To the Editor:
Winter is almost over. As we begin to plan our spring activities, our space is also available for rent for so many gatherings.

Our meetings are held on the first Wednesday of the month, starting at 6 p.m., and the third Sunday of the month, starting at 3 p.m. with a potluck meal, where everyone brings an item to share. Everyone, of all ages, is welcome.

We’re also generally available on Zoom. If you’d like to join us on Zoom, you need to contact me, Carol Carpenter, at 518-421-1384 for the link.

Of course, we’re always looking for new members! New members are also able to participate in any or all of our activities. We realize that not everyone wants to do everything that we plan. We are a community-service organization for the surrounding communities as the need arises.

We host a Clothing Shed on our property that accepts men’s, ladies’, and children’s clothing; shoes; boots; belts; curtains; stuffed animals; blankets; and towels. We also accept glasses and hearing aids for the Lion’s Club.

We collect nonperishable food items for the surrounding food pantries. We accept donations of the recyclable bottles and cans, with the proceeds going towards the upkeep of our historic building.

We also collect the pull tabs from soda and beer cans, pet foods, soup cans, canned fish, and more. The pull tabs are donated to the Ronald McDonald House in Albany.

Bethlehem Grange 137 is proud to be a Chapter for Stars4OurTroops. We share the stars from retired American flags with veterans, new enlistees, and first responders. We also accept donations of worn or tattered flags in our Flag Mailbox, located in front, to be properly disposed of, in a flag burning ceremony.

Bethlehem Grange is proud to be able to host several Girl Scout troops for their meetings and activities.

Our Bethlehem Grange 137 is 148 years old on March 17, 2022. Our Grange Hall is also on the National Register of Historic Places.

National Grange month is in April, with lots of activities all month long, both in person and online.

We’re planning for our Craft Fair and Plant Sale that is coming up in May, recognizing community members, and of course our monthly community dinners and our upcoming barbecues. In June, we will be hosting our garage sale for three weekends.

We will begin accepting donations from the surrounding communities of new or gently used items for our sale, after our Craft Fair and Plant Sale on May 21. Nothing goes into Dumpsters after our sale. We find new homes for everything to keep things out of the landfills.

You can also visit us at the Altamont Fair in the Grange Building from Aug. 16 to 21. Everyday there will be demonstrations of crafts and baking — with the baked goodies available for sale. You can enjoy them with our milk or coffee right in our Grange Building. Different craft demonstrations are done daily.

Of course, there’s all of our specially designed booths done by each Grange, all in competition. Everyone is busily working on their booths, collecting the items that are needed for their displays.

By August, we are getting ready to set up our booths before the fair opens. There’s no time to leave all of the planning to the last minute.

Carol Carpenter

President

Bethlehem Grange 137