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Listed below are details about the Grand Assembly of New Jersey.

New Jersey

compiled on 07-18-01

Local (Assembly) Level:

Iris No. 31, Wall, NJ: (Instituted November 21, 1946)

• We got our name because one of the members of the Board was an avid gardener and always had irises blooming every spring and he thought that they were so pretty, our Assembly was named after them.

• Iris is sponsored by the local Eastern Star Chapter, and meets at the Masonic Center.

• At Grand Assembly, we always "initiate" the new girls with Mr. Bones and Ooga-Booga. [Without spoiling things for the uninitiated, "Mr. Bones" is a blindfolded, hands-on guessing game.]

• The Worthy Advisor picks a theme, flower, symbol, motto, colors, charity, and usually a special song to be sung to her at the altar when she is installed. There are no carry-ins for the officers at Installation.

• A "traveling gavel" necklace is passed down to each of the new Worthy Advisors.

• Installations are usually held on a Saturday afternoon around 2 and then we always have sandwiches afterwards. The past year, though, we have had them on Friday nights, which isn't our meeting night and it hasn't been anything spectacular. For the new WA this upcoming Sept. it will be on a Saturday afternoon around 4 and we are going to have a dinner afterwards.

• At Installation, merit bars are presented to the girls that earned them. Our new Grand Deputy just started a yearly ritual competion where the girl who improves her ritual work the most gets a certificate, and her name on a special plaque.

• In Iris, you only wear long white dresses if you are a Grand Officer or the Worthy Advisor (as opposed to statewide rules; see below).

Area (District) Level:

Central Area:

• We get together with the other two Assemblies that are in our area and we go on trips together, but that's about it, we don't usually plan anything else.

(general)

• There are no districts or areas in New Jersey. Some Grand Deputies do have more than one Assembly; others only have one.

• New Jersey is basically broken up into North, South and Central. They have Grand Officer Days where one Assembly hosts the day and the other Assemblies in the area fill in any empty chairs. The Assembly performs the Opening and Closing, and the Grand Officers exemplify Initiation. This also honors the Grand Officers in that Area. The GWA's homecoming is always the last Grand Officers Day of the year, and her Assembly hosts it.

Grand (State) Level:

• Term length is four months. Installations are normally in January, May and September.

• For Opening march, the officers "walk in normally."

• New Jersey Assemblies don't have any song played during the Opening or Closing of the Bible. Or, if they do, it is the song that goes "Faith Hope and Charity that's the way to live respectively, how do I know the bible tells me so."

• Songs sung during Initiation. Love: Love divine; Religion: I love to tell the story; Nature: In the Garden; Immortality: Jesus Keep me near the cross; Fidelity: Be Not Dismay; Patriotism: Oh Beautiful; Service: Somebody did a golden deed.

• For Closing, they always say the Lord's prayer, and sing "There's a Rainbow Shining Somewhere" before retiring. Lyrics:
  There's a Rainbow Shining somewhere
  There's a light across the sky
  There's a Rainbow shining somewhere
  Like a gleam from Paradise
  So keep watching for that Rainbow
  In the sky's of heavenly blue
  For that rainbow is God's Promise
  He is watching over you!

• If you would like to wear a hoopskirt, it is allowed, but it is basically just the Grand Officers who wear them. Every rainbow girl in NJ wears white for everything. In some Assemblies, the top 5 have to wear long white.

• The state newspaper is "The Rainbow Review".

• They have Pledge in New Jersey. The meetings run just like a Rainbow meeting, and they have a formal one the first week of the month, and a fun meeting the third week of the month. They usually go on a lot of fun activities with their Rainbow Sisters.

• In New Jersey, the only one who wears a crown is the GWA. The JPGWA crowns her at the end of Grand Installation and says "Grand Worthy Advisor, I now retire the Rainbow Crown to you. May you wear it in good health and dedication."

• New Jersey used to have the Rainbow tiara crown, but then our old Supreme Inspector decided that she couldn't see the crown on the heads of the girls. So in 1996, we switched the the regular crown that we wear now. Each GWA also gets to keep her crown and it isn't passed down. Usually the crown that the outgoing GWA wears on Installation night is the new GWA's crown, so she can just take it off her head and give it to the new GWA to keep.

• To become a Grand Officer you have to be either Charity, WAA, WA or PWA at the time of Grand Assembly to be appointed Grand Rep, and a WA or PWA at the time of Grand Assembly to be appointed Grand floor Officer. You write a letter to the Supreme Deputy, also your Assembly has to recommend you and your Grand Deputy has to write a letter of recommendation.

• Grand Officers and Representatives are equal in status. They wear white. There are no limits to the number of times you can be a Grandie.

• The Grand Worthy Advisor's duties include travelling to each Assembly, and representing NJ Rainbow at the different conventions.

• The Grand Worthy Advisor chooses a mascot.

• Any girl is allowed to sign up for the Grand Choir if they would like to.

• There are no Grand Pages or Grand Confidential Observer's Helpers/Sentinels/Tilers.

• At Grand Assembly, New Jersey gives out "Mrs. Hughes' special award" which is given to an active Rainbow Girl who has gone above and beyond the call of duty for her Assembly. Mrs. Hughes is their immediate Past Supreme Inspector.

• At Grand Assembly, local Assemblies wear their "Assembly Fashion." This can vary from a skirt and top, to sweater jackets, to all different types of things. [example: This year (2001) Iris Assembly is wearing blue shirts with stars and moons painted on it, and skirts that are blue with stars all over them. This is their current WA's theme, so that's why they have the stars and moons.]

• At Grand Assembly, they do the "Rainbow Wave". It starts in the East and works it's way around and ends back up in the East. we do it about 3 times... it breaks the tension right before they announce the Grand Officers.

• Song sung at Grand Assembly. "Thunder". Lyrics are:
  Thunder, Thunderation,
  We're the Rainbow delegation.
  When we shout with determination
  We create a new sensation.

  We sing that about 7 times and each time it gets louder and louder and louder.

• They do not have a Grand Cross of Color Team... the degree is just performed by girls who have their Grand Cross and volunteer to take part.

• Grand Cross honorees are revealed at Grand Assembly or in November...the Grand Cross team performs it at both times and it is usually the same girls.

• GWA's Homecoming. It is basically just like every other Grand Officers Day that we have, except that it is hosted by the GWA's Assembly. It really isn't anything special for her, except that they are "welcoming her home." Basically it is just a day to honor her and the girls in her Assembly and area that are Grand Officers, but it is a little more special to the GWA. It is a very emotional day, because it means that her Grand year is coming to an end. This "homecoming" is not like a reception -- they have a real meeting and everything.

• New Jersey is in the process of starting a Majority Association.

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