2015 5 May June - New York State Grange

The
Empire
American Values, Hometown Roots
State
Empire State Granger
100 Grange Place
Cortland, NY 13045
Change Service Requested
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Cortland, NY
Permit #57
Our Vision!
 Initiator of
Community Action
 Facilitator of Leadership Development
 Advocate for Families
 Trusted Conveyor of
Issues to Legislators
Granger
®
Stephen C. Coye
The Real Thing
One of the greatest delights
to me when visiting historic
places is when the buildings and
furnishings are originals, as opposed to re-creations. While recreations such as most of Williamsburg and the Plymouth
Plantation are fabulous, historically accurate, and worth the
visit, there is something about
being in the actual places of historical significance that sets
them apart from the others, at
least for me. It’s because it’s the
real thing, if you will.
In April we were pleased to
be able to be a part of the NYS
Grange Motor Coach tour to the
Philadelphia area, and among
other things visit sites where
activities crucial and instrumental to the formation of the United States of America took
place. Being one that can trace
ancestry to the American Revolution it was doubly inspiring to
walk around Valley Forge, and
visit Washington’s Headquarters – the real authentic place.
More on that later.
Being connected to a real
thing is something for which all
humans strive, and it is a lot
more than just being in certain
places. I would submit to you
that the Grange is one of those
“real things” to which a connection can be made on a lot of lev-
els. As the National Grange is
rapidly approaching 150 years
of existence, if it were not a real
thing, as crafted by gifted forward-thinking individuals, it
would have never stood the test
of time. Real people down
through the years have accepted
the mantle of leadership, thus
improving their own as well as
the lives of many others, individually and collectively. Even
on the physical level, when one
steps into a Grange Hall, or
even one that is no longer
Grange property and is used for
other purposes, there is the feeling emanating from the walls
that says good things happened
in this room, and we mentally
try to picture the proceedings. I
could be preaching to the choir
a bit here, as most of you reading this are members, and are so
because we realize that it is a
real thing. We must realize
however, that we can’t keep this
“real thing” to ourselves, or future generations will not be able
to look over their lives with the
smile of satisfaction that their
efforts through this organization
helped to make this world a better place. You are this organizations best sales person to another individual, as you are the best
one to impart what the Grange
means to you, why you cherish
it, and why you know that it
would be a real thing to them as
well.
Inside this Issue
Secretary, Legislative, Family Activities,
Pg. 2
Sports, Youth, Lecturer
Pg. 3
Community Involvement,
Leadership/Membership
Pg. 4
Junior Grange, Contact Information
Pg. 5
Chaplain, New Members,
Pg. 6
Remembrance of Past
Grange Leaders, Lecturer
Contest Winners
Pg. 7
Granges and Grangers
around the state, Sesquicentennial Move Contest
Pg. 8
Perhaps you are wondering
what the above picture has to do
with this article. Let me explain.
The picture is of the staircase in
Washington’s Headquarters in
Valley Forge, zeroing in on the
bannister, which is the “real
thing” used by the General and
May/June 2016
his staff while using the site.
All subsequent occupants of the
house, and now thousands of
visitors, have had the opportunity to slide their hand along
that same bannister, and like
Washington, leave their fingerprints to history. Your fingerprints are also part of Grange
history, in a lot more important
way than just on a bannister. As
it has been the responsibility of
successive generations to protect
and advance the legacy of the
founders of our Nation, so it is
also ours to do the same with the
legacy handed to us initially by
the Founders of the Order. Let us
not shirk this responsibility.
Monday, Aug 1, 2016
1:00 - 4:45 Registration1:00 – 4:45 Fellowship and free time
5:15 – 6:15 DINNER – ECC
7:00 Welcome and Grand Opening State Program : Rhode Island
8:15 pm
2 Workshops A - $ Grow Your Dough $ B – Programming
Tuesday, Aug 2, 2016
7:30 - 8:30 BREAKFAST
8:45 Flag Salute, Devotions & Announcements
9:00 – State Programs : Vermont and Massachusetts
10:15
2 Workshops A - Amanda Brozana B - Copyright
11:15 State Program: New Hampshire
12:00 -- 1:00 LUNCH – ECC
1:15
2 Workshops A – Panel discussion B - Copyright
2:15 State Programs : Connecticut & New York
3:30
2 Workshops A - $ Grow Your Dough $ B - Panel discussion
4:30 SWAP-A-LOT
5:15 – 6:30 DINNER
7:00 SPIRIT NIGHT
Wednesday Aug 3, 2016
7:30 - 8:30 BREAKFAST
8:45 MC - Kathy 9:00 2 Workshops A - Amanda Brozana B Identity theft
10:00
2 Workshops A - Programming B - Identity theft
11:00-2:00 CHECKOUT
CAN YOU HELP US??? At the Ox Roast
The countdown started last year as soon as the State Fair ended.
The countdown is reaching fever pitch as we get closer to August
25th. The Great New York State Fair is only a few months away. Do
you feel the excitement?
We would like to introduce ourselves. We are Jim Pollard and
Cindy Benson-Pollard. We are the new coordinators for the New
York State Grange “Ye Olde Ox Roast” at the Great New York State
Fair.
In the spirit of all the renovations, changes, and upgrades that are
going on at the fairgrounds right now, the Ox Roast has undergone
management and menu changes. Would you like to know what has
changed? Come and join us and see what is new and improved.
