Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) August 23, 2026

Great weather, and
“If you grill it, they will come”
brought a good crowd for our picnic!

The good weather which was in the forecast when I last sent out Grange Notes came through for us again this year, which helped bring about 75 people out for our BBQ/Potluck/Picnic on August 1st.  As usual, they brought lots of tasty dishes to supplement the burgers (bean and beef) and hot dogs provided and grilled by the Grange (Kurt & Patty Giavara plus yours truly).   There was also the opportunity to crank the ice cream makers brought again this year by Steve Boylan–see the picture below.
We also welcomed the offerings of Sue & John Morris’s Just Food Hub (under the blue tents in the picture above), who gave out samples of their chocolates, as well as making the international fair-trade food items and other things they sell available for purchase.  If you missed them at the picnic, you can also purchase online at:  https://justfoodhub.us/capital-city-grange/  They share their profits from that sales link with the Grange!
We also had an excellent soundtrack, with music by the Senior Jazz Ensemble for setup time and the first part of the meal.  After we all got something to eat, we had the expected announcement by me and Patty Giavara, chair of the Friends of the Capital City Grange about the beginning of our usual August fundraiser for the FCCGH, which is co-sponsored by the Montpelier Contra Dance.  A group of exceptionally generous donors has pledged $2,500 for the Friends–and challenged the rest of the Grange and the dance community to match that.   If we can raise that $5,000, it will be a big boost toward being able to install an Energy Recovery Ventilator for the Lower Level–as we did for the Main Hall in 2025.  Anyone is welcome to contribute–donate online via Paypal at:  CapitalCityGrange.org/Donate.  Or write a check to FCCGH, or bring cash to a contra dance, or mail a check to PO Box 192, Northfield Falls, VT  05664.  And–any donation is tax deductible.
We’re already looking forward to next year’s edition of this picnic/banquet–put August 7, 2027 on your calendar–it’s on ours!

Driveway:  renewed, for a price

As I reported in the last Grange Notes, our eroded driveway needed some significant renovation.   Our usual driveway and parking lot expert, Matt Dwire, was able to come over soon after our picnic.   In addition to re-grading the driveway from Rt. 12 and the “alley” along the side of the Grange Hall, Matt built up the alley with a heavier mix of crushed ledge and granite, which is designed to lock together and resist washing away.  You can recognize it as the darker material in the photos below.  Matt also rebuilt a couple of water-bars at the top and near the bottom of the alley.  We’ll watch to see how it holds up.
This repair work was needed–but it wasn’t cheap.   We can make it last as long as possible, if we can organize some folks with shovels to clean out the waterbars, and to empty out the “sand trap” that keeps the culvert under the top of the driveway from being clogged up–you can see the trap in the below photo on the right.   This will take some volunteers to move dirt–and some coordination.   See below for our effort to get more people involved in both planning and implementation of regular maintenance.

Better maintenance and planning–
YOU can make a difference

I’m still looking for more help to keep on top of the maintenance needs. If you care about keeping the Hall looking great and working well, please get in touch by replying to this newsletter.  I sent out an appeal on Friday to a number of people who have helped out in the past–but we’d love to find some new folks who want to help with planning and/or want to pitch in on projects.   If you’d like to find out more, you can phone me, Tim Swartz, at:  802-225-8921, or email me by replying to this emailed newsletter.  Thanks for at least reading this plea–but we need a bit more than reading about it–get in touch!

Grange meeting (and potluck) on Sept. 19

Since the “First Saturday” of September falls on Labor Day weekend, we switch our meeting date to the 3rd Saturday.  In other words, on Saturday September 19, we’ll be holding our meeting, starting at 4:30 PM, followed by the Community Potluck at 6:00 PM.  This month, we’ll be discussing the events of the summer, holding elections for Grange officers, and planning for the VT State Grange Annual Session in October:

