| DECEMBER 8, 2011 -- Washington's Sallal Grange and Community Hall’s fall fundraiser in late October raised more than $2,000, which the group is using to benefit the Snoqualmie Valley community.
The Grange is hoping to raise more money for the community this Saturday at its Holiday Bazaar and Swap Meet.
“The support from the community was nothing short of amazing,” Grange President Larry Houch said in an email to the Star. “We are very grateful and humbled.”
The money will be used to send a local teacher to Wintergrass, an annual bluegrass music festival in Bellevue.
It will be the second year that The Grange has provided a scholarship for the national event.
“The scholarship is for a class about using music as a teaching aid, and was very well-received last year,” Houch said. “This year, we’re expanding to include a student scholarship as well. In an economic downturn, where the arts are the first to get the budget axe, we hope this helps keep fine arts vibrant and alive in our Valley.”
Sallal Grange was originally chartered Sept. 4, 1930, with membership from North Bend, Meadowbrook, Snoqualmie and the surrounding areas. Declining membership led to the group giving up its charter on Dec. 31, 2007.
Since its re-establishment in 2010, Sallal Grange has supported local music, especially folk music.
“It’s hard to sum up the diverse and communal group that is the Sallal Grange, but I’ll try,” Houch said. “We’re trying to bring back the sense of community that used to exist in rural areas, through promoting local culture and music, and supporting local and sustainable agriculture.”
For the past two years, the first Friday of every month has been Grangestock at Sallal Grange’s community hall in North Bend.
The evening begins with a potluck dinner, followed by open mic performances from local musicians.
The Grange is a force in Snoqualmie Valley’s community as well. This Thanksgiving, the group’s members contributed more turkeys than any other group to the Turkey Drive for the Mount Si Food Bank.
The group also works with Project Linus, which produces blankets for ill and traumatized children.
The Sallal Grange Holiday Bazaar and Swap Meet is Dec. 10. The event, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., will include a baked goods table.
The proceeds from the table will benefit the Mount Si Food Bank.
If you go
Sallal Grange Holiday Bazaar
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 10
12912 432nd Ave. S.E., North Bend, WA
On the Web
Sallal Grange and Community Hall: www.sallalgrange.org |