Your Grange may have already received our letter asking for your
help at the Ox Roast. This is an undertaking that we cannot do alone
and hope that you will consider helping us. This is the one big fund
raiser that the State Grange undertakes each year. We hope that you
and your Grange will consider working a shift to help us to make this
another successful fund raising year.
If you haven’t helped recently, would you please consider sending
and/or joining a team to work at the fair this year? The shifts run from
11 AM – 4:30 PM and 4:30 PM – 10 PM. Each shift requires 8 to 10
people. The dates of the fair are August 25th through September 5th.
So we can plan our work schedule, we will need to know your preferred day/time and the number of team members on or before July
15th. To help control our costs, we will need to know the number of
admission tickets that you will need. The fair has various days where
different groups of people are admitted to the fair for free. We will be
(Continued on page 4)
Page 2 Empire State Granger
Cindy Benson-Pollard
Spring flowers are in full
bloom. Can summer be that far
behind? The warm days of
summer are coming. How is
your resolution writing? Have
you finished one? Has it been
approved by your Grange? I
hope that you will consider
writing at least one resolution to
be considered at this State
Grange session.
On March 23rd, we held our
first regional legislative conference. It was hosted by Cortland
County at the Headquarters
building. We listened to Amanda Barber from the Cortland
County Soil and Water Conservation District and Assemblyman Gary Finch. Each had very
interesting topics that they
shared with us. Thank you goes
out to everyone who attended
that day.
Now on to the next meeting,
by the time you receive this issue, your Grange may have already received a letter regarding
the next regional legislative
conference. Plans are being
finalized for the conference to
be held on June 18th in Monroe
County. Please watch your
mail for all the details coming
soon.
Please be sure to mark your
calendar for our annual legislative conference that will be September 24th at the Grange Headquarters in Cortland. Please
watch this column for further
details.
I would like to take a part of
this article to remind everyone
the procedure that must be followed regarding submission of
resolutions. All resolutions
start at your local Grange. If
approved, it is forwarded to
your Pomona Grange for further
consideration. If it is approved
at that level, then it is forwarded
on to State Grange. I know I
hound everyone about this but it
is more important than ever,
that all resolutions be to me by
September 1st for inclusion in
the resolution packet that is forwarded to delegates prior to
State Session. If you have resolution(s) that are done after the
deadline, it can still be considered at State Grange. Please be
sure that your delegate-at-large
or designated delegate brings
the resolution, with 30 copies,
to me at State Grange prior to
the start of the committee chair
meeting on Friday at 1 PM. No
resolution can be considered
without being duly signed by
the Master and Secretary/
Legislative Chairman for that
Grange and sealed, if the
Grange has one.
Should you have any questions or need help, please contact me. I will be glad to help
you.
In my opinion…..
As baby boomers are aging,
the need for adequate health
care is in the fore front. This is
especially true when the need
for long term care becomes necessary. Although we all hope
that we will not need to be in a
skilled nursing facility, the fact
remains that many of us will
require this type of care as we
age.
In many cultures where the
elders in the family are revered,
the family cares for those family members who no longer can
care for themselves. No matter
how much we say we want to
be able to do that, the fact remains that many cannot meet
that need. Many families are
still raising children, busy with
jobs and, sadly, self-absorbed in
their own lives and do not want
to be bothered with the care and
comfort of their family members who require a little extra
care.
However, what happens
when the nursing home cannot
care for your loved one? What
happens when the resident requires so much care that the
nursing home “evicts” them because they are too difficult to
care for. In an article I read recently, with nursing homes facing nursing and skilled aid
shortages, many are determining that it is easier to evict your
loved one than to give them the
extra care that is required. In
the last 10 years, the number of
patients evited from nursing
homes because they require too
much care has been steadily increasing.
This is not to say that all
nursing homes are doing this.
Many do not; they have the
needed resources to care for all
their residents. But, should a
nursing home have the right to
discharge/evict a patient because they are too difficult to
care for by requiring extra resources that could be better
used elsewhere.
Brenda Noble
The conference in April was
a smaller group, but everyone
had a good day. Carol Bailey
showed many old aprons giving their history and tying in
the history of the Grange with
it. The winners of the contests
are as follows: Woodworking:
May/June 2016
1st Gary Green - Allegany Co;
2nd David Emo - Steuben Co;
3rd Clint Hall - Otsego Co; HM
Sally Renwick - Chenango Co.
Small Quilted Wall Hanging,
Machine done: 1st Jackie
Campbell - Wayne Co; 2nd
Frances Hahn - Schenectady
Co; 3rd Viola Horton - Steuben
Co. Small Quilted Wall Hanging - Hand done: 1st Connie
Whiteman - Otsego Co; 2nd
Pati Spencer - Chenango Co.
