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Gathering of the cleaners on April 30th, and Berlin farmers meet at the CCG!

April 29, 2016 by Tova

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, April 25, 2016

Join the crew at our Spring Cleaning on Saturday, prep for the farmers of Berlin and our Open House!

Gathering of the cleaners for April 30th

I’ve started to get commitments from veterans and newbies for our Spring Cleaning event, 2:30 to 5:00 on Saturday April 30.   Reminder–our goal is to get spring-cleaning done on the Hall, in preparation for our Open House on May 7th.
New Grange member Joe Blakely, it turns out, runs “Blakely’s Window Service”–and he will be there to help us get our windows clean the right way.  Others who have worked on previous Grange projects are also on board–but we would love to see some more new faces!   Besides the bragging rights you will accumulate, you’ll find that working with other volunteers is friendly and fun–that’s why most of us have worked to keep the Grange Hall going.   We’re a pretty congenial group, and we’d enjoy having you join us.

We will bring a couple of vacuums, rags, window-cleaning supplies, and gloves–please bring more supplies if you can, and join us!    Please let me know if you can come–it’s very encouraging to know that we can expect a bunch of help.
If you’d like to stay for the dance in the evening, we can offer a shower and a couple of beds for napping at Merry’s and my house in Northfield Falls, too!
We’re scheduling this cleanup event to follow a VT State Grange event at our Hall, so we are starting later than before–let me know if this is A) wonderful, B) terrible or C) in between for future years.
More pictures from previous spring-cleanings to inspire you!  (notice that the old windows in these pictures have been replaced–it’s a lot easier now!)
cleanup12 cleanup11 cleanup10
Berlin farmers meet and eat on Friday evening
We’re pleased to have our first special “Berlin” event happening, following up on our commitment to offer the Grange Hall for community events.   Josh Fitzhugh, who farms on West Hill in Berlin, is sponsoring a potluck dinner meeting for farmers in Berlin, especially in Riverton and the Rt. 12/Dog River valley.   This will start at 5:30 on Friday, April 29th.  If you want to join them, please contact Josh@fitzhugh.com, to let him have some idea how many to expect!
OpenHouseSignOpenHouseSign2
As you can see….
We are less than two weeks away from our “meet the Grange” event, when we want to show off to people from Berlin and the rest of the region.   We are moving into a new era–thanks to the tax exemption we have received from Berlin, we can change from worrying about survival to working to expand our mission.   This Open House is a chance to celebrate the diversity of events that already take place, and to invite people to imagine what else could happen in our Grange and in the Hall.

So here is the plan thus far:
3:00:  Open House begins–we will have “info tables” from various users and committees, including (we’re pretty sure):
  • Wholeshare
  • 4H, which is interested in working with the Grange
  • Acoustics committee studying possible improvements for the Hall
  • “DIY Weddings”, to show the possibilities for use of our venue for economical, fun weddings, receptions, etc.
  • The Friends of the Winooski River–we are looking for other Grange members and friends to join Merry and me at their “Onion River Race & Ramble on June 5th.
  • There will be some pizza to sample, made by a Montpelier Farmers’ Market vendor whose wedding happened at the Hall recently!
  • Kids Trade ‘n’ Play, normally happening on 2nd Saturdays will have a play area, and a display of the kids’ clothing and toys for families to check out–and take something home!
Starting at 3:30:    Our “talent show” will begin.  MC for the event will be Carl Etnier, a long-time contra-dancer, and also a radio host on WGDR.  Performers either confirmed or still being confirmed include:
  • West African Drumming and dancing with Jesse Rosenfield
  • Musicians from the Northeast Heritage Music Festival
  • Afro-Caribbean dancing
  • Barretones–barbershop quartet singing–a new member of the rental family!
  • Morris dancing with swords–a Sworded Affair!
  • Taiko Drumming
  • Sing-a-long led by Merry, Liz & Cybill
If you are part of a Grange activity, and would like to be part of the show, get in touch with Merry soon!  (see the top of the email for contact info)
And we are looking for help:   setting up, starting at 2:00 (contact me or Merry)
cutting carrots (donated by Pete’s Greens) and other cooking work–time t.b.d.–contact Alison:  https://feedkidswell@hotmail.com
We’ll finish up with a potluck dinner, anchored by:
Homemade Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Baked Beans
A huge salad
Plus of course the delicious dishes brought by all of the readers who we hope will join us!
Our goal will be to welcome people who have never been here before–or maybe have not been back for years.   We hope that many of the current happy users of the Hall will join us to welcome them!