• Summer’s activities:  In addition to the Treasurer’s report about the last couple of months, we’ll review the decision by the Executive Committee to have the driveway rebuilt–that was not planned in advance, as it really should have been.  We’ll also talk about the picnic and how it went, and how the reduced number of rentals (typical in summer) is affecting our cash-flow.
• Elections:  Every two years, all Granges elect officers.  Responsibilities vary, but we are looking for people who can come to meetings, and who want to work together to keep the Grange and the Hall as living, vital parts of the Central Vermont community.  It’s rewarding when it works–come and chip in!   We’ll train you as needed, too.
• VSG Annual Session–Oct. 23 & 24:  Once again this year, we’ll be the location for the yearly assembly of Grange members from across the state, to conduct the business of the State Grange just as we do in our monthly CCG meetings.  There will be reports from State officers and committee members about how the Granges are doing.  State officers will be elected this year, just as in our Grange.  And there will be meals!  Our Grange provides those, and we make some money doing it.  We are very lucky to have Albert Sabatini, who is willing to be Head Chef again this year.  We’ll also need kitchen volunteers to work with Albert on prep and cooking, and serving and clean-up volunteers to take care of those jobs.  While we can get some help from out-of-town Grange members, we’re the hosts.   So we’ll be talking at our September meeting about how to handle all of those tasks.  We’ll be happy to sign you up if you can help us–it’s a chance to meet more of the friendly Grangers from all over Vermont, too!

State Grange events coming up:  Fall Festival

The annual Fall Festival will take place on the 2nd weekend of September–9/11–13, at the State Grange Center in Brookfield.   This event is open to everyone, not just Grange members.  There will be meals–starting with a potluck on Friday evening, with breakfast, lunch and dinners through Sunday morning.  You do have to pre-register for meals–by Aug. 28th.   I will be happy to email the meals info to you–just let me know.  And you can stay overnight there, in a sleeping cabin ($5/night) or in your camper with a hookup ($10/night). Lodging reservations are on the same form as the meals.
At the Festival on Saturday, there will be contests of all kinds–too many to list!  Vegetables, cooked items, home-canned goods–you can find all the info in the Program Book for 2026-27, pg. 30, available to download on the Vermont State Grange website, just click the “downloads” button on the top of the Home page, and select the Program book.  As you’ll see, they encourage pre=registration for entries, so I know this is late notice, but better late than never.
Also during the day on Saturday, there will be contests and activities–cast-iron skillet and rolling pin throwing, hula hoop, cornhole, picture booth, pumpkin ring toss and more–it’s a long list!  You can read all the details in the Green Mountain Granger, also available on the same website linked above.  All open to anyone!

Celebration for Blue Spruce Grange’s 50th

One of the other really active Community Granges in Vermont is this one, located in Essex Junction.   Founded in 1976, this must be one of the most recently established Granges.  Unlike Capital City Grange, Blue Spruce doesn’t have a Grange Hall, meeting in the First Congregational Church, twice a month.  They’ve announced that they will be holding a 50th Anniversary celebration on Friday, Oct. 9, at 6:30 PM.  In addition to celebrating, they will be presenting a “Quilt of Valor” to veterans, and giving their 2026 Community Service award.  If anyone is interested, I’ll be happy to pass on the invitation–an RSVP is needed.
Blue Spruce, without a Hall, finds plenty to keep busy!   They do a lot of community service sewing projects (“saddlebags” for walkers, comfort cushions for hospitals, knitting & crocheting hats and mittens), collecting food for the food pantry, sponsoring legislative nights with local state reps & senators, supporting the Vermont Grange Building at the Eastern States Exposition, making a float for Essex Memorial Day Parade–it’s a long list!   Blue Spruce is also the home Grange for several VT State Grange officers–so they’re critical to keeping that organization going, too.
If you’re interested in learning about other VT Granges, check out the VT State Grange website linked above, which includes a list of 18 Granges, with information and contact info for each.  There are lots of different ways to be a Grange, and ways to take part in community service.  If you’ve got an idea for how you can start something new at our Grange, please get in touch, and come to a meeting!

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) July 28, 2026

Smoke rises from the Grange…
and it’s a good thing!

