Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) September 30, 2026

Join us to talk about the future!

Usually, in our Grange meetings on the “even months”, we first hold a half-hour business meeting, discussing finances, any current issues with the Hall, and upcoming events.  Starting at 5:00, we feature a speaker or a special participatory event like a sing-along.   For this meeting, our “program” will be a discussion about the possibility of changing the name of our Grange.  See below, for more details about that discussion.
First, for our business meeting, join us by 4:30 to hear about:

• Finances:  where do we stand after a summer with some good-sized bills.
• Volunteers needed for State Session at our Hall on Oct. 23 & 24
• Hall Maintenance:  steps to having a Hall Committee

At 5:00 we’ll shift our focus to a longer-term issue:  Should we consider changing the name of our Grange?
This is an idea that has come up for quite a few years.   As people who read these newsletters know, we are located a few hundred feet south of the border between the “capital city” of Montpelier, in the Town of Berlin.   Our name followed us from our original location on Elm Street in Montpelier, when Grange members built our current Grange Hall in 1953, 39 years after this Grange was chartered in 1914.  Now we’ve been in this hall about 63 years.   Is it time to reduce our alleged connection to the “Capital City”, and to acknowledge that we really draw our members and our renters from a much larger area?
On Saturday, we’ll start this discussion, not with the intention of voting to make a change, but to gather ideas about whether this is a good idea, and if so what factors should we consider in a new name.  Bring your thoughts about the communities we serve, and those we would like to be more involved with.
We will also have members of the Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall joining us for this discussion.   The FCCGH has been contacted by the National Grange, which protects its trademark on the name “Grange” to restrict it to organizations that comply with official Grange “laws”.   The FCCGH is an independent 501(c)(3) organization, and wishes to remain so.  If the CCG changes its name, that could be reflected in a new name for the FCCGH–though that will be a name which does not include “Grange”.  We welcome the input from the Friends, whose mission is to help us plan, fundraise for and manage Grange Hall improvement projects–as you probably already know!   We hope everyone interested will join us at this first discussion of this issue; we do not expect to make any decision at this meeting, but we hope to generate a variety of ideas.
Come to our meeting, and you’ll learn more about all of these issues–and we may sing a few songs, too!  If you can’t make it in person, here’s a Zoom link to allow you to take part virtually:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88919597415?pwd=PBj7ckH2zLhtiGAoubpRo8ajQ7julk.1

This link is also posted on the Grange website Calendar listing for the meeting–our usual practice.

Please plan to stay for the Community Potluck, starting at 6:00 in the Lower Level!

Keeping our Hall in great shape!

We’ve been able to make a really impressive number of improvements in our Hall over the past 20 years, and we all want to keep it in good shape.  This last Sunday afternoon, I held a hybrid meeting in the Lower Level with 4 other people from a group who have helped out with projects over the years, to discuss ways to spread out the burden of scheduling and tracking the maintenance tasks that need to happen.   The number of these has grown with our increased number of systems–including fresh-air ventilation and air-filtering, water filtering, water heater and septic maintenance among others.   We have started a “Hall Maintenance” committee, which will meet regularly–every 3 months to start with–to figure out good ways to divide up and schedule the regular tasks.  We also need to have a more organized way to find people to respond to unexpected problems and breakdowns.
This work does not need to be restricted to actual Grange members–in fact we would like to involve people from all the regular rental groups who use and love our Grange Hall.   There will also be roles for people who don’t want to come to meetings at all, but want to help with some of the work to keep the Hall going.   It will be easier to define different roles like those once the committee has gotten better organized.
Our next meeting will be in early November, and will involve actual work on filter changes, etc.–it will be a chance to get a “hands-on tour” of some of the processes.  If you want to be part of it, please make a choice of the 3 suggested times in this “Strawpoll.com” online meeting scheduler.  Just click which choice(s) work for you.   If you have problems, want to get involved, or want more info, please reach out to me:  swartztim15@gmail.com.
I appreciate that people are willing to share some of this work–as I’ve been telling people, I keep being reminded that I can’t do as much as I once thought I could.  The Grange organization works best when a diverse group of people share the knowledge, and split up the responsibilities.

Potluck to follow the meeting

These are traditional Grange words!   Since the founding of the Grange in 1867, there has been a tradition of excellent meals in Grange Halls, and it’s one we have continued in our Grange Hall.   Our Hall was built with a kitchen and cafeteria-style dining area in the Lower Level, which makes it easy.
If you have a favorite main course, side dish, salad or dessert you want to share, we’d love to try it.  Or if you are running late and have to grab something from a store on your way over, we’ll enjoy that too.   We  have some cards that allow people with particular allergens to identify dishes that they can eat, because we want everyone to enjoy the dishes that work for them.
We’ll also look forward to having a few folks volunteer to wash the dishes, since we have the Grange’s china & melamine dishes to eat from, with real knives, forks and spoons, too!  We hope you’ll come, eat and chat.

