Granby Drummer (https://granbydrummer.com/page/194/)
The Town Boards and administration have begun to look ahead to the next fiscal year, running from July 1, 2023, thru June 30, 2024 (FY24).
When December rolls around, many families make a tradition of driving around to see the spectacular Christmas lights in town.
Behind the scenes, a huge amount of preparation went into hosting a very steady election turnout in Granby and a record turnout for a midterm election.
As we enter our 53rd year of publishing the Granby Drummer, our mission remains the same as it was in 1970: to inform and educate all Granby residents on issues affecting our town through distribution of a free publication.
I would like to say a few words in support of and in appreciation for the non-profit farming programs, and specifically for the Fresh Access Program offered to seniors in the community through the Granby Senior Center.
With all the construction going on at the Routes 10 and 189 junction, we oldsters at Granby Homes for Seniors, AKA Stony Hill Village, see a lot more people walking through the compound—not wearing masks, letting their dogs pee on our things, dumping your dog poop in our trash, taking pictures of our apartments…. really now.
The Granby Living Facebook group is 10 years old this December. It was started with the goal of providing information to help and support our community. In recent years we have held an annual fundraiser to support two very worthwhile local charities, Waste Not Want Not Community Kitchen and the Granby Food Bank.
Check Town of Granby website or call Town Manager’s office to verify date, time, location, and get information on how to participate on Zoom, if needed.
(REPRINT) The revaluation of property values is done every five years per state law. The “reval” being done effective for the Oct. 1, 2022 Grand List will affect tax bills issued for next fiscal year—July 2023.
As part of its 50th reunion, the GMHS class of ‘72 was given a tour of the high school by students from the National Honor Society. To thank them for their efforts, the class donated $1,000 to the student scholarship fund on Nov. 3.
The focus of the Social Services Department is to coordinate existing federal, state, regional and local services, to increase community awareness of these services and to develop new programs to meet the needs of Granby residents. For more information about any of the following programs, contact Director Sandy Yost at 860-844-5351.
Happy Fall Granby! The Youth Service Bureau is pleased to announce some of its Fall programming. If any of these programs are of interest, please call 860-844-5355 for registration information.
Wings Over Granby Land Trust’s Dismal Brook Wildlife Preserve: Tuesday, Oct. 5, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. at Holcomb Farm North Barn Pavilion. Despite its name, this new Granby Land Trust preserve is anything but dismal for lovers of winged wildlife.
In the June edition of the Granby Drummer, I wrote about Eva Dewey, the curator and archivist for the Salmon Brook Historical Society from 1959 to 1986, who saved much of Granby’s history. In her final nine years she had an invaluable assistant in the archives—Carol Laun, who would go on to transform the Salmon Brook Historical Society into what it is today.
Again this fall, South Congregational Church is hosting a Pumpkin Patch in October, and looks forward to welcoming visitors from the Farmington Valley and beyond. The Pumpkin Patch will be set up on the front lawn of the church, in full view of Rte. 10/202, and will be open from Oct. 3 until Oct. 31, unless we sell out of pumpkins first.
In the May 2021 Drummer, we spoke of the continuing drought conditions in our region and encouraged believers to embrace the practices of our indigenous peoples and do a rain dance. Well, that was then, and this is now.
The Friends of Holcomb Farm board president Bob Bystrowski opened the annual meeting on August 21 with the proclamation that the Farm has kept us all focused and stable as we head into the third calendar year of the pandemic.
Autumn Dinner: Wednesday, Oct. 20 at 5 p.m. Entertainment by East Chicago Joe. Sponsored by Home Helpers of the Farmington Valley. Join us for chicken potpie, mashed potatoes, vegetable and apple crisp for dessert.
Eric Lukingbeal and Sally King recently purchased 11 acres of land at 172 Day Street and generously donated the parcel to the Granby Land Trust for the purpose of permanent preservation and protection. Eric and Sally are longtime GLT members and Eric serves on the GLT’s board of directors as well as the board of directors of the Friends of Holcomb Farm.
A very special guest visitor attended Granby’s Open Farm Day, held on Sept. 18, courtesy of Pam Traun’s Angel Horse Rescue. Rusty, a sweet little 11-year-old mini, happily accepted the pets of children and adults alike, who were astounded to learn the little guy’s story.
October’s Beauty calls us outdoors and surrounds us with the magnificent colors of her leaves. The air feels warm in the sun but cool in the shade—we wear a light jacket or sweatshirt.
Over the past 30 years, the world’s pollinators—birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles and small mammals—have been declining at a disturbing rate. Considering that our food crops rely on pollination, human’s existence is tied to that of the pollinators, making their decline as important to us as it is to them.
In 2018 Ashley Puglise entered GMHS as a freshman. After years of being on the Bearcats elementary- and middle-school-aged cheer squad, it made sense for her to continue cheering at the high school level.
An important change from 2020—there will NOT be any mass mailing of applications this year, due to lack of state and federal funding. Thanks to an extension of the 2020 executive orders, all registered voters can opt to obtain and fill out an absentee ballot application, vote absentee, and use the black Official Ballot Drop Box located in front of Town Hall to deposit their completed applications and ballots as was allowed in 2020.
The Granby Women’s Breakfast Group will rejoin for the first time since COVID on Wednesday, Oct. 6. Reservations are a must since seating is limited.
Eversource sent a large contingent of crews and support personnel to Louisiana to assist with the massive power restoration after Hurricane Ida. Andy Ouellette (in yellow vest), an Eversource lead safety advisor from East Granby, is shown with the team in Raceland, a community hard hit by Ida.
Matt Huebner spotted a massive ring of mushrooms at Stop & Shop in Granby and did some research. It seems that in English and Celtic folklore, fairy rings were caused by fairies or elves dancing in a circle.
I fish for lots of reasons: quality time with friends and family; the opportunity to enjoy and learn about nature; the satisfaction of eating a fish I caught and prepared. But I am also drawn to the possibility of catching a remarkable fish, maybe even a state record.
Annukka Ritalahti’s first solo art exhibition was in 1981. Now after 40 years she is celebrating her journey as an artist exhibiting new stained-glass pieces and a collection of glass jewelry at Lost Acres Vineyard through Oct. 10.