Most days, seeing the smoke rising at the Hall would be a cause for concern, but when we have our annual Barbecue-Potluck-Picnic, we’re grilling food to bring people together to enjoy summer, the Grange and tasty dishes.  This Saturday, Aug. 1st, is the date this year; as I write this on 7/28, the forecasts for Saturday being a dry day look good.   Here’s the schedule:

1. 5:00 PM:  We need some volunteers–people to help us bring out tables, chairs (and BTW, we’ll be using our still new padded chairs this year), dishes and plates, silverware and condiments.  Please note:  you’ll see me limping around with a cane, so I’m really looking for more people to fetch, carry and set up, since I can’t really lug stuff around.
2. Steve Boylan (in the apron and hat above) will also be looking for help to load up and start cranking the 2 ice-cream makers he’ll be bringing again–like last year, get your taste buds set for vanilla and blueberry!
3. The Montpelier Senior Jazz Ensemble will be playing and singing jazz standards–they’ve been rehearsing in the Grange Hall for several years!  This year, we’re keeping the entrance porch clear, and they’ll be playing at ground level.
4. 5:30 PM:  we’ll be ready for potluck side dishes to be set out on the tables.  Please bring your favorite side dishes of all kinds, to go along with what the Grange is providing, and which Tim, Kurt and Patty will be cooking:  burgers (beef and vegan) and hot dogs, plus buns & condiments.
5. 6:00 PM we’ll be serving out the burgers (both kinds) and the dogs.
6. 7:00 PM will be time to bring the last of the dishes down to the kitchen for volunteer dishwashers  to clean up, and for last of the folding tables and the chairs brought in, so that the band for the contra dance, Dawn Chorus can do their sound check.  We will appreciate help with this part of the dinner as well!  All of our celebrations and projects work well when we have volunteers–and they’re fun for everyone.

Just Food Hub
Tasty treats you can take home, and support Fair Trade goods and the Grange!

We will also be joined by Sue and John Morris, long-time Grange supporters and contra dancers, who now run an anti-profit “business”, the Just Food Hub, which is dedicated to supporting non-profit community organizations (including the Grange).  They do this by selling products from around the Global South, Palestine and the U.S, which are produced with sustainable farming practices, and are democratic and worker-owned farming cooperatives.
The products they sell range from coffee, chocolate and tea, to nuts and dried fruit, to hand-made baskets.   You can see and order all of their products at the Just Food Hub website–and for everything you buy through that Capital City Grange special page, or that you buy at the Aug. 1 picnic will return 25% of the price to the Grange as a support donation!  Sue and John have been doing this for several years, and keep sending us donations, so we know it works, and we appreciate their efforts!

Grange Hall (and driveway) maintenance–
an ongoing saga, and a plea for help

Like the septic tank pumping I reported on in the last newsletter, there are a good number of systems for the Grange Hall that need maintenance regularly.  While I was at the Hall for the septic work, I realized that I had not been paying enough attention to another “system”–the guided drainage that should direct the run-off off the driveway, instead of eroding its way downward.  We’ve been lucky to not (yet)  have any major rainstorms like the ones that happened on July 10 in 2023 and 2024, but we are suffering from erosion at the bottom of the “alley” that runs along the side of the Hall nearer Rt. 12, as well as the main driveway.  Among the problems: the “waterbars” that are supposed to divert water over the bank, the gully developing around the “hair-pin turn” to the main driveway, water diverted around the drain to the culvert which should take it off the driveway, and the water spilling across the bottom of the driveway, making ruts, because the drainage has silted up.
If I had been paying more attention, perhaps we could have found some volunteers to work on the waterbars, etc., but at this point, we are going to hire a driveway contractor  to correct some of these problems.  We’re not sure just when we’ll fit into his schedule.
See below for a plea for help to avoid having things like this happen again.

