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April Fools Day = Open House at the Grange–no foolin’

April 1, 2017 by Tova

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, March 29, 2017

We’re showcasing our many activities, and all the groups that call the Grange Hall home

Spread the word!
We are holding our second “Grange Open House” to welcome people from the communities that surround and use the Grange Hall.    We have demonstrations and information tables planned, featuring the teachers, students, dancers, singers, community service groups and more that base their activities at the Hall.
From 4:00 to 6:00 PM, we’ll have a lineup of demonstrations by:
The Barretones–the award-winning women’s barbershop chorus group, which rehearses on Monday evenings
Washington County 4H–will put on a fashion show, featuring clothes sewed and modeled by boys and girls in 4H!
Community singing–one our favorite activities at Grange meetings, but time to sing more songs!   We welcome everyone to bring songs to share.   We have a list of songs that we have added to the Grange repertoire:  Lift Every Voice and Sing, This Land is Your Land, Take me out to the Ballgame, Yellow Submarine, I’ll Fly Away, Lean On Me, plus some rounds.   What else do you want to sing?  We’re expecting a bunch of enthusiastic singers, so come along and join in.
And we’ll have info tables from many more:
Capital City Grange #469–I’ll be happy to tell more about the Grange–it’s history, our accomplishments, and how you can get involved.  I’m putting together some info and pictures to tell the story.   I’ll have info also about theFriends of the CCG Hall!
Green Mountain Transit Agency will have a table–we have hosted their buses when flooding has been a danger for their garage, just down the road.
Weston Mobile Home Co-op will share info. This group of residents of the park down the road has been holding meetings in our Hall on Sunday afternoons.   They are working with the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity to form a cooperative group to buy the mobile home park.
Berlin Elementary School Art will be displayed on the walls of the Grange Hall, part of our partnership with the Town of Berlin.
*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
If there is a community or Grange group that we have somehow missed, we’ll make room if you get in touch soon!  Contact Merry (see above) or Tim Swartz,  https://grangenotes@capitalcitygrange.org or 802-225-8921 for more info.
And of course, we’ll have a great Community Potluck at6:00.
Bring your favorite dish for sharing, and join us eating at the tables in the Main Hall.   We’ve been getting more and more people joining us, and this should be an especially good one.   It’s a great opportunity to meet and talk to people–and to share recipes!

Filed Under: Grange Notes

Biking readiness, even in winter & April 1st = Open House at the Grange!

March 29, 2017 by Tova

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, March 14, 2017

When it’s winter–some folks are still riding bikes–and the rest of us are ready to start
As I’m writing this, of course, the biggest storm of the winter is falling….but you have to have faith!

We invited Noah Tautfest, owner of Bicycle Express in Northfield, to give us some basic tips about getting our bikes ready for riding in spring–but we found that he spent part of the day riding  in the snow at Burke Mountain!   So the bike he brought to demonstrate the basics was this “fat bike”, with 4″ tires–but the basics still apply.
Noah showed us the important maintenance steps he does himself–and recommends for all bikers:
  • Cleaning:  wiping the chain after riding, to get rid of grit that wears out the chain
  • Lubricating:  working chain lube into the links, one section at a time.  Using your fingers, rolling the links helps the lubrication work its way in
  • Checking the whole bike:  looking at cables, brakes and gear linkages, to make sure everything is in good shape–before you are going 30 mph down a hill!
  • Checking your helmet:  be aware that helmets start breaking down after 3 years.   Foam that is supposed to cushion your head when it hits the ground can just collapse, just when you need it most!  Replacing your helmet regularly is the best insurance you can have.
  • Tire pressure check:  Noah reminded us that rubber can let air out, so checking and re-filling is a regular necessity.  Low pressure tires like the 10-15 psi ones on his fat bike lose air more slowly–narrow, high-pressure tires like the 90-100 psi ones on a road bike lose it more quickly, but all of them have to be checked–especially if they have spent the winter hanging in the garage.  Get yourself a good tire pressure gauge, and use it regularly.
Besides the pre-ride and post-ride check advice, Noah answered lots of questions from the many people who joined us for this program.  They ranged from discussion of the many different types of bikes that people ride–off-road mountain and fat bikes, with and without shock-absorbing suspensions, bikes with single front chainwheels and those with front derailleurs and rear ones, road bikes, hybrid bikes and more.
Interest was also expressed in having Noah come back later in the year, perhaps allowing people to bring their bikes to be checked–are you interested?   Let us know!   We could do it when the weather is warmer, so we can have room outside and don’t have to worry about the floor.

