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Getting started with petitions!

November 22, 2022 by Tova

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) November 21, 2022

Grange meeting discusses petition drive

As I described in the last Grange Notes, sent out just before our Nov. 5th meeting, we did get the abatement of property taxes, that the Selectboard had decided we should pay for the current year.   Because of COVID, the last couple of in-person March Town Meetings have been canceled, so we’ve only been able to ask for 1 year extensions for the 2021 and 2022 tax years.
So:  We have strong hopes that the Berlin Town Meeting on March 7, 2023 will be in person, so that the Selectboard will allow us to ask for a 5 year full tax exemption.   To get that to happen, we now need to gather at least 106 signatures from Berlin voters, to get us on the ballot for the meeting scheduled for March 7, 2023.   We need to get them in to the Town Clerk’s office by January 12th, but since we’d rather be out walking around the neighborhoods before it gets too cold, we want to get started NOW.
Some good news already:  I have conferred with the Berlin Town Administrator, the Town Clerk and the Town Treasurer, to make sure that the wording is crystal clear, that we need a full exemption from property taxes.  The text in the picture below shows exactly what the wording will be:

As you can see, we are spelling out that we are asking for exemption from both parts of the property tax bill, the “Town” and “School” taxes.
A PDF copy of the petition, complete with 20 signature lines is also available on the Grange website at this link:  Grange Petition for 2023.  You can download a copy by clicking on the link, so you can print your own.   If that doesn’t work, get in touch and I’ll be happy to print some for you:  swartztim15@gmail.com, or 802-225-8921.
I can also tell you where other canvassers have already gone to knock on doors, so we can be efficient, and not bother people twice!   This is also a chance to remind Berlin folks that we do offer free use of the Grange Hall for Berlin residents and non-profit organizations (as long as it is not already rented for the time slot)!  I have Grange brochures, and Grange Rental brochures you can take along, if you’d like.
We need your help!  Please pitch in for this important project!  If you’re reading these Grange Notes, we know you are interested and supportive–this is a great chance to be a part of keeping the Grange financially healthy.
Update as of Nov. 21:   a few dedicated members, including Patty Giavara, Fran Mallery and yours truly have made a good start on getting signatures–you can join us!

More Grange meeting news:  getting a lift, and getting “historic”!

Also at our November meeting, Patty Giavara (Chair of the Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall) and I discussed progress toward getting the wheelchair/platform lift installed.   Patty reported that the FCCGH has gotten confirmation of the order for the lift unit order she placed, and that it will be available to be delivered and put in place by the installer by mid-January!  This means that after the New Year holiday our carpentry contractor, Stan Carlson, can start building the “hoistway” which needs to be in place before the lift comes.   We’ll also be scheduling work by our electrical contractor, ARJ Electric.
Getting this work done will be disruptive for activities in the Hall.   Stan will be working during “normal business hours” Monday to Friday, and will be closing up the construction when he’s done for the day, and before the weekends of course.  We have spoken with the few daytime, weekday Grange Hall users, and have gotten great support.
Is the Grange Hall historic?
       Well, we think so, but we know we’re biased!   And we’ve set about finding out about whether we can be eligible in the eyes of the architechtural preservation community.    Here’s one reason why we care:
The Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall have been looking at options to give the exterior of the Hall a major facelift.   The old paint has been peeling–and shows no sign of stopping.   Because of the age of the building, we know that lead paint is what was used for the first few decades at least, making scraping and sanding a major project that has to be done by certified contractors.  We expect we will have to either have the existing paint scraped off and then repainted, or to consider new siding.
The VT Arts Council, which has given us generous grants for several major building improvements (including the lift we’re putting in this winter) does not give grants for exterior “maintenance” like scraping and painting.   By consulting a friend of ours who works for the VT Preservation Trust, we’ve learned about at least one other grant program that might apply to us–but we have to be at least “eligible” to be recognized as a historic structure.  So:  Patty Giavara, the Chair of the FCCGH has been looking into this, and has submitted documentation to the State of Vermont’s Architectural Historian.   She’s found out some cool stuff!   For example:
  • Our Hall, which was built largely by members of the Grange and the International Order of Odd Fellows in 1952, cost about $17,000 at the time, based on the fragmentary records she located in the attic.
  • The Hall started out with a tax exemption from Berlin, in return for allowing Town Meetings to be held in the Hall.  We’re not sure when this agreement lapsed.
  • The Hall’s design and construction look very consistent with “Grange Hall Suggestions”, a booklet published in 1928 by the National Grange.    Take a look at the picture on the cover (reproduced below), and see if it looks familiar…though maybe not the bricks.
We’d love to some more help with this project, too.   If you love helping old buildings survive and thrive, or have contacts in the historic preservation field, we’d love to talk to you about the Hall!