Making a new plan for maintenance–
a plea for help

This driveway problem highlights the lack of a real structure for monitoring and accomplishing Hall Maintenance tasks–not the major renovations that the Friends of the Capital City Grange take on, but the many weekly, monthly and annual tasks.   Over the years, I’ve done a lot of that myself–and I’m no longer able to keep up as well as I used to.   Regular readers will know that I’ve turned 75 this year, and I’m definitely slowing down.   Over the past couple of years, I’ve also been struggling with what turned out to be a couple of torn tendons in my hip, which have further compromised my ability to go up and down stairs, climb ladders, etc.  I’ve been walking with a cane for a few weeks now, and I’m going in for an operation on those tendons on Aug. 11 which will keep me away from the Hall and unable to do a lot of things for at least a couple of months.
So:  what I’d like to do is convene a group of people who have maintenance/janitorial/mechanical skills, soon, to make and carry out a better maintenance plan.   I have lists of tasks, and have written directions for a lot of them, and I think that they can be split up among a few people who will be able to do a better job than I have been able to do alone.  I’ve been able to do this with some tasks already, but I need to hand off more of the list.   I’ll be reaching out to people I know are excellent volunteers, and/or have relevant skills, to see if we can meet (perhaps virtually or in a hybrid meeting) to come up with a way to do this.   If you’re someone who wants to help keep the Hall running, if you have maintenance skills or want to learn some, please reply to this Grange Notes email and I’ll invite you to the meeting!   Or call me:  802-225-8921.
Tasks will include, for example (not a full list!):

• Monitoring the driveway and parking lot on a regular basis, and identifying problems before they get big.
• Filling sand buckets for winter use.
• Emptying recycling bins and taking to recycling center.
• Monitoring Hall cleaning by our cleaning service, and doing occasional extra cleaning (e.g. the stair railings).
• Monitor and trim trees around the parking lot & driveway.
• Monitoring ongoing filter changing in furnace, air purifiers, ERV, dehumidifier, water filter–we have a lot filters these days!

I’m sure there are other areas I haven’t remembered–which is another reason why we need a diverse group keeping an eye on the whole Grange Hall from more than one perspective.    The Hall is such an important part of our community service, and brings joy to the lives of so many people.   Please get in touch to let me know if you’re interested.  If you’re already helping with maintenance, many thanks, and we will want your input!  I’ll be calling on you to work with me and others to do even better.
Important note:   I’m not planning on leaving any time soon–I’d like to keep working as part of a group, and to pass on the knowledge about the Hall I’ve gained in the last 25 years that I’ve been working on it.

Would you like to win use of a camp/retreat center for a weekend?

The Vermont State Grange is raffling off the opportunity to use the Vermont State Grange Center in Brookfield for a full weekend in 2027!   The $5.00 tickets will benefit the upkeep of the Grange Center.   The rental of the Center for a weekend (Friday through Sunday) is valued at $1,500!
The facilities include:

• Cabin lodging with bunkbeds
• Indoor Recreation Hall
• Commercial Kitchen
• Meeting Rooms
• Outdoor Recreation Areas
• Chapel
• Picnic Tables and Firepit
• Bring your own linens, everything else is included!

The drawing will be held on Oct. 24, 2026, at the Annual Session of the State Grange–at our Grange Hall!   You don’t need to be present to win, just provide your name and phone number, and you’ll be contacted.   To buy tickets, contact me, Tim, for tickets:  swartztim15@gmail.com, or see me around the Grange.
I’m including some pictures of the Grange Center below; you can also check out the Grange Center website.

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) July 15, 2026

In addition to death and taxes, certain things are inevitable…

One of them is the need to take care of the Grange’s septic system.   This last weekend, Bill Meckel, our Grange Secretary, was able to recruit some help to excavate the cleanout portal, which is under the driveway.   This requires some people with younger backs and shoulders than I now have, so the help of Jeremiah Breer,  as well as Bill was much appreciated!   In the pictures below. you can see Bill starting the hole, Bill and Jeremiah widening it, the wooden cover that protects the lid, and the hole with protective cones around it.

Monday, I had the tank pumped and inspected–and found out that the wire loops for lifting the lid were rusted through.  On Tuesday, I installed some stainless steel hooks with masonry anchors for future lid-lifting, and got help from Luc Robillard, John Totman and David Ward of the Jazz Ensemble to fill up the hole.
As you can tell, not all the work at the Grange is glamorous–but it all needs to get done.   As I’ve been reminding the members and friends of the Grange and the Hall, I’m not able to do nearly as much work as I used to–and I’m going to be out of commission completely starting in early August, when I have an operation on the partially-torn tendons in my hip.  I really appreciate all the people that already help out–like the ones highlighted in this article–but we’ll need even more to keep this place going.  Reply to this newsletter to let me know how you can help.

