grange, separate from the Program meeting, to reduce confusion for people tuning in just for the David Zuckerman presentation.   Here’s how to connect:        To join this Zoom Meeting from your computer, follow this link: https://zoom.us/j/93075767470?pwd=OUZPS3N2VmUrUEJ5dXJzcCs5Mkpjdz09         (As noted above, if you have not been involved in a Zoom meeting before, you will need to allow a few minutes to download & install the Zoom connection.  Once you have done this, a window will pop up, offering a choice of “Phone Call” or “Computer Audio” for hearing the meeting. 
       With your computer and an attached webcam you will be able to see the video

       To join this Zoom meeting from your phone, call this phone #:  646-558-8656.  When prompted enter this “Meeting ID”: 930 7576 7470, followed by the # sign.  You will then be asked to enter your “participant ID”–use the password:  508853.  When I tried this out, a couple of times the “meeting ID” number I entered correctly was not received–extra digits were “heard” according to the little voice in my ear, so be prepared to re-enter it a couple of times.

Send us feedback on this idea!  We will also be considering best ways to share this meeting and to moderate the discussion.  Please send us other suggestions for program ideas; Merry’s & the Grange Notes contact info is above, Carl can be reached at carl@etnier.net

For the longer term:  The Grange Hall is staying empty, and we can’t yet advertise our wonderful new lower-level for public use.   We can afford to stay closed, but we’ll be gradually depleting the savings that we have.   In that way, we are in the same boat as other organizations and individuals.
       Since we finished the basement renovations just before the shut-down, we have not been able to publicize our excellent “new” space.   While we have time, I would like to hear from people who can help us create a marketing campaign that we can use when the very necessary restrictions are loosened, to advertise our facilities, including the lower-level with its new insulated walls, new carpet, new electrical outlets–and no more mildew!
       I would also like to publicize needs for volunteers for the work of other organizations, that people know about.   I believe we have a lot of readers of the Grange Notes who want to do community service work–and most have more time on their hands!   Let me know if you have a need our readers might be able to fill!
       You can also post this sort of info on the Capital City Grange Facebook page!  The link for this is also at the top of these Notes.
        On behalf of the Grange–Stay Home, Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!  

Wi-fi is free at the Grange Hall!      

Since 2014, we’ve offered Free Wi-fi there, and it’s available without a password outside the Hall as well as inside.  I found the best signal on the driveway on the West side of the Hall, that is the side closer to Rt. 12.  
       For Grange Notes readers in other parts of the state, the State Dept. of Public Service has posted a map of public Wi-fi hotspots all over Vermont.  You can get to it via this link:  https://publicservice.vermont.gov/content/public-wifi-hotspots-vermont.  We are listed there, along with hundreds of other locations.
        If you have kids who need broadband access, or you need it for working “from home”, these are all resources that will help.
A little history:  We got our Wi-fi router installed for free, as part of the “Vermont Digital Economy Project”.  The VDEP arranged for hotspots like ours and Wi-fi zones to be installed for public use all around the state.   The intent was to help communities stay connected, especially in cases of emergencies–like our current one!–which require good communications and strong community institutions. 
       The VDEP was funded by federal grants through the VT Council on Rural Development, in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene in 2011.   That statewide disaster revealed which communities recovered fastest–it was those with strong connections, strong communications and strong community institutions.   The Grange’s mission fits very well with these criteria, and the help we got through the VDEP made us a stronger community partner.   Besides the Wi-fi, we got help rebuilding our website, and were introduced to MailChimp as a tool to send these Grange Notes!  
         We greatly appreciate the help we got, and are eager to do our part to help those who need it in our current crisis.
        To learn more about the VDEP, visit https://www.vtrural.org/programs/digital-economy

