Grange Notes by Grange Master Tim Swartz, May 15, 2016
Here are some photos….
of the action on May 7th, when we offered a “Taste of the Grange”–a really diverse offering:
Top left: DIY weddings showed simple ways that our Hall and our basic furniture of tables and chairs can be dressed up to make an attractive setting for wedding and other celebrations. Many thanks to Berlin interior designer Christine Murphy, who is also a wedding designer.
Top Right: Allison Smith of VT Ag Extension set up an info table for the 4H chapter she is setting up at the CCG–replacing one which used to meet at the Waterbury Center Grange before it closed. Allison is speaking with Lewis Neill of the Montpelier Church of Christ. The Church has met at our Hall every Sunday for decades; Lewis and Maudean Neill also had a table at our Open House.
Bottom left: Merry Shernock, who organized the Open House along with Alison Forrest, is orbited by some of the kids who came along–besides visiting the Kids’ Trade ‘N’ Play exhibit downstairs, there was some time to run around before the performances started.
Carl Etnier was an able Master of Ceremonies, sharing information from the history of the National Grange, as well as Capital City’s story, and talking about the long history of many of our renters with the Grange Hall, several of whom performed some samples from their activities at the Hall.
Bottom right: Musician campers from the Northeast Heritage Music Camp played traditional tunes among the many learned at their week-long event held in June, in Starksboro. NHMC holds its “Winter Gathering” in the CCG Hall!
Top Right: Allison Smith of VT Ag Extension set up an info table for the 4H chapter she is setting up at the CCG–replacing one which used to meet at the Waterbury Center Grange before it closed. Allison is speaking with Lewis Neill of the Montpelier Church of Christ. The Church has met at our Hall every Sunday for decades; Lewis and Maudean Neill also had a table at our Open House.
Bottom left: Merry Shernock, who organized the Open House along with Alison Forrest, is orbited by some of the kids who came along–besides visiting the Kids’ Trade ‘N’ Play exhibit downstairs, there was some time to run around before the performances started.
Carl Etnier was an able Master of Ceremonies, sharing information from the history of the National Grange, as well as Capital City’s story, and talking about the long history of many of our renters with the Grange Hall, several of whom performed some samples from their activities at the Hall.
Bottom right: Musician campers from the Northeast Heritage Music Camp played traditional tunes among the many learned at their week-long event held in June, in Starksboro. NHMC holds its “Winter Gathering” in the CCG Hall!
See more photos of performances (and dinner) at the end of this message!
June 4th Meeting: welcoming new members, making transitions
As usual, we will hold our last regular Grange meeting for the summer–we skip regular meetings for July and August, while people are busy with Vermont’s all-t0o-brief summer activities.
Before we take a break, we have important business to transact:
More new members: on top of the 3 new Grange members we welcomed in April, we have 2 more–Katherine Blakely and Miguel Angel Perez. We would be happy to have other Spanish-speaking attendees to make Miguel welcome. We’ll be performing the Grange “Obligation” ceremony to bring Katherine and Miguel into our “Order of the Patrons of Husbandry”.
Making plans for painting: New member Joe Blakely and even newer member Miguel Perez have volunteered to safely scrape loose paint from one wall of the Hall–Joe is trained in removal of lead paint. We’re looking for a few people to follow with spot-sanding, sealing, priming and painting to get our exterior looking better. And there is discussion of using vinyl siding on the North end to cover the badly peeling paint there. Let us know if you can pitch in–and come and talk about the planning, too.
Welcoming Berlin uses for the Hall means setting up a few rules for how we distribute the free use of the Hall which we promised when we asked for exemption from property taxes. Merry Shernock, our Rental Agent has consulted with various Grangers and our insurance agent, and has come up with a proposed policy–for example, we don’t feel it is appropriate to give free rental to anyone who would use the Grange Hall for commercial purposes. We will need to discuss and adopt this type of policy as we move forward with rentals for Berlin organizations and families.
Making transitions: We are looking for a new Treasurer for the Grange, as long-serving former Master Les Skinner has been filling that post since relinquishing the Master’s chair in 2006. Les has decided that at age 89 he is ready to take a break from Grange office. So we need someone to “learn the ropes” from Les–please spread the word!
Similarly, we are getting ready for a “changing of the guard” in the important office of Musician. This position has been filled by Charles Mayhood for several years. Either at the June meeting, or more officially in the Fall when we hold elections, we expect to welcome Matt Nunnelly–those who attended the Open House were treated to Matt’s piano-playing, as he accompanied the sing-alongs led by Merry.