Grange resolutions:  results from the October Annual Session

One topic we didn’t get to in our November meeting was the resolutions which various Vermont Granges proposed, and which were discussed and voted on at the State Session.  I’ve compiled notes about what happened to each of them, and the info is available HERE on our website.
Those that looked at the proposed resolutions will probably remember that there were 2 resolutions about Proposal 5.  That Proposal was to put protections for women’s reproductive autonomy into the VT State Constitution.  One Grange resolution expressed support, the other urged a vote against.   The VT State Master ruled both of these as “out of order”, because he judged that these would involve the Grange in religious/political disagreements that could be divisive for the Grange.   As a non-partisan, non-denominational organization, he decided it was better not to take the risk–as he said, we all have the opportunity to vote on this question in the Nov. 8th election–and as we know, Proposal 5 passed with a large margin.

Grange news–on Vermont Public!

In late September, Patty Giavara and I were contacted by a UVM Ph.D. student, Krizzia Soto-Villanueva, who asked if she could interview us about how the Montpelier Contra Dance community has been helping to support the Grange.   Krizzia had come to do contra dancing, was there for the “Challenge Fundraiser” culmination on Sept. 3rd, and was curious.   She is part of the student-powered Community News Service, as well as studying food systems at UVM, and thought “there’s a good story”!   We agreed, of course, and she came to the Oct. 1 Grange meeting, program and potluck and spoke with Grange members.  At the dance that evening, she interviewed a number of contra dancers, then interviewed Patty and me the following day via Zoom.
Finally, the story played during Morning Edition on Vermont Public (what some of us still think of as VPR) on Nov. 14th, and a few days later the audio+photo+written story got posted on the Vermont Public website.  You can check it out by clicking HERE.  We think she did a pretty good job bringing out the mutuality of the dance and Grange communities, including our shared commitment to making the Hall and the dance accessible to all types of people.  Part of that is the lift we are planning to install (story above); part of that is the welcoming attitude of the contra dance to all kinds of dancers, of all ages, genders, backgrounds and abilities.   All of that is about people getting together to do fun things!    We’re glad to have our story out there, and appreciate Krizzia making that happen–and the people who spoke with her of course.   By the way, if you search “Capital City Grange” on the Vermont Public website, you’ll find a few other stories which are about or mention our Grange–and other VT Granges!

December 3rd Program: The state of Vermont unions

Our Grange Lecturer, Carl Etnier has arranged for the Executive Director of the VT Labor Council, Liz Medina, to present a program on the current organizing work of the AFL-CIO affiliated Council.   This includes the VT PRO Act, and the Worker Circle organizing project.  She is inviting union members to join us for the discussion, to stay for the Community Potluck, and to come to the Montpelier Contra Dance afterward (they will be paying admission for that, of course).
The Grange has always been a voice for the working class–which was mostly farmers when the Grange was founded in 1867.   The Grange helped farmers join together to counter the power of the large businesses (especially the railroads that controlled access to markets for agricultural products).  Labor unions can be considered a similar counterbalance to the power of large organizations.   Come and join us to learn more, from 5:00 to 6:00 PM on Saturday, Dec. 3rd!

