Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) November 30, 2023
December Grange meeting: brief and to the point
As usual on the first Saturday of even-numbered months, our monthly meeting will be brief: 4:30 to 5:00. We’ll get a review of the finances and any other immediate news, and then we’ll be discussing how to prepare for the resumption of Grange meeting ritual as we are planning for the Jan. 7, 2024 meeting! We know this will be a new experience for at least the several members who have joined the Grange since we stopped having full ritual meetings at the beginning of the pandemic, and the rest of us are likely rusty in our skills, so we will be scheduling a “practice session” sometime before the January meeting.
December Community Program: Computer Scams and How to Avoid Them
From 5:00 to 6:00, Grange Lecturer Carl Etnier has arranged to have a talk by Michel Kabay, about one of the ongoing problems that plague the internet in our modern world–the constant pressure of “bad actors” attempting to defraud us, steal our online identities or otherwise take advantage of us. Dr. Kabay spent his career working on computers and security, including 20 years at Norwich University in Northfield, before retiring as an Emeritus professor in 2021. He created the “Master’s Program in Information Assurance” there, among many other activities. Since retirement he has done consultant work for many organizations, as well as giving talks about internet security in the local area.
Mich Kabay has also written extensively, written a college textbook on enterprise security, and served as technical editor for three editions of the Computer Security Handbook. His Mich Kabay website contains many links, .pdfs and PowerPoint files available for non-commercial use. In other words, he knows his chops. (One note: I have been able to open his website on my phone, but not on my desktop PC for some reason. I hope others will not have this problem).
Dr. Kabay will talk about scams and (more importantly, how not get scammed), and we will also have time for questions and discussion.
Grange Community Potluck at 6:00
As usual, after our program we will head to the Grange’s Lower Level for a tasty and social potluck dinner. Like all Grange-sponsored events, this is free and open to the public, and we hope you will join us! Bring something you like to cook, whether it’s a soup, a salad, a side dish or a main course, or pick up something on your way (a loaf of bread? some cheese? chips ‘n’ salsa? a jug of cider?) to share. The more choices the better!
Since we installed a lift in the Hall earlier this year, the Lower Level is accessible by all.
FCCGH Fall Appeal: your support is appreciated!
We have been impressed and touched by the continued generosity of Grange Hall users and supporters, as donations come in to support the “Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall“. The annual Fall Appeal letters went out early in November, and responses have been coming in ever since.
As most of the people reading this know, this (501)(c)(3) non-profit, charitable corporation raises money from the community of Grange members and Hall users. In most cases, these funds are used as “matching funds”, which are required to receive 50% grant funding for the major projects the FCCGH takes on. Since the beginning of 2022, the Friends and the Grange have invested a total of $103,900 in 3 major Hall improvements: a wood-pellet furnace, the lift for wheelchair and other users, and a complete scraping and painting of the Hall exterior! More details about the many projects the FCCGH has carried out are available on the Donate page of the Grange website.
Conveniently located at the bottom of that page is “Donate” button, which you can use to contribute to the Friends. If you’ve given before, and we have your address, you may already have received a printed version of this Fall Appeal in the mail, or via email. Questions? Send an email to me, Tim: swartztim15@gmail.com, and I’ll do my best to answer them–and to put you on the list to get the appeal letter if you want!