The Pennsylvania State Grange
annual “Legislative Bus Trip” to Washington, D.C. took place Wednesday
and Thursday, March 24 and 25.
45 Grange members from around
the Commonwealth, including PA State Grange President Betsy Huber,
left the Farm Show lot Wednesday morning and traveled directly to the
new Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. This is the new Air and Space
Center of the Smithsonian Institute. Grangers spent nearly 3 hours
looking at 80 aircraft including the space shuttle Enterprise, the
Enola Gay bomber and a Concorde jetliner. Later that evening they all
headed to Tony & Joe’s Restaurant in Georgetown where they were joined
by staff from the National Grange Headquarters for a delicious dinner
and fellowship.
Thursday morning saw the
Grangers head to the National Grange Headquarters on H Street in
Washington, where they were met by National Grange President Bill
Steel who is from Beaver County, PA. While there, they heard various
speakers from H.U.D. as well as Julie James from Health Policy
Alternatives, Inc. who explained the new Medicare law.
President Steel and some of his
staff then escorted the PA Grangers to a Congressional luncheon in the
Longworth House Office Building for the highlight of the trip. The
members were joined by 8 Congressmen and 10 Congressional Aides who
listened and discussed various legislative topics of interest with
their Grange constituents while enjoying a light lunch. After the
luncheon, Senator Arlen Specter addressed the group and had a short
question and answer period before the members had to leave.
Their last stop before leaving
D.C. was at the Hillwood Museum and Gardens, home of Marjorie
Merriweather Post. Mrs. Post was the sole heir to the Postum Cereal
Company and, with her husband E.F. Hutton, transformed the family
company into the General Foods Corporation. The Grangers were able to
spend about an hour and a half looking at the many items in her
mansion and strolling the various gardens on the property before they
headed back to Pennsylvania.
The Grange is a family fraternal
organization dedicated to the betterment of rural America through
community service, education, legislation and fellowship. It is the
oldest organization of its kind in the United States.