Capital City Grange

Live benefit concert tomorrow! With a picnic beforehand!

by

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) September 3, 2021

The weather will be great, and the music too!

Co-sponsored by the Contra Dance Umbrella and the Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall, the Grange Hall will host an outdoor concert featuring two Vermont bands who have played many times for dances.   Since we are not yet able to hold dances safely, this concert will celebrate and encourage donations to match the $2,000 Challenge assembled with donations from long-time supporters.
We’re starting at 6:00 with a picnic outside, in the Grange parking lot, open to everyone of course.   Bring your favorite food and drink for you and your party–it’s not a pot-luck this time.   But it is a chance to see and socialize with friends, people you’ve danced with, and others you will like too!
The Grange Hall will be open for access to the bathrooms and the drinking fountains, but we will ask you to wear a mask indoors–we’re following the VT Dept. of Health recommendations.  We’ll also ask anyone who has not been vaccinated to stay masked–for everyone’s health!
The music starts at 7:00, and will run to about 9:00 PM–live and streaming via Zoom.   You can find a link to register for the Zoom live-stream at:  https://bit.ly/3jKSsAc, plus more info about the bands:
Concert Details:
          On the bill:  Atlantic Crossing, and The Turning Stile!  Both bands have played for contra dances at the Hall for many years, and both have strong concert repertoires besides the tunes which get you on the dance floor.
Admission to the concert will go to pay the bands.   The CDU (and the Grange) are committed to supporting our music and dance community by paying bands well–especially in these times when gigs have been few and far between.   Here’s what we’re asking:
  • Adults:  $12.00
  • Low income folks and kids:  $5,00
  • Dance and Grange supporters:  $20 (or more if you can!)
         The concert will run to about 9:00 PM with a break to change the setup for the 2nd band.   Peter Macfarlane, who will also be playing with Atlantic Crossing, is providing the sound–and the Zoom live-stream, which will open at 6:30.
There are pictures of the bands, and more info available at the link given above–but we also want to tell you about the fund-raising purpose of this event:

Support the Dance, and the Hall and the Grange!

For many years, the Contra Dance Umbrella, the all-volunteer committee which organizes the dances has raised money to keep the Grange running and to improve the Grange Hall, by sponsoring a “Challenge Fundraiser” every fall.    We find a number of generous folks from the dance community, who put up about $2,000 as a challenge for other dancers and Grange supporters to match with their own donations.
Until 2020, we’ve been able to promote this at a month of dances, culminating in a celebratory dance with special decorations and a dessert potluck, and an air of mounting excitement as donations are tallied on a big sign.  Admission to the dances pays for the bands, callers, and the Hall; donations come in on top of that.  We can’t hold dances or the potluck safely, so we’re offering this concert as the big event this year–as we did with a Pete’s Posse live-stream concert in 2020.
The money raised this year will be split between the Contra Dance Umbrella and the FCCGH (Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall).   The CDU has been supporting the Grange with payments of 1/4 of the normal rent for the usual dance schedule through the pandemic–cutting into their bank balance considerably.   The Friends have funded major Grange Hall improvements like:
  • A new dance floor in 2012!
  • New Hall windows in 2013!
  • New bathrooms in 2015!
  • Lower-level insulation and remodeling in 2020!
  • New entrance doors & a new exhaust fan in 2021!
        This year, the Friends will be working on ways to install a fresh-air ventilation system for the Hall, to make it safer for everyone, even when we can’t open the windows.   There are lots more improvements waiting to happen, and your donations will help make them real!    The FCCGH is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity, and donations to them are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by the law.
We hope that if you can, you will donate either online at:   www.capitalcitygrange.org/donate, or by check or cash at the concert, or by mailing checks to:  FCCGH, PO Box 192, Northfield Falls VT 05664.   All donations by check or via the Paypal link at the website will be acknowledged for tax purposes.
Every dollar you donate will help us keep the dances going as soon as we can safely hold them again, and will keep the Grange surviving and thriving as vital part of the community for all sorts of dances, music, meetings, family celebrations, and much more.   The all-volunteer Grange, the all-volunteer FCCGH and the all-volunteer CDU will make good use of all donations for everyone’s benefit!

Special added attraction: Equal Exchange products for sale!

We’re please to announce that the Just Food Hub, a new non-profit business that sells and distributes food products from Equal Exchange will be selling a selection of their line at the picnic and concert.   And they will have free samples as well!
You can learn more about their dedication to selling fair-trade products from small farmers and the global South at their website:  https://justfoodhub.us/.   A portion of the proceeds from their sales will benefit the Grange, too!

