Join Corinne Dickerson and Joan Ducharme on Wednesday, June 5, as they celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Granby’s Women’s Breakfast Group at the Granby Senior Center. An English Tea accompanied by a show of vintage wedding gowns will begin at 8:30 a.m. for 100 registered attendees. The wearing of hats is encouraged. Prizes for eye-catching headwear will be awarded in two categories: the Most Attractive and the Most Creative.
Dickerson is encouraging women to either model their own wedding gowns or to offer them for viewing on mannikins that have been donated for the occasion. In addition, attendees are requested to bring their wedding photos to share in a special exhibition.
Two vintage gowns, lent by Salmon Brook Historical Society, will be on display. One is a brown silk gown with black lace trim worn by Mary Anna Smith for her Oct. 14, 1873 wedding to George Mexcur. The bride and groom were grandparents of Jessica Duncan (1904-1996), a Granby teacher, Wells Road School principal and local resident for 60 years.
Granby Women’s Breakfast Group flourishes
Dickerson and Ducharme, two forward-looking and get-it-done women, knew that Granby men had been meeting monthly for breakfast and a speaker since 1993. Over coffee one day in 2004 they reasoned, “If the men were having a breakfast, why shouldn’t the women have one too?” Twenty years later, they continue to lead the group that meets monthly at Granby Senior Center.
A committee of six develops a list of programs from September of one year through to June of the next. A “breakfast crew” is enlisted for each program. Since the very first offering, entitled Women’s Health Issues, Dickerson states that there have been more than 200 breakfast programs with attendance growing to a remarkable 80 to 100 women.
The most popular program over the years, according to Dickerson, takes place in early December, when a GMHS musical group (in 2023 it was the Chamber Singers directed by Mindy Shilansky) awakens everyone’s holiday spirit with youthful enthusiasm and festive song. Before the current year winds down to the final program on June 5, James Fergione and Jo-Ann Smith will present Adventures on the Appalachian Trail on May 1.
A look back at two recent programs
On a chilly Wednesday morning in March, 60 women filtered into the Senior Center for an 8:30 breakfast. The meeting room was warm and smelled of 175 pancakes keeping toasty in the oven. The pancakes, accompanied by sausage and maple syrup, were served by the breakfast crew. The gathering was noisy and upbeat, one that exuded excitement and expectation.
The program was What’s Cooking with Chef Chris Prosperi, of Metro Bis restaurant in Simsbury. The only man in the room stood by himself at a table up front. Two cast iron pots on portable burners held his unwavering attention. Steam rose about him as he stirred and stirred. Chef Prosperi was creating a pumpkin risotto.
Prosperi entertained his audience with a humorous patter as his risotto evolved. Ending on a high note, he sent 60 portions of pumpkin risotto around the room. In the relative silence, “yums” echoed among the tables. Then the room ever so slowly cleared, with clusters of friends sharing last words on the way to the coat rack.
In April, 45 women were entertained by Dr. Harry Werner who shared Animal Anecdotes from his 47 years as a large animal veterinarian. Werner graduated from the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in 1974. He began work in Granby at the Milkey and Davis veterinary practice, now known as Salmon Brook Veterinary Hospital. In 1979, he started his own practice, specializing in equine medicine. He retired in 2021.
Werner recounted myriad anecdotes. The most memorable was the account of his “very first on-my-own farm call.” After a breaking-in period, when he accompanied senior vets for a month, he was deemed ready for his first solo call: the simple task of vaccinating a horse. He stopped at the farmhouse on the way to the barn to announce his presence. The farmwife invited him in for a brief chat. She assured him that the resident cocker spaniel was friendly. He stepped in the door and was nipped on his ankle.
On the way to the barn, he felt a sharp stab in the back of his calf and turned to see a rooster that had spurred him in a hostile act meant to mark barnyard-fowl territory. In the barn, Werner’s patient suddenly turned in the stall and kicked out, luckily connecting with the medical supply box rather than Werner himself. Back at his truck, he found two farm cats enjoying the contents of a bag lunch his wife had made for him that morning. He made a few decisions later that day for future calls: go directly to the barn, wear knee-high boots and buy a metal lunchbox. Werner’s stories were entertaining; his candor and humor made their telling first-rate.
Congratulations to Ducharme and Dickerson and to all who have served on the steering committee and breakfast crew for the past 20 years. Yes, the breakfast and the program are enjoyable. Behind these events, however, lies a concept: Community. For 20 years, the women’s group has created and sustained Community by offering a place where those gathered can learn more about their town, meet old friends and make new ones, and experience the all-important sense of belonging. This is Granby Community at its best.
To register for the May 1 or June 5 programs, call the Senior Center (860-844-5350) or log into the schedule section on the Granby Senior Website. The cost is $5.