Filed Under: Grange Notes

November 5th: meeting & potluck on Saturday

November 5, 2022 by Tova

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) November 5, 2022

Saturday:  Grange meeting agenda

We will have a full Grange meeting from 4:30 to 6:00 on Saturday, Nov. 5.   We’ll get a Treasurer’s report on our finances, as well as reports on a few other issues of importance.  Among these will be:
  • Tax Abatement received!  Merry and I attended a meeting of the Town of Berlin Board of Abatement on Oct. 19th, and were very pleased to get a unanimous vote by the board, in favor of granting us a full abatement of the Education Property Tax which the Selectboard had decided to bill us for.  Come and hear the details!
  • Time for the next petition drive!  We and the Town of Berlin are hoping for and expecting an in-person Town Meeting next March, and the Grange needs to get an article asking for a 5-year extension of full tax exemption (from Municipal and Education property taxes) from the voters of the Town.  To do that, we will need to gather around 150 signatures on petitions with the full text on them.   Can you help us out?   Do you know Berlin residents who could help us?   Come and discuss–or reply to Tim:  swartztim15@gmail.com if you can’t make it, but want to help out.
  • Pellet furnace update:  after a few new-system glitches, and a visit from the tech who installed the system, and a delivery of 3-1/2 tons of pellets, the system seems to be working well.  Given the current costs of the heating oil we used to use, we’re happy to be buying wood pellets.
  • Finances:  while we breathe a sigh of relief to not be liable for $5,710 in property taxes, or be paying for heating oil, we still face rising costs for everything else.   We’ll look at our current condition and the projections for the winter costs and other bills we face.
  • Rental report:  one reason for hope for our finances is that our website Calendar has been filling up–we’ll hear more from Merry Shernock, our (volunteer) Rental Agent as well as Treasurer.
  • Project UpLift:  We’ve started detailed planning for the installation of the wheelchair/platform lift and have gotten a construction loan from the VT State Grange.  Come hear the latest info!
  • Grange History comes to light:  Patty Giavara has dug into the archives of Grange records kept in the attic, and has unearthed a few tidbits about the Grange Hall, as well as some info about tax exemptions of the past!  She’ll report on what she’s found, and how it could help us get access to historical preservation grant opportunities.
  • State Grange report:  Patty Giavara and I attended the Oct. 14-15 “Annual Session” of the VT State Grange; we’ll report on Resolution voting and other take-aways.
As always, the Grange meeting will be followed by a Community Potluck dinner.   Please join us from 6 to 7:00 for a variety of tasty dishes, everything from salads to main dishes (for carnivores and vegetarians) to sides and desserts.  All served on the vintage china and/or Melmac dinner ware!

October Grange Program:  Feel Good Action

Our Grange meeting program last month featured Andy Forrest, CEO of “Feel Good Action” (and also brother of Alison Forrest, Grange member and Chaplain), describing the organization’s work.   On their FGA website, it’s described as “We use motivational media to inspire positive social change”.   Andy gave us some glimpses inside how this works.
He started off with some history and discussion of FGA’s mission:
  • The mission:  support improvements in social justice and environmental health.
  • The target audience:  young women, young people of color, young LGBTQIA folks–75% of these support the issues which are FGA’s mission.  And 75% of them don’t follow “traditional media”.
  • On the other hand, 95% of them are on social media.  So–FGA reaches out to them where they are, to turn them from “Viewers into Voters”.
  • They do this by working with “micro-influencers”–people who have an established following on social media, in many different niches.  Working with them, FGA helps craft authentic messages about how voting supports the issues which the target audiences care about.  Every message is accompanied by a link to FGA’s “Voter tools”, so that users can easily and immediately register to vote, get a mail-in ballot or find their polling place.
  • Every message has an attached “data tag” that allows FGA to track and optimize the performance of their messages.  For example, for the 2020 election, they hired a research firm to find out what happened when people were exposed to their messages:  median age was 22 years old, 72% were women, 31% were BIPOC, 39% were newly registered, and 80% of them voted.  Pretty impressive, IMO!
  • Also, in just the week before Andy spoke with us, 10,000 people took action about voting–registering, checking voting options, finding out about polling places and early ballots, all following links from their influencers.
  • Andy emphasized that they are only interested in measurable actions.
  • Andy also showed us photos and video of a “typical” micro-influencer, and described how they built up a relationship with her, how they developed a link with a code to allow viewers to click it to both register to vote (via the Arizona Secretary of State’s office, in this case) and report that to FGA.
  • How much does it cost?  FGA says that it is less than $4 per voter–relatively cheap to motivate people who actually vote.
  • As you might imagine, FGA makes it easy to donate to support them–go to the FeelGoodAction.org website.  They are raising $1.5 million this year.
  • They are a 501(c)(3) non-partisan charity organization, so contributions are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law.
         All in all, everyone attending the program seemed impressed with the sophistication of this organization, and its measurable effect on the voting of groups which are traditionally hard to get to the polls.   Part of the mission of the Grange is to increase the involvement of people in the political process–not by supporting any party, but by getting people interested and aware of the importance of participating in our democracy.  Feel Good Action seems like a great partner in this work.

Just Food Hub:  Raising money for the Grange!

