Opinion: Full of ‘doers,’ Grange is much more than a fair

When you say the word “Grange” to most people in Centre County, it’s just about synonymous with the Grange Fair held in Centre Hall each August. For 148 years, the Grange Fair (initially the Grange Pic-Nic) has served as a great end-of-summer gathering for fairgoers from far and wide. Celebrating agriculture and the local community, the fair is not only fun for the whole family, but an incredible economic boost for the region.

But what about the other 50 weeks of the year? Though Grange Park operates year-round for events, the Granges of Centre County do far more than just help run the fair.

The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry was founded in 1867 as a means of helping farmers connect with one another, to help rebuild following the Civil War. This fraternal society boomed in the early years, seeing nearly a million members. In 1873, the first Grange was formed in Centre County, and the Centre County Pomona Grange was founded in 1874 — the same year the Grange Picnic began.

Although the Grange began as an organization strictly for farmers and agricultural connections, it has bloomed into a family organization, devoted to service and advocacy for the communities where they exist and operate. The Grange has more than 140,000 members in 1,500 communities nationwide. The National Grange has been influential in non-partisan legislation that includes Rural Free Delivery, aviation, railroads, farm bills, health care, and — most recently — rural broadband. The Grange has evolved into a leading advocacy organization for all rural Americans — members and non-members alike.

Today, 11 Granges operate in Centre County — Progress #96 (Centre Hall), Logan #109 (Pleasant Gap), Bald Eagle #151 (Wingate), Penns Valley #158 (Spring Mills), Victor #159 (Boalsburg), Marion #223 (Jacksonville), Halfmoon #290 (Halfmoon Township), Union #235 (Unionville), Port Matilda #1284 (Julian), Baileyville #1991 (Pennsylvania Furnace), and Walker #2007 (Bellefonte/Walker Township). Together, these Granges are all a part of Centre County Pomona Grange #13.

Full Grange membership begins at age 14, and for children, the recently founded Centre Junior Grange #550 is open to kids aged 5-14 from all over the county.

The Granges in Centre County annually perform hundreds of hours of community service and donate thousands of dollars to causes around the county. They provide hundreds of dollars in scholarships to graduating seniors, support schools and emergency services, and can be seen “on the ground” doing volunteer work for worthy causes.

The Grange is formed of “doers” in the community — people who see a problem and want to know how to get involved.

Of course, this includes the time it takes to operate the Grange Fair, with members of Granges elected to serve as the Centre County Fair Committee. In her address at the opening of the Grange Fair in 2015, National Grange President Betsy Huber called the fair, “one of the largest community service projects in the country.”

If you’re interested in being a part of the Grange, we would love to see you at one of our meetings! If you’re stopping by the fair, please visit the Membership Table, located in the Grange Exhibits Building. Check out the Grange exhibits in the building as well — and learn how you can be a part of the process of serving your community.

For two weeks each summer, Grange is on full display through the fair. But for the other 50 weeks, Granges continue working to make every corner of Centre County better, as a part of a large fraternal society, networking from coast-to-coast. The fair is amazing, but the Grange itself is so much more.