Art brings joy and pride to Valley Pre-School

By Kim BeckerAs the weather turns warm and the buds begin to bloom so does the Valley Pre-School Art Show. For over 10 years, the school’s four-year-old classes have spent the year creating masterpieces for the much-anticipated annual event. On display are pieces in an array of media, driven by a rich curriculum and the children themselves. The stones and other natural objects the children used to explore math concepts such as patterning, counting and sorting, inspired one installation of […]

Grad Night 2016 art contest winners announced

​Granby Parents for a Safe Graduation has announced the winners of the 2016 art competition. The first place entry will be used to design the invitation for the Granby Memorial High School’s safe graduation party. The winning design is featured on the complementary grad night t-shirts which all seniors will receive. The grad night party is free to all graduating seniors and will be held this year on June 13 at the Farmington Valley YMCA in Granby.​GMHS Principal, Dr. Mary Gadd, […]

A Marquis mom hangs up her(tricorn) hat

By Lori Catlin GarciaThis is the last Marquis of Granby article I will write for the Granby Drummer. After more than 10 years as a “Marquis Mom,” I will retire from my board position after this year’s Memorial Day parade. As I contemplate my soon-to-be-empty nest, I want to thank every person who ever directed, chaperoned, cooked, sewed, donated funds, or participated in any one of the hundreds of other tasks that have kept the Marquis marching for almost 50 years.Privately funde […]

GMMS student spells her way to the top will represent Connecticut at National Spelling Bee

Dwaritha Ramesh, 8th Grade student at GMMS, will represent Connecticut at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in National Harbor, MD in May. Submitted photoDwaritha Ramesh, an eighth-grade student at Granby Memorial Middle School, bested 62 other students from around the state Saturday, March 12 to win the Connecticut Spelling Bee at Quinnipiac University.Ramesh, 14,will represent Connecticut at the 2016 Scripps National Spelling Bee in National Harbor, Maryland in May. The Quinnipiac Univers […]

Poetry reading and workshop on race at South Church

By Laura Mazza-DixonFirst Congregational Church and the South Congregational Church announce Words That Matter: Courageous Conversations on Race, a poetry reading and workshop to be led by poet Kate Rushin on Sunday, May 1, at 4 p.m.The invitation follows several months of study and discussion within South Church and First Church about the role of race in American life today. The wider community of poets and concerned members of the public are invited to this event.Kate Rushin, author of The Bla […]

Into the woods with Scott Duncan 

by Barb BlanchetteGranby is home to many artists and among them is one whose art form gives new life to nature’s fallen sentinels. From the large limbs of the Granby Oak felled by the November 2011 storm, to pieces of a carefully preserved 1000-year- old redwood, North Granby resident Scott Duncan, turns pieces of these trees into works of art. For almost ten years he has been artfully, passionately and literally “into the woods.”When Scott was a small boy, […]

​Salmon Brook music series offers line-up

By Carole BernardWith winter days continuing to shorten, and the warm days of spring still just a dream, there are a few things to look forward to. Anyone who enjoys live music and sharing time with others in a comfortable and family-friendly venue with homemade munchies will love the series presented by South Congregational Church.On Saturday, March 19, Roosevelt Dime rocks the house with their Empire State style. From Brooklyn to Granby, Roosevelt Dime’s blend of classic R & B with a […]

Marquis Banquet 2016

By Lori Catlin GarciaMembers of the Marquis of Granby Jr. Ancient Fyfe and Drum Corps gathered on January 9 in Cook Hall at the First Congregational Church to celebrate their 46th season. The corps opened the evening by playing a short concert to a gathered crowd of over 120 attendees, including family members, instructors and past directors. After a delicious dinner, Michael Spence and A.J. Newman presented a video highlighting memorable moments of the 2015 season. It was also announced that 20 […]

Granby Library Association’s special gift to the children’s department

By Kelly MarszyckiLast year, Joan Beatson, children’s librarian, and Kelly Marszycki, director of libraries, decided it was time to explore some options for a new circulation desk in the children’s room. After researching other public libraries that had recently installed new circulation desks, they presented the project to the GLA Board in the early spring. At the June board meeting, the GLA gave the library the go-ahead to select the best company and design. Final design details we […]

Granby students share the stage with Yale a capella group

By Rebecca BrewerThe Granby Education Foundation presented An Evening of A Cappella Music on Dec. 5 to benefit its Arts Endowment. Audience members were treated to opening performances by the Kelly Lane and Wells Road schools’ fifth and sixth grade combined choir and the GMHS Chamber Singers. Headlining the event was Yale’s only co-ed a cappella group, Redhot & Blue. Concert-goers enjoyed a mix of musical genres during the evening including jazz, pop, R & B and even a holiday standar […]