Grange News

Hans Peter Ahlberg came to Grays River in 1875. Having a green thumb, Mr. Ahlberg planted many European and Midwestern trees on his own land and around the valley. Hardwoods like Elm were useful for creating milking stools and other durable farm tools.

In 1902, Mr. Ahlberg was the force behind starting the Grays River Grange. Not only is this institution going strong, many of Ahlberg's trees still stand. There are mature elms next to our hall and at the Grange maintained Meserve Park. Unfortunately, in 2008 one of the grand elms succumbed to high winds. Some might recall the massive limbs that closed SR. 4 for a few hours. Grangers got together to clean up the park and decided to have the elm wood milled into boards.

Grange Master Krist Novoselic found a buyer for the lumber. Seattle's Experience Music Project (EMP) paid $3,000 for 1000 board feet of the wood. Fittingly, the material will be used to build display cases for the upcoming exhibit "Taking Punk to the Masses" From Nowhere to Nevermind, an exhibition featuring the band Nirvana. Grange Master, Krist played bass on all those Nirvana records and he's excited about the show which will run from April of 2011 to 2013. The exhibition is about northwest music and it's nice that there's a Grunge/Grange connection. Krist is happy the lumber found a good home and that the proceeds will go to support the community work of the Grays River Grange.

Mr. Ahlberg planted a sapling which grew into a tree that graced the valley for decades. But even the tallest tree must fall, and when it did, its useful bounty of lumber provided support for the civic organization he began. A big thank you to former Master Ahlberg for having the foresight to plant the elm and today’s Grange Master Krist Novoselic for having the foresight to have the elm milled into boards. Mark your calendar for Spring of 2011 to make a trip to Seattle to go to EMP to see the boards of a Grays River elm making their own history.

If you would like to be a part of this dynamic organization that has endured over the last 100 years, the Grays River Grange meets the second and fourth Tuesday of each month and always welcomes guests or new members. Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. followed by a business meeting at 7:30 p.m.