137th Annual PA State Grange Session

PRESS RELEASE

PA STATE GRANGE

Date: October 7, 2009

Contact: Carl Meiss

Public Relations Director

Release: Immediate

RE: Johnstown to Host 137th Annual PA State Grange Session

Johnstown, PA - The 137th Annual PA State Grange Session will be held October 17-19, 2009 at the Frank J. Pasquerilla Conference Center, 301 Napoleon Street, Johnstown, PA.

The Host Counties include Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Clearfield, Indiana and Somerset. Community Grange members from the six counties have been working nearly a year to plan for this year's convention dubbed "Grange in the Valley."

PA State Grange Master/President Betsy Huber of Chester County will conduct the Official Opening of the 137th Annual Session, which will take place in Ballrooms A & B of the Pasquerilla Center at 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning, October 17. This year's representatives from the National Grange will be Joe (photo above) and Tammy Fryman from Nebraska. Joe is the National Grange Treasurer as well as the Nebraska Grange Master/President. Tammy is the immediate past National Grange Flora.

All 270 Community Granges in the Commonwealth in good standing as of the third quarter are eligible to send at least two delegates to the Annual Session. (The number of delegates is dependent on the total number of members in a local Grange). Delegates set the legislative policies of the State Grange for the following year by voting on "Resolutions" previously submitted by local Community Grange members to the State Grange office. This year there were 59 resolutions submitted by the September 14, 2009 deadline. The resolutions are categorized as follows: Agriculture & Environmental; Family Issues; Government Issues, and; Good of the Order.

Saturday's Session will be officially closed at 4:15 p.m. by the PA State Grange Youth Officer Team. The annual All Granger Banquet will be held from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. in the conference center and will be emceed this year by Chester Tau of Crawford County, PA State Grange Overseer/Vice-President. The PA State Grange Youth and Juniors will hold their own parties in the evening at the Holiday Inn, the host hotel.

After the church service Sunday morning, the PA State Juniors will hold their annual meeting and degree, followed by a Master's Workshop prior to lunch. The PA State Grange Youth luncheon will be held in the hotel at 11:00 a.m. At 1:00 p.m. the Public Speaking, Sign-A-Song and Talent competitions will be held in the conference center ballrooms. Sunday evening will see the Sixth Degree Conferral of the PA State Grange held at 6:30 followed by a 9:00 reception.

Monday will wrap up the official business of the Grange after a 7:00 a.m. Family Activities breakfast. Session will begin at 8:30 a.m. and will conclude with the installation of a newly elected Executive Committee Officer, Recognition of the 137th Host Committee and an invitation to the 138th Annual Session in Sharon, PA.

The Grange is a family fraternal organization dedicated to the betterment of rural life through community service, education, legislation and fellowship. The Grange is the oldest agricultural and rural advocacy organization in the country, founded nationally in 1867 and in Pennsylvania in 1873. The Grange includes the entire family through its Junior, Youth and Community Granges.