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help), April 8, 2020

Talkin’ Covid-19 on April 4th

We had a good presentation and discussion, with about 28 people taking part, via “GoToMeeting”, one of the online meeting platforms, which was supplied by Jeremy Hansen, who also moderated the meeting. 
       First we had a brief “Executive Session” Grange meeting.  Using the GoToMeeting to show Merry’s computer screen, we were able to see Merry’s Treasurer’s report.  The takeaway from this report is that we are down on rental income, but are also past the need for snowplowing, and aren’t using heating oil much either, so we can survive for quite a while, based on our cash reserves
       We also had a good report from Patty Giavara, who told about her more-than-fulltime job over the past few weeks.  Patty, as well as being a Grange member, a CDU member and the Chair of the Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall, is the Assistant Director of VMEC, the VT Manufacturing Extension Center, a company based at VT Tech in Randolph Center, which trains and advises VT manufacturers–you can learn more at VMEC.org.   As part of VMEC’s response to the Covid-19 crisis, Patty has been working with VT businesses to expedite the production of medical equipment here, as part of the nationwide effort to build up our inventory of health-care supplies and machines.  She has particularly been part of building supply chains for the UVM “Vermontilator”, a novel design for a less-expensive, faster to produce and easier-on-the-lungs ventilator for use with Covid-19 patients.   The public unveiling of the Vermontilator took place on Friday, the 3rd, you can read more about it in this UVM post.  We all hope that this will fill at least part of the emergency need for ventilators in rapidly filling ICUs; the design has been submitted for emergency certification, so that manufacturing can begin.

Dr. Marvin Malek presented…       

…about a 30 minute talk about “The Value of a National Health Care Program in the Face of a Pandemic“, following a brief introduction given by Jeremy.  If you want to watch the slides he showed, and listen to the whole presentation and discussion, click this link.   You will be taken to a “Registration” page, where you will need to fill out your name and email address–these go only to Jeremy, the organizer.  Then click “Register” and you will be taken directly to the recording.
       Dr. Malek has been actively advocating for a single-payer, national health care system since 1988, and is a practicing family physician in Ludlow VT.  Previously, he was a founding physician in a Barre practice, and part of the staff at Springfield Hospital.
       He began with a general description of the Coronavirus which causes the disease, its ability to infect others for many days before symptoms start to be felt, the number of people who can be infected in a short period of time, and the importance of the “social distancing” we are all doing.  He showed how much higher the mortality is per infected person, compared to seasonal flu, and discussed groups that are at higher risk.  As we know, senior citizens are regarded as especially at risk, but Dr. Malek noted that 38% of hospitalizations are for ages 20-54, so younger folks are certainly not immune.
         He then moved on to speak about the failure of the US to initiate substantial testing of patients and their contacts early in the epidemic here, compared to many other countries.  He also described the “grossly insufficient provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)” that we’ve all heard about–saying that thousands of health care workers will die as a result–a sobering statement.  He also noted that PPE and ventilators are being treated in the U.S. as “free market” commodities–meaning that prices are being bid up by competing purchasers, so that they will go to institutions that can pay the most, rather than where they are most needed, in terms of public health.  He pointed out the limitations of the “reimbursement of hospitals for COVID treatment” promised by the administration–which will not cover complications of treatment, other infections which co-occur with COVID, etc.  Similarly, though the test for COVID will be free, the visit to collect the sample is not necessarily covered.
       Dr. Malek then went on to describe the general lack of access to adequate health insurance with our current system, even with “Obama-care” in place.   The symptoms of these access problems include:  increased numbers of under-insured people, constantly increasing deductibles, and the growing mis-match of people’s assets to the deductibles and copays.   Poorer and even middle-class people, in terms of income, do not have the savings to get them through the financial cost of a major illness.  People who have health insurance through their jobs are likely to lose their coverage completely if they are laid off or let go–as will happen to many people due to the economic woes of this pandemic.  He contrasted this situation with the advantages of a universal, single-payer system, which would de-couple health insurance from employment, reduce co-pays and deductibles.  This will in turn encourage people to get routine health-care and check-ups, to help catch illnesses before emergency care is needed.   The financing structure can also be designed to more fairly allocate the burden of paying for health insurance. 
       He then gave us a list of things we can do to help in this stressful situation.   This list includes:

• Support health-care workers–including janitorial and maintenance workers, all of whom are very exposed to the virus.
• Support Asian-Americans–who have been blamed because of the attribution of this disease as a “Chinese virus”.
• Support undocumented workers, immigration detainees, prisoners and prison workers, all of whom are at high risk.
• Insist on a robust public health infrastructure.
• Avoid vilification of infected people.
• Support the “Improved Medicare for All” bill, H.R. 1384
• Expect a higher rate of mental health consequences during and after this epidemic.
• Insist that vaccines and medications developed with government funding (as all research is) must be made available without patent limitations and at a reasonable cost.