Labor Day Weekend benefit concert–and Re-Opening!

by

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help), August 11, 2021

Support the Grange–and the Montpelier Contra Dance–with a lively concert on Labor Day Weekend!

Co-sponsored by the Contra Dance Umbrella and the Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall, the Grange Hall will host an outdoor concert (weather permitting) featuring two Vermont bands who have played many times for dances.   Since we are unable to hold dances yet, this concert will celebrate and encourage donations to match the $2,000 Challenge assembled with donations from long-time supporters.  On the bill:  Atlantic Crossing, and The Turning Stile!
  Atlantic Crossing, featuring Peter MacFarlane, Viveka Fox and Rick Klein, has been “rocking the contra dance halls of New England and beyond”, and also “entrancing concert audiences” for well over two decades.  Their music is drawn from Celtic traditions of the British Isles, as well as from Maritime and French Canada, and from Vermont singing traditions.
Now is our time to hear the concert side of their repertoire–dancers have been propelled by their music for a long time!   You can read more about them, hear clips from their many albums (and buy them!) and more at their Atlantic Crossing website.
We know Aaron Marcus and Joanne Garton, The Turning Stile duo from our dance floor and from the stage!    We’re lucky to have these two Montpelier residents nearby, and we’re glad they want to perform for us! Multi-instrumentalist Aaron on keyboards, concertina, banjo and feet, and fiddler Joanne will showcase some of their vast variety of musical styles in a concert setting instead of a dance hall.   More info is available on Joanne’s website.
Concert Details:
       For the most up-to-date info, check the listing on the Grange website Calendar–follow this link:  https://bit.ly/3jKSsAc
Weather permitting, the concert will be outdoors at the Grange Hall!   If we need to move it inside, we will use our new exhaust fan, which can provide 6 air changes per hour, supplemented by fans pulling in fresh air from the windows.
       Admission to the concert will be by donation, and will help us pay the bands (we want to support some of the musicians who have been hit hard by the pandemic):
Adults:  $12.00
Low Income:  $5.00
Dance & Hall supporters:  $20.00 (or more of course!)
We will not be able to have the “Dessert Potluck” which has been much enjoyed at past Challenge Fundraisers–feel free to bring your own refreshments!
We will be asking all those who attend the concert who have not been vaccinated to wear masks.
Fundraiser Details:
       In addition to enjoying the concert, we ask you to support the Grange Hall and the Montpelier Contra Dance.  A number of dedicated dance and Grange supporters have pledged a total of $2,000 to challenge the Grange community–just as has been done in the past.   Your donation will financially aid the Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall (FCCGH) and the Contra Dance Umbrella (CDU).
Donations can be made online, at the concert by check or cash.   Checks should be made out to:  FCCGH.   Online donations can be made at any time at:  www.capitalcitygrange.org/donate.  For those who choose to attend this concert via ZOOM, this link for donations will be posted in the Chat.   If you want to mail a check, please do!  The FCCGH mailing address is:  PO Box 192, Northfield Falls VT  05664.
All donations made online or by check will be tax-deductible, to the fullest extent allowed by law, since the FCCGH is a non-profit, tax exempt 501(c)(3) corporation.
Questions?   Please email me (swartztim15@gmail.com) or call me (802-225-8921).

Grange Re-Opening Celebration
Many thanks to the crew who helped us celebrate last Saturday!

       We had a hot but happy group of participants who enjoyed our smorgasbord of activities–and a great group of volunteers who helped make it happen.
As you’ll see in the top photo below, the cast-iron 8″ frying pan we purchased for the occasion did not survive intact–but contestants managed to hold onto the “pan” section after we had to discard the handle.   A variety of grips and throwing techniques were employed, and people from kids to seniors took part, with winning tosses ranging from 18’11” to 64’8″.   In the left photo below the pan you’ll see me and Linda Sanderson, a Grange veteran of these events, combining my 50′ measuring tape and Linda’s measuring wheel to tally one of the longer throws.  Many thanks to Patty Giavara for taking all the photos, as well as making the “Bounce House Free” sign on the spot!

