Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) September 5, 2024
Montpelier Contra Dancers
blow the top off the tote board!
The August “Challenge Fundraiser” came to a great close at the Saturday night dance, as the dance community beat the $4,000 goal by a bit over $1,000! This fundraiser, sponsored by the Montpelier Contra Dance Committee, happens every year, for the benefit of the Friends of the Capital City Grange. The great response gives the FCCGH a big boost, as they apply for another grant for another Hall improvement project! In this case, the project is an outdoor-air ventilation system for the Main Hall, which will bring in fresh air even when the windows have to be closed.
The fundraiser combined many small donations, and some larger ones to reach the $5,000+ total. Many thanks to the “challengers” who donated $2,000 before the drive started, to the volunteers who decorated the Hall with lights, the cooks who made sweet treats for everyone to share at the break–and to the MCD committee, who included some of those volunteers!
Special thanks also to Rob Nichols, who for years has grown
houseplants which he offers to donors, in return for contributions. You can see him and some of this year’s plants in the photo left–next to a photo of Alice Smolinsky from the MCD Committee, announcing that we’d met the Challenge match from the stage at the dance; Friends Chair Patty Giavara is standing on the floor ap
plauding. The photo above shows many of the 198 dancers who came to this festive dance, with the “tote board” of donations. All of these photos were shared with us by long-time dancer and frequent Grange event photographer Jonathan Blake.
Special Grange meeting approves contribution to the ventilation project
On Saturday, Aug. 31, a dedicated group of 14 Grange members attended a special Grange meeting. This meeting was called for the single purpose of discussing and voting on contributing $3,000 from the Grange financial reserves to the ventilation project being pursued by the FCCGH, as mentioned above. The meeting included 8 members in person plus 6 via Zoom. We had a lively discussion of the project, its technical details, expected maintenance costs and tasks, and the expected benefits for Grange renters and Hall users. In the end, there was unanimous agreement to make the commitment, which will come into effect if the grant application (submitted yesterday, Sept. 4) is approved. If you would like to learn more about the system, the discussion, the overall cost, the grant and the possible schedule, please email Tim and request a copy of the minutes of the special meeting.
If you want to be part of making decisions like these, please become a Grange member! Annual dues are $30, and entitle you to vote in regular and special meetings, plus contributing to our community service of providing, maintaining and improving our beautiful Grange Hall. See below for officer election information coming up this Saturday, or contact Tim using the email link above.
Do you have a spare dehumidifier?
If you zoom in on the little blue screen in the picture to the left, you’ll see that it says “Service Unit”. This commercial dehumidifier sits on top of the KT&P shelves, and keeps the basement air dry…usually. We are sending this back to the manufacturer for service, and could really use a temporary replacement. Do you have an extra one you don’t need, that we could borrow for about 6 weeks? We would need to attach it to a drain hose (as the one above is) so that it drains into the basement sump. PLEASE email Tim if you can help us out! Even a smaller unit should meet our needs, now that the worst of summer humidity and rains have passed.
An unexpected Grange activity
A couple of weeks ago, we had some problems with flushing the downstairs toilets, which was not a pleasant experience. We ended up calling in MS Septic Service, who ran a sewer auger down the drains, and recommended that we have the septic tank pumped. So, on Monday morning Aug. 26, we excavated the access hatch. I’m pleased to report that some great volunteers showed up to help. In the picture to the left, Kurt Giavara and Noah Harrison are wielding pickaxes, while that’s me on the left doing “the heavy looking-on” as my aunt Roz used to say. Patty Giavara and Noah’s son Luca also helped to dig. The parking lot gravel is very densely packed, and it was a great help to have enough people to take turns pick-axing and shoveling. Thank goodness it’s less than 2 feet down!
MS Septic came back a couple of days later and pumped out the tank (see below), finding no major problems. We are scheduling more frequent pumping. Are you available to help with a project like this, that can pop up unexpectedly? I’d love to put you on the list to be called if short-term help is needed! 
Just Food Hub: selling fair-trade food, and raising money for the Grange
Since the Grange has just gotten a check from Just Food Hub, it’s a good excuse to remind people about them! Owned and operated by Grange members and supporters Sue and John Morris, this organization is a volunteer effort to bring tasty, organic food products raised by small producers from around the world to Central Vermont, while also raising money for non-profit local organizations. One of those is the Grange! If you click on this special link: https://justfoodhub.us/
Below are some pictures from one of their suppliers, Gebana Burkina Faso, of farmers harvesting mangoes and processing cashews, plus a group shot under a tree that would be exceptionally big even in Vermont!
We appreciate Sue & John’s ongoing support for the Grange and other community non-profits!