Making our Hall even more welcoming 

We’ve just added to the amenities we provide for Grange Hall users by adding free feminine hygiene products to our bathrooms.  This upgrade was stimulated by a request from Isabel Anderson, one of the (many) regular contra dancers.   We now have baskets with free tampons and sanitary pads with wings in both ADA individual bathrooms, and next to the sinks in the Lower Level four-cubicle bathroom.  We want all our patrons to be able to use the Hall in comfort.
Thanks go to Patty & Kurt Giavara, who provided the baskets and hung them up.

In a couple more weeks, it’s barbecue time
at the Grange Hall

Our midsummer outdoor BBQ/Potluck/Picnic will be coming up on Saturday, Aug. 1st!  The pictures below are a couple of the ones taken by Jonathan Blake at last summer’s event, and show some of the cooking and eating that went on.   Kurt Giavara cooked beef burgers, I cooked hot dogs, and Patty Giavara cooked vegan burgers.   And thanks to Steve Boylan, who brought two ice cream makers, and the many people who helped to crank, we had blueberry & vanilla ice cream among the desserts!
Of course, we also get lots of great potluck side dishes from all the folks who come.   The Grange provides the burgers, hot dogs, buns & basic condiments, plus the ice cream ingredients, and all the delicious side dishes get brought by the eaters, so we all get lots of variety.  We hope you’ll join us too!
Other features of the picnic will be music during setup and the beginning of the meal by the Senior Jazz Ensemble, which rehearses at the Hall every Tuesday morning, and Just Food Hub, the non-profit “business” that donates to non-profit community groups, including the Grange.   They’ll have fair-trade, Equal Exchange items from chocolate to coffee to olive oil for sale, with a percentage of each sale donated to the Grange.
If August 1 Grange Picnic isn’t already on your calendar, put it on!  If you can come about 5:00 to help set up chairs, tables, dishes and silverware, that will be great.   Otherwise, start bringing in potluck items at 5:30, we’ll have burgers, dogs, etc. ready to eat by 6:00!

When you come for the picnic, be sure to stop and smell the flowers!

It’s the height of summer now, and the flowers planted by Amy Handy and other volunteers are in bloom all around the Hall’s garden beds.  With contributions from Chris Labrusciano and others, there are more kinds of flowers than ever before.  The photos show how they look now, there will be more changes by the picnic, I’m sure.  If you’d like to help with weeding, mulching, finding new flowers and more, please email Amy!

And finally…new tenants for our Hall’s porch!

The robins have finally decided where to put their new nest, and last week I found the first egg on Thursday, with number two showing up on Saturday.  That seems to be the total for this batch, we’ll see when the eggs hatch, and then how long it takes them to take to the air.

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) June 26, 2026

June 6 at the Grange–Tasty & Tuneful

We had a great combination of skillful cooks and enthusiastic singers at our Grange Chili Cookoff and Sing-Along on June 6th.   In the picture to the left, you can see all the judges and most of the cooks.  From left to right:

• Jody Pettersen:  2nd prize in the “carnivore” division
• David McGaw:  1st prize in the “carnivore” division
• Albert Sabatini (back):  Judge and chef for the Montpelier Community Meals program
• Amy Handy (front):  3rd prize in the “vegetarian” division
• Calvin Cutler:  Judge, and WCAX Montpelier correspondent–he produced a brief story about the Grange, here’s a link to it:   WCAX Chili contest
• Lisa Burr:  Judge, and co-owner of “Feed Every Need“, a non-profit making prepared meals for those who can’t cook
• Bill Meckel:  3rd prize in the “carnivore” division
• Patty Giavara:  4th prize (shared with Charles Mayhood, not shown) in the “carnivore” division
• Tim Swartz:  1st prize in the “vegetarian” division
• Steve Boylan:  2nd prize in the “vegetarian” division

• Bragg Farm Maple Syrup (donated by Bragg Farm)
• Hand-carved mahogany cooking spoon (donated by the maker, Alexandra Forbes)
• Plainfield Co-op $20 gift certificate (donated by the Co-op)
• 2–Hunger Mountain Co-op $20 gift certificates (donated by the Co-op)
• Lydia Bastinich cookbook (donated by Anonymous)
• Marble Cheese board (from Capital Kitchen
• Capital Kitchen $20 gift certificate

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) June 4, 2026

It’s finally time for one of the
tastiest Grange meetings of the year!

