BY KAREN BOSSICK

The Hailey Grange has a lot of celebrating to do, thanks to a major facelift and the 150^th anniversary of the National Grange.

And it’s inviting the community to join in the celebration as it holds a square and contra dance on Friday, Nov. 10.

David Quinley and Strings Attached will provide the music from 7 to 9 p.m. The event is open to singles and beginners as all the steps will be taught and no partner is necessary.

Admission is $10 for adults, $15 for a family and $5 for Grange members. It’s free for youngsters. And the entry fee will be waived for a couple of volunteers willing to sweep and mop the floor after the dancing is over. Dancers are asked to wear clean shoes that will not mark the wooden floor.

An optional potluck will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the hall at 609 South 3^rd Avenue in Hailey.

The National Grange now in its 150^th year, was founded in 1867 following the Civil War. Grangers, as its members are called, advocate for rural America and agriculture in the face of the decline in agriculture. Granges serve more than 2,100 rural communities across the United States.

The Upper Big Wood River Grange No. 192, also known as the Hailey Grange, was formed as a nonprofit, nonpartisan fraternal organization in 1923.

The grange hall, considered a local historical icon, includes a 40-by-30-foot room that can be used for meetings and dances. It also has a kitchen, stage, upright piano and one wall covered in mirrors, which is a boon to Footlight Dance.

The Grange’s new siding and fresh coat of paint was part of a facelift that kept the original character of the hall. The facelift was made possible by the support of two local businesses—Bradley Construction North and Hailey Paint—and a cadre of volunteers.

The local grange still boasts some farm owners, but many of its newer recruits are not farmers but are in some way connected to the local food movement, gardening, seed saving and community building.

The grange meets the third Thursdays of the month quarterly. It also sponsors and assists social and civic organizations in the Wood River Valley, including Boy Scouts, 4H/FAA programs, the Sawtooth Rangers, the Trailing of the Sheep Festival, Footlight Dance Centre and the Wood River Seed Library. And the organization’s members give yearly scholarships to Blaine County high school graduates.

For information, contact Manon Gaudreau at 208-788-3876 or manon8@cox.net,  Jonna Moore at 208-570-2649 or jonnamoore@gmail.com or Narda Pitkethly at 208-720-4401 or narda44@gmail.com.