Grange Notes for September 4, 2018 by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help)

Lots of organizations advertise “Fun-raisers”.  We deliver.

Welcome to our festive Hall!

Upstairs, before the dance, caller Nils Fredland worked with a chorus from “Revels North”, the Hanover-based organization for which he is Artistic Director.  We made the Hall more festive with strings of lights!

Downstairs, Rob Nichols’ lovely houseplants are laid out waiting for new homes.  The “stitched” photo makes the table a bit “bent”, but the plants were the main event, and not many were left at the end of the evening.  As usual, the plants-for-donations were a beautiful part of the fundraiser!

Dancing with the Strutters & Nils

(Left) The dance was preceded by a good crowd of newcomers getting an intro to contra-dancing from caller Nils Fredland.   (Right) Then the Clayfoot Strutters started the dance off with their fusion contra music, and the Hall filled up quickly with happy dancers.
This edition of the Strutters featured fiddler, songwriter, and producer Pete Sutherland, Jeremiah McLane on accordion and keyboards, drummer and guitarist Lee Blackwell, bassist Harry Aceto, banjo and flute player Mark Roberts, plus sound-guy and fiddler Oliver Scanlon.   I’m pretty sure that Oliver wasn’t even born when the Strutters started playing 29 years ago!

Delighted dancers decimate donated desserts

The “usual” break was tastily unusual, as generous supporters brought in a wide variety of treats–from chicken or turkey wraps to peach cake, to cookies, to popcorn, candies, Juliet tomatoes, apple slices, blueberry cake…and too many other dishes to remember and list.  Ben & Jerry’s donated large boxes of Strawberry and Vanilla ice-cream, which is being enthusiastically dished out in the top photo.

More dancing to burn off the calories–and more donations took us over the top!

All through the dance, Nils and also Patty Giavara, Chair of the Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall reminded everyone that this special dance evening was designed to raise money for the FCCGH to use to finance more much-needed improvements to the Hall.  This summer, the Friends did not get the Arts Council grant award for which we applied, but we have many ideas about projects to keep the momentum going.   Watch the Grange Notes for news on the next investments the Friends plan to make.

We started off with $1,500 pledged…and ended up with over $3,900!

The tote-board showed “only” $3,750 when the dance ended, but when Friends chair Patty Giavara counted up all the dessert donations and a couple more checks in the Donations can, it grew to even more!
The generosity of all of the donors is always touching, and makes us even more committed to the improvements we plan for the Grange Hall.

And you can still donateIf you couldn’t make it to the dance, your donation will be welcomed!   Even when we get a grant such as the ones from the Arts Council and Recreation Grant program, we still need to match those amounts with other funds.  Donate directly online to the Friends, on the Grange website:  https://capitalcitygrange.org/donate/.   The Friends will provide a receipt for your contribution, which can be tax-deductible, if your tax requirements allow it.  All contributions go directly to the all-volunteer FCCGH, which uses them only for projects and operational costs.

Dance some more:  Fall Festival next weekend at the Grange Center

Even though the upcoming week is supposed to be more like summer, we are getting closer to fall.   One of the consistent signs of the changing season is the VT State Grange Fall Festival coming up, in Brookfield.   Capital City Grange has been asked to provide a bit of contra-dancing as evening entertainment next Saturday evening
Dana Dwinell-Yardley has volunteered to call for this community dance; she has been calling for a variety of dances around Vermont, inlcuding the Queen City Contras in Burlington & Shelburne.  With the help of Pete Sutherland, we will have a band including Young Tradition Vermont musicians Alexander Allison and Sebastian West playing fiddle and piano.  We will also have Robin Russell joining the band.  Robin has played accordion for this event before, as well as calling it a few years ago!
Dancing will start at 7:00 on Sept. 8th, and it would be great to have some other dancers join us.  The Grange Center, at 308 West St., Brookfield 05060.
See the official poster below for information about the many other events for Friday and Saturday.  All events are free, except the dinner on Saturday evening.  Hope we’ll see you there!  Call Tim Swartz for more info:  802-225-8921, or email:  swartztim15@gmail.com

Grange Notes for August 29, 2018 by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help)

It’s almost here…the FCCGH annual fundraiser winds up at the dance this Saturday, Sept. 1!

Rob Nichols’ specially grown houseplants!

Rob raises beautiful houseplants, in pots and ready for your house, with care instructions.  More than just spider and jade plants, as you can see!
Rob is willing to part with these, for a donation to the Challenge Fundraiser–come early for the best selection.

And we’ll have a dessert potluck!

As in previous years, Dana Dwinell-Yardley is soliciting the cooks and bakers of the Grange and dance community to make home-made treats–sweet, savory, nutritious and not-so-nutritious…bring them in before the dance, and/or contact Dana:  danadwya@gmail.com to coordinate plans.  In the past, we’ve enjoyed popcorn, cakes, gluten-free dessert bars, spicy nuts, truffles, cookies–and ice cream!
We’ll be offering all of these treats at the break in the dance, and asking for donations–whatever you think is fair.