March Grange Meeting: What’s Going on These Days?

New storage for Kids Trade & Play
At the Grange meeting, we got a report from Erin Barry on the ongoing success of KT&P, the popular family clothing & toy swap, plus community gathering of families which she hosts.   Since starting this series in March of 2016, it has kept growing.   Erin and a small cadre of volunteers sort the piles of donations, and on the second Saturday of each month, lay them out in size and age categories on the cafeteria tables downstairs at the Grange Hall.   Dozens of families come to drop off even more out-grown (but clean and in good repair) children’s clothes, and to find lightly-used replacements to fit their growing brood.  Kids play with toys downstairs, or run around in the open Hall upstairs.   And there is often a jam session of old-timey music upstairs as well.   Merry provides information about community resources for parents and kids, too.   But the main benefit may be the opportunities for making friends and social contacts among families with kids–finding others with the same age kids, developmental challenges, struggles and joys.   Erin charges $3.00 per family to meet costs, a pretty good deal!  Tell your friends, neighbors and co-workers about this!
The Grange is supporting this community service by donating the space, and now by purchasing the “new” used shelves in the photo above, for storage of KT&P’s many plastic bins of clothes.   Merry also found a painter through the Grange’s membership in Onion River Exchange, and used O.R.E. Hours donated by Liz Benjamin to get the walls in their storage corner painted.  Erin’s husband Sean and I picked up the shelves and delivered them to the Hall, and I put them together.  Erin is already thinking she could use more!  As usual, it’s a group effort with a community payoff.
Farmers in Berlin–meeting at the Grange
Also at our Grange meeting, under the “Agriculture report”, Josh Fitzhugh told us about the second “potluck social” dinner of Berlin farmers, which he has organized.   On Friday, March 3rd, members of farm families from 6 farms (out of about 15 in Berlin) met to share food and talk about the state of farming in the town.   Josh feels it is a good opportunity for networking and building relationships among the scattered agricultural enterprises in the town where our Hall is located.   They are talking about possibilities including a co-op store for farmers and craft-workers.   You can get in touch with them:  josh@fitzhugh.com  He plans to have more of these get-togethers.
Legislative report–universal primary care plan?
Our usual reporter, Marj Power, told us the high point of the VT Legislative session, relating to this Grange’s long interest in health care:  the proposal for a “Universal Primary Care” system for Vermonters–no one excluded, everyone covered.   Primary care, of course, is the “first line” of medical care–the doctors/nurse practitioners/pediatricians/mental health counselors who are the people you meet when you need a check-up or basic medical care.   H.238/S.53 are the bill numbers in the House and Senate respectively; you can learn about its status, and read the text here:  https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2018/H.238  Marj also recommended a guide to ways to actively participate in government:  https://www.indivisibleguide.com/ if you want to support or oppose legislation and other government actions.  At the VT Legislature link above, you can find out how your representative voted when the bill recently passed the House.
Grange quilt contest coming up–wanna join in?
Our Grange Home Ec liason–also our Grange Secretary–Charles Martin–let us know about the VT State Grange contest for quilters.   In our Grange, anyone can enter–we will donate a Grange membership for the winner!  The contest is to make a queen-size quilt–it must be quilted, not tied, but otherwise anything goes.   For the VT State contest, there are prizes–$100 for 3rd place, $200 for 2nd place and $300 for 1st place.  The first place quilt will be taken to the Big E in Springfield, the huge Eastern States Exposition, and will be raffled off–to benefit the Vermont Veterans’ Home in Bennington.   The other quilts will be returned to their makers.
Health Concerns:  sleeping better by camping, and a new fast-food hazard
Our usual reporter on health matters, Phyllis Skinner RN told us about a study which took people with sleeping problems out camping–with good results.  The theory is that taking people away from their screens–on phones, tablets, laptops, monitors and TVs–removes a source of the type of light that makes changes in our melatonin cycle, which is part of regulating our sleep rhythms.  Resetting our light exposure to natural rhythms re-sets our sleep cycles.   The lesson?  reduce your exposure to screens well before your time to go to sleep.
Phyllis also reported on research that identifies grease-resistant coatings in fast-food meals as containing PFAs, a potential carcinogen.   Cut down on fast food burgers, chicken, etc.–or unwrap them as soon as possible and get rid of the wrappings from the store.
High altitude parking!
We have an ongoing offer to the Green Mountain Transit Authority (GMTA) which allows them to store their fleet of buses in our parking lot, when there is a possibility of ice jams and overflowing rivers.   Their depot, about a quarter-mile south on Rt. 12 is right next to the Dog River, so it can be vulnerable if the waters rise.
The weekend of Feb. 25/26 was forecast for high winds and possible heavy rains, so they decided they would rather be safe than sorry, and let me know that they would be moving the buses to our parking area up on the hill.  With no rentals scheduled on Saturday evening, this worked out well.  They left room for parking for the Church of Christ service on Sunday morning, as requested.
In the event, no flooding happened, but we are happy to provide this “peace of mind” for this important community transportation agency.
April = Grange Month, and April 1st = Open House at the CCG

