| JULY 2, 2014 -- In late winter, the State Master approached me about working on the effort to re-organize Litchfield Grange. It’s an enormous task and an even greater responsibility to take the future of an organization formed in 1889 in your hands. After a great deal of consideration I accepted the challenge and the effort is now underway.
A detailed plan was created with a multi-pronged approach used to get the word out to as many different sectors of the Litchfield community as possible. The first, and most important aspect of the plan is to be present at as many community events as possible during the month of July to give us the opportunity to talk to as many people as possible and spread the word.
We have several events planned in the coming weeks:
• July 12 – Litchfield Farm-Fresh Market at the Center School (We have already attended one of these Markets on June 28).
• July 19 – CT NOFA Summer Event (Northeast Organic Farming Organization) at the Winvian Resort in Morris.
• Main Street Marketplace in Torrington
The first Farm-Fresh Market did not have a large attendance but we were able to talk to several people and a reporter from the Waterbury Republican-American came to write an article about our effort. The article was printed the following day on page 2 of the Litchfield County section with a teaser on the front page. Can’t really ask for too much more!
In addition to the public events we will be visiting as many local businesses as possible with brochures and posters and will be contacting as many organizations and former Litchfield members as possible.
Litchfield Grange also has its own website with updated information. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well.
After the month-long publicity campaign we hope to have a good number of contacts to invite to an organizational meeting to be scheduled soon after.
The CT State Grange and the Executive Committee are committed to making every effort to save Litchfield Grange and to fight for the growth of our organization. It would be far too easy to accept the closure of Litchfield without a fight. It is our belief that Litchfield is much too important to the Connecticut State Grange and even Mountain County Pomona to let it slip away.
The new members of Litchfield Grange will have a unique opportunity – a blank slate. They will be afforded the opportunity to set the course for an essentially new organization. Unlike our newest Grange in Groton, they will not have to find a meeting place. Litchfield Grange Hall is a beautiful facility just waiting for its new members to come through its doors.
Please contact me if you have any questions or comments about our efforts to re-organize Litchfield Grange. I can be reached at GeneralDeputy@CTStateGrange.org or by phone at (860) 307-1522. |
