The Mt. Lookout Grange, which had been the heartbeat of the community, has come into its own again in the past year.
In May last year, Patricia Burk and Betsy Harrison decided to relaunch the local Grange, which had been closed since the mid-1980s.
Now the group has an active membership of about 70.
"I didn't realize people were so hungry for community," said Burk, who is now a member of the executive committee.
The Grange is a nonprofit fraternal organization formally known on the national level as The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry. As the name implies, it is an agricultural- and family- centered group.
Over the past year, the local Grange has been fulfilling its mission with monthly community dinners, food preservation activities and speakers.
Burk and Harrison saw the potential for the building to be used by the community after the Mancos Head Start class vacated the building. However, they didn't expect for it to flourish.
"There's been just overwhelming response to everything we've done," Burk said.
Burk grew up with the Grange and says she can remember playing there when she was 4 years old. She said she is pleased to see it drawing families with young children.
While the average age of American farmers is nearing 60, younger people in the Mancos Valley are getting back to the earth, and the Grange has given them a place to come together, said Harrison, the Grange treasurer.
The free community dinners have also helped draw people to the group.
"The dinners have a great feeling - it brings all kinds of people together," Harrison said.
On average, the dinners draw about 60 people, but the most recent dinner drew about 80 people. The group expects seating to expand outside during the summer.
Gretchen Groenke, a community health organizer with Live Well Montezuma, and Americorps volunteer Harrison Topp brought the idea to the group.
The community dinners recently expanded to Cortez.
Harrison also credits Topp with helping to draw in the younger members.
Part of the organization's strength has been offering a space for people in the community to host events.
The Grange is home to yoga and meditation classes, as well as classes on growing and using mushrooms among other events.
The Grange hopes to continue to expand with a demonstration garden as well as a Junior Grange for children under 14.
Monthly meetings are held on the first Monday, at 6 p.m., and community dinners are n the second Sunday at 5:30 p.m.
mshinn@cortezjournal.com
Grange addresses garden needs
By Mary Shinn
The Cortez Journal
The Grange works to educate the community on a variety of agricultural topics.
At an upcoming workshop, Grange members plan to address building soil by composting.
Gardening with compost can be affordable way to help reduce the need for herbicides and pesticides by improving plant health.
Here are some simple ways to get started from Gretchen Groenke, community health organizer.
The basic heap
The most basic strategy is a compost heap with greens that are high in nitrogen and browns high in carbon.
The greens can be any fresh organic waste such as grass clippings and food. Carbons can be dried leaves or cardboard.
Flipping the pile and adding worms - specifically, red wigglers - can speed up the decomposition process.
Composting in place
Another strategy is to build topsoil within a garden - sheet mulching. Start with a layer of cardboard, followed by a layer of manure, followed by straw or leaves.
The cardboard should completely cover the soil to prevent grasses and other weeds from coming through.
'With our clay soils, and our really dry climate, we need to mulch our gardens,' Groenke said.
Before using manure in a garden, it is important to make sure the animals were not eating hay that had been sprayed by herbicide because it could prevent broad leaf plants from growing.
Winter composting
A worm bin inside can keep worms alive and build up a store of soil to use in the spring, said Judith Selby, who is going to be selling composting worms locally.
Red wigglers, commonly used for composting, will not survive a winter in this area unless the compost is huge or heated. But it can be a clean and scentless endeavor. Adding shredded paper can help keep the bin from getting slimy and smelly.
If it starts to smell
It is likely that the balance of carbon materials and nitrogen materials is off.
The compost pile might also need to be aerated. When there is no oxygen in compost, the anaerobic bacteria can create a smelly situation.
A soil-building workshop will be held at the Mancos Public library on Saturday, May 31, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
mshinn@cortezjournal.com