This organization, run by Grange members and supporters, sells good food, fairly traded, from small farms around the globe!  And orders placed through the special URL below create donations to the Grange, as well as giving you access to tasty choices from around the world.  Most of their offerings come from Equal Exchange, and all are from farms like the one featured in this report:

Finca Trumfo Verde          This farm is an organic, fair-trade farm, which grows coffee in Chiapas, Mexico; 29% of the farmers are women.  This group of farmers teaches youth to monitor and develop plants, sample for pest identification and control, apply foliar and solid fertilizers, manage shade and ground cover, and train on meteorological information.  You can find their products on the list at:  https://justfoodhub.us/capital-city-grange/.
This special URL brings you to a page where you can order items that support small farms like this one, and also support nonprofit community groups, including the Grange!   You can learn more about their mission and their values, as well as their products on the website.
Many thanks to Just Food Hub for their support and their good works!

 

Filed Under: Grange Notes

Oct. 1st: meeting, and involving young voters

September 30, 2022 by Tova

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) September 29, 2022

Saturday:  our first Program of the fall–Feel Good Action

We will have a brief and informal Grange meeting from 4:30 to 5:00 (see below), followed by a Zoom visit and discussion with Andy Forrest of “Feel Good Action”, about their work encouraging younger folks to take part in voting, elections and issues.
Andy will describe how the organization works with micro-influencers on social media to “Turn Viewers into Voters”.  In 2020, they worked to encourage young voters in particular, and they are continuing that work now.  It’s work people in any state can be part of, because social media crosses state lines.  Here’s a link to the Feel Good Action website, and to their Facebook page.
Andy Forrest, who is based in Seattle will appear via Zoom on the big screen in the Grange Hall, and also in your home if you can’t make it to the program in person.   Here is the info:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86090926686?pwd=MTdka1NNaUMydWZadTdObjcybXN4Zz09
Meeting ID: 860 9092 6686

Passcode: 989050

If Andy’s surname sounds familiar, it’s because he’s the brother of our Grange’s Chaplain, Alison Forrest!  We know he is a community-minded person who fits in with the Grange, because he helped to dig the trench to bring electrical power to the Grange sign, when that was new in 2014!

Short Grange meeting

          As usual in even-numbered months when we have a Program, we’ll meet for just 1/2 hour on Saturday, from 4:30 to 5:00.   We’ll have a brief discussion of finances with the Treasurer’s Report, and brief discussions about:
  • Resolutions for the State Grange annual session on Oct. 14-16.  Copies are available on the  Grange website:  2022 Resolutions.    I have gotten feedback from a few people already after the Sept. 17 meeting.   I’m eager to hear from others, please check them out and either discuss with us at the meeting, or send opinions to:  swartztim15@gmail.com.
  • Our bank accounts are currently with the VT State Employees Credit Union (VSECU), which is proposing a merger with the New England Federal Credit Union (NEFCU).  Treasurer Merry Shernock will be seeking opinions on how we should vote on the merger.
  • Heating season has started!   This will be our first full season with the pellet furnace which we installed last spring, with major help from a low-interest loan from the VT State Grange, and a very generous large donation from an anonymous member of the Grange community.  As usual, we only make progress with involvement by a large group of supporters and fellow workers.
       At our last meeting, we voted to re-elect all of our current officers, with the exception of voting Charles Mayhood in as the Secretary, to replace the retiring Charles Martin.   Many thanks to Charles Martin for his many years (decades!) of service, and to Charles Mayhood for stepping up.   The latter would be happy to share the role with another person, to make sure all meetings are covered, please contact me (Tim) if you can help out.  Patty Giavara is working on a form to make minute-taking easy and consistent to help the Secretary.

Community Potluck dinner follows the meeting!

As always, a Grange meeting in our Hall is always followed by a potluck dinner at 6:00 PM, where we welcome anyone who shows up, and share whatever we’ve all brought.  Dishes vary widely, ranging from chips ‘n’ dip to casseroles to roasted meats to South Asian dals to potato salad, to breads, to brownies and pies, cookies, rolls, cider, or whatever else shows up!    If you’re coming to the contra dance that starts at 8:00, you might find other familiar faces!
We hold the potlucks in the lower level, with windows open and the Room Air Filter Boxes running to keep the air circulating and filtered–we know that masks won’t be worn while eating–though we support anyone who wants to wear one at the Grange Hall.  Hope you will join us!

A few more pictures from the successful fundraiser!