Filed Under: Grange Notes

Springtime = Cleanup Time for Our Open House

April 21, 2016 by Tova

Grange Notes for April 16, 2016 by Tim Swartz

We’re showing off our Grange and all that happens here on MAY 7th  so we want to clean up first!

April 30th:  Clean up the Hall!
Every year, the Hall needs a clean-up party, to get rid of the dust and dirt that accumulates from a year’s worth of activities.   Join me, Merry and other volunteers from 2:30 to 5:00 on Saturday–to clean windows, screens, venetian blinds, and more.  We have a cleaning service that cleans our bathrooms and kitchen every 2 weeks, but the upstairs Hall and the other rooms always seem to need some TLC.
We will bring a couple of vacuums, rags, window-cleaning supplies, and gloves–please bring more supplies if you can, and join us!    Please let me know if you can come.
If you’d like to stay for the dance in the evening, we can offer a shower and a couple of beds for napping in Northfield Falls, too!
Besides being an important help for the Grange, work parties like this are a chance to get to know other Grange members and friends, in a different way than meetings, dances or classes–only the best folks show up to work!

Here are some pictures from last year’s clean-up to inspire you! 
cleanup5 cleanup4 cleanup3 cleanup2 cleanup1

The sun was “in the Hall” on April 2nd
Our “Solar Fair” didn’t actually have that much sunshine coming in the windows…but it brought people from the Grange and the wider Central VT community together with 3 solar contractors (Suncommon, Real Goods Solar and Catamount Solar), plus a rep from VSECU’s “VGreen” low-interest loan program.   While I can’t say we were crowded, we had a steady stream of seriously interested people who got to interview a range of solar and money-saving options.   Vendors were pleased, too–and wanted to know when we will hold another!  Many thanks to Jody Pettersen and Merry Shernock, who put this event together.   And don’t forget to admire the floor covers purchased by the Friends, which allow us to welcome everyone without worrying about dirty shoes damaging our still new (2012) dance floor!
solar1solar2solar3solar4
April Grange meeting welcomes new members
We officially brought into our membership 3 new folks at our meeting after the Solar Fair.  Liz Benjamin, Erin Barry and Joe Blakely have signed up in the last few months, and are all actively participating already.  Our “Obligation Ceremony” was an opportunity for us to welcome them to the Grange, and to begin hearing about Grange traditions.   We were joined by Errol Briggs, former VT State Grange Master, who observed our meeting, and brought his considerable knowledge of the Grange.   He gave a much better explanation of the roots and meaning of the “Grange Salutation” which we use at our meetings, which expresses our ideals of Faith, Hope, Charity and Fidelity.
Brother Errol is visible in the bottom right photo above, which shows him with Merry, who has completed her second album of Grange pictures and the story of our Grange.   This one focuses on the last couple of years, getting the grant to rebuild the bathrooms and the fire exits, and gaining tax exemption from Berlin.  The book also features a photo of Friends Chair Patty Giavara paying back the interest free loan which the State Grange gave us to cover construction costs until the grant was approved–we couldn’t have done it without them!
The meeting also featured our usual discussions of current legislative events, plus reports on Grange contests, agricultural matters, health concerns, and Hall improvements.  Here are some of the highlights:
Northern Grain Growers’ Conference:  Alison Forrest and Bill Chidsey attended this event recently, and reported on the keynote speech by Bill McKibben, plus workshops on soil health, grits-tasting (8 varieties!), seed banks (growing varieties which can thrive in VT), and bread-baking using wild yeast and sourdough starter.
State Grange contests:  Marj Power reported on “Lecturers’ Contests” that this year will feature various artistic categories, ranging from writing skits to photography in various categories, to book reports, to essay and creative writing, and many more.  These, plus contests for produce, home economics and many more are listed in the State Grange “Program Book”, available on-line at:  https://www.vtstategrange.org/program-book-online.html You will find much more information there about Grange activities–and we would welcome anyone who wants to organize any of these contests with our Grange!
Health Concerns:  Phyllis Skinner brought her usual batch of interesting information about the “state of the nation” in health–for example, research that only 2.7% of Americans follow health guidelines on exercise and healthy eating.
Open House on May 7th–a “Taste of the Grange” for all our neighbors!
Our plan for an open house was suggested originally by one of our Berlin allies, Selectboard member Jeremy Hansen, as a way to celebrate our gaining the exemption from Berlin property taxes–and to emphasize our interest in working more with our Berlin neighbors as well as the whole “Capitol region”.
So here is the plan thus far:
3:00:  Open House begins–we will have “info tables” from various users, including “Kids Trade ‘N’ Play”, Wholeshare, Montpelier Contra Dance Exchange, possible acoustical improvements for the Hall, and “DIY Weddings”, to show the possibilities for use of our venue for economical, fun weddings, receptions, etc.  There will be some pizza to sample, made by Farmers’ Market vendor whose wedding happened at the Hall recently!
Starting at 3:30:    Our “talent show” will begin.  MC for the event will be Carl Etnier, a long-time contra-dancer, and also a radio host on WGDR.  Performers either confirmed or still being confirmed include:
African Drumming with Jesse Rosenfield
Afro-Caribbean dancing
Morris Dancing
Scottish Dancing
Kids activities
Sing-a-long
If you are part of a Grange activity, and would like to be part of the show, or
We’ll finish up with a potluck dinner, anchored by:
Homemade Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Baked Beans
A huge salad
Plus of course the delicious dishes brought by all of the readers who we hope will join us!
Our goal will be to welcome people who have never been here before–or maybe have not been back for years.   We hope that many of the current happy users of the Hall will join us to welcome them!

