In March 2024, Nicole Muller reported on the success of the Drummer’s very first fundraiser in her article, Puzzle Slam Dunk! That article went on to win an Honorable Mention in the Feature Story category from the Connecticut Press Club.
In the article, Muller highlighted both the financial strains that the Drummer faces, as well as the town’s affection for the beloved volunteer newspaper. The article confirmed that the initial Puzzle Slam in 2024 was a win-win for the community. She focused on the careful planning that went into ensuring a successful event, noting the support of the Citizens for a Better Granby Board of Directors, Drummer staff members, event sponsors, and all the puzzle fans who attended. Not only was the day a community-wide outpouring of support for the paper, it was pure fun for those who attended.
Prior to her move to Granby in 2021, Muller lived on Cape Cod for 24 years and spent more than a decade as a journalist with The Register, a 175-year-old Mid-Cape newspaper that folded in 2021 as advertisers turned to digital media. Given the print media environment, where close to 3,500 newspapers have ceased publication since 2005, the Drummer has beaten the odds. It remains a free monthly newspaper that relies on the entire community—from loyal advertisers to committed board members, long-time volunteers and Granby residents who attend fundraising initiatives such as the Puzzle Slam.
Since Muller’s 2024 article, the 2025 Puzzle Slam welcomed 80 more puzzlers and the 2026 Puzzle Slam just wrapped up on Jan. 31. Her award-winning article can be found by visiting this link.
This is the final piece about the winners of the CT Press Club awards for the publishing year 2024. The editors at the Drummer hope you have enjoyed reading about the many and varied authors that educated, informed and charmed us with their writings between February and December 2024.
With the start of the new year, the Drummer’s editors have reviewed the 2025 issues and selected 13 articles, spread over 13 categories, for submission to the CT Press Club. The judges will be evaluating submissions from a wide range of publications during the next few months and announcing awards in late April or early May.
We look forward to sharing the results with our readers, and continuing this series spotlighting the authors.