Bed-size Quilt, Machine done:
1st Donna Walz - Wayne Co;
2nd Eileen Johnson - Dutchess
Co. Bed-size Quilt, Hand-done:
1st Frances Hahn - Schenectady
Co; 2nd Anna Ritchie - Otsego
Co. Regular Afghans: 1st Mary
Star - Allegany Co; 2nd Mary
Eddy - Jefferson Co; 3rd Sandy
Hankins - Otsego Co; HM Pat
VanLare - Wayne Co. Baby Afghans: 1st LeEtta Widrick Lewis Co; 2nd Arlene Lewis Otsego Co; 3rd Norma Polan(Continued on page 5)
Roger Halbert
With the month of June, we
hasten towards the summer
months and all that comes with
this wonderful season. June 30
marks the end of the current
membership year. At this writing, we are down 231 members
since last July 1… or a little
over 1 member per Grange from
a net gain! Have you done your
part to encourage a neighbor or
friend to join your Grange… or
a business or civic leader to become an Associate Member
with your Grange? If my record is correct, thirty-seven
Granges have taken in at least
one new member since July 1…
that leaves a lot of Granges that
are not actively working on sustaining the Grange in their community. Fredonia Grange # 1,
secured nearly 30 new Associate Members in recent months!
Catch the spirit!
Since the last edition of ESG,
the 2015 Journal of Proceedings
has been sent to Subordinate
and Pomona Granges and to key
State Grange leaders. Of course
a copy remains in the safe at
State Grange Headquarters,
along with the annual Journal
since the 1870’s, for research
and information that is required
from time to time. The Execu-
tive Committee has authorized a
new distribution procedure next
year with Subordinate and Pomona Granges needing to return
a slip for receipt of the 2016
Journal of Proceedings when they
are available next spring, so Secretaries, watch out for this notice
later this year.
In early May, Pomona Secretaries received the official notice
of the upcoming State Grange
Convention to be held at the Best
Western Sovereign Hotel, at
1228 Western Avenue, Albany
12203, October 21 thru October
25. Hosts this year are Albany,
Rensselaer, and Saratoga Counties. Delegates and interested
Grangers attending the meeting
are to make their reservations
directly with the Best Western at
518-489-2981. Be sure to identify yourself as part of the NYS
Grange that receives the special
convention rate. Pomona Granges are reminded to return their
completed delegate list to the
State Secretary by August 15.
We encourage each Pomona to
distribute its delegates with as
many resolution committees as
possible to assure good representation from across the state. We
will do our best to honor the first
choice of each delegate, understanding that we may need to go
to a second choice for balance of
numbers in the committees, particularly with later lists received
closer to or past the deadline of
August15. Only Granges who
have submitted its March 2016
quarterly report are eligible to
serve as a delegate at the October
convention, based on the rotation
schedule that is administered by
each Pomona Grange.
Lastly, the annual IRS report,
prepared by the State Secretary,
was sent to the Ogden, Utah office in mid-May. Granges who
returned the authorization forms
sent out last December, are included in the report and no further report regarding an EIN is
needed from these Subordinate or
Pomona Granges. Should your
Grange receive any communication that suggests your Grange is
not in good standing with the
IRS, you are asked to contact me
immediately. DO NOT RESPOND DIRECTLY TO THE
IRS. We remain hopeful that
concerns from the IRS will continue in the same light as last
year and that I will not hear from
any of you on this subject!
Lastly, elsewhere in this edition is the information and application form for the Gerald M.
Eastman Award, to be presented
at the annual convention in October. This is a good opportunity
to recognize a Grange member
for Christian values and their
ability to influence others in a
positive way. Deadline for submission is September 15 to the
office of the State Secretary, 100
Grange Place, Cortland, New
York 13045.
Enjoy this wonderful season of
summer… and share your Grange
with those around you!
Page 3 Empire State Granger
May/June 2016
Carolyn (Kay) Bailey
It's hard to believe it's spring
when it's snowing on May 15.
Who okayed that??? Must be
payback for 70 degrees in December.
The LEC/FAC day on April
30 was a good time. There
were81 photos and 44 pieces of
artwork. All very beautiful and
creative. Be sure to see the winners (tough to chose) at state
session. There were only 3 entries for the talent show portion,
each in a different category.
(See photos on page 6)
There were more Juniors signed
up, but like everyone else life
created some conflicts for them
to get there. Hope they practice
more and attend next year. All
the winners are listed elsewhere
in the paper. June 1 8 brings the
NY/PA picnic in Letchworth
State Park. I hope many of you
attend, it'll be a great time!
The NE Lecturers conference is fast approaching. The
theme this year is about visiting
each state. If you have any
interesting places to go or
things to do let me know so
they can be noted and/or used in
the program. I
be sending
out details and info in the next
few days. Be on the lookout for
the year-end reports and updated info to arrive shortly.
Elaine Smith
Jerry Batsford
Well spring has arrived and
we have started our programs
for the year. We have had Dart
Ball on April 24th, we had three
teams come and join us again
this year. We crowned new
champions again this year. This
year’s results are a follows.
1st place Cortland County Pomona Grange #25
Cortland County
2nd place North Cameron 355
Steuben County
3rd place Hamptonburgh 950
Orange County.
Bowling forms have been
mailed and will be held on June
5th 2016 at Cort Lanes with one
shift bowling again.
Golf is July 10th and if you
are interested contact Carl Bullock as he runs this event.
If someone borrowed the
score card holders from state
Grange headquarters please return them. They were missing
from headquarters and we use
them for Dart Ball.
I would like to say thanks to
all who supports the sports programs.
