Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) June 26, 2022

Sum-Sum-Summertime Grange

Given the July 4th weekend, and the difficulties of getting people to attend summertime meetings, we are not going to have a formal meeting in July.   Our August meeting will precede a very special attraction, though–a piano performance on Sunday, August 21st!  See below for more info on that.
We will be holding the usual monthly “Kids Trade and Play” clothing swap on July 9th–but organizer Erin Barry has announced that there will not be one in August, as she and the rest of the hard-working volunteers will get a little time off.   We hosted over 100 parents and kids at the June 11th KT&P!
This summer will also see a performance by the VT Fiddle Orchestra, which uses the Grange for rehearsals during the cooler months, at the VT State Grange 150th anniversary celebrations–more info on that below, as well.
Also this summer, the Quarry Project will be performed, after many rehearsals at the Grange, starting in 2019, with time off for COVID.  See below for info on those performances, and ways that you can be involved as a volunteer, too!
There will continue to be classes, meetings, rehearsals and much more happening at our Grange Hall, of course–check the Events Calendar on the website for specifics:  www.capitalcitygrange.org/events.

Celebrate 150 years of Grange in Vermont!

You may not know that the VT State Grange is holding it’s sesquicentennial this year–it was founded in 1872–well before our own Capital City Grange was chartered in 1914.   In a couple of weeks, the State Grange is holding a celebration, at the Vermont Grange Center in Brookfield–and everyone is invited–on the afternoon of July 9th!
The celebration will include music by the VT Fiddle Orchestra, which has rehearsed at our Grange Hall for a number of years, from 12:45 to 1:45.  They will be performing on the porch of the Winter Building, shown in the photo above; there will be a tent to provide shade to the audience.
In other buildings at the Grange Center (which is also a summer camp facility that anyone can rent), there will be historical displays, plus a chance to meet and greet VT and other Grangers.   Starting at 2:00 there will be introductions of and remarks by “Distinguished Guests”–who are rumored to include National Grange President Betsy Huber.  There will also be “Historical Presentations”, so we’ll have a chance to learn about the past history of the Grange in Vermont.
The evening will feature a banquet, followed by activities including s’mores and music by a bonfire (weather permitting of course).   I’m sorry to report that the deadline to register for the banquet (at a cost of $12) closed on Saturday 6/25–I’ve been slow getting this Grange Notes together–but you can see if you can be fitted in by emailing:  vtgrange150@outlook.com.   I was able to get my check off just in time, and would be happy to have other CCG folks join me for the afternoon and/or the dinner!   No registration needed for the free afternoon festivities.   The Grange Center is located at 308 West St., Brookfield VT 05036.

Not your average theater project!

The Quarry Project is the brainchild of Director and Choreographer Hannah Dennison, who has long stretched the boundaries of dance.  It is, of course, much more than a one-person project, utilizing the talents of videographers, photographers, a composer and band director, and an infrastructure designer as well as an ensemble of dancers/actors, among others.
This project will be performed starting on August 5th, on the flooded Wells Lamson Quarry in Websterville, VT.   Performers and audience members will be on floating rafts, as I understand.    Much more information is available on the Quarry Project 2022 website.
As I mentioned above, there are many opportunities for volunteers to help put on this remarkable event.  You can sign up to do everything from assisting at dress rehearsals in July, to helping with audience management and other tasks in August, to disassembling the “theater” following the performances.    If you are like many people who come to the Grange Hall and want to get involved, you will be interested to be part of what goes on behind the scenes.   Go to the website and click on the “Performance/Volunteers” tab for more info.

Play Every Town–in Berlin, at the Grange, Aug. 21!

If you are a piano player, and want to work against climate change, what do you do about touring?   If you are David Feuerzeig, a professor of music at UVM, who has performed around the world, from Dresden in Germany to Bangkok in Thailand, you give up flying, and pledge to only take gigs to which you can drive your electric vehicle (solar-powered charging), or take public transit.   And then you decide that the best way to spread good music around, and spread the word about your alternative path is to play a concert (free and open to the public), in every town in Vermont.   All 251 of them.  He expects it will take him until the end of 2026…
Our Grange Chaplain, Alison  Forrest  heard about this plan, and immediately recognized that this fits really well with Grange values, and with our wonderful space for music and other performances.   We reached out to David and his team, and we now have a date for the “Berlin” performance which is on his list:  Sunday, August 21st, at 4:00 PM.  It’s on the Grange Calendar too, hope you can put it on yours as well!
We have already notified the Town of Berlin that we are hosting this concert, and will be spreading the word around Central Vermont, as well as through Grange Notes reminders, please tell your friends!  More info at the Play Every Town website, of course.

Since you’re coming to the Grange Hall for the concert, please join us for a short Grange meeting beforehand!  We will meet in the lower level, starting at 3:00, to go over what’s happening at the Grange, without bothering David as he gets ready upstairs.  We’ll adjourn in time to be upstairs to greet guests for the concert.