       As far as immediate steps to slow the spread, follow the guidelines:

• Practice social distancing–with no exceptions.
• Wash your hands–incessantly.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth areas
• Wear a mask in public (which will make it less likely to touch your nose and mouth areas, as well as containing your sneezes and coughs).
• Get tested early if you have symptoms.
• If tested positive, do your own “contact tracing”–alerting those you have been around in the previous 14 days.

Questions were asked…              

This presentation was followed by questions from participants, written in the “Chat” window, which Jeremy read out and posed to Dr. Malek.  These ranged from the dangers of being “intubated” as part of being placed on a ventilator, to the politics of single-payer.  Here are some of the specifics:

• One person raised the question of whether people should consider avoiding being put on a ventilator, given the high mortality rates that have been experienced in cases that get that treatment.  Dr. Malek said that people with underlying health conditions, or advanced age might want to avoid intubation and mechanical ventilator treatments, and should talk to their doctors about these options and their risk/benefit balance. 
• Dr. Malek pointed out that even countries with a national single-payer system, like Spain and Italy have ended up with severe COVID problems–the type of system is not a panacea, having a robust public health infrastructure and good leadership are still vital.  He noted that H.R. 1384 also includes increased public health infrastructure. 
• I asked a question about the possibility of instituting a national health system in response to the current chaos, given that the European national health systems were largely constructed in the chaos following the 2nd World War.  Dr. Malek said that while he can’t predict political change more than anyone else, it is certainly possible–he said that during WW II, few people would have predicted that one of the outcomes would be robust national health systems in most European countries less than a decade later.
• A question about the possible roles for medical students in helping with the crisis led to Dr. Malek emphasizing that any use of med students should not divert PPE from existing staff in hospitals, and should not expose students to unnecessary risk–since they are the future of the profession.
• Following up on the questions, Jeremy introduced Melinda St. Louis, a representative from “Public Citizen”, a non-profit consumer advocacy organization, which is also supporting H.R. 1384, the “Improved Medicare for All” bill.  Melinda  described their campaign to have towns and cities pass resolutions supporting this bill.  Some towns in NH have already done this at Town Meeting; campaigns are underway in some VT towns.  After the meeting, she sent me a link to their webpage about this effort.
• I noted that many years ago our Grange created and passed a resolution, which the VT State Grange also supported, calling for a national single-payer health-care system.  I suggested we could consider passing another specifically supporting H.R. 1384–I will be interested in feedback from Grange Notes readers, especially those of you who are Grange members!

What’s next for the Grange?
For our next meeting: 

Even with a few technical problems, I felt that this “virtual meeting” was a success, and one we can build on.  My own expectation is that our next meeting, scheduled for May 2nd will also not be an in-person meeting.  Stay Home, Stay Safe is already being extended to the end of April.
       Merry & I have been emailing with Carl Etnier about having another “virtual” program-based meeting on May 2nd, as being more useful to the community than trying to have a full, virtual Grange meeting.   One idea we are considering strongly is having a gardening advice/discussion program.   We know that a) many of our audience are already gardeners, and b) many people are deciding to start raising gardens–vegetables and/or flowers–as a way to get outside and be productive in this time of limbo. 
Send us feedback on this idea!  We will also be considering best ways to share this meeting and to moderate the discussion.  Please send us other suggestions for program ideas; Merry’s & the Grange Notes contact info is above, Carl can be reached at carl@etnier.net

