| JUNE 1, 2013 -- We have some bittersweet news to report: Our Youth Drill Team decided to pull out of the Northeast Competition for this year ONLY; too many commitment conflicts. BUT they pledged to be back in 2014- stronger than ever- AND they have a monetary cushion to start them off.
More new members- we seem to be doing something right! We were so pleased to have State Chaplain Barbara Kulisch visit us in May. We had a fun program about Willie Mays, whose birthday was on our meeting night. Our Memorial Service paid tribute to 79 year Granger, Hazel Opperman (101); 76 year member, Esther Jalkanen; Mae Louise Mays (Willie’s wife of 42 years who recently passed away) and we honored those innocent lives lost at Sandy Hook, the Boston Marathon, the Texas Fertilizer plant and other natural disasters this past year. Young people were in the majority that evening. It is truly a delight watching them exemplify Grange work and with a smile too! Trevor Gervais joined Pomona in May. We stretched ourselves in April and May-- some think we are taking on too much (at the same time)- food for thought!
While it is fantastic to be active, we certainly do not want member burnout! Chris Sebastian set-up the weekend of June 14th and 15th to take down and rebuild the Grange pavilion; this is his Eagle Scout project and we applaud him; it will be ready well before our Fair! He did his usual exemplary job in the Plainfield High School play enjoyed by many Grangers! We catered lunch for the “Farm to Plate” trip around Sterling (which included “Buttercup Farm” on Main Street; Betsy’s Stand and Molodich Farms on Ekonk and Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm!
The awards were given to Sterling 3rd graders in the annual Earth Day poster contest and we voted a donation to the “Team Cameron” for their Relay for Life walk in Woodstock. The Youth Drill Team (and Grange) voted to pay for Clifford Gervais’ hotel room ($250) when he goes to Elk River, MN in July as a member of the Northeast Youth First Degree Team. This is one of 4 youth teams conferring the “original” degree work on the working farm once owned by Grange “father” Oliver Hudson Kelley. Clifford is the only youth from Connecticut participating.
June 3: Inspection & Election, 7:30 P.M.
June 8: Strawberry Supper, 5 P.M. |
