The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-06-22
FROM TWO COUNTIES.
sss~ngsrs of Androseoggin and sngasia-
hoe Meet at Merrymeessns Nay.


w " tntit tue snOfuo VI tiic VOW
Meedows river 1t Bun Rock bridge. was
lined this noon with people and hors-s
all husiiy engaged In eating The people
ate lunches which they brought In bags
and bundles. boxes and baskets, and after
the appetite had been sharpened on the
lunches they attacked clam bake. a
bake which was made Of fourteen bushels
OF CLANS with potatoes and eggs In the
| proper proportion. The road winds by
the side OF the river. Between the water
and the highway is narrow strip of
Rrass and rock. On the other side Of the
road there Is another grassy bank
crowned BY an old stone fence The pso-
pie sat In long rows on both sides of the
road and the horses wore tethered among
the trees back OF the human eaters The
city man who thinks thatsthe grange, is
a society Of small membership should
heve seen this gathering Of the farmers
ahdstheir families. II was Sthe field day
Of the Pomona Grange gof Sagaaehoc
county and the meldBefs OF that body
had asked their brethren OF Androscog-
gin ~ join them. Some said there were
eight hundred in the crowd. Others
were more conservative In their estimates
and put it at five hundred. One thing
is above dispute. Il was big crowd
and 1t had big appetite. Some people
came in carriages but more came on the
electric cars which cross the river near
by. They wers in family and naighbor-
hood parties but everybod seemed to
know everybody else and the crowd was
as jolly as it was big. 1t was after the
bags and bundles, boxes and baskets had
been emptisd that the real fun began for
i then 1t was that the olambake was
opened. Rufus Lom bard, who has made
many bake. was In charge of this one.
1t was steaming and smoking on the
only bit OF shore In the vicinity which
was not covered with eaters Around 1t
were stakes from which ropes were run
to keep the crowd back. Rufus Lombard
told she people that be had made bakes
before aud he knew what wassthe result
when the crtssd invaded the pile Of cams.
When the clam bake artist shouted in a
loud voice that all was ready there was
a. rush for plates. Tue way to get some
Of the bake was to buy wooden plate
for ten cent? The possessor Of plate
then made his way to the ropes around
the feast and presented his plate to one
Of the walters within the charmed
enclosure. The plate was not only a
| vehicle for handling the CLANS, but WIS
also guarantee that it's possessor was to
be entitled to eat of the feast. Frank
S. Adams of Bowdoinhan,, a leading
member of'the grange, an ex-member of
the State legislature and recently ap-
pointed q member of the cattle commits
sion. dealt out the plates and took in the
dimes. Mr.. Adams Is one Of the most
popular farmers In Maine and, his posi-
tion ms custodian Of the plates also gave
many of the CHANGERS a chance to tender
him their congratulations on his recent
appointment. Everybody was eager to
help and the result was the corps Of
walters was soon augmented to such pro-
portions that Rufus Lombard was ca He'd
upon to remons trate. Gan those that
are not servers will stand outside the
ropes" he shouted. GIVE seen lots of
bakes and when too many get inside the
rores there amt any bsk 9. The last
statement had the desired eject and the
distribution of CLANS, eggs and potatoes
went on thereafter with pleasing regu-
Iarity so that soon everybody bad wooden
plate and every wooden plate was piled
high with CLANS. 1t is due to Rufus
lombard to say that If the vari6ns
weighty m6tters advocated by Che
grange are As Successfully handled ID the
clam bake It Bull Rock bridge, the
grange willshase cause to eonsratulats It,
self. There were several guests Of. the
local oranges among the. PICK nick efs.
Hon. Edward Wiggin, q past master,
who is now the chief assistant in the de-
partment of education and Is there help
ing to train the young idea, learned
lot of good things about clam bakes. DR..
Twitchell, of the Maine Farmer, was
another guest with good appetite.
All good things come to an end and SO
did the clam bake Then the gran gers
adjourned to Merrymeeting park, several
miles nearer the village of Brunswick,
and spent the afternoon watching the
animals in the menagerie and en- joying
the performance insthe open air theatre.
1t was intended to have some speaking
at the meeting by the river but it is no
disrespect to the eminent gentlemen who
were to be called upon to say that every.
body was having 50 good time that no.
body cared to listen to oratory. Chances
to DISCUSS Questions of impoftance are al
ways Rt hand. 1t is only snhee in a year
that the grangers Of two counties are like
ly 70 have an gpportunityftHshak hands
with eIch otheffn the shade by the pretty
New Meadows river and eat one Of Rufus
Lombard's clam bakes.
ooaMEN0f hGNF ASFOBuRS.
waterville, June si.-The 10th anniver-