Hoosick Grange met on May 28. Master David Cornell presided over the meeting. During the meeting the new Farm Bill was discussed. Also the news of Veterans not being cared for properly. The Master brought up about Brunswick Grange Anniversary meeting to be held at Brunswick on June 8 at 2 pm. He hoped a lot would attend. The fair booth was also brought up.
Norma Brenenstuhl was in charge of the program. She read the “Meaning of Memorial Day.” To a lot of the public, it’s a day off from work. It’s attending ceremonies and parades. In the beginning Memorial Day was known as Decoration Day, a time to decorate the Civil War dead monuments with flowers. In May 30, 1971, New York was first in changing the day’s name to Memorial Day.
Norma told about the Arlington National Cemetery where many soldiers are buried. The cemetery is 150 years old. It is made up of 624 acres. It has 170 full time employees. It buries 20 to 30 a day, which is around 7,000 a year. They also have 20,000 cremation plots. Three million tourist go to see the cemetery every year. The cemetery needs another 27 more acres. Norma had a picture game after her talk and a closing thought. “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched: they must be felt with the heart.”
We thanked Norma for her great program. Our next meeting is on June 11, and Martha Babbitt is in charge of the program. Refreshment Committee is Louise Ciuk and Mary Remancus.