Old group seeks some young blood
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WILLIAMSBURG - When Candace Smith joined the Williamsburg Grange in 1961, she said it was "the thing to do." She was 14 years old, and the Grange meetings, dances and events were populated by all her peers.
"I couldn't wait to join," Smith said. "There were a lot of teenagers. After the meetings we would have dances while the older people went downstairs to play cards."
Today some Granges are still active around western Massachusetts, but as the numbers of people involved in farming and agriculture dwindle in local communities, the ranks in many Granges are thinning. Young people especially are absent, as each generation gets farther from the agricultural roots that once reached into almost every aspect of Hilltown and Pioneer Valley life.
With an eye to turning around that trend, the Williamsburg Grange is working with its two elementary schools to bring their students and agriculture together once again. By sharing their knowledge of agriculture, gardening and other traditions, Grange members aim to connect with students as they learn about gardening through the Fertile Ground Program at the Helen E. James and Anne T. Dunphy Schools.
"Working with kids and teaching them is where we have to go to grow," Smith said. "We're excited about the possibility of new membership and new life."
The Grange was started as a fraternal organization in 1867 as a way for farming families across the country to unite and work together to improve their situations. The organization's popularity peaked in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when one-third of Americans were farmers. But, as farms disappeared in the 20th century, Grange membership suffered. In 2005 the National Grange reported a membership of 300,000 members, a third of its size in 1875, when membership peaked.
Although some local Granges seem to have a secure membership base, others around the country are closing their doors as their membership declines.
Young members needed
The Williamsburg Grange seems to be doing better than some, with 59 members, although the average age of members has continued to rise in recent years.
Smith said that the vast majority of members are around 50 or 60 years old, and none are younger than 30.
Like many Granges, the Williamsburg Grange has re-envisioned its mission and now focuses much of its time doing community service, such as supporting children in foster care and raising money with a talent show for Heifer International, a nonprofit organization that seeks to relieve global hunger and poverty. The organization is still committed to agriculture, though, and puts on an annual fair in September.
Smith, 62, said she hopes the Fertile Ground Program will teach elementary school students some of the fundamentals of agriculture, while possibly adding some young blood to the Grange.
"We hope some young people and their families will get involved," Smith said. "Maybe we could start another Junior Grange - that would be wonderful." Smith was in charge of the town's Junior Grange program, which was dissolved in 2005 because there were not enough members. Junior Grange members are ages 5 to 13, and Youth Grange members, also absent from the Williamsburg Grange, are 14 to 21 years old.
Calvin Chase, president of the Massachusetts State Grange, said that only four Junior Granges currently meet in the state; the closest one is in Middlefield. He said that, like the Williamsburg Grange, the State Grange is working to recruit young members.
"We're always trying to get younger people involved," Chase said.
Other local Granges are in similar situations - they have a good number of members, just not a lot of active ones. James Martin Jr. of Cummington, who is a member of the Chesterfield Grange, said it has 41 members who pay dues, but only about 20 of them regularly attend meetings.
He said new members are scarce, but membership has stayed steady over the last decade.
In Hadley, the Grange has 14 members, eight of whom regularly attend meetings. Member Virginia Koehler said that those numbers have not changed much in recent history. "Young people just don't join anymore," Koehler said.
The Whately Grange has 60 members, although only about 15 to 20 attend meetings, member Adelia Bardwell said.
"Membership is steady, (but) we're not gaining in the way that we would like," she said.
Common ground
The Fertile Ground program, which started with a small garden at the Helen E. James School in 2003, aims to improve communities through gardening and other food projects.
Sally Loomis of Williamsburg, who manages the Fertile Ground project, said that the new intergenerational gardening program will benefit both young and old members of the community.
Loomis said that the relationship between the Grange and Fertile Ground was born of a July grant from Tufts Health Plan Foundation. "Fertile Ground got a grant from Tufts to support healthy aging by creating an intergenerational gardening program," Loomis said.
"This program will allow seniors to share their knowledge of farming and food and offers ways for seniors to continue gardening," Loomis said.
"It will also provide adult mentors for the school gardening program and forge lasting relationships between seniors and youth in Williamsburg."
"Seniors are invited to assist a garden educator in teaching gardening lessons at the James School on Thursdays and Fridays during the spring, "Loomis said.
Loomis also hopes that seniors will help in the classroom, too.
"Seniors knowledgeable about aspects of growing, preparing and preserving food are invited to lead workshops for students on topics such as pickling, jam-making, seed saving, flower arranging and more," she said.
Smith said that some potential workshop topics she and other Grange members are considering include canning, making maple sugar and displaying vegetables at a fair.
Older Grange members may also benefit from the relationship when students, parents and seniors build an accessible garden for seniors in the spring. It will be a raised garden, so that older gardeners will not have to kneel or bend over.
Loomis said she is still seeking older individuals to lead workshops or help with education in the garden.
For information or to get involved, contact Loomis at 268-0108 or email her at loomissally@gmail.com.
Rebecca Everett can be reached at reverett@gazettenet.com.