Every year, the National Grange declares that April is the month to celebrate and publicize the whole Grange.   We held our first Open House last spring, and we are holding another one on the first Saturday in April, instead of our usual Grange meeting.  Like last year, we are inviting our renters to do demonstrations, staff information tables, or otherwise present their activities and interests.   We are inviting local community organizations–the 4H group from Washington County, the Green Mountain Transit Authority, and more–to provide spokespeople and literature as well.   Carl Etnier, who has been coming to dance at the Grange Hall for years will serve as MC again, you can also find Carl commuting by bike from Plainfield to Montpelier, and DJing on WGDR.
The Open House will run from 4:00 to 6:00 PM, followed by our usual Community Potluck dinner.   Bring one of your favorite dishes to share–we’ll set up tables on the floor-protecting mats in the Hall so all can attend.   Come and break bread with your friends, neighbors and people you never met before!

Once again a reminder:   DUE$ are DUE for 2017.  One important way to support the Grange is with official membership, which costs $30again this year.   Having an active, paid-up membership keeps us in good standing with the State and National Granges, as well as providing financial strength to our own Community Grange.   Send checks to:
$ecretary Charles Martin
639 Mini$ter Brook Rd.
Worce$ter, VT 05682
Remember, everyone is welcome at all our Grange meetings, but only members can vote!

Filed Under: Grange Notes

Pictures of spring–and snow. Plus bike prep for spring!

March 6, 2017 by Tova

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, February 24, 2017

I just want to say….
Every time I sit down to write up these “Grange Notes”, I wonder if there are enough  interesting things to report–and then I find I have more than I can fit in!   I’m impressed with all the activities and people who get involved with our Grange and our Hall!
One of these could be the look of the Main Entrance–what do you think?
 