For the longer term:  The Grange Hall is staying empty, and we can’t yet advertise our wonderful new lower-level for public use.   We can afford to stay closed, but we’ll be gradually depleting the savings that we have.   In that way, we are in the same boat as other organizations and individuals.
       I would like to hear from people who can help us create a marketing campaign that we can use when the very necessary restrictions are loosened.
       I would also like to publicize need for volunteers, that people know about.   I believe we have a lot of readers of the Grange Notes who want to do community service work–and most have more time on their hands!   Let me know if you have a need our readers might be able to fill!
       You can also post this sort of info on the Capital City Grange Facebook page!  The link for this is also at the top of these Notes.
        On behalf of the Grange–Stay Home, Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!  

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help), April 3, 2020

Two ways to join the discussion:

On your computer:  Click this link: 
https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/3649169547207464204.  
      This will open a very simple form; enter your name and your email, and click the blue “Register” button on the bottom.   You’ll get a “You’re Registered” page, where you can click “Join the Webinar” at 5:00 to take part in the program, or at 4:30 to take part in a brief Grange Meeting before we start the program.
       With your computer, you’ll be able to see everyone who has a webcam going!   And Jeremy Hansen, who will be moderating, can see who is raising their hands to ask a question.

On your phone:  On Saturday, use this phone #:  1 (877) 309 2071–it’s toll free.  When you’re prompted, enter this “Access code” or “Meeting ID”:   581-606-484  
On your phone, you’ll hear all the audio, and can take part in the discussion.  Jeremy will have to figure out how to keep track of who wants to talk!

Saturday’s “virtual” Grange meeting (at 4:30) and Dr. Marvin Malek (from 5:00 to 6:00)

The Grange Hall is closed down, like so many other things, but we can still be “in touch” without actual touching, or risk of contagion.   Thanks to Jeremy Hansen, we can use “GoToMeeting” to convene an electronic get-together. 
      Following the instructions above, please join us–via computer, smart-phone, tablet or other device.   We’ll have a brief discussion of where the Grange is at in this strange time–financially and personally–followed at 5:00 by a 15-20 minute presentation by Dr. Marvin Malek, about “The Value of a National Health Care Program in the Face of a Pandemic“. 
       Dr. Malek, who has been actively advocating for a single-payer, national health care system since 1988, and is a practicing family physician in Ludlow VT will share his perspective, and then take questions from virtual attendees.  We have been talking about this issue at the Grange for over 10 years.  What is the Covid-19 pandemic showing about how our current “health care system” functions?  What changes should we make to improve it?  There’s lots to think about and discuss, we hope that you will join us.

Pandemic makes changes in Grange rules       

Due to the CDC recommendations–and common sense–the National Grange has been sending out info on what Grangers should be doing.  They are recommending virtual meetings, and maintaining social distance.   This is just what we are choosing.  It is now OK for meetings to be held virtually; the requirement for meeting in person is not going to be enforced.  
       The 2020 “Theme for the Grange” is “Cultivating Connections”–and as National President Betsy Huber says, in these times, we just need to think of other ways to keep connected–to the Grange, to our friends, our families and our communities.  Using technology as we are doing for this Grange meeting and program is a great example, and one which many of us are having to get used to. 
       For the sake of all of us, “Stay Safe, Stay at Home”, but also “Cultivate Connections” so we come out of this unpleasant physical isolation an even stronger community.

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help), March 28, 2020

Trying new ways:  April 4th “Virtual Meeting” will feature a program on Health Care, 5-6:00 PM
Our next Grange meeting, on April 4th will be held by “GoToMeeting” video and/or phone conference call, as we keep in touch while following the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order from the Governor.  
      Grange Lecturer Carl Etnier has arranged for a discussion with Dr. Marvin Malek, a community-focused physician practicing in Ludlow, VT.  Dr. Malek will talk about what we can learn from the Covid-19 pandemic, and the response to it about the value of a national health care program?
       Dr. Malek has been a member of the Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) since 1988.   He has worked closely with Dr. Deb Richter, who has spoken at Grange programs about single-payer health care systems a couple of times.  Both have testified at the VT Legislature on this issue.
       After a 15-20 minute presentation by Dr. Malek, we will have a chance to ask questions and discuss how the current health care “system” has dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic, what could be done differently, and options for alternative systems.
       Jeremy Hansen, former Berlin Selectboard member and good friend of the Grange is helping to set up the tech to supply this “virtual meeting”, and will be the moderator for the discussion.
How can you take part?  It’s relatively simple.  You can phone in, by calling:

