Granby Drummer (https://granbydrummer.com/author/chris-levandowski/)
In June 2003, Jim Hall (pictured above) was given much-deserved recognition for his service to American Legion Post 182 and for organizing Granby’s Memorial Day parade for 33 years. This year we thank Jim for his 51st Memorial Day parade and celebration in a year that desperately needs a drum-thumping, fife-playing outing on the Green.
1986 was a year of a grand celebration of Granby, both with a look back at the town’s 200-year history and a look forward to a future filled with promise.
As the Drummer celebrates its 50th year of publication, the world has spun out of control
Memorial Day, as we traditionally celebrate it, was cancelled by COVID-19. This year the pomp and circumstance, parade, community picnic and concerts on the green were absent but our gratitude for those who served and gave their lives has not diminished.
The Drummer and the town of Granby are saddened to learn that Elaine Jones passed away on March 6, 2020, after a long illness. Elaine made Granby her home for 57 years with Jim, her husband of 53 years.
Newspaper editors agonize over the content of the front page whether it’s the New York Times or The Granby Drummer. On any given day there may be several events in play that deserve a “lead” headline and right-top placement.
Tudor Holcomb passed away on Feb 11, 1978. He was highly respected and admired for his lifetime of giving and leading Granby.
Granby’s 1970s growing pains— controversial budgets, development proposals, plans for creating a commercial center in the wedge between Route 189 and Route 20, a school system with growing pains, a failed sewer system and cars lined up for blocks waiting to pump rationed gasoline all shared space on the Drummer’s front page.
What happened to Granby during the 1970s—that globally transformative decade now a half-century past? Its population exploded, it changed physically, it lost some farms, and it struggled with the forces of national and global influence.
In the late 1960s, CPPAC* didn’t exist; there was no financial model to predict and prepare for capital expenditures or taxes. Granby’s population was booming, and the schools weren’t keeping pace. Granby Memorial High School was overcrowded and on the brink of losing accreditation, mainly because of a lack of classrooms and support infrastructure.