 
Where did these come from?
Well, these are the “first drafts” of ideas about what the public face of our Grange Hall’s official Front Door could look like.   At our February Grange meeting, landscaping ideas were presented, via pictures and discussion, by James Parent, a long-time contra-dancer at the Grange, and a Brookfield-based landscaper.
James used the “before photos” (you can figure out which is which!) and a graphics program to illustrate some ideas for making our “new” entrance more welcoming.   We are looking at ideas, at this point, and these images give us lots to look at and talk about!   What a change in appearance!
A little background:   in 2008, the Grange used a grant from the VT Arts Council, and a loan from the VT State Grange to build a new entrance on the northeast corner.   Our goal was to begin to make our Grange Hall accessible to all, providing a ramped entrance which meets the guidelines of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA).  We also created an ADA bathroom on the main floor.   When we did this project, our intention was not to create a “back door” for people with mobility problems, but to have a new “front door” which anyone can use.  We included this in the grant application, which was designed to help non-profit organizations to make arts resources and performance spaces accessible to everyone.
What we haven’t done is to treat the new entrance as a real main entrance.  We never got around to making the entrance welcoming and attractive, but left it looking like a second-class, maybe even a begrudging allowance for people in wheelchairs.
So–that’s where we are today, and perhaps the reason for the images above is obvious!   James has come up with some exciting ideas, which he presented to the Grange meeting a couple of weeks ago.   The combination of snow visible on the roofs, and flowering shrubs and trees looks a little contradictory–but take a look at the principles behind his design ideas:
  • Filling in the spaces under the porch and ramp:   there is research that shows that humans are a bit nervous about passing by these spaces–our instincts are to see them as “hidey-holes” which could conceal a threat.   Lattice and plantings fill in the spaces in the designs shown.
  • Plantings show we care about our main entrance:   pretty clear!   If we invest in attractive “hardscaping” and plantings, and maintain them, we are showing that this is an important entrance.
  • Inviting people to “hang out” there:   the picnic table and bench shown by the ramp’s entrance are part of the welcome.
  • Protecting the plantings from the snow-plow:   since we have real winters–the snow on the roofs is a reminder!–we need to plan on ways to keep our investment in planting areas safe.   Some good-sized boulders shown on the 2 sides of the stairs to the porch are an example of an attractive barrier.
  • New soil for plantings:   the soil around our Hall is full of lead paint which has been scraped or flaked off the clapboards.   And the soil around our Hall is subsoil at best–not much nutrition for plants!  Raised beds behind those boulders would lift the flowers–and/or vegetables–above the original soil, and make for healthy produce.  We know we have a lot of enthusiastic gardeners in our community.
  • The grass (and the stones) are not part of the plan!   In order to cover up the snow on the ground in the pictures, grass and paving type stones were digitally used…but our plans won’t include those!
Next steps:  those at the meeting had lots of questions for James, and there is lots of discussion to come.  One of the first questions is about cost–how much would it cost to get and transport those boulders–and the equipment to move them?  What sort of budget would we need to have to cover that, plus the raised beds, new soil, etc.?   James will be coming up with figures for those sorts of potential costs.   How much maintenance will be needed to keep the area looking good?   There is not much use putting time and money into plantings, if we can’t keep them alive.   Join us at future meetings to join the discussion–and if you want to help, let us know!
We “Lift Every Voice and Sing“
Our February 4th meeting brought us another new song to add to the Grange repertoire.   Chaplain Alison Forrest arranged with Grange Musician Matt Nunnelley to learn the “African-American National Anthem”, and Merry Shernock arranged to print plenty of copies of the lyrics to the first verse–it’s got 10 lines.   Matt, Alison and Merry led us in singing this moving and inspirational song–I’m sure we’ll bring it back for more renditions.    Group sing-alongs are one of the special parts of Grange meetings, which help keep many of us coming back–even people like me that can’t get away with singing in public unless there are others to sing with.
If you can’t wait to come and join us in singing this song, check out a couple of links to Youtube renditions, with lyrics, as recommended by Alison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyS3HPInHtI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya7Bn7kPkLo
At our meeting, we also talked about political developments–it was just a couple of weeks after the new administration took power in Washington, and we have a new VT Governor.   Many of us at the meeting spoke about supporting Gov. Scott’s statements about not supporting the immigration policies of the Trump White House.  We decided to invite Gov. Scott to visit the Grange, especially the Open House which Merry is planning to have on April 1st.   The event last year brought Grange users and community members together, and we hope to build on that and bring in even more.   It will be great if the Governor can join us to see all the types of people and activities that happen at our Hall–he’s a Berlin resident, too!  Stay tuned for more info about the Open House.
We also looked forward to a tasty event, planned for our May 6th meeting, when we will have a baking contest judged by “Celebrity Judges”–the contest this year is Cinnamon Rolls, with no prescribed recipe–stay tuned for more details.
Our meeting also took a few minutes to remember two older members who have passed away recently:   David Wheeler and Marjorie Gendron.   Both held offices in the CCG, in years past; we performed the ceremony of “Draping the Charter” in their memory.   The Charter of the CCG, hanging next to the stage will bear the black drape until our next meeting.
Our meeting was followed by a well-attended potluck dinner, as usual, with about 25 people.  Join us for the next one!
March 4th Grange Meeting–spring will come–with bicycling!
Are the recent warmer days (following the snow which isn’t that long ago…) making you think of less wintery pursuits?   We will whet your appetite with a program at our March meeting, starting about 5:30, presented by Noah Tautfest of Northfield.   Noah is the owner of Bicycle Express, on Depot Square in that town, and is as knowledgeable as you would expect.   He’ll give us a presentation on “getting ready for spring bike-riding”, passing on tips for safety and efficiency in cycling, for riders of every experience level.   Noah is a passionate biker, who likes all types of biking and bike-riders–from recreational road-riders to fat-tire fanatics, to mountain bike racers.   He’ll answer your questions, and steer you to gear that meets your needs and your budget.
Here’s what the “Constitution of Bicycle Express says:

We The People of  Bicycle Express

Promise to fix bikes and ride them.

We believe at the end of every ride its how much fun you had.

We love all those who ride bikes.

This attitude will inform Noah’s visit to talk to us about….getting ready to ride!  Check out his store’s website, too:   https://bikeexpressvt.com/
We’ll also look forward to an annual event, introduced to me by the former director of the VT Bicycle-Pedestrian Coalition, Nancy Schulz.   The “International Ride of Silence” is an annual, slow-paced ride for all bikers, which honors the people who have been injured or killed on the roads while biking.   The ride, held on the 3rd Wednesday of May all around the world, brings attention and care to help encourage safe riding–and safe driving by the motorists who share the road with bikers and pedestrians.
I have been organizing a Northfield ride for several years–this year it will be on May 17th.   Come to the meeting to learn more!   There should be other rides in other parts of VT–or you can organize one yourself–it’s not hard, and it’s always a meaningful event.  You can find out more about the event by visiting this website:  https://www.rideofsilence.org

Grange meeting starts at 4:30.   Before the program, join us for our monthly meeting, where we discuss Grange finances, go over plans for changes in the Hall, and always sing together.   The friendly core group of CCG Grange members will make you feel welcome, and will be happy to hear your perspective.   We also talk about legislative developments, hear advice on healthier living, and keep up with news from the VT State Grange too.  We’ll be planning for the Celebrity Judge Baking Contest too!
And stay for the Community Potluck Dinner at 6-ish!  Great food, great company, and a chance to talk to other people who love what goes on at the Grange Hall.
Kid’s Trade & Play–remodeling and reorganizing
One of the community organizations which uses our Grange Hall, and which the Grange is happy to support has been steadily growing.   Every month, Erin Berryand her crew of volunteers spread out the good-quality clothes and toys which are donated by parents.  Parents are happy to pass on out-grown clothes so someone else can use them, and happy to bring home “new” ones.  Kids are happy to spend some time playing with the toys in the play area, and may even be interested in helping pick out the clothes to bring home.
The clothes and toys are stored between open times (9:30 to 11:30, the Second Saturday of every month) in the “back corner” of the basement area, next to the Lost & Found–but it hasn’t looked like it does in the bottom photo until now!
So many people have donated items, that the bins are overflowing–see the top couple of pictures!   So the Grange, via its indefatigable Treasurer/Rental Agent Merry Shernock has arranged to improve the storage area:  using Onion River Exchange “hours” donated by Grange member Liz Benjamin, she found a painter to help her clean off the mildew on the concrete walls, and to paint the lovely sky-blue you can see.   Merry also located some capacious industrial shelving, which will soon be set up in that corner, to hold the burgeoning boxes and bins, keeping them accessible.
Also, during next week (March 1-3) there will be a serious “purge” of the clothes, to keep the best and pass the rest on.   Would you like to help?  Contact Merry: https://merrykaysings@gmail.com or Erin:   https://birthsinnerlight@yahoo.com to arrange schedules.
Once again a reminder:   DUE$ are DUE for 2017.  One important way to support the Grange is with official membership, which costs $30again this year.   Having an active, paid-up membership keeps us in good standing with the State and National Granges, as well as providing financial strength to our own Community Grange.   Send checks to:
$ecretary Charles Martin
639 Mini$ter Brook Rd.
Worce$ter, VT 05682
Remember, everyone is welcome at all our Grange meetings, but only members can vote!