• 877-309-2071 (toll free)
• you will be prompted to enter the “access code”, using your phone:
• 581-606-484

To see Dr. Malek and other attendees, you can be part of the “GoToMeeting” webinar.  You just need to register at this website; Jeremy will send you a link to the online meeting, and the “Meeting ID” you will need to join.   With webcams showing who is there, Jeremy will be able to see who is raising their hands to speak, for example, which should lead to a smoother meeting.
      We will be having a brief “executive session” by the same method, from 4:30 to 5:00.  We will be getting a brief report on our finances–impacted as they are by the lack of renters–and reports from people who attend about how they are surviving the Covid-19 crisis, I expect.

How we’re getting through this As I asked, several people sent in suggestions for things to do in this limbo of separation; here they are:

• Recommended by Alison Forrest:  Richard Morales’ Social Justice Art Studio, which includes some free downloads–including pictures of animals giving pandemic advice, like “Support the Most Vulnerable”.  Also posters, buttons, books, much more, for kids & adults.
• Found on CDSS.org:  a new podcast about contra dance music and musicians, hosted by one of our favorite piano/accordion players, Julie Vallimont.   Listen to the first episode now, and upcoming ones at:  http://contrapulse.cdss.org/.  A great way to learn about the music that goes along with the contra-dancing, which I know many of the Grange Notes subscribers value.
• In my email, I found a letter from the Burlington-based Local Motion. whose mission is to bring walking and biking in reach of all Vermonters; besides explaining how they are coping, they had a list of outdoors things to do for kids, families and everyone.   Check it out at this Local Motion link.  We  have lots of active people in our Grange community!

      I invite all of the Grange members and friends who read this to send in even more stories of how you are maintaining connections, when we’re all forced to avoid personal contacts.  
      The most important thing we can do is to stay healthy, following the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the VT Dept. of Health.  Follow those links for the most up-to-date information.

Have you ever wondered what the Coronavirus looks like?   This is an image from the CDC, so I think it is reasonably accurate.  So if you see one of these, practice “social distancing”!

Final renovation details–on hold       In my last Grange Notes, I asked for help with some trim and other painting, the last few items to finish up for the basement renovation project.  I had a volunteer (Ellen Holmes-Henry) lined up to work with me today
      We have had to put these plans on hold, to comply with the best medical advice and the Governor’s order.  I have regretfully canceled the painting project, to wait until the situation improves. 
Keep in touch if you want to help out when the time comes!

I’m re-using this photo…. ….because it shows the doors closed…and also shows the love that we have for the Grange and the connections we have made there.   We will need to support each other through the current Covid-19 crisis, and afterward.

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help), March 23, 2020

I’m re-using this photo…. ….because it shows the doors closed…and also shows the love that we have for the Grange and the connections we have made there.   We will need to support each other through the current Covid-19 crisis, and afterward.

Covid-19 knocks us for a loop, along with the rest of the world       Our Grange Hall is regrettably quiet right now, as all events have been canceled completely, at least for the next couple of weeks.  Some of our tenants, notably the Contra Dance Umbrella, have canceled for the next 2 months–contra dance has so much personal contact, for substantial groups of people, that the CDU is anticipating this crisis lasting for a period of months, not just weeks.   We (the CDU) feel that the responsible thing to do is to avoid the risk of passing on the virus–even if people were willing to come.
Our next Grange meeting, on April 4th will be held by Zoom video and/or phone conference call, I’ll send out Zoom invitations, and details of the phone number to call as we get closer.  This approach is being encouraged by the National and State Grange organizations–another confirmation of the wide spread of this problem, in case we needed it!  The video/conference call will allow us to stay in touch, continuing the connections we have made through the Grange.

