A2O-L«ncaster Farming, Saturday, April 22, 1995
Governor Ridge
Proclaims Grange Week
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) —More than 300,000 Grange
members nationwide will cele
brate Grange Week April 23-29.
In recognition of the event. Gover
nor Tom Ridge has officially pro
claimed that week Pennsylvania
State Grange Week.
“Their (Grange members) val
ues of hard work and service to the
community have helped to rein
force our agricultural traditions
and have bettered the quality of
life in rural communities for many
years,” Ridge said. “Grange
efforts are focused on family and
opportunities to be involved in
agriculture and community ser
vice as it provides leadership and
support in the technical and scien
tific advances of tomorrow. I urge
all of our citizens to acknowledge
and applaud the achievements
made by the Pennsylvania State
Grange.”
The Pennsylvania State Grange
will offically celebrate Grange
Week on Monday, April 24 with
educational workshops on such
topics as health care, environmen
tal issues, agricultural concerns
and combatting animal rights
activists. A legislative reception
and banquet follows the work-
PA Grangers To Discuss
Issues With Lawmakers
(Contlnutd from Pag# 1)
sink in the state House. The
Grange, in an effort to further
oppose riverboat gambling, joined'
a coalition that is fighting to defeat
the bill.
Truck Plates—This bill passed
the House and is currently in the
Senate Transportation Committee.
Many farmers want to drive their
farm vehicles after dark and for
more miles. The Grange fixed that
problem in the last session, but
some farmers wanted more
options. To correct the situation,
the Grange supports legislation
that creates another class of
registration to accommodate all
farm vehicle owners.
Underground Storage
Tanks—Hß 825, which contains
several agricultural provisions,
passed the House recently and is
now in the Senate. Operators of
tanks on farms would pay the
same indemnification fee (2 cents
per gallon used plus $100) as own
ers of gasoline tanks. Farmers cur-
Diane Myers, former Cumberland County dairy princesa,
left, and Jennifar Grimes, former Pennsylvania dairy prin
cess, serve milk punch at the annual Legislative Reception
at Grange Day ’94.
Gov. Tom Ridge spoke to
about 500 Grangers at the
state convention in Carlisle
last November Just two weeks
before he won the election.
shops, which kick off Grange
Week activities at 1 p.m. Nearly
400 Pennsylvania Grangers are
expected to attend the festivities at
the Sheraton Inn-East in Harris
burg. Non-grangers are cordially
invited and can register by calling
1-800-552-3865 by April 19.
rently receive bills bn capacity of
tanks and not usage. The bill aslo
would add a farm owner to the
storage tank advisory committee
and a Grange member to the
underground storage tank advis
ory committee. Furthermore, a
storage tank loan fund would be
available to the owner of the farm
who wishes to close or remove a
storage tank under this legislation.
State Budget—The Grange is
pleased that the governor’s budget
seeks increases in agricultural
funding, but seeks more funding
for ag research and Penn State
Cooperative Extension, whose
funding remained the same as last
year. The Grange also opposes
cuts in the FFA, the Animal
Health Commission and mush
room promotion.
Property Rights—The Grange
seeks legislation that would pro
vide compensation for landowners
when there is a property loss. The
bill also would require govern
ment agencies to assess the impact
of any new regulation on the rights
Pennsylvania State Grange
Works
Pennsylvania
State Grange
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) —It has been said that our
youth are our most precious
resource. The manner in which we
raise our children will have an
impact on generations to come.
Deb Campbell, PA State Grange
Junior Director, said it’s a pri
vilege to work with young people
in the Junior Grange.
“I’ve always said that Grange
kids are different,” Campbell said.
“I’m not like some other adults
who look for the faults in our
children. If you can keep kids
busy, they’ll stay out of trouble
and will be willing to do what you
ask.”
Junior Grange, entering its
108th year, is open to children
ages 5-14 as part of the Pennsylva
nia State Grange. The Grange is a
rural, agricultural and family
organization which offers mem
bers social activities, a legislative
voice, community service and
insurance and cooperative buying
programs. The PA State Grange is
celebrating Grange Week 1995,
which is being honored the week
of April 23-29, with its Legislative
Day in Harrisburg on April 24.
One of the organizations great
est interests is the development of
its youth and juniors.
“Junior Grange teaches leader
ship to young people,” Campbell
said. “It also teaches them not
only to get along with children
their own age, but how to interact
with everyone.’ 1
Contests -and programs are
offered through the Junior Grange
as a way to promote this leader
ship and develop the children into
active citizens. Every year there is
a statewide talent competition,
creative writing contests, craft
contests, various field trips and
Junior Camp.
At Junior Camp, a Junior Prince
and Princess are chosen to repre-
of private property owners,
Industrial Sites—Senate Bill 1
encourages cleaning up and reus
ing abandoned and polluted
industrial sites. The Grange sup
ports this bill and believes every
effort should be used to utilize
existing sites and not build new
sites on agricultural and forest
lands.
Prior to the evening legislative
banquet, workshops on various
topics will be held. Two cabinet
members in the Ridge administra
tion, Charles Brosius, Secretary of
Agriculture, and James Seif, Sec
retary of the Department of Envir
onmental Resources, will be on
hand to discuss their plans for
their respective departments and
answer questions from audience
members.
Non-Grange members are
invited to attend these workshops
and Grange Day festivities. Call
1-800-SS2-386S by April 19 for
more details or to register.
The PA State Grange, repre
senting 33,000 members in 66
counties across the state, is an
!VetmsyCvatda Qrange tyxvs
To Cultivate Youth
At Junior Grange Camp for fun, all jump into the water
together. Camp is held for Junior grange members between
the ages of 10 and 14 while any youth age 5 to 14 may
become a member of the Junior Grange.
sent the Junior Grange for the
coming year. They are selected
based on their knowledge of the
Grange, answers to impromptu
questions and an essay. This inter
est in the children doesn’t end
once they leave Junior Grange.
At age 14, they can no longer be
Junior Grangers, but are eligible to
become regular members of their
local Granges and part of the
Youth Department.
“Where will the Grange—and
society in general—be in the
future if it doesn’t nurture its
youth?” Martha Ebersole, state
youth/young marrieds directors,
said.
The Youth Department picks up
where the Junior Grange leaves
off by .offering various activities
and programs that would appeal to
the different age groups between
14 and 35. There is an annual
Youth Camp, statewide volleyball
tournament, public speaking con
test and other honors such as the
Youth Ambassadors. At Youth
Grange cookbooks era a staple in many Pennsylvania
kitchens as wed as kitchens from Hawaii to Canada. Marcia
Shore, left, and Mary Hiller, show two of the Grange
cookbooks.
agricultural, rural and community and community service and is s
service organization working to grass-roots organization that gives
improve the quality of life for Pen- members a voice in local, state
nsylvanians through legislation and federal government
Camp, the highlight of the Youth
Department’s year, one female
and one male Youth Ambassador
between the ages of 16 and 22 are
chosen.
“These Ambassadors will hold
their title for a year,” Ebeisole
said. “During they
help spread the word of the
Grange by representing the orga
nization at various functions.”
The Grange also does its part to
develop its young married cou
ples. according to Ebersole. Each
spring, a Young Marrieds
Weekend is sponsored and cou
ples have the opportunity to get
away from home to relax and
socialize with other young cou
ples. There are also a number of
educational workshops geared
toward the couples on subjects
such as remodeling your home,
family finances and health cate.
No matter what age, the Grange
tries to develop activities and
programs to interest its members.