Kayak as a Grange activity?

Perhaps because the weather has (again) turned to sunny spring, we’d like to know if others want to join Merry and me in the Friends of the Winooski River “Onion River Race and Ramble” on June 5th.  Check out the web-page link for more info:  https://www.winooskiriver.org/race-overview.php
People can choose to “race” or “ramble”, get shuttle service back to the start to pick up your vehicle, and get a “Light lunch at the Richmond Grange”!   Let me know if you want to join us–good exercise in a beautiful environment!

 

Filed Under: Grange Notes

Join us on April 2nd for the Solar Fair and the April meeting!

March 29, 2016 by Tova

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Monday March 28, 2016

Solar Fair: 2:00 to 4:30 PM:  CCG sponsors a “Solar Fair” to offer choices for the public–representatives from 5 different solar contractors, plus a bank that offers low-interest energy improvement loans will be there to answer your questions.

April Grange meeting welcomes new members, discusses rental policies, and plans for our May 7th celebration–starting at 5:00!
We’ll be performing an “Obligation Ceremony” early in the meeting, to officially bring in the new members we have gained this year–even if you are not (yet) a member, you are welcome to come to our meetings and take part–we just can’t let you vote on decisions we make!  That is one of the “perks” of membership.
This meeting will include some policy decisions–the sort of thing on which we need to vote, to “exemplify” our Grange principles:
Rental policies:  We have agreed to let Berlin residents use the Hall for free, in return for the (much appreciated) tax exemption we requested.   Merry, our volunteer Rental Agent has been working out the implications of this.   We have realized, for example, that we have been asking all tenants to provide proof of liability insurance coverage that protects them and the Grange when they rent our Hall.   Does this contradict the “free” offer we have made?   How do we judge whether we can make some sort of exception for some tenants–and should we?
We are also asking ourselves if we would define our free rental policy to:
  • Allow free rental for any organization with a single member from Berlin?
  • Allow free rental for only non-profit organizations based in Berlin?
  • Allow free rental for for-profit businesses based in Berlin?
  • If not for businesses, what defines a “business”?  Selling products? Charging for admission to events?
This last group of questions has also brought up differences in opinion (among those of us who think a lot about Grange business) about whether it compromises our Grange principles to rent to people who “make money” off their use of our Hall.   Should we, or must we limit the uses for the Hall?  We’d like to hear from everyone who is concerned with our Grange and its mission.
Insurance changes:  This in turn has brought up other insurance questions–and have ended up with us agreeing to switch the Grange’s liability coverage to a local agency, Noyle Johnson, so that we can get counseling on these questions from a local agent, rather than trying to deal with the DC-based agency which used to handle our liability insurance.
To address these issues, we will be discussing these questions at the April 2nd Grange meeting–what do you think?  Join us for the discussion.   It may seem like small distinctions on the surface–but we find we end up discussing our basic values and how we apply them in the real-world running of the Hall we all care about.
Another major focus of our meeting will be more planning for the open house we decided on holding on May 7th, to showcase all that goes on at the Grange Hall.  We will be discussing setting up a “spring-cleaning” day before that, to look our best for the people we attract–and because we always seem to need a spring cleaning!
Regarding the plans for the “open house”–here’s what we started at our March meeting:  A committee including Alison Forrest and Merry Shernock has been asking regular renters to take part in this “open house”, to showcase their talents, their classes and their welcome to new participants.   We plan to have some community singing (one of the attractions of Grange meetings for many of us), with simple “rounds” led by veteran leader Louise Brill.  The event will end with a potluck dinner with some back-up food provided by us, making sure that everyone will feel welcome, whether they can bring a home-cooked offering or not–because it’s always good to meet while we eat!
Can you help with the planning for this?  Do you have other ideas for presenting the Grange’s attractions?   Contact Merry (see the header), or Alison at:  feedkidswell@hotmail.com to offer your involvement.
We’ll be starting our meeting a bit later than usual, to make time for the Solar Fair–so mark your calendars!
Following our own belief in enjoying good food together, the meeting will be followed by another tasty Grange Potluck at 6:30.  As always, the Solar Fair, the meeting and the potluck are free and open to all!