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) September 16, 2026

Grange meeting (and potluck) on Sept. 19

We’ll hold our first Grange meeting since June on this coming Saturday, and we hope you will come and take part.   Those who have become Grange members can vote on decisions in the meeting, but we welcome anyone to come and discuss how the Capital City Grange is doing, and what’s next.
This Grange meeting will be a bit different, because we’ll be setting up in the LOWER LEVEL.   This is to accommodate the Montpelier Contra Dance starting setup earlier, because there is a “Waltz Session” starting at 7:00.   Since we have a projection screen we can use downstairs, it should be easy to set up.   Here are some of the items on the agenda:

• Reviewing the 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 also had to have an expensive repair done on the wheelchair lift during this time.   Together with the reduced number of rentals (typical in summer), our cash-flow has not been good.  We’ll talk about all those factors.
• Elections:  It’s time for our biennial elections of Grange officers–and we’d like some new faces to help us run this important Central Vermont institution.   I’m finishing up my 20th year as President; several other people have also been officers for a loooong time–and would love to help train new folks who want to take on more responsibility for keeping the Grange thriving.
• VSG Annual Session–Oct. 23 & 24:  Grange members from across the state come to the Annual Session to conduct the business of the statewide organization.  For the past few years, we’ve provided the venue–and the meals for this event.  You can help us, by volunteering to help out with food prep, food serving, dishwashing and cleanup!   We’ll be talking at our meeting about specific times we can really use help–but get in touch if you’re interested and can’t make it to the meeting.  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!  Just reply to this email newsletter to learn more about volunteering.
• Keeping up the building:  We are still seeking new folks to join a “Hall Committee” to plan and carry out both routine maintenance and repair projects to keep our wonderful Grange Hall in top shape.  We’ll be talking about this at our meeting–but we also are happy to get help from folks who don’t want to come to Grange meetings.  Email me, Tim (swartztim15@gmail.com) to learn more.   As you’ve been hearing me say, I need some help, and I’m happy to pass on what I know!

Come to our meeting, and you’ll learn more about all of these issues–and we’ll sing a few songs, too!  If you can’t make it in person, here’s a “Google Meet” link to allow you to take part virtually:

https://meet.google.com/pqp-nwrq-ezh.  This link is also posted on the Grange website Calendar listing for the meeting–our usual practice.   You won’t need any software or Google subscription to take part virtually.

A successful Challenge Fundraiser!

Saturday, Sept. 5 brought a final celebration and successful conclusion to the Challenge Fundraiser put on by the Montpelier Contra Dance for the Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall.  In the photo to the left, Simmone Valcour, from the MCD raises the spaceship on the toteboard to show that we reached the goal!   Members of the contra-dance community kept up the streak of generous donations that have supported the FCCGH and the Grange for many years.   Patty Giavara (holding the mic on stage) is the Chair of the Friends, as many of you know, and she’s happy too!
Below, you can see dancers enjoying the “dessert potluck” that was put out  at the dance break by Noah Miller and others, and some of the beautiful houseplants provided by Rob Nichols in return for donations to the Friends.   As usual, this was a group effort.
Specifically, the campaign raised a bit over $5,100, including $2,500 pledged before the drive by a group of generous supporters, and over $2,600 during during the campaign that started on August 1!  The funds will keep the FCCGH’s account growing, with the goal of matching a grant we’ll be applying for to add fresh-air ventilation to the Lower Level–as we did in 2025 for the Main Hall.    The Grange and the Friends are continuing to improve the Hall’s systems to make it a more healthy and comfortable space for all the users.
Thanks to dancer and photographer Jonathan Blake for the photos, and for the many others over the years.   And huge thanks to the generous donors who support the Grange, the Hall and the Friends every year!

Eating well at the potluck!

Following our Grange meeting, at 6:00 we’ll turn our attention to the Community Potluck dinner we traditionally have after the meeting.  Please invite your friends and neighbors to join us for some socializing as well as tasty dishes.
If you have a favorite main course, side dish, salad or dessert you want to share, we’d love to try it.  Or if you are running late and have to grab something from a store on your way over, we’ll enjoy that too.   We  have some cards that allow people with particular allergens to identify dishes that they can eat, because we want everyone to enjoy the dishes that work for them.
We’ll also look forward to having a few folks volunteer to wash the dishes, since we have the Grange’s china & melamine dishes to eat from, with real knives, forks and spoons, too!  We hope you’ll come, eat and chat.

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.