And since you will want to enthuse about the concert with your friends, please join us for a Community Potluck afterward!   Surely you are not surprised that the Grange will take this opportunity to share everyone’s great food, following the performance!   Before the performance, you can stash your cold dishes in the refrigerator, plug in your crock-pot if that works to keep food simmering, or pop down discretely to warm something up in the oven.   Or bring a bag of chips and some dip, or some ice cream, or cookies, or whatever else you want to share!   It’s a great opportunity to meet some new folks (and some old friends).

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) May 26, 2022

The birds aren’t the only ones who are happy to sing

After a long hiatus, we’re looking forward to an opportunity to have another “Community Sing-Along” at the Grange Hall, as our “Program” from 5 to 6:00 PM on Saturday, June 4th.   Following our brief Grange meeting from 4:30 to 5:00, Grange Musician Matt Nunnelly will lead us in songs.   Weather permitting, we’ll be outside on the ADA entrance porch, for maximum fresh air.  If we need to be indoors, we’ll be using our exhaust fan and open windows to keep the air moving, plus our Room Air Filter Boxes.   We do ask that only people who are fully vaccinated come to this event; we don’t expect to wear masks, but we will provide room to spread out.
What will we sing?   That’s up to Matt and the people who send in suggestions!  Matt is a talented song leader and accompanist, and he is willing to do his best, especially if people contact him beforehand at:  mattkatvt@gmail.com with the song(s) they want to sing!  If you have lyrics for the songs, and want to send them to me (Tim) at:  grangenotes@capitalcitygrange.org at least a few days in advance I’ll try to get them printed and copied to share at the sing-along.  In the past, the songs we’ve sung have covered a pleasingly wide range:   Farther Along, This Land is Your Land, Lift Every Voice and Sing, Blue Skies, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Take Me Out to the Ball Game, If I Had a Hammer, Yellow Submarine and many more.  What are you eager to sing?  Let us know, and we’ll be happy to help out!

If you can’t make it to the meeting, and want to listen in to the program, and even sing along at home, here’s how to do it:

To join the Zoom sing-along program starting at 5:00 from your computer or smart-phone, use this link:

It’s great if you want to sing along at home, but we will need to you to mute yourself while singing, due to the inability of Zoom to synchronize the audio!

Don’t forget the potluck after the singing!

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help), May 3, 2022

Grange meeting for May, after a busy April!

New pellet bin and furnace!

For those who weren’t there…it was a big dance!

In the last Grange Notes, I spread the word about the resumption of the Montpelier Contra Dance on April 16th.   The dance was a very successful re-start, after over 2 years of hiatus due to the pandemic.  The final count of dancers, musicians, callers and the MCD organizing committee was 194 total people!  All had vaccine records checked and wore masks the entire time.  And no post-dance reports of anyone testing positive for COVID-19 have been received!
This dance series has historically been the most-attended events, and has been an important part of our rental income stream, as well as spreading word about the wonderful facilities of the Grange Hall, so we are very happy to have it happening again.   The MCD committee has been generously contributed (reduced) rent payments throughout the pandemic hiatus, which has helped the Grange to survive, and is much appreciated!

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) April 14, 2022

Springtime brings new life–including a revived contra dance series

We’re pleased to report that the Montpelier Contra Dance series which has been happening at the Grange since about 1983 will be holding its first dance since March 7, 2020 on this Saturday, April 16th, from 8 to 11:00 PM!
With the close contact, aerobic exercise and continual exposure to new people that are part of this social dance, the Montpelier Contra Dance organizing committee has wanted to feel confident that it will be relatively safe to bring people back together.   In the words of the official announcement:  “Contra dancing is joyful and community oriented — and it always involves some risk. We are requiring that all dancers wear masks and be fully vaccinated to help keep our dance safer while COVID is still afoot. We ask for your help and cooperation with these extra safety measures.”
Those who plan to come are asked to pre-register online, using a simple form at:  forms.gle/W5psYUwPBCrjXLsHA.  This will allow a photo of your vaccine card to be uploaded, and will collect a phone number or email address to allow contact-tracing.   You can see all the information about the dance, how to pre-register and what to expect at:  https://capitalcitygrange.org/dancing/contradancing/.  Walk-ins will be welcome too, but it will be faster if you pre-register.
Calling and music will be provided by a sampling of Vermont’s many talented people:
Calling:  Mary Wesley, Adina Gordon, Luke Donforth, Will Mentor and Don Stratton!
Musicians:  Pete Sutherland, Oliver Scanlon and Friends, including Cedar Stanistreet, Tom Mackenzie, Rose Jackson and part of the Young Tradition VT touring group!
Sound by:  Oliver Scanlon and Cedar Stanistreet!
More dances are planned for May 7, May 21, June 4 and June 18.   The organizing committee will be evaluating how things went, and the public  health situation as time goes on, so please keep in touch via the contra dancing page linked above, and the Montpelier Contra Dance Facebook page.  I don’t usually announce the dance series in this newsletter; if you want regular reminders, please send an email to:  cdu.tim@gmail.com.