No change in admission!

Your admission to the dance won’t change–as always, that goes to the band, the caller, the sound person and rent to the Grange.   We are asking for contributions, based on what you can afford.   Bring cash to the dance, or write a check.  Or–to avoid all that paper, donate directly online to the Friends, on the Grange website:  https://capitalcitygrange.org/donate/.   The Friends will provide receipts for your tax-deductible contributions.

More dance events coming up

Last year, the VT State Grange enjoyed the community contra-dance we put on at the VT State Grange Fall Festival, in Brookfield so much, they asked us to do it again.
On Saturday, Sept. 8th, starting at 7:00, Dana Dwinell-Yardley will call dances, and students of Pete Sutherland, led by Alexander Allison will play, we hope with some other musicians joining in.  We’d love to have some dancers from the CDU dances join us to make it more fun for the less experienced dancers.  Spread the word!  Free for all!   If you want to come for the dinner before, featuring Stuffed Roast Pork, you’ll need to let me know before Sept. 4th.On Sunday, Sept. 9th, there will be a meeting of Vermont dance organizers at the Grange Hall, starting with a potluck “brunch” at 1:00 PM, continuing with discussion of problems and solutions experienced by dance organizers from around the state, and finishing up with a “DIY dance”–the many musicians and callers who double as organizers are urged to bring their instruments and dance cards.
For more info, contact me:  Tim Swartz via email, or phone at:  802-225-8921.

What are all these pictures about?

All of them reflect the work that goes on even while we take a hiatus on Grange meetings during the summer.  Please join us in thanking the hard-working volunteers and the paid contractors who keep the Hall, the driveway, the furniture, and everything else going.  Grange meetings will re-start for the fall on Saturday, Sept. 15th.

Left:  Mowed weeds keep us looking trim–thanks to Lewis Neill of the Church of Christ.

Right:  driveway maintenance by wheelbarrow and shovel–thanks to Lewis Neill again, for keeping it passable!

 

Repaired chairs, welded by John Lambert of Stony Brook Service at no charge!

Then the plumber came in…

We decided it was time to upgrade

The 27-year-old water heater (top left) is getting replaced by an “on-demand” water heater (top right, middle right and left), which will save us significantly on water heating costs.  It is being plumbed in so that we can pump vinegar through it to remove any hard-water scale that may build up.
And we now have a frost-proof outside faucet (bottom), so we can water plants, clean paint brushes, spray screens, etc. without lugging water from the inside.
Last to be installed will be a couple of sprinkler heads mounted above the furnace, as suggested by the Fire Marshal.
We thank our plumber,  Josh Mulholland, who also worked with his father Tom to put in the new bathroom plumbing in 2015.

The driveway was getting pretty bad…

 …despite Lewis Neill’s stalwart work diverting the water to drainage.   Storms were cutting gullies that made the driveway feel a bit too much like “off-roading”.
Luckily, our favorite excavator,Matt Dwire of MD Enterprises was able to come in this week, and fix things up again.  Matt has plugged a gully and regraded the parking lot and driveway for the Grange in the past.  This time, he re-graded the whole drive, then topped the freshly worked area, and the “pit” that had developed near the top, with a couple of truck-loads of gravel including granite chips.  Packed down, it is designed to shed water to the side.
The Grange is able to afford these improvements thanks to our partnership with the Town of Berlin, which is relieving us of property taxes, in exchange for free rentals for residents of Berlin.   Our Hall has been used for birthdays, retirement parties, showers, training sessions for the co-op trailer park nearby, and much more!   Spread the word about this community resource!

And the robins on the old entrance porch raised 2 broods of chicks through all the work and people coming by–they too are dedicated to their job!

So, why are the Friends raising money, again?

The “Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall” was formed in 2012, to provide a planning and project management auxiliary to the Grange, plus a fundraising operation with a 501(c)3, tax-deductible status.  In 2008, a committee composed of many of the same people carried out our first major renovation project.
In total, the Friends and the previous committee have raised over $104,000 in grants and donations, and have spent over $75,000 on the Grange Hall, making significant improvements:

• 2008:  New entrance on NE corner + new ADA bathroom–main floor
• 2012:  Replaced the dance floor with new, VT maple flooring
• 2013:  Replaced wood windows with new, insulating ones
• 2014:  Rebuilt fire exit from basement level to meet fire code.
• 2015:  Completely rebuilt tiny basement bathrooms to create an ADA bathroom, plus a 4-stall, 4-sink “any gender” bathroom

The FCCGH has helped the Grange with over $75,000 of renovations, with the help of grants–so we probably shouldn’t be surprised that we can’t get one awarded every time.  This year, the Friends’ winning streak has been broken, as our grant application to the VT Arts Council was turned down.