Filed Under: Grange Notes

April 2 meeting: Solar fair & welcome new members!

March 22, 2016 by Tova

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, March 20, 2016

April 2nd:  learn how to use the sun!

2:00 to 4:30:  CCG sponsors a “Solar Fair” to offer choices for the public–representatives from 5 different solar contractors, plus a bank that offers low-interest energy improvement loans will be there to answer your questions. Talk with representative from these companies: Suncommon, Realgoods Solar, Catamount Solar, SolarCity, AllEarth Solar, VSECU.

April Grange meeting welcomes new members, and plans for our May 7th celebration–starting at 5:00!
In addition to our usual meeting, featuring reports and discussion about agriculture, legislative events, health news, and more, we will provide an official welcome to our 3 newest members, with a performance of the “Obligation” Ceremony.  This simple ritual is a way to formally welcome new folks and to teach them the basics of the Grange.  It is a substitute for a performance of the full “Four Degrees”, a long-form illustration of the mission and values of the Grange.   This was last done at the CCG in 2005, when we had about 70 new members join–and was a moving and deeply felt display.  The Obligation ceremony fits within the Grange meeting, and offers a chance to pay attention to our new team-mates.
Another major focus of our meeting will be more planning for the open house we decided on holding on May 7th, to showcase all that goes on at the Grange Hall.  We especially want to attract and intrigue the residents of Berlin, who voted to strengthen the bonds of that town with our Grange.  The agreement to exempt us from property taxes, in return for allowing use of the Hall at no rental cost for Berlin organizations and residents, is the foundation for more community-building activity at our Hall.
A committee including Alison Forrest and Merry Shernock has been asking regular renters to take part in this “open house”, to showcase their talents, their classes and their welcome to new participants.   We plan to have some community singing (one of the attractions of Grange meetings for many of us), with simple “rounds” led by veteran leader Louise Brill.  The event will end with a potluck dinner, making sure that everyone will feel welcome, whether they can bring a home-cooked offering or not–because it’s always good to meet while we eat!
Can you help with the planning for this?  Do you have other ideas for presenting the Grange’s attractions?   Contact Merry (see the header), or Alison at:  feedkidswell@hotmail.com to offer your involvement.
We’ll be starting our meeting a bit later than usual, to make time for the Solar Fair–so mark your calendars!
Following our own belief in enjoying good food together, the meeting will be followed by another tasty Grange Potluck at 6:30.  As always, the Solar Fair, the meeting and the potluck are free and open to all!
Kids Trade ‘N’ Play–in full swing
Erin Barry sent me some pictures from the last meeting of this still-new Grange event, where families can meet, let kids play, and bond with others, while also passing on out-grown clothing and toys, in exchange for “new” ones that better fit the growing younger generation.  KTNP happens on the Second Saturday of each month, so the next one will be on April 9th, from 9:30 to 11:30.  You can always check the Grange Calendar online:  www.capitalcitygrange.org/events for this and everything else.16-03-12 Kids Trade 'N' Play--lots of kids clothes to share_1 16-03-12 Kids Trade 'N' Play--the toy table_1 16-03-12 Kids Trade 'N' Play--looking over the choices for little ones_1

Filed Under: Grange Notes

CCG–moving forward and getting ready to celebrate!