Filed Under: Grange Notes

Family Fun at the Grange, and Spring planning for the Hall at the Feb. 4 meeting

January 31, 2017 by Tova

Grange Notes for January 29, 2017 by Tim Swartz

Family dancers of all sizes–just one part of the fun we had at the FCCGH’s “Family Fun Day”

On Sunday, Jan. 22nd, the Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall sponsored the 2nd edition of the Family Fun Day which we first held a year ago.  Once again, families of all ages enjoyed face-painting, balloons & hula hoops and much more.   Experienced community dance caller David Kaynor, with about 18 members of the VT Fiddle Orchestra (he is the director) provided wonderful music and energetic dancing for a mixture of kids, parents, grandparents and friends.  After we worked up our appetites, Alison Forrest and her crew of kitchen workers dished up a very tasty dinner of macaroni & cheese, with sweet-potato fries and carrot sticks, cookies and more.   She even provided choices for those who can’t eat dairy or wheat products!  The event finished off with kid-friendly movies shown in the Main Hall.
Just like last year, people who came were asking as they left “when is the next one?”  So you can bet we will be doing more–especially if we can get a little more help!

Many thanks to all the volunteers who made this event work so well.   Most of them worked from set-up through clean-up! These included main organizer Joanne Garton, plus FCCGH chair Patty Giavara, head cook Alison Forrest, me, Merry Shernock, Ann Pearce, John & Fran Mallery, Elizabeth Templeton, Nancy Turner, Liz Benjamin and more.   Stan Carlson & Marj Power pitched in on the kitchen clean-up.  If you want to be part of the “in-crowd”, there’s always room for more!

We also want to thank food donors:   George Gross of Dog River Farm (just down the road) donated 25 lbs. of carrots, and Cabot Cheese donated 10 pounds of their trademark cheddar cheese!

Family Fun Day photos

February 4th Grange Meeting–spring will come

As we approach midwinter, it’s easy to have trouble believing that it will end–but the discussion coming up at our meeting (4:30 PM at the Hall) will give us a chance to think ahead to warmer weather.   It’s time for us to make some improvements for our newer entrance–the one we built in 2008 to make our Hall accessible.   Our goal was to make a new Main Entrance, rather than just provide a “back door” for people who need an easier entrance.
Our Rental Agent, Merry Shernock, has been looking for ways to improve this area, to make it clear that we consider this to be our welcoming Main Entrance.   She has arranged with landscaper (and contra dancer) James Parent to develop some ideas about how to improve the area, while allowing for snow removal, good parking and access–and photo opportunities!
Here’s what Merry Shernock says:  here are the “before” photos.  The “afters” will show sites for renters’ keepsake photos; e.g. wedding & prom pics, as well as sustainable plantings and improvements. The changes should make it obvious this is the Main Entrance.
  

