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

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

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

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

Making our Hall even more welcoming 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

June 6 at the Grange–Tasty & Tuneful

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) May 25, 2026

Next Friday:
Help us get the most out of U-32 students doing community service!

• Cleaning the floor mats:  mopping off the accumulated dirt, since our June 2025 clean-up day.
• Cleaning the sign: our Grange sign by Rt. 12 gets dirty from snow-plow spray.   A bit of soap and water will make a big difference.
• Cleaning window sills and frames–both floors
• Vacuuming the Main Hall window screens
• Cleaning the stage–dust accumulates!

Whether your best recipe is meat-less or meat-full,
The chili challenge is coming up fast!

I hope you’ve been practicing your recipes–I have–for June 6th’s contest.  Remember:  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, not on heat.   We will have 2 sets of prizes–for chili with meat, and without it.
Please bring your tasty dishes in about 4:15 PM on Saturday, June 6, along with the recipe you used (or made up as you went along!).   Please 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!

Before the potluck–Sing Along with
Matt Nunnelly!

On June 6th, from about 4:45 to 5:45,  we hope you’ll join us for an eclectic and vigorous sing-along!   We have the Grange song-book, plus lyrics for other favorites that we have printed up, and we’ll consider new ones too!   If you would like new lyrics printed up for the multitudes, please email Tim Swartz (just click the link), and I’ll do my best to get them printed up to be added to our loose-leaf collection.  We’ll have Matt as our song-leader, from the piano bench.
Among the many things we enjoy at Grange meetings, the opportunity to sing together is  high on the list.  The Grange is the only organization I know which has a Musician on the list of officers, and an opening and closing song as part of the agenda for every meeting.   We’ve been lucky enough to have Matt Nunnelly as our Musician for about 10 years, since 2016.  We enjoyed having him leading songs at the meetings, and also at Holiday Sing-Alongs in December (as in the picture above–that’s Matt at the piano, and a friend playing along), as well as at the June meeting which is usually our last formal meeting for the summer.
Matt and his family are moving back to Alabama this summer, so please join us to enjoy singing along with him for the last time–we’ll miss his cheerful singing and artful accompaniment.

Who is breaking the Grange’s wooden chairs?

I’m sorry to report that I have found 2 wooden chairs which have been broken.   These are wooden chairs that have been on the stage for years.   In two separate instances, someone has broken these (by accident I hope) and has left them to be discovered.    The one on the left has a leg cracked so badly that someone sitting in the chair could easily have caused it to collapse.  The one on the right has the bottom bracing broken off–perhaps by someone standing on the bracing?
If anything at the Grange breaks while you are using it, please speak up and let me know, so it can be repaired or at least removed so that it doesn’t cause more problems.   Walking away from the problem just leaves danger for someone else.   We understand that accidents happen–but it’s really discouraging to find them by surprise.

Marching around the Grange meeting,
and getting the 1st Degree

On the first Saturday of May, our meeting was largely taken up by practicing the basics of performing the First Degree of Grange membership, planned for the following day.   The practice paid off; the next day, May 3rd brought us 4 guests from Caledonia #9 Grange in East Hardwick to join us in presenting the Degree.  They augmented our roster of officers, as well as providing a new member to be part of the group that was led from officer to officer during the ceremony.  Caledonia Grange Master Rob MacLeod served as Vice President, and Caledonia Secretary Ranny Bledsoe served as Gatekeeper.  We also had the pleasure of welcoming back long-time Capital City Grange member Bill Thayer to take the part of Lecturer.
These degrees are designed to pass on the values of the Grange, with rituals and symbols to help new Grange members understand the goals of the organization.  An example is the blindfolds worn by some of the new members, which got removed as part of the ritual, when the candidates have been “enlightened” by some of the important lessons about the purposes and practices of the Grange.   The ritual also introduces the first symbol of the Grange Salutation, which affirms the Grange’s dedication to Faith, Hope, Charity and Fidelity.  As one of our visitors from Caledonia Grange said, this was a rare opportunity to talk openly about the values by which we strive to live.
After the Degree performance, we enjoyed a very tasty potluck dinner–another “ritual” of the Grange which nourishes us in other ways.
If anyone wants to learn more about the Grange and the Degree rituals, please reply to this newsletter.   There may well be opportunities to see other Vermont Granges perform this and the later Degree ceremonies.
Many thanks to Betty Copeland for taking pictures during the ceremony, and to former Vermont State Grange Master Errol Briggs, who loaned us the bouquet of 50 native grasses, and attended the ceremony.

May 9:  Benefit Contra Dance report

I’m pleased to report that the afternoon contra dance on May 9, which was put on by Indivisible Calais, was a success for the people who enjoyed the dance, and also as a fundraiser for VPIRG.  About $1,700 was raised by the donations of the folks who came; VPIRG volunteers were there to hand out literature and stickers, and to sell T-shirts and sweatshirts with their logo.  They also talked with those interested in VPIRG’s work defending voting rights, protecting the environment and advocating for consumers.  The potluck after the dance was also enjoyed by everyone who came.  Thanks to everyone who helped with setup and cleanup, too!

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