The Twisp Valley Grange fosters a healthy community by sharing fellowship and providing a welcoming Grange Hall for gatherings, hosting family-friendly activities, and sponsoring educational events.
The Twisp Valley Grange was founded in 1911. At one time, there were 13 Granges in the Methow Valley. Our Grange is the only surviving Grange in the valley – thanks to the unwavering support of our local community.
This year the Grange made tremendous progress in retrofitting the building thanks to a grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce. Insulated siding was installed on to the exterior concrete and hollow cinder block walks, bringing the wall insulation from ~ R-1.5 to ~ R-20. Chris Erikson’s crew at Methow Construction did the installation. Two Mitsubishi mini-split heat pumps went into service, allowing the Grange Hall to be used as a Cooling Center when temperatures exceed 95ºF.
An unexpected beneficiary of the heat pumps was the 54 seniors who participate in SAIL, the senior exercise class. Both Methow at Home and Aero Methow, organizers of SAIL, said that if temperatures exceeded 90ºF, they would have canceled SAIL.
Pat Norwil installed a system to manage peak electrical load to help keep electrical usage from pushing the Grange into a commercial rate. Pat also upgraded the kitchen electrical service to enable the Grange to become a mostly electric kitchen.
Thanks to all the hard work by Dwight Filer and Grange volunteers, we came in underbudget for the Commerce project –– Commerce is allowing us to use the remaining funds to purchase efficient electrical kitchen appliances to make the kitchen more climate-friendly and functional. In the coming year, the Grange will improve air quality in the building so the hall can be used as both a refuge from extreme heat and unhealthy air.
Community Service and Engagement:
The Grange hosted two well-attended Candidate Forums, co-hosted a community seed exchange, and did the cooking for the BBQ at the Kiwanis-Grange Easter Egg Hunt at Pearrygin Lake State Park. Potlucks with a Purpose continued with programs including seed saving, pizza making, culinary knives and composting. The coming potluck on January 22nd will be a Community Chili Contest. In December, the Grange hosted the ever-popular Santa Breakfast and cookie decorating event for Manger Mall (every child served by Manger Mall gets a bag of holiday decorated cookies), and did the cooking for the Fire Fighters Appreciation dinner. The square dance in the spring with live music by Alex MacLeod and the Paradise Drifters was a great success. Alex and his band will be back Saturday, 1 February for another dance.
An article in December in the Methow Valley News by Michelle Schmidtke sums up our progress in making the Grange a more vital part of our community:
"The Methow Valley Community Center and the Twisp Valley Grange are two more revered third spaces. Both host well-attended events like the recent Cascadia Chorale and Pipestone Orchestra at the Community Center and Potlucks with a Purpose and Breakfast with Santa at the Grange. Next to churches, Grange Halls used to be the beating heart of most rural communities. Members of the Twisp Valley Grange are reviving our grange hall as a major center for dancing, music, and community gatherings. New members are welcome."
The Grange is grateful to the Methow Valley Fund for a $4,000 grant, to the Confluence Heath-Wenatchee Valley Medical for a $3,000 contribution toward air filtration, to all the donors to Give Methow, and to two very generous anonymous donors.
