Movement That Aids Rural US Strives For Relevancy
DURANGO, Colo. (AP) - The national Grange movement, organized after the Civil War to advance the economic and social needs of rural America, is still going strong, Grange members in La Plata County say.
Norma Conley, left, cuts an anniversary cake at the Mt. Allison Grange and her sister Karen Baxter sets up ice cream. La Plata County has four active Grange chapters -- Animas Valley, Mt. Allison, Marvel and Florida Mesa.
"I think our values are the same, but some of the activities are different," said Cindy Greer, a 32-year Grange member from Marvel. "I think we focus more on community issues rather than political issues."
La Plata County has four active Grange chapters -- Animas Valley, Mt. Allison, Marvel and Florida Mesa -- and three on paper only -- Breen, Oxford and Eureka -- Greer said.
The Animas Valley Grange is set to mark its 100th anniversary next month, said member Ruth Shock. Organized in 1911, the local Grange moved into its own -- and current -- hall in April 1916.
The centennial will be celebrated in June.
Shock, who joined the Grange as a teenager (14-year-olds are eligible for membership) is the granddaughter and daughter of Animas Valley Grange members.
The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, or the Grange, was founded Dec. 4, 1867, in Washington, D.C. It is a fraternal organization that was formed for farm families to gather and, with strength in numbers, help boost their common economic and political well-being.
In its early days, the organization was secretive to keep it free of organized politics and radical activism.
Although the Grange structure remains, practices have changed, Greer said.
In keeping with the organization's bylaws, each chapter has 16 officers, although today, many serve in name only, she said.
Each Grange sets its dues, Greer said. Each member of the Marvel Grange pays $29 annually, $3 of which stays in the local unit. The remainder is split between the state and national organizations.
The Marvel Grange caters meals to raise funds to cover the cost of insurance and Grange Hall utilities, Greer said. The organization owns the hall.
One of the long-discarded practices, Greer said, is having present at Grange meetings members representing the three Graces -- Ceres, Pomona and Flora -- the patrons of, respectively, cereal, fruit and flowers.
Also, the gatekeeper, whose duty it was to ask people entering a Grange meeting for their password, today is a nominal figure only, Greer said.
A password, she said, ensured that nonmembers didn't infiltrate the organization.
The National Grange each year takes a stand on 1,400 issues. On the list are such issues as Medicare reform, dairy compacts, food safety, endangered species, rural telecommunications access, climate control and rural highways.
Grange chapters are 501c(6) organizations because they take stands on political issues, Greer said.
Grange is not all work and no play, Greer said. The hall is the focal point of social activities.
"We have Easter and Valentine's Day dinners, a New Year's Eve party, a pancake breakfast every quarter and potluck dinners," Greer said. "We have a candidates forum before an election if it doesn't duplicate what someone else does, and the League of Women Voters comes to discuss ballot issues."
Public service, too, remains a hallmark of local Grange activity, Shock, with the Animas Valley Grange, said. Members collect food for organizations that feed the hungry.
Other local Granges take on other projects, Shock said.
The Mt. Allison Grange gathers food and clothing for the homeless shelter, president Shirley Engler said. Members also pick up trash on a two-mile stretch of Colorado Highway 151 twice a year.
The two projects have proved more successful than an effort to get no-litter signs posted on Highway 151.
"We didn't get anywhere," Engler said. "Our proposal got to the state level, but it turned out to be too expensive."
If local Grange members want to influence or change public law, they must follow a chain of command. A resolution by local Grange members is forwarded to the county organization, which in turn sends it along to state Grange officials.
If the matter should involve a national issue, the state Grange communicates with national headquarters in Washington.
Grange members work with youngsters on 4-H projects to keep traditions of rural America alive. But sometimes it's not easy.
Greer, who joined the Grange at age 14, works with the chapter's Junior Grange for children ages 5 to 16.
"It's a struggle to keep kids interested because of competing activities," Greer said. "They have school homework or they get involved in sports and city recreation programs."
By Dale Rodebaugh, The Herald
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