As I said above, the Grange only succeeds with the help of lots of people taking part.   Below are some more pictures from the Sept. 3rd finale of the Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall and Montpelier Contra Dance annual “Challenge Fundraiser”.  These were taken by long-time dancer and Grange supporter Jonathan Blake!  That’s him on the ladder in the bottom photo.
Many thanks to all the people who donated to the cause, including those who purchased the beautiful houseplants grown by Rob Nichols for the fundraiser!

Filed Under: Grange Notes

September meeting Saturday–Fall re-start!

September 14, 2022 by Tova

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) September 13, 2022

Meeting the Challenge!   The dance community comes through again

As it  has every year since it started, the Montpelier Contra Dance Challenge Fundraiser succeeded in gathering contributions from the dance community, a total of $2,000 to match the “challenge” amount pre-pledged by about 10 other generous dancers.   This means that the Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall have a total of $4,000 more,to help pay for major improvements to the Hall!
Many thanks to all the donors, in amounts large and small, to the Montpelier Contra Dance committee for organizing the events and finding the “challengers”, to the people who made cupcakes, cookies and other goodies for the outdoor “dessert potluck” at the break, and to FCCGH Chair Patty Giavara, who bought ice cream sandwiches and popsicles for the potluck!  All of these items were enjoyed.
We also say a special thank-you to Rob Nichols, who grew beautiful house-plants to sell at Farmhouse Flowers and at the celebration dance.   He raised several hundred dollars for the fundraiser!
We also thank Pete’s Posse, and Nils Fredland, for speaking out to urge dancers to contribute, donating some of their pay for the night’s music and calling to the cause, and for being long-time supporters of the Grange and the Friends.
As you can see, this fundraising success was a real team effort.   The Grange and the Hall are important part of the lives of so many people, and they are clearly appreciated by a large number of people, who were willing to reach into their wallets and give to help out.
For more information on the Friends, the projects they have planned, fundraised for and project-managed along with the Grange, go to the “Support the Hall” tab on the Grange website, and check out any of the pages on that tab.  And–if you weren’t able to donate before, you can still do so there!   The FCCGH is a 501(c)(3) charity non-profit, so you might get a tax deduction too!

Kicking off the fall, with the Grange September meeting this Saturday!

Our September monthly meeting, usually on the first Saturday, is put off until the 3rd Saturday, since Labor Day Weekend is not a great time to get folks to come to meetings.   Now that we are past the unofficial end to summer, we hope that some other folks besides the tiny core group are “tanned, rested and ready” and willing to join in the enterprise of keeping the Grange and the Hall going.   Please join us from 4:30 to 6:00 PM this Saturday, Sept. 17th!
Grange Elections
          This meeting is especially important because we will be electing officers for the next 2 years at this meeting.   A number of us have held down key positions for about 15 years now, and we’d be happy to share responsibilities with some new folks.  There are some offices that are mostly ceremonial, and some that are vital for the “nuts and bolts” of Grange operations–and we’ll be happy to train and assist new occupants of any of them!
One particular important office is becoming vacant:  Secretary.  Charles Martin, who has served our Grange and others for–literally–many decades is relinquishing the office.   Charles was among several veteran Grange members who welcomed in a bunch of energetic “new” Grangers, many from the Montpelier Contra Dance and other Grange Hall groups.    They gently taught us how to be part of the Grange organization–and have been open to making adaptations as we learned together ways to extend the Grange’s work into the 21st century.
With help from the VT State Grange Secretary, we have better defined the essential role of the office of Secretary in our Grange, found out ways that records can be kept electronically instead of on paper, and other ways to simplify the job, while retaining its main importance:  maintaining organizational records.  This includes keeping track of membership, decisions and policy changes at meetings, so we have a record of what’s happened, who has been involved, what projects we have taken on, and how we have spent and saved our money.  Please reply to this email to learn more!
All of the other offices will also be voted on–and we’d like to have you join us!  Please ask any questions!
Other agenda items
       There’s lots more going on–here’s what we already have on our plate for this meeting:
  • Discussing the Berlin Selectboard’s decision to keep charging us the Education property tax this year, and how we can survive that stress.
  • Looking over the Resolutions proposed for the October State Grange session, and deciding who will go there to represent us.  To get a PDF of the Resolutions, click on over to:  https://capitalcitygrange.org/2022-vt-state-grange-resolutions/
  • Going over finances as we head into winter with our still-new wood-pellet furnace–including repaying the loan from the VT State Grange which helped us purchase it.
  • Looking over plans for the platform/wheelchair lift project, and how they will fit in our schedule for the winter.
        So please–if you care about the Hall and the Grange, we need you to show up and help out.  Questions?   Please call me (Tim) at 802-225-8921, or email swartztim15@gmail.com.
While I am encouraging as many people to come in person to the meeting, there will be a Zoom connection available, for anyone who would like to be there but can’t come in person.   We are open to recruiting a new Secretary who might attend some meetings remotely, if necessary!
I am waiting for a Zoom link to be sent to me by the VT State Grange; if I don’t get one by the time this Grange Notes is ready to be sent out, I’ll post it on the Grange Calendar listing:  September Grange Meeting.

