Betsy Huber, State Master

From the Master's Desk

 

I hope YOU have the Regional Meeting nearest you written on your calendar and are making plans to attend. I guarantee it will be the most exciting, upbeat Grange meeting you have attended in a long time!

National Masters’ Conference
I returned late last night from the annual meeting of all State Masters sponsored by National Grange, this year held in Irving, Texas. The National Grange Executive Committee met for more than 10 hours Thursday evening and Friday, and then the other Masters and National Officers arrived Friday by 6 p.m. From then until Sunday at 1:30 the time was jam-packed with workshops, information, sharing time, and lots of fellowship and fun. I can tell you, your National Officers and every state Master are PUMPED! (excited, energized, animated, wound up, eager to get to work)!

National Master Ed Luttrell will present the program at EVERY Regional Meeting this year (see schedule on page 3). I sincerely hope we will have huge crowds at each and every meeting so you all can hear his plans and goals for the Grange. If you have ever asked, or even thought, “what has the National Grange done for me?” this is your chance to find out. We (National Master, Executive Committee, National Officers, and all State Masters) have big plans and goals for this Grange and PLEDGED yesterday to carry them out this year. Will you join the effort? Or will you stand back and watch? Or will you stand in the way? The choice is yours.

Workshops this weekend included:

1. Application is the Key – an honest look at ourselves; what are we going to do; the goal is growth that must begin on the local level.
2. Who We Serve – our priorities and how to achieve them; how to partner effectively; Community Grange needs that National can assist states in delivering.
3. Protecting Ourselves – protection of Grange property, protection of our children, protection of our name and image, protection from us (internal squabbles).
4. Revitalization – how to revitalize our Granges. I’ll elaborate on this later.
5. Family Is Our Bond – why is family important to Grange? The future of the Junior and Youth programs; what’s next for family in the Grange?
6. Herding Cats – what is a successful Grange and how to create one.
7. Growing the Grange – why new Granges are essential, our responsibility, potential, and opportunities. A plan of action.

You can tell we did not get to see much of Texas, but the discussions and interaction between State Masters was excellent. In my last 7 months as your State Master, I need to accomplish a lot, so watch out! I may be calling on you for help, or to see if you need help, or just to see how you’re doing.

If you want your Grange to be part of this excitement and growth, PLEASE call me or Carl Meiss, PR/Membership Director, at the State Office, 800-552-3865. I am committed to doing something every day to make your Grange and the State Grange GROW.

We are very close to losing our number one position in number of Community Granges in the state. We can’t lose any more Granges or Washington will take over the number one spot! We will be working to start a couple new Granges this year so if you want to help or know of an area where there might be interest, PLEASE call!

Recent Mailings
The office staff was very busy last week putting together four mailings to Grange officers. The quarterly report forms were sent to Secretaries, along with information on Grange Day and the Regional Meetings. Another mailing to Secretaries included appeals for the Junior and Youth departments and information about the Family Festival and Family Picnics scheduled for this summer (see calendar of events). We sent the Legislative Policies book to all State Senators and Representatives (they were sent to all Masters earlier). And another informational mailing went to Pomona Masters and Deputies. Make sure your secretary and Master share this information at your Grange meetings.

Soon I will also be sending out information to Pomona Masters about the Penn State Agricultural Trustee election which will take place May 15. The State Grange Executive Committee has endorsed the incumbent Trustees Walt Peechatka, Senior Advisor of PennAg Industries Assoc., and myself. There are two other candidates running, so this will be an important year to attend the county caucuses and express our opinions.

I am excited about the Family Picnics and looking forward to enjoying an afternoon of fun and fellowship with you and your extended families this summer. Make note of the picnic nearest you and plan to attend. Family is the key to Grange and we want to emphasize it this year. Invite your friends and neighbors to come along—the Grange is unique in its inclusion of the whole family. We want to celebrate that, show it to others, and use it to increase our membership and influence in your community.

Family Festival
At the Departmental Planning Meeting in January plans were made for the 5th Annual Family Festival, July 17-20 at Centre County Grange Fairgrounds. A group of Civil War Re-enactors will be present Friday-Sunday and we are trying to find another group to have a skirmish on Saturday! These folks will be available for you to talk to one-on-one, and will make a presentation Saturday afternoon for everyone. I’m sure the other Department Directors will tell you more details in their columns so I won’t here—just be sure to attend this year! We have some great workshops and tours planned again, along with the great food prepared by the Campbells. Let’s break our attendance record in this fifth anniversary year!

Grange Day May 5
Also put May 5 on your calendar for our annual Grange Day Legislative Luncheon at the Radisson Penn Harris, Camp Hill. The day will begin at 11:15 with a legislative overview by George Wolff, followed by lunch at 11:45 with the State Representatives and Senators. The invitations have been sent to all of them, so contact your representative and invite them to sit with you at the luncheon. We have invited a very prominent government official to speak following the luncheon. He has tentatively committed to attend so you’ll definitely want to be there! By next issue we should have a confirmation and can tell you who it will be!

There will not be a Fly-in bus trip to Washington DC this year because National Grange is not holding the Fly-in.

Remember to TALK GRANGE everywhere you go!