How we’re getting through this        I invite all of the Grange members and friends who read this to send in stories of how you are maintaining connections, when we’re all forced to avoid personal contacts.   One example, which I’ve also sent out in the “CDU Dancers” email is the “Social Disdance” Facebook group.  I’m sure that there are other ways which others have heard about , or come up with on their own–please share them!   I will continue to send out these Notes and  pass on news about the Grange and the Grange community.
      In the words quoted by Corinne Stridsberg, a frequent contributor of good food and good conversation at our Grange potluck dinners, “Also highly contagious are:  kindness, patience, love, enthusiasm, and a positive attitude. Don’t wait to catch it from others, be the carrier.”
       I have been enjoying listening to live-streamed concerts by Pete’s Posse; many other musicians are starting to do these.  One listing I found of these is in 7 Days.  I’m sure there will be updated listings published soon.   Consider supporting your favorite musicians via their websites, as they are losing all public gigs.  True of all small businesses, of course!   Hope everyone is doing what they can to support the shops/restaurants/markets that they want to still be in business after this crisis finally ends!
      The most important thing we can do is to stay healthy, following the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the VT Dept. of Health.  Follow those links for the most up-to-date information.

Have you ever wondered what the Coronavirus looks like?   This is an image from the CDC, so I think it is reasonably accurate.  So if you see one of these, practice “social distancing”!

Just a couple of weeks ago… …which seems like a long time, now…I was promoting the Grange cooking contest (the one formerly known as the baking contest), which was morphed by the State Grange Home Ec programmers to be….“What can you make with a pound of ground beef?”.   
       At our March 7th meeting, we were joined by this year’s panel of “celebrity judges”, which included:

• Justin Turcotte, head chef for the Montpelier Senior Center FEAST meals program
• George Gross, owner of Dog River Farm, just down the road from the Grange
• Corinne Stridsberg, assistant town clerk in Berlin, and one who brings good dishes to many of our potluck dinners

       This panel took their duties seriously, spending a lot of time tasting alone, followed by a confab together, finally coming up with consensus decisions on the dishes made by our 3 contestants.   They gave specific feedback on each of them, with suggestions for the cooks for even better flavors the next time.   So, without further ado, the 3 winners:
#1:  Phyllis Skinner, whose tasty chili con carne earned her the opportunity to go on to produce it again at the “Pomona” Grange level, and likely  the State competition in June (assuming that is able to be held, in this strange new world).
#2:  Stan Carlson, with Asian-ish beef meatballs.
#3:  Jill Tucker, with a beef stew.      Community potluck dinner enjoyed the leftovers!        Our usual dinner gave us the opportunity to second-guess the judges, and pick our own favorites from the entrants.  As described above, this will be the last Potluck for some time, as we avoid large gatherings at the Hall for any purpose.

One piece of grate news:

New grate graces the Old Entrance porch       In a break of decent weather recently, Kurt Giavara and I were able to install a 3′ x 6′ grate in front of the doors, to remove some of the grit, snow and “mess” from the shoes and boots of visitors.  This will help protect our dance floor, and also reduce the dirt which ends up in our newly-carpeted stairs and lower level!   I’ll put in a couple of pictures of the process of putting the grate in, below this article.  We hope to find another day of dry, not too cold weather soon to install another grate in the accessible entrance porch as well!
Still a few things to paint–want to paint with “social distance”?
       We still have some painting to do–trim around the windows, the walls of the bathroom and kitchen, the trim around the kitchen doors and openings–and I’d be happy to have a volunteer who will join me to do this.  We will keep our distance from each other; I have had no risky exposures that I know of.  Please send me an email at:  swartztim15@gmail.com and we’ll set up a time to meet.
       All of these volunteer hours count toward our “match” with the grant funding from the VT Arts Council, as do the monetary donations received by the Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall–thanks to everyone who is making this possible!