Community Potluck dinner follows the meeting!

As always, a Grange meeting in our Hall is always followed by a potluck dinner at 6:00 PM, where we welcome anyone who shows up, and share whatever we’ve all brought. Dishes vary widely, ranging from chips ‘n’ dip to casseroles to roasted meats to South Asian dals to potato salad, to breads, to brownies and pies, cookies, rolls, cider, or whatever else shows up! If you’re coming to the contra dance that starts at 8:00, you might find other familiar faces!
We hold the potlucks in the lower level, with windows open and the Room Air Filter Boxes running to keep the air circulating and filtered–we know that masks won’t be worn while eating–though we support anyone who wants to wear one at the Grange Hall. Hope you will join us!
Gardening at the Grange:  another way to help!
Besides becoming an officer, there are lots of other ways to improve our Hall and be part of the Grange.   As you have come to the Grange Hall this summer for our many events, you may have noticed significant improvements in the flower bed to the right of the “Old Entrance”.   Grange and FCCGH member Amy Handy has been working on sprucing up and enriching the plantings there, which have not had much attention for a while.   Compare to the “before” picture below to see some of the results!
Amy says she would be happy to have others join her in working on this bed–or other areas which could use some TLC.   You can contact her at:  1geranium1@gmail.com to talk about how you want to help!  The Grange is happy to purchase some supplies when we have hard-working folks like Amy involved!
P.S.  Amy says that she already has plans for more improvements in the spring!
P.P.S.   Amy is also responsible for planting zinnias in the large pots by the ADA entrance porch for the last few years–a very nice touch!

Our Talented Grange Community

Are you interested in history, and learning about what has actually gone on in Central Vermont in years past?    We are happy to recommend a talk by local genealogist, historian and author Maudean Neill.   Maudean is also a member of the Montpelier Church of Christ, which has met every Sunday at the Grange Hall for decades.  Maudean wrote the book whose cover is pictured below after finding a photo of Klansmen gathering in Montpelier in 1927.  She will be speaking about her research, her book and the history she uncovered at the Montpelier Senior Activities Center, at 58 Barre St., on Wednesday , Sept. 28, at 1:30 PM, sponsored by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

And from the same hard-working family, thanks are due again to Lewis Neill!

A week or so ago, Merry Shernock (Treasurer and Rental Agent) came to the Grange Hall, and found Lewis Neill, who is Maudean’s husband, using a pickax to make a water-bar and trench across the driveway on the Rt. 12 side of the Grange Hall.   This will help reduce the water that flows onto the top of the driveway.   Lewis is, I’m pretty sure, 91 years old.
Lewis has been doing maintenance work inside and outside the Grange Hall for decades.   In 2007, he single-handedly dug out the rusted out culvert under the top end of the driveway and replaced it with a new one, plus a silt-catcher.   Of course, he was only about 76 then.
Kudos to Lewis for his dedication.   And if we needed any other illustration of how much we need younger folks to pitch in, I couldn’t make up a better example!   As a mere 71-year-old, I know I don’t match up with him in this area. 

Filed Under: Grange Notes

Sunday reminder: Meeting, concert, potluck!

August 22, 2022 by Tova

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) August 21, 2022

Meeting at 3:00
Concert at 4:00
Potluck at 5:30
Who could ask for anything more?