So please join us, starting at 4:30 on Saturday, June 4th! We’ll be following the “precepts of our Order”, which call for Grange members and officers to exemplify high standards of discussion, financial responsibility and (as important) enjoying our feeling of community by joining in song and music while we “take care of business”.
(and don’t forget the potluck dinner starting by 6:30–another Grange tradition valued by all of us!)
Before we take a break, we have important business to transact:
More new members: on top of the 3 new Grange members we welcomed in April, we have 2 more–Katherine Blakely and Miguel Angel Perez. We would be happy to have other Spanish-speaking attendees to make Miguel welcome. We’ll be performing the Grange “Obligation” ceremony to bring Katherine and Miguel into our “Order of the Patrons of Husbandry”.
Making plans for painting: New member Joe Blakely and even newer member Miguel Perez have volunteered to safely scrape loose paint from one wall of the Hall–Joe is trained in removal of lead paint. We’re looking for a few people to follow with spot-sanding, sealing, priming and painting to get our exterior looking better. And there is discussion of using vinyl siding on the North end to cover the badly peeling paint there. Let us know if you can pitch in–and come and talk about the planning, too.
Welcoming Berlin uses for the Hall means setting up a few rules for how we distribute the free use of the Hall which we promised when we asked for exemption from property taxes. Merry Shernock, our Rental Agent has consulted with various Grangers and our insurance agent, and has come up with a proposed policy–for example, we don’t feel it is appropriate to give free rental to anyone who would use the Grange Hall for commercial purposes. We will need to discuss and adopt this type of policy as we move forward with rentals for Berlin organizations and families.
Making transitions: We are looking for a new Treasurer for the Grange, as long-serving former Master Les Skinner has been filling that post since relinquishing the Master’s chair in 2006. Les has decided that at age 89 he is ready to take a break from Grange office. So we need someone to “learn the ropes” from Les–please spread the word!
Similarly, we are getting ready for a “changing of the guard” in the important office of Musician. This position has been filled by Charles Mayhood for several years. Either at the June meeting, or more officially in the Fall when we hold elections, we expect to welcome Matt Nunnelly–those who attended the Open House were treated to Matt’s piano-playing, as he accompanied the sing-alongs led by Merry.
So please join us, starting at 4:30 on Saturday, June 4th! We’ll be following the “precepts of our Order”, which call for Grange members and officers to exemplify high standards of discussion, financial responsibility and (as important) enjoying our feeling of community by joining in song and music while we “take care of business”.
(and don’t forget the potluck dinner starting by 6:30–another Grange tradition valued by all of us!)
More pictures from the Open House!
Top left above: Stuart Paton demonstrates the Taiko drumming which he teaches on Thursday evenings at the Hall. He has been playing drums at the Hall for 30 years. He got his start here playing with the Afro-Caribbean dancers who have been there equally long.
Top middle above: Stuart teaches a volunteer class of many ages.
Top middle above: Stuart teaches a volunteer class of many ages.
Top right above: Members of the “Upscale Quartet” perform; they are part of the Barretones, our newest regular tenant, who will be rehearsing their award-winning Barbershop Quartet singing on Monday evening, starting in June.
Bottom left above: Alanna and Tossy dance to music played by Adina on the Balaphone–they are all part of the West African Dance and Drumming class which meets on Tuesday evenings.
Bottom right above: Merry leads a vigorous sing-a-long of old favorites, ranging from Irving Berlin to Woody Guthrie to “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”.
Left below: A healthy crew of eaters regains their strength–eating potluck dishes, plus potato salad and carrot sticks made by Chef Alison Forrest (visible in the background, as well as playing drums above) from vegetables donated by Pete’s Greens, along with a huge pan of Mac ‘n’ Cheese. Notice our great floor covers protecting our dance floor!
Middle below: Jody Pettersen and Bob from Vet’s Place in Northfield are among the clean-up crew.
Right below: Liz Benjamin finishes the clean-up–she worked with Alison to make the food too!
Bottom left above: Alanna and Tossy dance to music played by Adina on the Balaphone–they are all part of the West African Dance and Drumming class which meets on Tuesday evenings.
Bottom right above: Merry leads a vigorous sing-a-long of old favorites, ranging from Irving Berlin to Woody Guthrie to “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”.
Left below: A healthy crew of eaters regains their strength–eating potluck dishes, plus potato salad and carrot sticks made by Chef Alison Forrest (visible in the background, as well as playing drums above) from vegetables donated by Pete’s Greens, along with a huge pan of Mac ‘n’ Cheese. Notice our great floor covers protecting our dance floor!
Middle below: Jody Pettersen and Bob from Vet’s Place in Northfield are among the clean-up crew.
Right below: Liz Benjamin finishes the clean-up–she worked with Alison to make the food too!
