MICHIGAN STATE GRANGE MASTER/PRESIDENT
Christopher D. Johnston
6241 Grand River Road
Bancroft, MI 48414
(989)634-9350 (H) (989)666-6648 (C)
msgprez19@yahoo.com

MICHIGAN STATE GRANGE OFFICE
404 S. Oak Street
Durand, MI 48429
(989)288-4546
msgrange1873@yahoo.com



MARCH/APRIL 2026 GRANGE NEWS
Grange Month
Once again we are approaching a month that we take time to celebrate this wonderful organization. April is Grange Month. Take this time to celebrate Grange as well as honor yourselves as Grangers. Invite the public to a meeting, present awards, have some fun with games, and don’t forget what Grangers are known for, fantastic feasts!!

You don’t have to limit your awards to just the community service awards (police, firefighter, teacher, VIP, etc) but give out some special awards to your members and the folks in your community. Have someone that always shows up to help at every dinner? Show how much you appreciate them! And have some fun and present awards that will make them laugh, like the one that always dresses the most colorful.

This is the month to really make the Grange shine and invite everyone to make a difference with us!

Day of Learning
Have you often wondered about the different departments within the Grange and what their programs are? Have questions about a certain project that you might be interested in participating in?

April 25th is your chance to come enjoy some fun, fellowship and of course food while you hear from all the department directors about their programs! Get your questions answered and learn of any exciting changes from last year. Load up the vehicle and bring a crew!

This all day event with a potluck lunch will be held from 9:00 - 4:00 pm at the Midland Township Hall, 1303 S. Poseyville Road, Midland.
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Legislative Review Committee
The committee has started meeting and is already making progress in reviewing the Michigan State Grange legislative policy to bring it current. They will be meeting monthly and will be bringing their report to State Session to be reviewed by the delegate body to make their changes final.  

Roland and Beulah Winter Memorial Scholarship
I would like to remind members of the new scholarship through the Foundation honoring Roland and Beulah Winter.

This is the first year of the scholarship for members attending a college, university, vocational, technical or trade school, either full or part time. Applications are due June 1st and winners will be announced in July. The applications are available on the Foundation page of the website.

Help Wanted!!
I’m in search of a couple folks that would like to take the leadership role of a department.

I need someone(s) interested in leading the future members of the Grange, Juniors/Youth/Young Adults. This department would be getting the younger members of the Grange involved and educated on the Grange while having lots of fun. Because of the age difference, having co-directors would be ideal.

I also need someone that is interested in the legislative side of the Grange. The Legislative Director promotes the policy of the Grange.

If either of these departments catch your eye, please reach out to me.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026 GRANGE NEWS

Happy New Year
Welcome to 2026, the beginning of a new year for new ideas, new programs, new members, new fun, and new fellowship opportunities. This is a great time of the year to be planning for the new year.
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One suggestion is to look at the National Grange Distinguished Grange Award application and use that as a platform to see what points you can earn and then plan your events so that your Grange can qualify for the award. With Connie as the coordinator for the program, she’s hoping to increase Michigan’s participation in the program. She would love to see 100% participation!
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Reminder to let the State Grange webmaster know of your events so she can get them on the State Grange website calendar to share with everyone!
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National Grange Recap:
Connie and I returned from a very interesting National Session aboard the Carnival Horizon. The session itself had many challenges that as Grangers we were able to overcome and proceed for a successful convention. The cruise itself shared a few of its own challenges, from a late departure from the port for one matter to a much later return to port due to mechanical issues. While the next few sessions are already set and will be firmly on land, this experience doesn’t appear to have eliminated the chance of another session aboard a cruise.
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The main news to report that will affect everyone is the $6 dues increase I mentioned at the state session has passed and will go into effect January 1, 2026. The Michigan State Grange Secretary is in the process of getting new quarterly reports ready to send to the Secretaries of the respective Granges across the state. For those not at the state convention, the delegates approve revisions to the dues structure within the Michigan State Grange bylaws to be $35 per member plus the National Grange Dues. The change allows for National Grange to change their dues and we won't have to change the By-Laws in multiple locations to allow for the change.
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In addition to the dues increase, the National Grange Executive Committee has divided the State Granges amongst themselves to work with the State Grange Presidents and select others on a Performance Improvement Plan. The plan is to work towards the common goal of improving Community Granges by increasing members as well as to increase the number of Granges in the state. I will be working with Walter Hartley who is newly appointed onto the National Grange Executive Committee from Rhode Island. In addition to myself working with Walter, I will be contacting a few others to assist in the PIP.
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Michigan State Grange Department Directors Day of Learning
Your MSG Department Directors are working together to set a date and location for the Day of Learning in the spring where they will share their ideas and goals and programs for this year. There will be food, fun and fellowship for all members. Plan to come and bring a car load of people for a day of learning.
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Until next time…..