Grange Encourages Public Involvement

WINCHESTER — As the Winchester Grange gears up for its annual flea market May 19 and its Strawberry Festival on Father’s Day, June 17, the organization is also alerting area residents to the benefits of joining the organization.

"More and more younger members are participating but I feel they are not always able to commit to the meetings. Many are busy with jobs and their families," said Todd Gelineau, master of the Winchester Grange. "We encourage members to be as active as possible."

Gerlineau said the Grange has been a positive force in the United States for the past 140 years and that many people remain members for life. "People who remain active the longest in the Grange gain their niches," he said. Some help to maintain the Grange Hall, while others cook dinners, present talks and organize festivities. Although the organization has more than 300,000 members, many remain unaware of the organization’s success and interaction with communities.

The first National Grange, officially known as the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, was organized in 1867 by Minnesota farmer and activist Oliver Hudson Kelley, who believed in starting an organization dedicated to farmers.

The chief purpose of the Grange is to represent the views of rural residents and the agricultural community at the subordinate (local), pomona (county), state and national Grange levels.

Today there are 2,444 community granges in 40 states and the District of Columbia, and 36 state granges, with Pennsylvania having the largest number of granges at 297.

Connecticut has 67 Granges, with Winchester Grange (#74) having the largest membership in Connecticut and on the East Coast with more than 300 members. Members are taught to respect each other and to enjoy not only hard work but the bounties of life.

As the longest-serving Grange master in Winchester history, Gelineau remains active at all levels, serving as the pomona deputy, president of the Connecticut Agricultural Fair and the editor of the Connecticut Grange, the official newspaper of the Connecticut State Grange. The National Grange is active with legislative issues, including rural highways and infrastructure, school partnerships, the Endangered Species Act and regional dairy compacts.

Meetings of the Winchester Grange are held at the Grange Hall in the center of Winchester on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 8 p.m. The Grange welcomes people 14 and older to join. Children under the age of 14 can join one of Connecticut’s four Junior Granges

For further information on the Grange and membership information, visit ctstategrange.org.