The 131st Annual Session of the Connecticut State Grange gave the State Grange Executive Committee the task of creating new Pomona Granges in Connecticut. We have taken this work seriously and committed ourselves to the task of making a plan for strong Pomona Granges for the future. On July 9 we presented the plan for the new Pomona Granges to the membership of the Connecticut State Grange. New boundaries were drawn and we have presented three new Pomona Granges. These new Pomona Granges equally divide the state and provide the strongest leadership for the Pomona Granges to survive in the future. The next step is for the new Pomona Granges to meet with their mentors to create new by-laws and elect officers to begin the new Pomona Granges after November 1, 2017. It will take cooperation from everyone to assure that these Pomona Granges will succeed. For if everyone doesn’t get onboard then this effort can fail and Pomona Granges will no longer be in Connecticut. It is up to us all to see that this new plan for Pomona Granges is successful. Join the winning team!

Summertime is quickly coming to an end. I see that our Community Granges are busy with Grange Fairs, Markets, Dinners, Tag Sales, Dances and Music Nights. This is the backbone of the Grange, promotion of agriculture, educating people, bringing people together, and feeding great food to the public. Use this time to promote our organization. Our membership committee can get you custom material for your Grange but YOU have to ask. We provide a great community presence but lack on the follow up to gain new members. Our survival demands a change in our tactics to gain new members.

Camp Maud Isbell Berger is open for another season. It got off to a rocky start but the Kimberly’s have expanded the programs to provide the best Camp in the area for the money. This year many Granges donated camperships to the Camp and I thank all of you that donated this year to the Camp. It is a gem of which we all can be proud.

The New England Lecturer’s Conference will be upon us at Castleton University in Vermont. Let’s hope that we have clear weather and no hills to climb at the campus. I have always enjoyed the Lecturer’s Conference as a way to meet new people and get new ideas for programs and having fun. Thank you, Marge Bernhardt for all the hard work that you do at these conferences. It is truly a labor of love.

Just a reminder as State Session is just around the corner… Resolutions are the work of the day. Now is the time to start preparing resolutions for us to work on. This will be the last time that Pomona Masters will oversee Session Committees so please attend and be part of history.

The new t-shirts for the 2018 National Grange Convention are out so show your support by purchasing them. The more we sell now the less we have to pay later to National Grange. More items will be coming to help pay for this convention.

The Big E is just around the corner and I hope that you are busy knitting, crocheting, and sewing items for the sale room. The jams and jellies will be delivered on August 29th. These sales help keep the New England Grange Building the pride of the Big E. Come and visit and buy a bit of New England.