Perhaps you think you’ve heard too much about this…or maybe you can’t wait to show off your “best chili in the world recipe”.   For all of us, the waiting ends on Saturday afternoon.    If you’ve got a pot of chili to be judged, bring it in between 4:15 and 4:30 PM, to the Lower Level kitchen, to be given a code number and kept warm for the judges.  Bring it in your own crockpot, or we’ll put it in one of the six we have in the kitchen.
For every entry, we ask you to attach a copy of the recipe, for the judges to see, and a hidden label with your name, for the judges to not see.   Your entry will be judged in either the “with meat” or “meatless/vegetarian” category, on 4 critera:

• Flavor 40%
• Appearance 20%
• Texture 20%
• Ease of preparation 20%

• Albert Sabatini, Grange member, and Monday Chef for the Montpelier “Community Table” meal program.
• Lisa Burr, co-owner of “Feed Every Need”, a non-profit that makes prepared meals for those who can’t cook their own food.
• Calvin Cutler, political reporter for WCAX

About 4:45: Sing Along with
Matt Nunnelly, and say goodbye.

On June 6th, we’ll bid a reluctant farewell to Matt and  his family, who are moving back to Alabama.   We’ve really appreciated his talents as a song-leader, and as a piano accompanist for many Grange Sing-Alongs, as well as for Grange meeting processionals and the closing and opening songs.   We’ll miss him, his family, his good humor and his excellent song-leading, which has let all of us enjoy singing so many times.
For this last Matt appearance, we hope that lots of folks will join us in singing folk songs, pop songs, rock songs, anthems or whatever we all agree on.   We have the many songs in the Grange song-book, as well as additional lyrics in binders printed up by Cecile Sherburn–including a couple of  new songs sent in by Patty Giavara:   If I Had a Hammer, and Down by the Riverside.

U-32 “Community Service Day”
Hard-working students help us clean up!

We enjoyed having some help for a Grange Hall Clean-Up day last Friday, as we hosted 7 hard-working students (plus a “chaperone” teacher) for a few hours of deep-cleaning.
The picture above shows part of the mat-cleaning crew that removed a lot of dirt from the mats that protect our dance floor, plus the stage crew, and one of the students starting on window-cleaning as well.   In addition to what you see here, we got the Dance Closet emptied, cleaned and re-stocked, bathroom cleaning, kitchen cleaning, and flower-bed work as well!   All of this in the brief time allotted by U-32, which dropped off the students about 10:30, and picked them up at 1:00.  The pickup was earlier than the 1:30 time we expected–and the kids were visibly reluctant to leave with not everything done.   We think we showed them how much fun volunteer work can be, when done for a good cause with a friendly atmosphere.  3 or 4 of the kids are also contra-dancers that already knew about our Grange Hall!
We also had vital help from other Grange members and Hall users.  In addition to me, Merry Shernock worked hard on the bathrooms and closet cleaning with the students, Liz Benjamin did a lot of window-cleaning, and Amy Handy and Susan McKenney supervised flower-bed work, along with contra dancer Autumn Mallari.   Chaperone Barrett Jones from U-32 was a hard-working member of the mat-cleaning team–and stayed on after the students had to leave to finish up the last couple of mats.
We also fed everyone lunch, thanks especially to Charles Mayhood, who bought and prepared sandwich-makings, a vegan curried chickpea option, plus fruit and other treats.  New Grange member Sue Stukey brought some chocolate-chip cookies (gluten-free, no less), which were of course much appreciated!
All in all, we did a lot of cleaning–though as always there’s more to be done if someone wants to do something nice for the Grange and the Hall we love.    Besides cleaning, there are some painting projects and various other work that can be done–just reply to this email.  We also  hope U-32 will make this sort of Community Service day an annual event!