Perhaps it was a recent square dance or a music event. Maybe you take a tap class or were at a friend’s 50th birthday party. Maybe you remember a Community Thanksgiving Dinner where you shared a meal with island friends. Chances are you have a connection to the Lopez Island Grange. This connection may not be a weekly or even a yearly thing for you, but the Grange building stands daily as an island fixture, the silent participant in island celebrations since 1903. Whatever your connection to the Lopez Island Grange #1060, we hope you will continue to make future memories there too.
This summer, the grange is kicking off a fundraising campaign to raise much-needed money for pressing maintenance. When talking about an 114-year-old piece of Lopez Island history the list of maintenance needs could seem extensive. Fortunately, a recent overall inspection of the building revealed a well-constructed structure with what is likely island-grown and milled materials. A new roof installed in the past ten years has kept the interior of the building well preserved.
That being said, some crucial issues were identified. To address these needs, the Lopez Island Grange will begin a fundraising campaign this summer; with a short-term emphasis on the repair of soft and damaged wood and an overall exterior painting of the building, and a long-term focus on addressing additional maintenance needs.
To highlight the building’s exterior needs and also involve the island community, the grange is presenting a monthly Summer Outdoor Movie Night Series, starting with a June 21 showing of the 1988 locally made adventure film “Journey to Spirit Island,” directed by Emmy Award winner Laszlo Pal. At this family-friendly event, the Grange will provide the pre-film entertainment, the movie, the lawn from which to watch and the popcorn. You provide the audience and the magic of a community event. Admission is free, but donations will be graciously accepted and applied to the building maintenance fund.
During the past year, there has been a much-needed resurgence in grange membership and an interest in the buildings continued existence as a Lopez institution. A new rental committee has formed to make the rental process smoother for folks envisioning their own birthday party, meeting space or summer dance. Look for future announcements about the grange’s fundraising campaign this summer, and stop by the grange’s information booth at the Saturday Farmer’s Market.
For more information on these and other grange events, please visit http://www.facebook.com/lopezislandgrange. To inquire about rental possibilities, contact one of these rental committee members. Tim Kent, 468-3195, Sue DuMond 468-2753, or Kelsey Nelsen, lopezislandgrange@gmail.com.