Cortland County Pomona Grange, Cortland
County 1st Place
Paula Turner
The Spring Youth Weekend
was April 1-3rd at State Grange
Headquarters in Cortland. We
shared Saturday morning workshops with the Juniors. (See the
Junior column) In the afternoon Matthew Shoop led an
“Apathy Not Allowed” workshop about how to contact our
legislators by writing letters on
paper, in emails or visiting in
person. We then started writing
letters to send to the legislators
in our local areas. Topics included GMO labeling, the minimum wage controversy and others. We then watched the movie Selma. This was shown to
encourage all to not take our
right to vote lightly, and as a
reminder to register and vote at
all levels, for ones personally
chosen candidates. We also
went bowling and started practicing the drill for the Northeast
Youth Conference. A Grange
trivia quiz was given with three
NYS Grange youth chosen to
compete in Grange Jeopardy at
NEYC. They are Ryan Orton,
Dutchess County; and Heidi
Henderson and Tessa Taft from
Onondaga County.
Congratulations to the following winners in the speech
and sign-a-song contests held
on April 24th at Headquarters.
Prepared Speech Youth:
1st Place-Teresa Thomas, Albany County
2nd Place-Christian Taft, Onondaga County
3rd Place-Shannon Ruso, Albany County
Prepared Speech Young Adult:
1st place-Emily Shoop, Albany
County
2nd Place-Heidi Henderson, Onondaga County
3rd place-Matthew Horton,
Steuben County
Impromptu Speech Youth:
1st Place-Tessa Taft, Onondaga
County
2nd Place-Shannon Ruso, Albany County
3rd Place- Teresa Thomas, Albany County
Impromptu Speech Young Adult:
1st Place-Matthew Shoop, Albany County
2nd Place-Heidi Henderson, Onondaga County
3rd Place-Matthew Horton,
Steuben County
Sign-a-Song Hobbyist:
1st Place Tessa Taft, Onondaga
County
2nd Place- Teresa Thomas, Albany County
Next year we would like some
entries in the Adult Category 36+
for the speech contests. Please
plan NOW to enter next year.
All the first place winners in
these contests are eligible to
compete at the Regional Conference July 8-10, 2016 @ SUNY
Cobleskill College, Cobleskill,
NY. Make checks payable to
New York State Grange. The
price which includes housing and
four meals is $110. It is also possible to come for just part of the
weekend to attend workshops or
to support the contestants. Registrations are due to Elaine Smith
by June 10th. This information
has been previously distributed to
the youth in person, via e-mail
and Facebook.
Any youth who want to
be considered for the upcoming
year’s Youth Ambassador, age
16-21, or Young Adult Ambassador, age 22-35, need to contact
Elaine or Paula before September
1, 2016.
Also, Fall Youth Weekend will
be September 23-25th at Lamson
Grange #588 in Onondaga County.
Hamptonburgh
Grange
Orange County
3rd Place
North Cameron Grange, Steuben County
2nd Place
The Empire State Granger, Published 6 times annually by
The New York State Grange, 100 Grange Place, Cortland, NY 13045
Phone (607)-756-7553 FAX (607)-756-7757, E-MAIL
NYSGRANGE@NYSGRANGE.ORG
Third class postage paid at Cortland,( #57). Subscription Rate a portion of
member dues is paid as a subscription to the Empire State Granger.
Editor Bruce M. Croucher
Executive Committee: Richard Church, Chair, Stephen Coye, Master, Roger
Halbert, Grange Secretary, Gerald Batsford, Overseer, Bruce Croucher,
Executive Committee Secretary, Alice Grimsley, Roland Shea Sr.
Postmaster: Forward address changes to 100 Grange Place, Cortland, NY
13045
Page 4 Empire State Granger
Kathy E. Miller
Greetings from northern
Denmark….and a gloriously sunny warm Denmark it
is. The Danes native to this
area tell me this 70+ degree
weather usually only happens in mid July and this is
“crazy unusual”.
My youngest, daughter,
Katie, and her family permanently reside in this cozy, comfortable country
and I am privileged to visit
whenever I can. Denmark
hosts glorious, small farms
that pop up all over the
rolling hills remarkably
close to city limits. Danish
government and their citizens love and respect their
folks in agriculture and
make it a prioroty all is
well with them...wonder if
I can bring that recipe
home with me. Perhaps
another lesson we can all
learn from the Danes is
this, get fresh air every day
and walk (or bike) everywhere you can for as long
as you can...believe me the
senior citizens of Denmark
are a healthy lot...reminded
me a lot of how active our
“snow birds” are in Florida.
While spending some
time at the Youth/Junior
Weekend at our headquarters the smiles and energy
were contagious. Great to
see such young Grange enthusiasts coming up
through our NYS Grange.
During the Membership
portion of the weekend all
of us skipped and sang our
way down “the yellow
brick road”. At the end
our journey down the road
we talked about what we
like about the Grange: The
Juniors shared these answers: ”family, friends,
learning stuff, and a place
to bring my friends”. Our
Youth shared with their
Junior peers the meaning of
the Spirit Stick and why it
was presented to NYS
Youth this year. Youth
sharing their thoughts and
enthusiasm with Juniors
in their own words and
with smiles on ALL faces.
The Youth message was
that it is “OK to have fun,
smile and show enthusiasm and pride that you
are a Granger.”
At the conclusion of our
Membership segment all
Youth received a Grange
Youth Membership Application and all Juniors received a Junior Grange
Membership Application their assignment is to
ask a friend to join them
in the fun they have at
their Grange meetings.