 

 

 

 

 

As expected, the Bounce House was enjoyed

     Many thanks to Kasie McCarthy and Dean Grondin, who staffed the house and kept kids bouncing safely all afternoon long!
The Vermont Fiddle Orchestra, 14 musicians strong on this occasion and led by Susan Reid, played beautifully for us, including playing for simple dances called by Liz Benjamin, maestra of Dance Sing & Jump Around, which usually involves kids and families during the winter months inside the Hall.
Rob Nichols, who has grown healthy and beautiful potted plants for Grange fundraisers for years, came by with a selection of varieties, many of which found new homes with participants in return for donations–which help us toward matching the Challenge!
Merry Shernock recruited all the helpers, and assembled the beautiful bouquet from the Grange flowerbeds and surrounding wildflowers, and led the singing of This Land is Your Land, Take Me Out to the Ballgame and other favorites, along with Grange musician Matt Nunnelly.
And last but not least, we were honored by the presence of a Monarch, who enjoyed refreshments from the zinnias in the pots by the ADA entrance.

Save this date too:  Saturday, August 21st for our next Grange Community Potluck!

       We invite everyone to join us for another potluck dinner, at 6:00 on Aug. 21, to socialize with the friends you may not have seen for a while–and the friends you just haven’t met yet!
As we did in July, we’ll eat in the cool lower level of the Grange Hall, where we can use the vintage dishes, utensils, glasses, serving spoons & ladles which the Grange has accumulated–no paper plates needed!
As always, bring whatever you like!   “Potluck Magic” always seems to ensure we have a good variety of main dishes, sides, breads, spreads & dips, beverages, desserts, cheeses, vegetarian and vegan options, and more!

Painted doors!

       Since the last “Grange Notes”, meticulous volunteer painter Ellen Holmes-Henry has come back and completed the painting of the new doors on the “Old Entrance” porch–in time for our Re-Opening event!

Re-Opening the Grange celebration: Next Saturday!

by

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help), July 31, 2021

Are you ready to help us Re-Open the Grange?

We are excited to have more groups using the Grange, after the long hiatus, and we think it’s time to celebrate our re-opening!
As you’ll guess from the picture above, we’re renting a “Tropical Bounce-House” for kids to jump in!   We hope you can join us
We’ll be holding most of these events outdoors–please light a candle to the deity or non-deity of your choice for weather like today’s sunny, dry day to repeat on Saturday the 7th!   You are also welcome to check out the recent improvements to the Grange Hall:  new doors on the Old Entrance, a new exhaust fan, and the complete remodeling of the lower level completed in February 2020, which hasn’t gotten much use!

July 17th potluck brings nice people together

Our Community Potluck drew people from far and near to share food and a continuous buzz of friendly conversation in our “newly” remodeled lower level.  We had a total of about 35 people, some of whom are lining up in the panorama above.    Potluckers who came ranged from single digits to mid-80s in terms of age, and geographically from Berlin natives, to our local and non-local Grange members and to contra-dancers from Burlington.   Everyone was pleased to see the many people they hadn’t seen since before the pandemic shut things down.   Food was there in abundance!   See pictures below for some idea–it was great to be a pie aficionado.
And Save the Date! for our next potluck, on August 21st at 6:00 PM!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Save this date too:  Saturday, Sept. 4th for a “hybrid” benefit concert

With our new fan for better ventilation (see below) and open windows, we are planning a live and live-streamed concert at the Grange Hall!   This is the replacement for the “Challenge Fundraisers” which the CDU and the Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall have been putting on for years.  Generous friends of the Grange and the Hall who can afford some larger donations are putting up $2,000, and challenging the rest of the Capital City Grange community to match that.   This year, the donations will be split between the CDU (which has been paying partial rent throughout the pandemic to support the Grange) and the Friends, who have also been supporting the Grange during this time of extremely low revenue.  The CDU is working on booking a Vermont dance band for this event!
I’ll send out news about this concert as soon as we have the details worked out!   We continue to watch the public health statistics closely, of course, and will take all needed measures recommended when Labor Day weekend rolls around.
If you are ready to chip in to help right now, of course, we can accommodate that:   just click on capitalcitygrange.org/donate to send in your contribution via Paypal or credit card!   All donations will be through the FCCGH, and since it is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit, will be tax-deductible to the full extent possible.

We know we have Grange fans.…and this one is a real blow-hard.

