How to Join the Freshwater Grange

Joining the Grange is easy. First decide on the type of membership. You have two choices if you are age 14 or older, or 1 choice if under age 15:

Fraternal membership - is open to any person who is age 14 (13 yr 6 month) or older. When you complete the application, you affirm that you desire to unite with others in elevating and advancing the interest of our community and it's rural values, receiving in turn the benefits and advantages of those who belong to the Grange. Being accepted as a Fraternal member requires that you attend at least one Grange meeting, where you will be obligated (pledged) as a member of the Order. This obligation is a condition of membership and means you agree among other things to:

• Treat with respect your fellow Grange members without regard to race, creed or political affiliation.
• Abide by the Constitution of the State and National Granges, the By-laws, rules and regulations of the Grange at all levels. This includes a promise to not communicate the ritualistic work of the Order to anyone unless legally authorized to do so.
• Neither propose for membership anyone you believe an improper person, nor oppose the admission of anyone solely on the grounds of a personal prejudice, and
• Endeavor to be a true and faithful Patron of Husbandry.

Associate membership - is a non participating member who supports the ideals and principals of the organization but for is unable to take the obligation as a Fraternal member. As an Associate member you would be entitled to all of the benefits of Fraternal membership except the right to attend Fraternal meeting, exercise any voting rights and be unable to participate in some contests that are reserved for Fraternal members only.
 
Junior Grange membership - is open to children between the ages of 5 and 14. The Junior Grange is based on the same Lodge/Fraternal system as the Subordinate Grange and does require an obligation (pledge) as a condition of membership.
Next - you need to determine where you want to hold your membership. The options are:

• As a Fraternal applicant, you will need to select a Subordinate (local/community) Grange to which you will need to submit your application to.
• As an Associate applicant, you can either submit the application to a Subordinate (local/community) Grange, or you can become an At-Large Associate member of the State Grange.
• As a Junior Grange applicant, you need to select a Junior Grange to which you will need to submit your application to.

Once you have determined what type of membership and where you want to hold your membership, you next need to complete the application. Listed below are links that when selected will open an Adobe Acrobat (pdf) version of that application in a new browser window. You can then save the application to your hard disk to print later or print directly from the browser window. The links are:

The last step is to submit the application to the Secretary of the Freshwater Grange. Remember to complete the application fully, to include the necessary application fee (and dues if applying for Associate Membership) and mail to the proper Grange representative.

Freshwater Grange #499
Post Office Box 6153
Eureka, CA 95502

(We are currently raising funds to enhance our faclity which is in need of many repairs. Please feel free to send any additional amount clearly earmarked for our building fund!)

The next part of the process is up to the Grange. Applications submitted to Subordinate and Junior Grange typically will be voted upon at the meeting following the one in which they were received. Most Subordinate and Junior Granges hold business meetings once a month. Once approved, the Grange will notify of your acceptance into membership and will advise Fraternal and Junior applicants of when the next meeting are to be held in which the applicant can receive the membership obligation. As an Associate member, your name will be entered upon the Grange rolls and your only obligation is to annually pay your dues to continue as a member.