The preceding paragraphs cover a wide range
of age groups. Our
Granges Membership endeavors should encompass a wide range of age
groups. It is a known fact
that we need younger
folks to protect the future
of our organizatio; however, let us not fail to notice that Senior Citizens
have a lot to offer also.
(Remember they once had
a career, and certainly
have a lifetime of experiences to share for the asking.) If you have friends
that are more “well seasoned” give them a new
purpose in life - the
Grange. Recent travels,
observations and experiences have lead me to believe that people of all
ages can bring something to our Grange
plate … and after all we
do have a reputation to
protect for our infamous
Grange Dinners!
It’s the season of
spring…..time to catch
the enthusiasm of our
Grange Spirit and hand
out those Membership
Applications. A modest
goal would be for all of us
to ask one friend (or family) to join in all the great
lessons afforded us by being Grange Members.
2016 IS A GREAT
YEAR FOR MEMBERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES…
●
NY/PA Picnic
June 18th, 2016 - at
Letchworth Park, What
better way to show off the
great friendly, enthusiastic
camaraderie enjoyed in
May/June 2016
our fraternity. A SK A
FRIEND!!!!! Membership
information and applications will be available at
this event. (Contact Sharon
Croucher for details)
●
Degree Day - October 1st, 2016 - First - Fifth
degrees in full form, in one
day, in Bath, NY. Many
members, some pretty long
term, have not ever witnessed degrees in full form.
How opportunistic is this to
get new members voted into
your Grange by October 1st
and seal the deal with a fantastic day of Grange symbolic initiation. (Contact
Matt Horton for details)
Steuben County Grangers
will be hosting a Degree Day
for the 1st to 5th Degrees of the
Order on Saturday, October 1,
2016. Anyone who would like
to join the Grange is welcome.
This event will take place at
the Bath Grange #294, located
on Pine Street in Bath, NY.
This event will start at 10 AM.
Anyone interested in taking
the Degrees or helping can call
Matthew Horton at
607-936-0022.
Sherri Taft
Student 1's thoughts: “Yes!
School vacation!” One week
of no school, teachers or homework!”
Student 2's thought: “Here
goes a week of no school,
which means not much food.
The only real meals I get are
breakfast and lunch when I go
to school.”
Every school has numerous
students that qualify for free or
reduced meals through the Na-
tional School Lunch Program and
the National School Breakfast
Program. For some of these students, these are the only hot and
healthy meals they have daily.
So what happens when they go
home in the evening or have an
extended break from school?
Many of these students wonder
what they will eat during the
weekends and vacations.
Over 15 years ago the Feeding
America Backpack Program was
begun. This program provides
nutritious and easy to prepare
foods to last the weekend.
School staff fill the bags each
week and discreetly distribute
them to the participating students
each Friday. This program is entirely funded by local donations.
The average cost to fill one backpack full of food is $5.56.
This is a program that each
Grange can support. Find a
school in your area that participates in this program. Whether
your Grange donates food items
or gives a monetary donation,
you are still helping low income
students have food to eat. Students who receive food from the
Backpack program tend to have
better attendance, academic performance and less disciplinary
actions. Supporting this program
is a great community service that
goes a long way!
(Continued from page 1) Ox Roast
glad to let you know what group
is being honored that day and can
enter the fair for free. Some
counties have days and times that
they pick out every year.
Please make a first and second
choice for shift preference on the
Worker/Shift Information sheet
included in the paper. We will
do the best we can to honor your
choices.
If your Grange is not able to
send a team of workers this year,
would your Grange consider
sending a monetary donation?
These funds will help us to defray some of the costs that we
incur for supplies and would be
humbly appreciated. Should
your Grange wish to make a donation, please send it to our address at 401 Charles Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13209, made payable to Cindy Pollard.
Please complete the Worker/
Shift Information Sheet form and
return it to us at the above address as soon as possible prior to
July 15th. Should you have any
questions, please contact us. We
can be reached during the evenings at 315.487.2430.
Thank you in advance for
your cooperation in this endeavor.
See Contact list for Cindy
Benson Pollard
150th Anniversary coming
soon
Page 5 Empire State Granger
Stephen C. Coye, Master
518-499-1028
100 Grange Place
gchamberlainhome@excite.com
Cortland, NY 13045
Gene Ormsby
607-756-7553
NYS Fair
E-Mail Steve@nysGrange.org
Grange Building Superintendent
Roger Halbert, Secretary
376 Canisteo Street
State Secretary
Hornell NY 14843
83 Spring Street, PO Box 321
585-808-1043
Gilbertsville, NY 13776
genren55@earthlink.net
607-783-2691
Emily and Matt Shoop
rhalbert1@stny.rr.com
Camp Directors
Carolyn (Kay) Bailey, Lecturer
40 Parkwood St. Apt. B1
168 Canal Street
Albany, NY
Lyons, NY 14489
camp@nysgrange.org
315-573-6408
okay631900@hotmail.com
Cindy Benson Pollard
Legislative Director
401 Charles Avenue, Syracuse, NY
13209
315-487-2430
Cbenson 81@msn.com
Virginia L. Conner, Chaplain
918 Bartnick Road
Genoa, NY 13071
315-364-5516
vlconner48@yahoo.com
Brenda Noble, Family Activities
7973 Telephone Road
LeRoy, NY 14482
585-768-6632
Kathy Miller
Leadership Membership
2600 Route 20A, Lot 1
Varysburg NY 14167-9798
(585) 356-9113
kathyellenmiller@yahoo.com
Sherri Taft
Community Involvement
12544 Ira Station Road
Cato, NY 13033
kidsbreak1@yahoo.com
Elaine Smith, Paula Turner CoYouth Directors
Elaine
220 Oakley Road
Stamford, NY 12167
607-652-2180
Elaine S Smith
<esssmith63@gmail.com>
Paula
6730 Velie Road
Savona, NY 14879
607-776-9730
xraypaula@yahoo.com
Gerald Batsford, Sports
1199 Church Street
Cortland, NY 13045
607-835-6127
gablab1652@yahoo.com
Carol Bailey, Historian
3033 Middle Sodus Road
(Continued from page 2) Family Activities
owski - Allegany Co; HM Sharon Burdick - Jefferson Co.