Earlier this week, the project was installation of a new, more powerful, yet more quiet and efficient exhaust fan in the attic of the Hall.   With Bill Hulstrunk and Kurt Giavara and me, we had an excellent crew.   The new fan pulls air from the ceiling in front of the stage, which should reduce the direct draft which some musicians noticed from the old fans mounted above the stage.   We were impressed with the well-designed fan, mounting and duct package and the clear installation instructions, it was relatively easy to put in with confidence.
Among other improvements, the insulating “doors” which are just above the ceiling grille open and close automatically, eliminating the manual opening and closing of ceiling hatches we used to have to do.   The fan runs extremely quietly at the lowest of the 3 speeds, but still is rated for 2,361 cubic feet per minute (CFM).  The high speed is rated at 4,280 CFM–and is still far from noisy!   The controls allow setting for time periods of one to 8 hours.
Before winter, we’ll be installing a duct to direct the air outside, to avoid condensation.
I’m putting a few more installation photos below; thanks to Patty Giavara for getting some good photos–and to the anonymous donor whose door donation had enough left over to cover half the cost of the fan!   The Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall is paying the rest of the cost.  We expect to improve ventilation of the main Hall, and save money on electricity as well with this fan.   There is still work to do to get ventilation downstairs, and to facilitate winter air exchange upstairs, when we don’t have a hundred or more dancers to heat up the air there.  Still looking for a good HVAC contractor to help us–recommendations welcomed!

Finishing out July, bringing back the ghosts of letters past

Hot off the presses…here’s the scene this morning (7/31), with volunteer Ellen Holmes-Henry getting ready for the next ladder placement to re-paint the much-faded label over the old entrance.  After giving all the letters enough coats to make them look good again, Ellen moved on to painting the new doors–check them out when you come for our Re-Opening celebration next Saturday!

Tomorrow’s the day! Potluck at the Grange Hall!

by

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyoone’s help), July 17, 2021

Saturday evening at the Grange Hall:  good food and good friends

With rain forecast, we’ll be eating together in the lower level of the Grange Hall, which was completely remodeled, getting finished just before the pandemic shut down activities at the Hall.  The insulation and the dehumidifier make for a comfortably cool and dry atmosphere, which will be nicer than a lot of the weather we have had this summer.  We’ll also have some windows open and some fans to give us good ventilation.
Bring whatever you want, we frequently get:  hot dishes, cold dishes, vegetables, salads, soups, breads, cheeses, butter, chips, dips, cookies and cupcakes, even ice cream…your choice!  We always have lots of food, so even if you aren’t able to bring something, odds are good that there will be plenty to eat.
We will provide serving utensils/plates/glasses/bowls/spoons, forks & knives–besides that we just need you!  We are looking forward to seeing you!  And of course this is a free event, and open to everyone, so bring your friends.
Questions?   Feel free to give me a call:  802-225-8921, or email me:  swartztim15@gmail.com.

Step up to the new doors, to join us for the potluck!

We’re pleased to report that we have new doors, complete with weatherstrip at the “old entrance”, where contra dancers and others enter to access the lower level.   Kurt Giavara and I finished installing these about a week ago, using funding provided by a generous anonymous donor!   We sure appreciate the donation that made these possible!
These doors also feature a keypad lock, which we’ll also be installing on the doors at the ADA entrance porch.  This will allow us to give a code to renters, rather than having to give out keys and worry about getting them back.
You can also knock the parking-lot sand off your shoes on the grate, which was installed in March of 2020, so not many folks have had that opportunity, either!
Come check them out!

Grange summer: potluck, rentals, projects and chicks

by

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help), June 23, 2021

Re-starting a long-time tradition: good food and good folks at the Grange

When we decided to have our first sort-of-post-COVID potluck dinner after our June meeting, we weren’t sure how many people would show up.  It was still over a week before Gov. Scott announced the end of most pandemic restrictions–and it was one of the beautiful June days, as well!
In the event, we had a small but very convivial gathering for dinner, welcoming people from Jericho and Burlington, as well as Grange members from closer to home.   All of us were vaccinated, so we ate, unmasked, in the relatively cool Main Hall, rather than setting up outside.  As usual, we had great food, too!
Repeating the tradition:  July potluck coming up!
       Since we had so much tasty fun, we’ve decided to reprise this event around the middle of July, so put 6:00 PM, July 17th on your calendar.  We won’t try to have a formal Grange meeting, but we will invite you to renew the social bonds that are a traditional part of Grange–along with good food to share!   We will set up tables outside, on the shady North end of the Hall, so we can eat outside.  We won’t be restricting this to those with vaccinations, but we ask that unvaccinated folks wear a mask if they are indoors, and maintain some “social distance”.   The Grange (at all levels from National to State to Community Granges) encourages everyone who can to get vaccinated, of course!
As Merry has often said, “you’re going to eat anyway, why not do it with a bunch of friends?”.   Bring whatever you want, we frequently get:  hot dishes, cold dishes, vegetables, salads, soups, breads, cheeses, butter, chips, dips, cookies and cupcakes, even ice cream…your choice!  We always have lots of food, so even if you aren’t able to bring something, odds are good that there will be plenty to eat.
We will provide serving utensils/plates/glasses/bowls/spoons, forks & knives–besides that we just need you!