Planning starts 2/4.  Professional landscaper James Parent will present the opportunities and the obstacles to be overcome.  We will create something wonderful, following the same collaborative, reiterative process that culminated in great bathroom facilities at this Community Center.
The old entrance will continue to be used for dancers, and others who need to change shoes and clothes downstairs, but our “new” fine entrance is worth improving.  Come to our meeting to consult on the first steps!
Also featured at the February 4th meeting will be a song appropriate for the month–which is African American History month every year.  We will sing Lift Every Voice and Sing, known as the “black American national anthem” for many years.  Written by James Weldon Johnson as a poem, and put to music by his brother at the turn of the last century, this song has been part of civil rights demonstrations–and is an “authorized hymn” in the Episcopal Church.   Come check it out!
And stay for the Community Potluck Dinner at 6-ish!  Great food, great company, and a chance to talk to other people who love what goes on at the Grange Hall.

January meeting notes–remembering Elvis, and learning about health and laughter!

Our meeting always features songs–and with our January 7th meeting just a couple of days before the birthday of “The King”, Grange Musician Matt Nunnelly led us through a couple of his hits–Don’t be Cruel and Love Me Tender.   Matt and Merry are coming up with songs that expand the Grange repertoire every month–see above for the February special song.
Our Legislative reporter, Marj Power told us to value our Vermont government–as she has had occasion to compare it to her daughter’s current home state of Kansas, which is struggling with the legacy of radical tax cuts by the former Governor, resulting in huge deficits and budget cuts…
We talked about community service opportunities open to Grange members and friends–who can earn “hours” from the Onion River Exchange time-bank, by helping people involved with the Home Share Now organization.  Merry gave examples–a retired teacher in Braintree who needs firewood moved into her house, once a week, or another retired teacher who needs transportation to choir practice.  These are all opportunities to do something positive–in a time when many of us are questioning how to make something constructive happen.  Intrigued?  email Merry for more info!
We missed our usual Health Concerns education from Phyllis Skinner, who had other commitments, but other Grange members filled in, with news about research on the value of laughter, compared to medications.   Actual studies substantiate the benefits–better improvements in blood sugar levels than from the drug Glucophage, for example!  Alison told us about “laughing clubs” in India, where circles of people gather, stretch, and start laughing together–as we all know, it is infectious!   but better than most “infectious” things…it’s also known as “laughter yoga”.
We also noted that with the new year comes the need to remind people that DUE$ are DUE.  One important way to support the Grange is with official membership, which costs $30 again this year.   Having an active, paid-up membership keeps us in good standing with the State and National Granges, as well as providing financial strength to our own Community Grange.   Send checks to:
$ecretary Charles Martin
639 Mini$ter Brook Rd.
Worce$ter, VT 05682

 

Filed Under: Grange Notes

Family Fun Day–2nd annual–how much fun can we have?

January 15, 2017 by Tova

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, January 15, 2017

Sunday, January 22nd
“Schedule of fun”:
3:00 to 3:30:  Balloon animals, face-painting, family fun!
3:30 to 5:00: 
David Kaynor leads dancing for all ages
Music by the VT Fiddle Orchestra!

5:00 on:  Macaroni & Cheese, with local, roasted
root vegetables, in the cafeteria
5:30 to 6:00:   Short films for kids in the Main Hall
$5.00 per person/$20 per family donation.
Under 4 years old FREE!
Poster

Scenes from last year’s Family Fun Day:

FamilyFunDay5 FamilyFunDay4 FamilyFunDay3 FamilyFunDay2

Donors to make this  FFD in 2017 possible include:
Dog River Farm/George Gross:  25 pounds of carrots!
Cabot Cheese:  10 pounds of Cabot Cheddar!

Thanks to the Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall for organizing this event!
We still need a few more volunteers to join our crew, especially for food prep and cleanup.  Contact Tim:https://swartztim15@gmail.com
or Alison:  https://feedkidswell@hotmail.com

Filed Under: Grange Notes

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Contact Us

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

 

Recent Posts

  • March Grange meeting, KT&P 10th anniversary, chair decisions
  • March at the Grange: meeting on the 7th, 10th anniversary of KT&P
  • Erica Heilman report, sample padded chairs, May 3rd for the First Degree!

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