Crocheted Doilies: 1st Helen
Horth - Chautauqua Co; 2nd
Melodee Ireland - Otsego Co;
3rd Pat VanLare - Wayne Co;
HM Julia Bassette - Lewis Co.
Plastic Canvas: 1st Nancy Tuttle - Steuben Co; 2nd Sandra
Rock - Otsego Co; 3rd Ruth
Curtis - Dutchess Co; HM Rose
Clark - Onondaga Co. Knitting:
1st LeEtta Widrick - Lewis Co;
2nd Shirley Hewlett - Dutchess
Co; 3rd Maryann Eastman Otsego Co; HM Charlotte
Brennon - Jefferson Co. Embroidery: 1st Cathy Stark Dutchess Co; 2nd Karen Wilcox - Jefferson Co; 3rd Teresa
Lawton - Chenango Co; HM
Paul Pilc, Jr - Wyoming Co.
Latch Hook: 1st Marlene Utter
- Chenango Co.
The items to go to the Big E:
Afghan: Mary Starr - Albany
Co; Doilies: Helen Horth Chautauqua Co; Embroidery:
Karen Wilcox - Jefferson Co; 3
-piece Baby Set - LeEtta
Widrick - Lewis Co; Plastic
Canvas - Nancy Tuttle Steuben Co; Counted CrossStitch: Cathy Stark - Dutchess
Co; Adult Garment: Shirley
Hewlett - Dutchess Co; Latch
Hook: Marlene Utter - Chenango Co; Quilted Wall Hanging: Connie Whiteman - Otsego
Co. Stuffed Toy: Marlene Utter
- Chenango Co. Baby Afghan LeEtta Widrick - Lewis Co.
I will take any homemade
items for the Big E. They help
support the building and contests. Items can include scrubbies, crocheted dish towels,
hats, mittens, baby sets. They
need to be sent to me by August 25th. Thank you to all who
have helped.
May/June 2016
What a wonderful time and lots of fun and learning was had by Juniors, Youth, JG Leaders and parents at the Leadership weekend April
1-3. This combined Junior/Youth weekend is becoming an anticipated yearly activity at our Grange Headquarters. Saturday morning as
more people were arriving, they were able to sample coffee cakes and
fresh fruit and snacks. There were workstations for working on and
receiving information on Host state – Washington D.C., merit badges
with manuals one and two available, crafts for 2016, National Creative Art and Creative writing.
All present were welcomed by State Director Gail Chamberlain and
State Master Steve Coye. Grange Camp information and applications
were given out by camp director, Matt Schoop. Emily Ormsby
presentated an excellent workshop on making a Grange display with
everyone planning and making a display. Shannon Russo, National
Youth Ambassador and Matt Horton NYS Young Adult Youth Ambassador had everyone moving with Team Building. Membership
Director Kathy Miller had all present shaking and moving with her
workshop.
After lunch, the Youth broke away for their activities as the Juniors
practiced ritual. Team tic-tac-toe was played using past Super JG
questions. Each member received a jump rope and went outside to
practice and play jump rope games learning about the National Jump
for Health program sponsored by National JG program. Juniors then
were able to learn and make 2017 state crafts of a lantern (using a
recycled plastic peanut butter container) and Stained glass art.
This is also a great time for all present to share ideas, learn about new
programs and to ask questions they may have.
With changes in the Regional States conferences, the Junior competitions will be held each spring for the Junior Public Speaking and Sign
-a song contests. State winners will have the chance to compete at
the National Grange session in November. Junior members should
plan on this for next year. The good weather brings ideas to help others with cleaning, gardening, just helping others. Keep planning
community activities and helping each other.
Support Grange
Lyons, NY 14489
315-946-4379
Gail Chamberlain
3627 Co. Rte. 21
Whitehall, NY 12887
Youth
Support Junior Grange
Page 6 Empire State Granger
Virginia L. Conner
“TALENTS”
Have you ever been told: “you
have a lot of talent. You should
do this or go there and use your
talent”? What does this mean?
It means that someone has recognized that you are good at
something and you should use
what God has given you.
Sometimes our talent or ability
to do something is not awakened till we are exposed to an
experience such as giving someone dance lessons, voice lessons, a chance to play a musical
instrument, an invitation to attend a writing class or a knitting, crocheting or sewing class
etc. etc.
