National Grange Session 2007

Once again, I would like to thank all Pennsylvania Grangers for the opportunity to serve as your second delegate to National Grange in Reno, Nevada. I’d like to share some of the week with you.

National Grange Session is always a busy week with nearly every moment filled with various Grange activities and/or session and committee meetings. It is exhilarating to see Grangers one hasn’t seen in the past year and to meet new people who are attending as delegates for their respective states for the first time.

It is a particular joy to run into familiar faces from Pennsylvania. This year the following Grangers from our state attended National Grange Session in Reno. Barbara and James Aurand came for the week after a seven-hour plane delay in Los Angeles; it was pleasant to see them now and then during the week and hear of their experiences at session. Our Pennsylvania talent contest winner, Jennifer Nauss and her mother, Anna May were present. Jennifer walked onto the stage at the Evening of Excellence and represented Pennsylvania with grace and style as she mesmerized all in the audience with her piano solo. It was breathtaking and beautiful! Thank you, Jennifer. If you want to know how exciting National Grange Session is, ask Dean Miller; he doesn’t miss a session and makes everyone feel warm with his smile and quick hug. Also in attendance were Susan Tau, Joyce Snyder, and Fae Snyder. Everyone in Pennsylvania offers a hearty thank you to Nettie Kauffman for escorting our Youth Ambassador, Martha Bollinger. It was difficult for Martha to make the trip without our late Youth Ambassador, Jonathan Sattazahn. We all missed him and his presence.

On display in the room showing the best of the best from all the Grange states in the nation was our own Ruth Wallis’s lovely quilt as well as a beautiful hand-crafted wood shelf by Donald Kauffmann and exquisite crocheted doily from Gloria Hahn.

This year I was asked by our then National Master Bill Steel to chair the Citizenship and Public Affairs Committee. This could be a daunting task except for the wonderful committee consisting of delegates from Vermont, Massachusetts, Illinois, Michigan, New Hampshire, West Virginia, Connecticut, South Carolina and Wisconsin. It was a great group and I appreciate their diligence and interest in accomplishing our tasks. It was an honor to serve with this group.

Shortly after arriving at the resort on Sunday, the work of the week began with various meetings. However, Monday morning at 8:00, we boarded two buses and journeyed up into the mountains for tours of both Virginia City and Carson City, Nevada. The journey was breathtaking with incredible vistas and sharp road switchbacks as we ascended into the snowy mountain top cities. Virginia City is on the National Historic Registry and is a preserved Alverta Etzweiler #2048 working western village with great wooden sidewalks and incredible mountain top views in between the quaint shops. Since the train is a big part of the village history, I had to select a tee shirt for Jordan, the grandchild we are raising, along with a treasure for Bernie. In another shop that played upon the gambling history of the city, I found little game pieces for my mother’s Mexican Train domino game. I tried to get our state president, Betsy, to purchase a nice sized boulder in a rock shop for her stone collection but she resisted!

left to right: Betsy Huber; Nettie Kauffman;
Dean Miller; and Martha Bollinger

left to right: Barbara Narvel (Del.); "Pete" Pompper (N.J. Pres.);
Betsy Huber; Beth Downey; and "Chip" Narvel (Del. Pres.)

From Virginia City we descended a bit in elevation to Carson City where we enjoyed a great lunch and tour of the state historical museum. We had to leave the museum when the alarms sounded. We were told that periodically, the museum “ghost” sets off the fire alarms sending all visitors from the building. The journey back to Reno was lovely up through a valley abundant in agrarian ranch life and small lakes.

Then it was back to work for the remainder of the week. Betsy has reported on some of the other happenings of the week; important resolutions were passed that now become the basis of our legislative activities. If you would like to know more about these and hear more about the week, I would be glad to come to your Grange and share.

Again, thank you so much for this great opportunity. Oh, I would be remiss to forget to remind you that next year, National Grange is in Connecticut. Watch The Advocate for details or check out the National Grange web site for more information at www.nationalgrange.org. At this web site, you can also learn all about our new National Grange Master, Ed Lutrell. Be sure to go visit him when he comes to a Grange near you, which he will be doing, knowing Master Ed!