Prepping for the pellet bin!

Creating a flat spot for the outdoor pellet bin turned out to be a bit of a project. As seen in the pictures below, the flower bed to the left of the original entrance was too small, so I built a retaining wall with landscape timbers, and with the help of a couple of volunteers, filled it with sand and gravel from the piles scraped up by the snowplow, tamping it down between layers.

Spring is also bringing a new furnace to the Grange Hall!

Just as they promised, the crew from Bourne’s Energy began installation on Monday, April 11th.   As I write this on April 14th, the pellet bin is being assembled outside, and the furnace ductwork is being assembled inside.   Our old furnace and the emptied oil tank have been removed.  A new stainless steel chimney liner is about to be installed, and pellets are supposed to be delivered tomorrow morning.  See below for a few in-process pictures.
We understand clearly that the lack of a heating system other than half a dozen electric heaters has been hard on Hall users since the furnace was shut down on March 2nd.  We greatly appreciate the understanding shown by the people who use the Hall during this ordeal.   We look forward to getting past this difficult time, getting everyone used to being warm in the Grange Hall–and not getting any more $600 electric bills like the one we received recently.

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) March 30, 2022

We’re getting off fossil-fuel heating! Installation starts April 11th!

With great help from very low-interest financing offered by the VT State Grange, we have been able to place our order for an “Auto Pellet Air furnace”, distributed by Maine Energy Systems, and sold by Bourne’s Energy.
This advanced pellet-burning furnace will be quite different from pellet stoves that many people have.    Unlike them, no one will  have to lug bags of pellets to dump into the furnace.  Nor will anyone have to scrape out the ashes.   Pellets will be delivered by a bulk truck (like the one shown above).   Pellets will be blown into an outdoor bin, like the one in the top right photo above.   They will be fed automatically from the bin to the furnace (like the one in the top left photo) in the basement using airflow also.   And the ashes get pushed out of the bottom of the combustion chamber into the box at the lower right of the furnace.   It’s easy to dump the cold ashes into a trash bag for disposal every few weeks, with amazingly little dust.
The reason I can speak with some authority about the operation of the pellet furnace is that Merry and I have used one for heating our house for the last 9 years, and have found it very reliable, and requiring minimal care.
The pellet bin will be installed on pre-cast concrete pads, in the flower-bed to the left of the old entrance.   We are also having a stainless steel liner installed in the existing chimney, as required for this heating system.  The furnace will connect to the existing duct work, operating a 2-zone system for the two floors, similar to our existing system.  The same WiFi thermostats will control the system, too.
The earliest date we could get for Bourne’s to start the installation is April 11th.   We have had great understanding from the many folks who rent the Grange Hall for rehearsals, celebrations, meetings and more during this time with no heating system; only a few have canceled their events during this time.   We will be asking them to endure a little longer as we get the system installed.  But we can now expect our new heating system to last for decades!
We see many positives from this decision:

• Reducing our carbon-dioxide footprint, by heating with a renewable fuel.
• Purchasing a locally-grown product, rather than one imported from thousands of miles away.  Pellet production and transportation provides jobs for people in this region, too!
• Having a secure supply source, not affected by international disputes.
• Cheaper, and more stable fuel prices.  Wood pellets do not fluctuate in sync with oil prices.   Merry’s and my pellet costs have risen by only 18% since 2013, a lot less than oil!   The Grange expects to save at least $800 per year, based on the current price differential.
• And we will be getting a $6,000 rebate from Efficiency Vermont!

Next meeting April 2

Our meeting on April 2nd will be short–just from 4:30 to 5:00 PM.  I’m sure we’ll have quite a bit of discussion of the new system, the loan from the State Grange, plus plans for FCCGH projects coming up.  If you’re attending by Zoom, you’ll find the link on the Grange Calendar listing for this meeting at:  https://bit.ly/3Lu5rSU.  Note that this will be a different link than the one for our Program about Community Radio, from 5:00 to 6:00.
We do ask that any unvaccinated people that join us in person for the meeting or Program wear a well-fitting mask.   COVID numbers in Washington County are, unfortunately, rising these days.  We look forward to when we can open windows and have more fresh air!  For this meeting, we’ll be warming up the lower level with the electric heaters, but we suggest wearing an extra layer to the meeting.
Besides the meeting itself, we’ll have time to talk more at the Community Potluck Dinner which we’ll have following the program.   See below for a few details on the potluck!

Potluck time again! Join us at 6 PM on April 2nd.

We’ll have another Community Potluck dinner together in the lower level, following the Grange meeting and the Program.   As usual, we’ll have no idea what to expect for food–but as usual, we are confident we will have a variety of main courses, salads, soups, breads, beverages, desserts, and much more!  The 30 or so people who came to our March potluck shared lots of great food, so come and see what’s on the counters!
We do ask that only people who are vaccinated join us for this event, as we continue to be conservative about our group events–especially when we know we won’t be able to wear masks.