Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) May 7, 2026
Saturday afternoon: contra dance for a great cause!
This Saturday, you can enjoy a great dance for a great cause, from 2:30 to 5:00 PM–followed by a potluck, of course! The Grange is donating use of the Hall for this event, which is organized by Indivisible Calais. Admission is by donation, and proceeds will go to VPIRG, the Vermont Public Interest Research Group.
Grant Orenstein, the main dance organizer is still looking for at least one more volunteer to help get the Hall ready for the dance, starting at 12:30 PM. Please contact Grant directly via email–click this link.
This dance will feature popular local caller Don Stratton, a long-time caller (and also fiddle, guitar and banjo player) from Bristol, VT. Don’s known for his relaxed and welcoming calling and dance-teaching. His repertoire includes modern New England contras and also southern square dances and big circle dances. His goal is lead interesting dances that will bring smiles to experienced and novice dancers alike.
Music for the dance will be played by the excellent duo, The Turning Stile, Montpelier musicians who play all over the region, as well as at festivals and dance weekends. Aaron Marcus, on piano, concertina and banjo, plus foot percussion, also plays with Vermont contra and concert band Frost & Fire, as well as having been a founding member of Giant Robot Dance, a legendary band of 3 pairs of brothers! Aaron works as an endangered-species botanist for Dubois & King as his “day job”. The other half of the group is Joanne Garton, a well-known fiddler (and Scottish step dancer), who teaches locally, as well as at dance camps. On Joanne’s website, you can see photos and videos of the band playing at the Grange Hall, plus in concerts, as well as Joanne teaching and performing Scottish dancing. You can also read about her day job, as a technical assistance for VT Urban & Community Forestry, collaborating with municipalities to foster healthy trees.
VPIRG is the state’s largest nonprofit consumer and environmental advocacy organization, having been founded in 1972. Their work focuses on Climate & Energy, Consumer Protection, Environmental Health, Racial Justice, Zero Waste, and Democracy–making government more open, responsive to and reflective of ordinary citizens. They lobby at the State House to support all of these areas; you can learn much more at the VPIRG website.
We hope regular contra-dancers, people who like afternoon dancing, people who support citizen advocacy and anyone who likes to have fun with other folks to great music will show up on Saturday to dance in the daylight–and stay for the potluck, too! For more info, contact Grant at the link above.
NO Kids Trade & Play this Saturday
There will be no clothing exchange at the Grange this month–instead, organizer Erin Barry urges everyone to take part in the Barre Rotary Spring Clothing Drop & Swap, coming the next weekend (May 16 for drop-0ffs, May 17 Clothing Swap–see below). This should be an even larger event, with more items to choose from! Anyone is welcome; they suggest a donation of $2 to $5 for all you can carry. This event happens at the BOR Arena, located at 25 Auditorium Hill, Barre VT 05641.
Kids Trade & Play will be back on Saturday, June 13, at our regular time of 9:30 to 11:30 AM. For more info, email Erin.
Dance, Sing & Jump Around on Sunday
(for the last time until next fall)
Join the fun on Sunday, May 10, from 3:00 to 4:30 PM at the Grange Hall! This will be the last of our “cold-weather” all-ages extravaganzas this season. They happen on the 2nd Sundays from October through May. As always, this will feature simple songs, dances and play-party games, taught by experienced callers including Liz Benjamin, Alice Smolinsky & Stan Carlson. We’ll have live music with Susan Reid and members of the Vermont Fiddle Orchestra.
If Mom needs a break this Mothers Day, other members of the family can have a great time with the kiddos at DS&JA!
No charge for kids; we ask for a $5 fee per adult–but we never turn anyone away! If you want a chance to (literally) dance, sing and jump around with your kids, grand-kids, nieces, nephews and friends, this is it! And we have snacks at the end! For more info, call 802-223-1509. Dance, Sing & Jump Around is a family event where all ages can mix it up while having fun together. No charge for kids; we ask for a $5 fee per adult–but we never turn anyone away! If you want a chance to (literally) dance, sing and jump around with your kids, grand-kids, nieces & nephews and friends, this is it! And we have snacks at the end! For more info, call 802-223-1509.
May 29: we’ve got help for a Grange cleanup!
May 29: we’ve got help for a Grange cleanup!
Chili contest: 0ne month away!
Yes, it’s getting closer! On June 6, we’ll be comparing all the best versions of chili that we can. There will be divisions for “vegetarian” chili, with no meat, and for chili with meat, and they’ll get separate prizes. One thing to emphasize: there will not be a prize for the HOTTEST chili! Our “celebrity judges” will be rating the entrants on taste, ease of preparation and appearance.
We’ll be asking contestants to bring their tasty dishes in about 4:15 PM on June 6, along with the recipe you used (or made up as you went along!), and to label it in a hidden spot with your name. You can bring it in a crockpot–or we will have a few into which you can pour yours, so that all can be served hot to the judges. We’ll have the chilis and the judging downstairs, while we have a Sing-Along upstairs, so there won’t be any spying on the judges!
For more information, call Marty Roberts at 802-223-5506, or email isabella1813@yahoo.com.
We hope to share some of the chili options at our potluck dinner afterward–and we’ll be urging people to bring other dishes too, since not everyone wants to only eat chili for dinner!
Sing-Along at our June Meeting!
Our June 6 meeting will be the time to sing along with our excellent Grange Musician and song-leader, Matt Nunnelly. Our Grange has always been enthusiastic singers, enjoying singing during both the opening and closing of our meetings, and we’ve enjoyed singing more songs when we have the chance. We’ll cover whatever business we need to do at the meeting, and then pull our chairs up to the stage to harmonize with Matt on songs in our own Grange’s custom songbooks (assembled by Cecile Sherburn), in the Grange Songbook, and as suggested by people present, until it’s time to hear the judges’ verdict on the chili contest!
If you have a special song for singing along–from Scout camp, from Church camp, from trips to that special folkie coffeehouse, or family tradition, let Matt know by sending him the lyrics and/or music here. Matt’s pretty willing to add songs to his and our repertoire!
Giving new members the First Degree!
I’ve made this newsletter pretty long already, so I won’t write the whole story of performing the First Degree…but I will tell you that it went off well. The picture above captures the moment when our Steward, Carl Etnier, suddenly accosted the parade of candidates (some wearing blindfolds as part of the ritual), and “tempts them to take the path of Ignorance”. When I write more about the Degree, I’ll let you know how that worked out…stay tuned for the next Grange Notes. –Tim