Grange has a wonderful platform of opportunities on which
anyone can discover their talents. Have you recognized a
talent in someone in your
Grange? Have you encouraged
them to enter a contest?
I believe God has blessed each
of you with talent(s). So glorify
Him by using your talent and
not hide it like the parable of the
talents in Matthew 25:14-30.
I extend sympathy to the families of Vincent Vail, Dutchess
Co and Shirley Hughes, Oneida
Co. Sister Hughes was secretary of Floyd Grange #665 for
76 years – well done, thou good
and faithful servant.
Pomona Chaplains: Please
send to me names of your deceased members for recognition
at State Session Memorial Service.
Chautauqua Co.
Ross #305
Lois Woodams
Cortland Co.
Albright #440
Brian K. Guy
Cuyler #449
James Richardson
Dutchess Co.
Freedom Plains #857
Robert Baxter
Sally Buell
David Palmquirt
Fulton Co.
Mayfield #683
Domanic Alfini
Vincent Alfini
Oswego Co.
Ricard #993
Darlene Raymo
Otsego Co.
Pierstown #793
Richard Pokorny
Putnam Co.
Putnam Valley #841
Micheele Alvarez-Moray
Saratoga Co.
Corinth #823
Alex King
Shannon King
Karol Woodcock
Sullivan Co.
Monticillo #1357
Donald Desno
Wayne Co.
Eureka #46
Nick DiSanto
Wyoming Co.
Warsaw #1088
Terrance Snyder
Curriers Co. #1273
Bonnie Bremiller
Joanne Prial
May/June 2016
Page 7 Empire State Granger
Virginia Marlyn Chamberlain, 86, of East River Rd. passed away Sunday morning May 22,
2016 as the birds sang after the church bells rang.
Born August 14, 1929 in Saratoga Springs she
was the daughter of William H. Deuell and Margaret Elizabeth Piehaczek Deuell.
On July 15, 1951 she married Wendell Chamberlain and made their home in Belfast on the
Family Dairy Farm. She taught 3rd Grade at Cuba
Elementary School for 19 years before her retirement.
Virginia was a member of Belfast Grange, Allegany County Pomona
Grange, NYS Grange, The National Grange. She was First Lady of
the New York State Grange from 1975-1977.
Virginia is survived by her six children Carl (Heidi) Chamberlain
of Amsterdam NY; Sharon (Joe) Hartzold of Danvers IL; Gerald
(Beth) Chamberlain of Stillwater NY; Ellen (Jim) Woolley, Brian
Chamberlain, Steven (Vicki) Chamberlain of Belfast NY; Brother
William H. Deuell (Nancy) Arnold CA; 20 Grandchildren and 12
Great Grandchil- dren.
May/June 2016
Robert M. Payne born in Coeymans Hollow to the
late Otto and Sarah Malkonian Cook Payne on
November 13, 1927, passed away May 20, 2016,
after a long illness. He graduated from Ravena
High School in 1945 and went right into the Navy.
He served on the Samuel N. Moore (DD747) in
the South Pacific from 1945 to 1947.
He joined the Ravena Grange on April 4, 1944,
and held many offices: master and treasurer; at the
present time is master of Ravena Grange. He belongs to the County Pomona, State and National Granges. He was 40
years treasurer, 1957 to 1997, of the New York State Grange and also
held many offices in the Pomona Grange, including master. He's always been active with the Altamont Fair for 50 years and was president and treasurer of the Tri Co. Fair Assoc. and helped in managing
the Grange building. He ran the State Grange Bowling Tournament
for 25 years. He worked many years on the Board of Elections, and
was an inspector in the Town of Coeymans. In 2013 he was chairman
of the NYS Grange Convention Committee in Albany.
He leaves behind his wife of 64 years, Ismay Rupert Payne;
daughter, Nancy J. Payne; sons, Robert B. and Steven G. Payne; and
granddaughter, Jessica L. Payne of North Carolina.
2nd :
Talent Show Winners
Vocal Solo : J omni Tar bell,
age 13, Genesee Co.
Sang "In
Own Little Corner"
Instrumental Solo: Colton
Tarbell, age 10, Genesee Co.
Piano solo "Fiddler On The
Roof"
2nd:
2nd:
BEST OF SHOW
Variety Act:
Ryan Orton, Dutchess Co.
Stephan Fazio, Albany Co.
Shannon Ruso, Albany Co.
Matthew Shoop, Albany Co.
Emily Shoop, Albany Co.
Teresa Thomas, Albany Co.
Musical selection "Fight Song"
2nd:
1st ;
2nd:
Page 8 Empire State Granger
Photo at right: Jared Woolley was honored for his 58
years as a member of the
Forestville Fire Department. He received the
“Lifetime Achievement
Award”.
