4 minute read
Editorial: Make it fun and they will come!
By Christine Hamp Grange Revival Experience Team
The 2023 Grange Revival event, also known as Grange Revival 3.0, is in the books!
A total of 127 members, family and friends traveled from all corners of the country to converge at the Log Cabin Resort and Campground in Curtis, Michigan on the Upper Peninsula. We had a great mix of first-timers and repeat offenders (oops, attenders).
Our dream in 2018 was to create an event to share with Grange friends that is not and will not be held hostage by a clock or schedule. We call it ‘Grange with your Feet Up’ and liken it to a cruise ship experience – if you’d like to participate, great, if not, that is okay too! We, the Grange Revival Experience Team, expend great effort to find locations that are destinations; places where folks will want to go, places which have many and diverse things to see and do and experience for all ages and interests. This Team currently consists of Jody and Jodi Ann Cameron (CT), Karie Blasingame (IL), Tony and Janet Fishovitz (PA), Amanda Brozana-Rios (PA) and Duane and myself (WA).
It is always fun at the end of each day to find out where everybody went, what they saw, what they learned and where they found great food and/or drink. Often, we turn this intelligence gathering into tomorrow’s plan. My rule for a great roadtrip is to make sure it includes quirky, roadside attractions; natural wonders; history; and great local food and drink.
The Revival Roadtrip Bingo game has become a favorite and is a great way to keep the entire carload engaged. This game is customized for each Revival (i.e., find a Stormy Kromer) and helps to emphasize how important it is to “Enjoy the Journey.”
This page also provides space to check off state and provincial license plates (between Spokane and Curtis, Michigan we were able to check off every state except Delaware – to our friends in Delaware, it’s time to get out and about)!
You’d be hard-pressed to come up with a clear-cut reason as to why this event has become such a looked forward to favorite.
For many it is as simple as great fellowship, fun and food; for some it has become a hard and fast date on the calendar that brings the entire, spread across the country family together for a vacation; for others it is the chance to sit and visit with friends; or to see an area of this beautiful country that they have not yet checked off their bucket list.
Or perhaps the allure of Revival is due to our commitment to make it value-added and affordable. The registration fee is $75 for members, $60 for Golden Sheaf and Youth members and $40 for Junior members. This rate has been the same since the first Revival in 2019 and will remain the same for 2025.
This year, as part of the registration packet, each participant received a custom lapel pin; a long-sleeved, 2-color, hooded pull-over; a reusable divided meal tray; entry to a chartered tour of the Soo Locks and five amazing dinners or suppers (depending on where you live)!
My absolute favorite moment of Grange Revival, after our initial arrival and hugs and greeting of everyone of course, is a couple of evenings later when we unveil the location for our next Grange Revival – two years in the future! The smiles, anticipation, excitement and the scramble to get space reserved is so rewarding. This is definitely a group that is still buying green bananas!
After a long search, we were able to announce Torrey, Utah as our Revival 4.0 destination for 2025.
Read more coverage of the 2023 Grange Revival in the Perspectives article, beginning on page 44.
