THE BUBBLE THAT BURST
on the Green. On September 15, 1898, an agricultural fair was held on the Green, with the following committee in charge: Carleton V. Woodruff, Dwight E. Russell, Frederick J. Treat, and Walter S. Hine. The event netted $150, which was applied to the building fund. The hall had been completed during that summer, at a cost of about $800.
The following year, it was decided that the fair of the previous summer had been so successful that it warranted repetition of the event. September 14 was the day chosen for the fair, which was attended by nearly 5,000 people from neighboring towns. Almost $500 was cleared, so that by November of that year, the Grange Hall was entirely paid for, as well as having some funds left to be used for village improvement.
In 1900, when Dwight E. Russell was Master, the cooperative system of buying grain for feed was used, and seventy-one car loads were bought. By 1902 the membership was one hundred and twenty, with an average attendance of forty-five at the meetings, a strong feature of which was the lecturer's hour. Bela Alling was Master, and the members used the group insurance plan in the Patron's Mutual Fire Insurance Company, amounting to $70,000. The following year, with Walter S. Hine as Master, eighty car loads of feed were bought, and property insured to the value of $100,000.
By 1912 interest in the organization began to wane, although meetings were still being held. Finally, the organization was given up entirely, and those who wanted to continue in the Grange joined with the groups in nearby towns.
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