Matt and Charlene Espenshade, members of the Elizabethtown Grange #2076, Lancaster County, were named the PA State Grange Young Couple of the Year for 2005 at last weekend’s Young Adult/Young Marrieds weekend held in Dubois, PA.  Their coronation was the highlight of the weekend, held annually for Grangers and their friends from 21 to 35 years of age.

PA State Grange Youth Director Christie Straub from Mercer County organized the weekend and said the members attending had a “COOL” time (ask an attendee about it).  The theme for the weekend was “Oh, the Places You’ll Go,” and they did go places…they toured the Straub Brewery and learned agriculture’s role in the brewing process.  Then they went on a tour of a local winery and learned how important agriculture is to the wine business.  Their final “place to go” was a local producer of maple syrup and related maple products.

Prior to “Going Places,” National Grange Membership/Leadership Director, Ed Luttrell came in from Oregon and presented a workshop Friday evening entitled “Targeting Your Audience.”

Saturday evening saw the coronation of the Young Couple, after a testing and interview process throughout the day.  A celebration was held at the local Hoss’s restaurant.  The weekend ended Sunday morning after a Worship service led by the Young Couple and workshops on Grange 101 by Chris Straub and another by PA State Grange Executive Committee member Dave Troutman on the Grange Federal Credit Union.

The Espenshades are a “typical Grange couple…” they met each other at Grange Youth functions and were married in October, 2004.    

Charlene Shupp Espenshade grew up in Wyoming County on her family’s 368 acre dairy farm in Tunkhannock.  She (and her parents) was a member of South Auburn Grange #1188 in Meshoppen until she married Matt and then transferred to Elizabethtown Grange where she now holds the office of Lady Assistant Steward and is the chairperson of their Youth Committee.  She received her Seventh Degree in November 2004 at the National Grange Convention in Rochester, N.Y.  She is still an associate member of South Auburn Grange.

Charlene received a B.S. in Dairy Science with a minor in Community Studies from Virginia Tech in 1999.  In addition to her Grange participation, she is a member of  Alpha Zeta (Virginia Chapter Alumni), Kappa Alpha Theta (Harrisburg  Alumni Chapter’s publicity chair), and she is an advisor to the Epsilon Lambda KAO at Dickinson College.  She is the Dairy Princess Chair and the Pageant Chair for the Wyoming/Lackawanna Dairy Princess Committee.

She is also a member of the American Guernsey Association and the Holstein Association, the VA. Tech Dairy Science Alumni Association, International Order of the Rainbow Girls and the Order of  Eastern Star.  She is a member of the Calvary Church where she sings in their choir.  Charlene is a staff writer for Lancaster Farming.

Matt Espenshade is a seventh generation dairy farmer who grew up on the family farm, Evergreen Valley Farm in Bainbridge, that has been in the family since 1867.  He received his B.S. from Pennsylvania State University in 1995 in Dairy and Animal Science.

Matt is the Master (President) of Elizabethtown Grange #2076 in Lancaster County and has been a member since 1995.  Matt also received his Seventh Degree in Rochester last year.  In addition to Elizabethtown Grange, he is the Gatekeeper for the Lancaster County Pomona, a member of the PS State Grange Youth Committee and the PA State Grange History Committee.

Matt milks 75 cows on his family farm along with his Mother Susan and father Harvey.  They also have about 100 heifers and calves and raise forage crops on their 140 acres on the farm on the outskirts of Elizabethtown.  He and Charlene live on an 85 acre farm about 2 miles away from his parents’ farm.  In addition to his farm duties, Matt also is the club leader for the Lancaster County 4-H Dairy Club.  He is also a member of the Mount Calvary Church.

The PA State Grange Young Couple program was started in 1969 by Jim and Betty Diamond who were the co-directors of the Youth Department at that time.  The first Young Couple chosen were Robert and Jane Sattazahn from Berks County.  The PA State Grange Young Couple will travel around the state promoting the Youth programs of the Grange.  They will be a part of the opening ceremonies for the PA Farm Show as well as participating in various events such as Grange Youth Camp, the PA Grange Family Festival and the PA State Grange Session held in October.  As the representatives of the Young Adults in the Grange they will also make appearances at county fairs and local Granges throughout the Commonwealth promoting the Grange and their Youth.

The Grange is a family fraternal organization dedicated to the betterment of rural America through community service, education, legislation and fellowship.  The Grange includes members of all ages from their Junior Grangers (ages 5-14), Youth Members (ages 14-35) and Regular Subordinate (Local) members (age 35 and up).  The Grange represents approximately 16,000 Pennsylvanians across the state.  It is the oldest agricultural organization of its kind in the United States. The National Grange (Patrons of Husbandry) began in 1867 and the PA State Grange was chartered in 1873.