Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, July 19, 2017
Some cool info in the midsummer heat.
I haven’t written any Grange Notes for a while, but there is important news!
Before: just a dark hole under the porch:
During: one corner complete:
Eventually: a decorative background for a beautified main entrance!
Alert readers will remember that we have been talking about improving the looks of the Grange Hall entrance we built in 2008–part of our first big grant-funded project. As we added a “universal entrance” which is accessible for all people–including those with mobility problems–our plan was always to create more than a back entrance with a ramp. Merry Shernock has taken charge of this project, getting a professional proposal for hardscaping, plantings and landscape rocks. The quote was high enough that we decided at our June meeting to see how much we could do with volunteer labor.
Merry also found us more donated labor, combining her own community service working with recently released inmates with the Grange’s needs. She has been meeting, along with a “Circle of Support & Accountability”, with a young man who needs community service hours as part of his supervised transition to “civilian life”. The Grange is a great community service opportunity! Tyson has put in three sessions so far, working with me on outdoor work: trimming the extremely long grass around the Hall and parking lot–and most recently mounting the lattice you see in the pictures above. There’s more to come!
If you’d like to help with importing some soil and compost to make planting beds, planting perennials and/or annuals to climb on our lattice, moving landscape rocks, and much more, contact Merry–her phone number and Grange rental email are at the top of the Notes!
Meanwhile, Tyson and I will be continuing to frame in the porch with the rest of the lattice panels.
Here is Tyson working on the weeds, on one of his first work days at the Grange Hall.
The National Grange turns 150 this year–join in the history and enjoy the “4 degrees” this Saturday!
Many Grange members who joined about 12 years ago will remember the impressive ceremony put on by the VT State Grange membership on January 15th, 2005 to welcome 70 new members for Capital City Grange. This is the full, official welcome for new Grange members. Above, you can see the new members on the right, and Grange members from all over Vermont on the left, getting ready to “exemplify” the full 4 degrees of Community Grange membership.
This event is, I think, the first full performance of all 4 degrees since the event at our Grange Hall in 2005. It’s being done in celebration of the National Grange’s big anniversary of the formation of the Grange by 7 “founders” in 1867.
I enjoyed seeing the 4 degrees in 2005, and I’ll be happy to go to this with any of the members–new or old–who want to see this seldom-scene event on Saturday. The degrees will take place at the VT State Grange Center, 308 West St., Brookfield VT 05036–easy to get to. Email me: https://swartztim15@gmail.com,or call me: 802-225-8921 to ask any questions, or set up a time to meet and car-pool. It’s really a rare opportunity!