2016 GRANGER OF THE
YEAR
ELAINE SMITH
Photo on Right:
This year’s honoree is a
fourth generation Granger, a
significant attribute that few
here today can claim. Her
Grange journey started in Ross
Grange # 305, Chautauqua
County, where the Sprague family were proud Grangers and still
are in 2016. She met her husband while attending Junior
Grange Camp, a testament that
Grange plays an important part
in her life’s story. She began
dating her husband, Ken, following a New York State Grange
Youth weekend many years later. Yes, Elaine Sprague Smith,
Colonel Harper Grange, is our
2016 Granger of the Year.
Elaine has held offices of Lady Assistant Steward, Lecturer
and the Graces and wherever
needed at several Grange meetings. Last year, she accepted the
position of Chaplain of Otsego
County Pomona Grange. In
1983 she was the New York
State Grange female Youth Ambassador, later serving as New
York State Grange Flora in 2008
and 2009. The past two years,
Elaine is inspiring our younger
members as the New York State
Grange Co-Youth Director.
Being involved with Grange
youth, she transports many to
youth weekends with one com-
May/June 2016
Photo at right: Nate Lull a
member of Butternut Valley
Grange in Gilbertsville will
be participated in the London
Marathon for the American
Institute for Cancer Research
onApril 24.
The Grange presented Nate
with $1,000 with funds resulting from sales of t-shirts with
the logo “Grange… for the
Long Run” and the collection during the last several
months of “L” series dollar
bills by the members for the
designated “Lull in London” project.
ing up next week. She will be
overseeing their competitions of
talent, sign-a-song, speech and
radio spots. The Northeast
Youth Conference is being
hosted in New York this year at
SUNY Cobleskill July 8 – 10,
so she has reached out to
Otsego County Pomona for assistance… and we will be there
to help Elaine carry out the
hosting duties.
Locally, Elaine helps in
many different ways with the
activities at Colonel Harper, one
of them being coordinating the
dining room of their annual beef
barbecue in July when they
serve several hundred hungry
customers.
Grange is not her only community involvement…from
1985 to 2012, the Smith family
were active in the Stamford
Methodist Church where she
was a Sunday School teacher
for many grade levels. Elaine
and Ken now attend Jefferson
Baptist Church where she continues to be a Sunday School
Director and teacher along with
Vacation Bible School Director.
The Grange 150th Anniversary
Four-Minute-Movie Contest!
Get out your cameras or even your phones and put together your
own amazing four-minute-movie celebrating Grange! And here's the
best part: The prizes sponsored by the National Grange Foundation!
The top three finalist will receive up-to a $200 travel stipend, Friday
and Saturday night accommodations at the 150th Annual Session of
the National Grange in Washington DC, and two tickets to the Celebration banquet where the winning movies will be shown and first,
second, and third place awards announced!
1st: $1000 Cash Prize! 2nd: $500 Cash Prize! 3rd: $250 Cash Prize!
All entries will be judged on content, quality, and creativity. The top
seven videos will be part of a social media popularity vote September
1 - September 15, 2016, with the top three favorites moving on to the
finalist round at National Session in Washington, DC on November
19, 2016.
There are no limits to the themes of your four minute movie as long
as it showcases Grange! Suggestions to get your wheels turning include--but are not limited to: How Grange has impacted my life, The
Grange Story: Our history and heritage, Why I love Grange!, Grange
accomplishments, wins, and successes, Why I joined the Grange,
why I stay
DEADLINES: July 1, 2016: SUBMISSIONS OPEN, August 15, 2016:
SUBMISSIONS CLOSE, midnight PST
Check the National Grange Website www.nationalgrange.org for additional information about the rules and proceedures.
Photo at right
Steve Coye New York
State Grange president
presents a 75yr membership award to Myron
Breadsley , his son Mark was
also present, Thursday evening APRIL 28 at a dinner at
Interlaken Grange.
Photo at right
Wide Awake Grange hosted
the foreign Exchange Student
from Midlakes High School.
This year the student was from
Indonesia. The photo shows
Stacey Adams (left) wearing the
traditional festival outfit. On
the right is the exchange student
with her normal attire.
Wide Awake Grange is also
known for their Roast Beef
Dinner fundraisers. They have
been holding these for many
years. Following is a poem
written by Charlotte Howard a
long time member in remembrance of the dinners.
Roast Beef Dinner
At Wide Awake Grange
1.What's going on at the
Grange tonight?
A roast beef dinner, you
guessed it right.
2.It takes many hands to prepare for this meal,
There's cabbage to grind
and potatoes to peel.
3. Diane's left the cows,
that's hard to believe,
But Stacy’s there, she can
relieve.
4. Kay's at the dishpan, how
smooth her hands look,
Ken's at the stove, his veggies
to cook.
5 Dining room's decorated for
the Spring season,
Centerpieces by Carol would
be the reason.
8.The clock is saying a quarter
to four,
Would you believe there
are folks at the door?
The cashier is seated, her
box holds the change,
You want a good meal? Come
to the Grange.
8.The pourers are here, the
coffee is ready,
Be careful, and try to hold
those pots steady.
9. Jim's at the table to
dole out the meat,
It's really amazing,
what people can eat.
10. The take-outs are ready,
and so is the meat,
The clock says 5, it's now
time to eat.
11. They're coming in now
with big appetites,
I haven't seen any, who
want to eat light.
12.Pies have been cut, we
have many kinds,
They find it hard making up their minds.
13. It's time for the workers to
sit down and eat,
Enjoy the good food, get off
their feet.
14. But don't stay too long for
clean-up must start,
This isn't any ones favorite
part.
Another dinner is over at last,
We have a month now, but
time will go fast.
16.The doors are all
locked
there isn't even
align:
Thanks to all who made
this a good
night.
15.