The seasons have changed and it is now the time of reflection of the past year.  This year’s State Session is over and was quite a success.  We had 34 resolutions to go through the committees and we were done before 2:00 P.M. on Saturday.  Good job by all.  Our National Representatives Brother James Tetreault, Lecturer of the National Grange and Tricia Taylor, Executive Committee member of the New Hampshire State Grange, brought energy and a new insight for us to look at as to where the Grange is going.  I thank you for joining us and hope you had a great time in Connecticut.

We had thirteen candidates witness the Sixth Degree and I wish to thank Jodi Ann Cameron for filling in as Flora at the last minute and all who step up to set up and take down Flora’s Court.  I want to thank Todd Gelineau and Jody Cameron for the work they put in to make this State Session a great success.  I also wish to thank the officers, Deputies and Special Deputies that help set-up, take down and work throughout the event.  Thank you all.

This year the number of attendees was down, with fewer people we cannot get a good deal at the hotel, so prices were increased.  We need to increase attendance in the future.  One thing to remember is that anyone can attend State Session.  Members can witness what goes on during the debates, hear the reports and go to the luncheons.  If we can get more members involved in the meetings, then our numbers may rise.  Let’s think about this for next year.

One thing the State Grange Board of Directors has been working on is “What are our Values.”  Values are those things that make the Grange stand out against all other organizations.  We came up with six values of the Connecticut State Grange:  Honesty, Community, Charity, Integrity, Friendship, Citizenship.  Give thought to these words because we will be talking about these values throughout the year.

We also talked about our Pomona Granges.  Friends, some of our Pomonas are in trouble, low member turnout, some with minimal Community Grange numbers.  We need to have a serious look and conversation on what the role is for Pomona in Connecticut, and what to do if we lose three Pomonas this year.  National Grange is having this same discussion and the leaders of National don’t think we need Pomona, I disagree.  Look out for further information on this topic.  We need to hear from you.

National Grange Convention will be the election of officers.  Will there be change or will we continue on the same pathway we are presently on?  We will see.

I wish to thank all of our Grangers for their support and gracious conversation we have had this year and I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, because we all have a lot to be thankful for this year.