President, George Yount, 385-0456 Vice-President, David Thielk, 385-3308 Secretary, David Goldman, 385-3455 Treasurer, Jo Yount 385-0456

Building Committee, Jo Yount, 385-0456 Communications/Publicity/Newsletter, Charlotte Goldman, 385-3455 Grange Historian, Marla Streator, 385-6924 Grange Photographer, Julie Jaman, 385-6078

Quimper Grange Newsletter for September 2010 The Care and Eating of Local Mushrooms Wednesday Sept 1, 7:30pm Quimper Grange 1219 Corona Street (End of Sheridan) Wednesday, Sept 1, Quimper Grange will present a talk by Olympic Peninsula Mycological Society member, David Weitzman. David will introduce beginners to local edible mushrooms such as Chantrells, Lobster Mushrooms, Shaggy Manes, Parasol Mushrooms and Boletes and the types of habitat and conditions where they may David Weitzman, Mycological Society member and Mushroom afficionado. be found. He will cover techniques of picking mushrooms and best ways of handling them on the trail. Attendees will learn how to cook as well as how to preserve mushrooms. He will show slides, distribute recipes and bring samples of preserved mushrooms. Weitzman, who says his interest in mushrooms is purely gustatory, has been happily foraging the forests for mushrooms for 20 years. His affection for these tasty forest dwellers, as well as the challenge of the hunt, was awakened by a friend who passed on what he had learned from his Italian grandmother. A member of the Mycological Society for four and a half years, Weitzman says that it is important to be able to identify similar inedibles to avoid any problems and that there have been no poisonings in Washington with people who belong to a mycological society. The program starts at 7:30 pm and is preceded by a potluck dessert/fingerfood social half-hour from 7pm to 7:30pm. Suggested donation: $5-$10. For further information contact: Charlotte Goldman at 385-3455. The Quimper Grange rents space. Call Jo Yount at 385-0456/774-6618

DeThe Quimper Grange Azure Buying Club is now set up and we will be picking up our first

Azure order on Tuesday, August 31. Grange volunteers will pick up all member orders at the Drop Point and bring them to our hall late that Tuesday afternoon. Those who placed orders should plan on coming to the hall that same Tuesday evening at 6:30PM to claim their orders. The deadline for placing the next order on Azure’s web site is 3PM, Friday, September 24. The pick up will be the following Tuesday, September 28. For more information call David Goldman at 385 3455. We look forward to even more of our members and Friends participating. We invite those of you who wish to participate to become a Grange member or a Friend of Quimper Grange by picking up an application at the next regular program on Wednesday, Sept 1 or call/e-mail Jo Yount at 385-0456 or [email protected]. David Goldman

Join Us For Composting Class In Our Garden That’s right – join us in the Grange garden so that your garden can be better! On Saturday, September 25th at noon we will host a 4 hour workshop on COMPOSTING taught by organic farmer, Sebastian Aguilar. This free workshop is provided by Jefferson County Public Works and Local 20/20’s Resiliancy Action Group. Our garden is the recipient of a new 3-bin composter, which will help us make the best use of garden waste this fall and winter and into the future. Come and learn with us – rain or shine. Bring a lunch and a chair. Sebastian will provide plenty of information and good incentives for you to do this at home or perhaps you’d like to help us in the Grange garden. Have you noticed the new crops in the garden this summer? Squash, beans, beets, kale, potatoes, and our wonderful CORN patch. Jo Yount

Corn Feed and Music: September 19, Sunday, 5pm to 8pm Come celebrate our lovely corn crop – listen to the music we make together – honor our 50-year Grange member, Herb Beck. We’ll provide corn on the cob, potato salad, and coffee. Bring whatever you want to supplement it. AND bring instruments, voices, ears, and even dancing shoes, and we’ll have a party! We want to share our bounty and to say thanks to all who have made it possible and who continue to improve it.

Our Historian Says……. Grange Sponsored Income Tax Initiative Passes with 70% of the Vote… in 1932 Starting in 1929 the Grange took up the battle here in Washington State for a fairer tax system fighting hard for an income tax to replace onerous property taxes that many farmers were unable to pay. This was an urgent cause due to the fact that state revenues came almost entirely from property taxes, which meant farmers paid disproportionately. In the ten years following the turn of the 20th century property taxes had doubled. Then came the stock market crash and unraveling economy. Farm income plummeted, loans were almost impossible to come by and rural poverty was rampant. In Chelan County for example less than 50% of property taxes were paid one year. Clearly taxing those who did not have the ability to pay left a big hole in the budget. The Grange’s earliest effort to change the tax structure was in 1929. It met with a veto by Governor Hartley against recommendations by his own special tax commission, which favored a personal as well as a corporate net income tax and did not support a sales tax. The commission concluded, as did the Grange, that this would be a fairer and more sustainable way to collect revenue. Despite this setback, when Roosevelt was swept into office in 1932 the Grange saw a window of opportunity and redoubled efforts to pass tax reform. These efforts paid off and initiative I-69 passed with an overwhelming majority. Unfortunately the Supreme Court declared this Grange sponsored initiative unconstitutional. The Grange continued working for an income tax until 1941 but is no longer the torchbearer for this cause. We are still saddled with the most regressive taxes in the entire country. Marla Streator

The Grange’s Recent History: A Year Ago... It was finally finished. Patches of various colors here and there revealed it’s history, but with three coats of varnish, they looked good and inviting. Another Grange learning opportunity arrived for its volunteers when Eric Wennstrom generously came to the rescue with his floor finishing expertise (and personal muscle) to advise, supervise and reassure the rest of us through completion of the job. Jo Yount, George Yount, John Drew, David Goldman, Charlotte Goldman and Eric dealt with a carpet that was Left to right, David Goldman, George Yount, Jo Yount. glued to the floor that had to be Photo by Julie Jaman tediously scraped up, hundreds of sanded down nails that had to be pounded down into the wood to avoid destroying the sander, floors that had to be hand sanded on hands and knees after sealer. Then there was the experience with the rogue buffer. It

had so much power and mind of its own that it nearly threw five foot lightweight Jo Yount down the front steps. David handled it from there, but needed some treatment on his shoulders afterwards. Jo, David and George applied the 3 coats of finish so generously donated by Edensaw’s John Montgomery. Edensaw also provided guidance and advice is the early stages of planning the project. The project was done below budget and ahead of schedule thanks to Eric’s mindset and stamina of Jo and George Yount.