We are hoping for a good turnout for this FREE concert, and the associated festivities!   We know the price is right, and we know both the concert and the potluck will be tasteful…
All the information about the concert is on the Grange website calendar here, including the musical pieces on the program; we’ve gotten the piano tuned so we’ll be at our best.
We hope you will join us at 3:00 PM for the Grange meeting as well as coming to the concert.  This will be an informal gathering, but we will get an update on the finances and status of the Grange, the property tax bill we did not expect to get from Berlin, the Champlain Valley Fair exhibit, and our need for a new Grange Secretary.   We’ll be meeting in the lower level, while David Feurzeig and his helpers set up in the Main Hall.
The potluck will be in the lower level as well, using the Grange’s selection of vintage china, melamine, flatware and more–we avoid disposables!   Make your favorite dish to bring, or pick up something on the way–ice cream?   Chips ‘n’ salsa?   Surprise us!  We’ll all have a rich variety of choices.

Champlain Valley Fair–preview the “rough draft” of our display

I’ve been working my way through the many pictures I’ve accumulated, showing the many uses of the Grange for community groups and community service.  We’ll be setting up the computer and monitor (the latter donated by generous Grange member Charles Mayhood) to show the ones I’ve selected in a slideshow–if any of you have great pictures you’d like me to include, send them my way!
Alison Forrest has volunteered to bake another bread-sculpture version of the Grange sheaf-of-wheat emblem, and I’m starting to decorate the tri-fold display board with more info about the Grange.  If anyone can help improve it, we’re ready for more help.
All of this will be set up in the VT State Grange exhibit at the Champlain Valley Fair in Essex Junction on Friday, Aug. 26th, and will be up until September 4th, the Sunday of Labor Day weekend.   Stop by if you get a chance to go to the Fair!   We can always use more folks to staff the VSG exhibit–and get free Fair parking and admission in return for a 5-hour shift.

The “Challenge Fundraiser” is underway–with plants!

Anyone who’s been around the Grange for a while knows that we need the support of the community of Hall users, as well as active, involved Grange members.    The Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall is our “fundraising arm”, as well as providing project management and grant-writing help.  Working with the Montpelier Contra Dance, the FCCGH challenges the dance community that loves the Hall, plus everyone else, to match $2,000 in contributions pledged by a group of especially generous donors during the month of August.  The fundraising efforts will climax at the Montpelier Contra Dance on Sept. 3rd–Saturday of Labor Day weekend–which will be extra festive, and feature a “dessert potluck”–outside this year.
Each year, also Rob Nichols–a dedicated contra dancer and Hall supporter–makes his hand-raised, beautiful house-plants available in return for donations.    He’ll bring a small selection to the Hall to inspire contra-dancers to donate at dances on August 20th and the big finale on Sept. 3–but his plants will also be available at Farmhouse Flowers, in Moretown on Rt. 100B.   We appreciate Farmhouse Flowers helping the Grange in this way–proceeds from the plant sales go to this fundraiser!   For directions and more info about them, click the link!
To donate online to this fundraiser, simply click this  Donate link, which will take you to the Grange website page and a simple Paypal donation button.   There are also descriptions of the major projects the Friends have helped us accomplish–and our “wish list” for future ones.  Your donations will not be wasted!  The Grange, the Friends and the Montpelier Contra Dance committee are all-volunteer, working together to maintain and improve this community Hall for everyone’s benefit.

Mark your calendars:   Pete’s Posse will play their farewell event at the Grange!

Vermont music-lovers, including many contra dancers have enjoyed the music of Pete’s Posse for many years.   We are sorry to announce that the Posse will soon be no more–but very honored that they are willing to play their last gig for the Montpelier Contra Dance on Saturday, Sept. 3rd.
The Posse, shown below playing when the Contra Dance had a musical “float” in the July 3rd Montpelier Parade (with a troupe of intrepid dancers following), consists of Oliver Scanlon, Pete Sutherland and Tristan Henderson.  Pete and Oliver continue to perform together, but since Tristan has moved to Canada, the Trio has–unfortunately for music lovers–come to an end.
But!   Don’t miss their Reunion Concert on Friday evening, Sept. 2 at Farmhouse Flowers (see above), and on Saturday evening their Contra Dance Reunion for the Montpelier Contra Dance with Nils Fredland calling!   This will be the celebratory final event for the Challenge Fundraiser, when we hope to go “over the top” to meet our goal!  It will also be the Farewell event for the Posse, long-time supporters of the Grange and the Montpelier Contra Dance.

Filed Under: Grange Notes

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Contact Us

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

 

Recent Posts

  • June Grange meeting, and summer plans
  • Spring cleanup–thanks to all the volunteers!
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