Projects and volunteer work–we got ’em!

If you’ve got some time and energy here in the summer months, we’ve got project and maintenance ideas that we’d love to have help with!   Here’s a partial list of ways to spruce up our Grange, now and in the future:
  • Maintain the “sand catcher” for the driveway culvert–Lewis Neill built a “settling pool” to keep sand and small rocks from clogging the new culvert he put under the top end of the driveway (see the picture below) in 2007.   Every big downpour fills it up, and I have trouble keeping up with clearing it out.  Just requires a hoe or shovel, and being willing to keep an eye on it.  Contact Tim:  swartztim15@gmail.com and let me know!
  • Weed & water the gardens–we have a variety of plants and flowers around both entrances, thanks to past work by volunteers.  We’ve got an outdoor faucet, and could buy a hose (or get one donated).   Is there someone who could stop by occasionally and check out the flower beds, and weed and water as needed?  Contact Tim or Merry:  merrykaysings@gmail.com.  I’m putting a few pictures of the current state at the bottom of this newsletter.
  • Bakers take notice:   we’d like to contribute baked goods for the VT State Grange to sell on July 2nd through 5th, at the Vermont Welcome Center rest area in Sharon.   The proceeds go to support the State Grange Center in Brookfield, that provides a summer camp experience for Grange youth, for Fall Festival, and facilities for other organizations to rent.   If you can, contact Ruth Hovey-Sicely:  ruthsicely@aol.com
  • Little Free Library:  At our May meeting, we agreed that having a small, voluntary lending library, part of the Little Free Library movement would be a great idea.   We are still looking for a volunteer to build the outdoor box with doors that would be needed, to be mounted perhaps on our Old Entrance porch.   Interested?  Contact Tim.
  • Flushing the on-demand water heater:  Calcium “scale” can build up in the heat exchanger, and needs to be flushed out out with vinegar, ideally every year.   I did it in mid-June, and can now give you a tutorial, if you can take this on as an annual chore.  Contact Tim…
       Other significant upgrades are in the works, thanks to a donor who wants to remain anonymous.   We have a new set of pre-hung, insulated doors for the Old Entrance, plus keypad, programmable locks for both Old and New entrances on order, and Kurt Giavara and I will be installing them when they come in–soon we hope!  We are also on the verge of ordering a modern, 3-speed exhaust fan for the Hall, which will replace the old, inefficient fans now in place–see the photo below.  The new fan (general type shown in the drawing below) will be more powerful, quieter and more efficient, and will have self-opening & self-closing insulated doors.
There’s more to be done, especially to improve fresh-air ventilation downstairs, watch for updates–and if you have HVAC experience and want to help out, get in touch with me:  swartztim15@gmail.com.
On the left is one of the old fans–looks impressive, but doesn’t move much air, according to the “smoke pencil” tests I’ve done, and the blower-door test by Bill Hulstrunk.
On the right is an image from the seller of the fan we are planning to buy–in our case we’ll attach it to a duct to direct the air outside, to avoid the moisture condensing inside the attic during cold months.

Feeeeed  meeee!  Expect to hear that cry…

  ….for a couple more days.
The Eastern Phoebes
which
nested in the
Old Entrance
hatched
(I think)
all 5
of the eggs
they laid
in late May.
Now there are
only 2 nestlings,
which still seem
to take up
all the room!
I expect they will
fledge pretty
soon.
The sand-filled-rectangle to the left of the grass should be an empty space, to hold sand and small stones settling out of the water which rushes to the opening for the culvert.  Needs regular clearing, with repeated thunderstorm downpours!  Otherwise, water runs around and makes a gully in the driveway.
Our lush, but unkempt flower beds by the ADA and Old entrances:

Catching up on Memorial Day:  VT Scholastic Chess Championships

With so much other news, I almost forgot to include these photos of the VT Scholastic Chess Championships, held on May 29th and 30th!  Held before the COVID-19 restrictions were removed by the governor, organizers Mike Stridsberg & Corinne Cooper kept things safe and spread out, following close coordination with Grange Rental Agent Merry Shernock and me.
In the photos:

 

  • 4-8th grade contestants and families wait to check in–contact info was recorded and kept for 30 days.
  • Mike and Kindergarten-3rd grade contestants are getting ready for some hot chess competition.
  • K-3 players were spread out downstairs…
  • …and upstairs.
  • Corinne is keeping track of the moves

Contact Us

Tim Swartz, President, CCG#469
802-225-8921 (cell)
grangepresident@capitalcitygrange.org

 

Recent Posts