March 12, 2016 by Tova

Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, March 6, 2016

Our sign said it all

thanksOnTheSign

Thanks to Merry Shernock, our sign was temporarily modified on the afternoon of March 1st, to express our thanks to the Town Meeting voters of Berlin.  Earlier that day, we got nearly unanimous approval in a floor vote on our appeal for tax exemption.
In return, the Grange offered to host at least 2 events per month for Berlin residents, families or organizations, at no charge.  Our goal is to strengthen our bonds to the town that hosts our Hall, and to provide a community meeting/celebration/gathering place that Berlin can use.  We think this is a win-win!

March Grange meeting plans for a celebration in May
As part of relishing our successful tax relief campaign, we set up a committee to plan a “community celebration” of our agreement with Berlin.   Merry Shernock and Alison Forrest are leading the planning for a May 7th event, starting in the afternoon, to let Berlin residents (and everyone else) learn all that can happen at our Hall.
At our meeting, we decided that this event, which will take up the time for our usual monthly business meeting would be a good way to give an “informal introduction” to our new partners.  We will be asking regular renters to showcase their talents, their classes and their welcome to new participants.   We talked about having some community singing (one of the attractions of Grange meetings for many of us), with simple “rounds” led by veteran leader Louise Brill.  We plan to end with a potluck dinner, making sure that everyone will feel welcome, whether they can bring a home-cooked offering or not–because it’s always good to meet while we eat!
Can you help with the planning for this?  Do you have other ideas for presenting the Grange’s attractions?   Contact Merry (see the header), or Alison at:  feedkidswell@hotmail.com to offer your involvement.
Second Saturdays are busy ones at the CCG!
This month brings a veritable plethora (aka “a lot”) of action for all:
  1. 9:30 to 11:30 AM: Kids Trade ‘n’ Play holds its second monthly clothing & toy exchange.   This features an opportunity to pass on your kids’ outgrown (but clean and un-ripped) clothing, size infant to size 10, and get some new-to-you items in the larger sizes you suddenly find you need!  Toys, too!   There is space for kids to play, while parents can meet, greet and network.   The cost is minimal ($3.00 per family, to cover expenses).   Erin Barry, who organizes this (all-volunteer) event will be happy to have more helpers–contact her at:  https://birthsinnerlight@gmail.com to find out how you can get involved.   There is talk about including a family dance event, what do you think?
  2. 5:00 to 6:45:  Intermediate Waltz Workshop with Gina Sonne.   This workshop is appropriate for dancers who have basic knowledge of social/ partner dancing: ability to count musical phrases, have basic understanding of giving weight, and can pick up combinations  with three or four repetitions. This is NOT a workshop for beginner dancers.  Gina has been successfully improving the skills of waltzers for years.   Cost for this workshop is $12/10/8, for adults/seniors/students respectively; please pre-register by contacting Gina at:  mailto: waltzlover@gmail.com
  3. 8:00 to 11:00–Contra Exchange dance:   Peter Johnson calling with music by Maivish.  Peter will also be teaching some advanced contra-dance skills.  That’s the “extra” in this month’s event in this series!  Sliding scale, $5-15 per person.
Keep our membership strong–dues are due!
Most of our members have renewed already, and we’ve got a few new ones–but we want all of you to be part of CCG!  Please sign up now for 2016.
This year, the cost is $30 per member.   Some of this money goes to our own Community Grange, some to support the VT State and National Granges.   Paying your dues gives you the right to vote on Grange decisions!  Please make checks payable to “Capital City Grange”, and bring them to the meeting, or mail them to:
Charles Martin, Secretary
639 Minister Brook Rd.
Worcester VT   05682

Filed Under: Grange Notes

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Contact Us

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

 

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