Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) April 14, 2022
Springtime brings new life–including a revived contra dance series
We’re pleased to report that the Montpelier Contra Dance series which has been happening at the Grange since about 1983 will be holding its first dance since March 7, 2020 on this Saturday, April 16th, from 8 to 11:00 PM!
With the close contact, aerobic exercise and continual exposure to new people that are part of this social dance, the Montpelier Contra Dance organizing committee has wanted to feel confident that it will be relatively safe to bring people back together. In the words of the official announcement: “Contra dancing is joyful and community oriented — and it always involves some risk. We are requiring that all dancers wear masks and be fully vaccinated to help keep our dance safer while COVID is still afoot. We ask for your help and cooperation with these extra safety measures.”
Those who plan to come are asked to pre-register online, using a simple form at: forms.gle/W5psYUwPBCrjXLsHA. This will allow a photo of your vaccine card to be uploaded, and will collect a phone number or email address to allow contact-tracing. You can see all the information about the dance, how to pre-register and what to expect at: https://capitalcitygrange.org/
Calling and music will be provided by a sampling of Vermont’s many talented people:
Calling: Mary Wesley, Adina Gordon, Luke Donforth, Will Mentor and Don Stratton!
Musicians: Pete Sutherland, Oliver Scanlon and Friends, including Cedar Stanistreet, Tom Mackenzie, Rose Jackson and part of the Young Tradition VT touring group!
Sound by: Oliver Scanlon and Cedar Stanistreet!
More dances are planned for May 7, May 21, June 4 and June 18. The organizing committee will be evaluating how things went, and the public health situation as time goes on, so please keep in touch via the contra dancing page linked above, and the Montpelier Contra Dance Facebook page. I don’t usually announce the dance series in this newsletter; if you want regular reminders, please send an email to: cdu.tim@gmail.com.
Prepping for the pellet bin!
Creating a flat spot for the outdoor pellet bin turned out to be a bit of a project. As seen in the pictures below, the flower bed to the left of the original entrance was too small, so I built a retaining wall with landscape timbers, and with the help of a couple of volunteers, filled it with sand and gravel from the piles scraped up by the snowplow, tamping it down between layers.
Spring is also bringing a new furnace to the Grange Hall!
Just as they promised, the crew from Bourne’s Energy began installation on Monday, April 11th. As I write this on April 14th, the pellet bin is being assembled outside, and the furnace ductwork is being assembled inside. Our old furnace and the emptied oil tank have been removed. A new stainless steel chimney liner is about to be installed, and pellets are supposed to be delivered tomorrow morning. See below for a few in-process pictures.
We understand clearly that the lack of a heating system other than half a dozen electric heaters has been hard on Hall users since the furnace was shut down on March 2nd. We greatly appreciate the understanding shown by the people who use the Hall during this ordeal. We look forward to getting past this difficult time, getting everyone used to being warm in the Grange Hall–and not getting any more $600 electric bills like the one we received recently.