We can’t win them all…

As regular readers will remember, we had hoped to do a major project this winter, insulating the basement level, installing drainage for foundation leaks, adding a de-humidifier and providing new wall surfaces, new ceiling tiles and a carpet-tile floor.   We will be meeting with the Arts Council soon to see what we can do better on our next grant application.

See below for our interim project plans, as we regroup to plan for re-apply for a grant for the basement project next year.

Moving forward, even without the grant

The Friends have been able to raise, through generous donations, a good bit of money that we expected to use as the required matching funds for the grant.   We want to keep the momentum going, so we are now planning to start some trial acoustic improvements in the main Grange Hall.
For quite a few years, we’ve heard complaints about the “live” acoustics of our Grange Hall.  People setting up sound systems, people having a hard time hearing at Grange meetings, people straining to hear the caller at contra and square dances, and even some sound engineers have told us it can be a hard place to provide clear sound!
We’ve gotten advice from various places about ways to reduce and absorb the “reverb”.   These can range from purchased panels to new wall and ceiling coverings.  We are now looking at making some “test panels” ourselves from acoustically absorbent materials, to see how they work.  These will be attached to the ceiling and upper walls, and we’ll be soliciting feedback about how much improvement they provide, before we design a full-scale plan to really change the acoustics.
We’ll be looking for input from all the groups that use the Hall regularly, and also recruiting volunteers to help make the panels, cover them with appropriate fabric, etc.  Stay tuned for details of meetings we will start after the Labor Day weekend fundraiser.  If you’re interested in helping with these trials, please email Patty Giavara, or email me:  Tim Swartz  or phone me:  802-225-8921.
The Friends will keep you posted on plans for the grant applications and building improvements.Keep reading the Grange  Notes for more updates.

And keep in touch with the Grange–through the Notes, the Facebook page & the website.

We’ll have more improvements–like more flowerbeds around the ADA entrance porch, the acoustic panels mentioned above, and more–and we’d love to have you involved.
Grange Meetings resume for the fall on Sept. 15th.  Meeting at 4:30, Community Potluck dinner at 6:00!  Put it on your calendar.
More flowerbeds will be built from rocks, filled with soil and planted with perennials, on Sunday, Sept. 23rd.  Email Merry Shernock to volunteer or find out more!

Grange Notes for August 4, 2018 by Time Swartz, President (with everyone’s help)

Playing in the dirt–getting ready for the septic tank clean-out

We decided that since the last time the septic tank was pumped out was in 1994, it was probably time to get it checked and pumped again.  Please note–we have had no problems with the toilet or sink drains, and didn’t want to wait until we did.
We had good measurements (see the top left photo) for the location of the clean-out hatch, thanks to former Grange Master Les Skinner.   On Sunday, July 29th, I dug down the foot or so of very hard-packed dirt to find the access hatch–only to find that it had a piece broken off.   I found out that Hartigan’s septic service would not pump the tank unless we got a replacement ready to put in place, and was lucky to find one in stock at S.D. Ireland, near the Montpelier train station.  Kurt Giavara helped me get it out of my hatchback, with the aid of ancient technology–the inclined plane.  Thanks also to Merry who suggested it!
By Thursday, Aug. 2nd, we were ready for the Hartigan’s truck to come.   While I waited, I made a grid of pressure-treated lumber to bridge over the lid, to better support the weight of the cars, snow-plows and sand trucks that will roll over this access hatch.
The best news is that when Hartigan’s truck came, the 1,000 gallon tank was pumped out with no problem.   The driver told me we should get it pumped a little sooner–maybe in 5 years instead of 24!

And in other news about a hatch…the robins have produced a 2nd set of chicks!

 

The plumbing inside will get upgraded, too!

The Grange also decided that the electric, storage-type water heater, installed in 1991 (!) was probably ready for replacement as well.   I consulted with a couple of plumbing contractors, and with Efficiency VT, all of whom agreed we should replace it with a “tankless” or “on-demand” type heater.  Efficiency VT figures that we may save $250 per year on water-heating expenses.  We don’t qualify for a rebate, since our hot water needs are low–but we won’t be keeping a tank of water hot, with the thermostat set at 45 degrees when no one is using the Hall.  The top right picture (below) shows the Rinnai heater we will have installed–it’s only about as big as a suitcase.
While we have the plumber at work, we will also have a frost-proof faucet installed on the outside of the Grange, so we can finally water plantings, clean paintbrushes, etc. without carrying buckets up the stairs, or running a hose through a window.  We will also have a couple of sprinkler heads installed over the furnace, as has been strongly suggested by the State Fire Marshal.  As we have worked with him on Grange Hall improvements, he has made it clear that this is an important step to protect the people in the building, and the Hall itself from major damage if anything happened to cause a fire in our furnace/water heater/electrical service entrance room.