Recent Stories

Rejuvenating the Grange

The Granby Grange #5 last reorganized in 1926 and has served the community and region with impactful service during those 96 years, while providing a fraternal organization for residents and businesses interested in promoting agriculture, conservation, and small-town living.

Granby Horse Council offers scholarship

The Granby Horse Council Scholarship Committee is accepting applications for its 2023 scholarship. The $500 award goes to a senior student enrolled in their current high school program. Membership in Granby Horse Council is not required.

Granby Land Trust

The Granby Land Trust, working with community partners and supported by a vibrant membership, preserved 320 acres in Granby this year, including the acquisition of a conservation easement on the majority of the historic and environmentally important Holcomb Farm Property.

Wassail Party welcomes the holiday season

On the Sunday afternoon of Dec. 6, as dusk began to fall on the buildings of Salmon Brook Historical Society (SBHS), more than 50 society members and their guests gathered to welcome the holiday season.

BE SMART for gun safety—keep kids safe

The BE SMART Campaign has provided educational materials and free gun locks to the Granby, East Granby and Avon communities for the past five years.

Will your Gingerbread House be voted the best?

The Granby Senior Center will hold a Gingerbread House Contest, and asks local businesses and community members to create a gingerbread house that reflects their own personality. Entries must be dropped off at the Senior Center on Thursday, Dec. 3 or Friday, Dec. 4, by appointment.

Granby Strikes Back!

Under clear blue skies on Nov. 7, nine intrepid Granby volunteers bravely strode into the prickers and vines at Holcomb Farm. Armed with loppers, shovels, pruners, saws and grim good humor, they hacked through multiple layers of robust invasives accustomed to frolicking freely and smothering native trees and shrubs.

Registrars of Voters

Behind the scenes, a huge amount of preparation went into hosting the largest election turnout in Granby history—during a pandemic. Granby had a turnout of 88.43 percent, with 7,398 ballots cast, out of 8,366 eligible voters.

Unexpected foliage find

Victoria and Yelena Kiriyan found this giant puffball mushroom in the beautiful fall foliage. It’s edible and a great addition to pizza.

A black family in early Granby: London and Irana Wallace

There have been black families living in Granby since pre-Revolutionary times. Since even the free blacks could not vote or hold public office, were not leaders in the church or government and rarely owned businesses, they are practically invisible in the history of a town.

Sleep and Health

The amazing and somewhat sad reality is that the sleep industry is a $32 billion market, and we still aren’t sleeping. As a culture, we have become quite crazed with purchasing almost anything to help us sleep.

Spooktacular

First Congregational Church of Granby and Valley Pre-School partnered to offer a drive-thru Halloween celebration on Oct. 30 in the church parking lot.

Social Services

Granby Local Assistance Program: Granby residents facing financial hardship may access funds once in a twelve-month period. The gross household income cannot exceed 60 percent of state median income, unless extenuating circumstances can be documented.

Public Works

Trash Holidays: Friday, Dec. 25, and Friday, Jan. 1, are holidays for Paine’s. All Friday trash/recycling pickups will be delayed by one day for these two weeks.

Friends of Holcomb Farm

Friends of Holcomb Farm volunteers have been busy all year expanding the Holcomb Tree Trail and enhancing the miles of trails throughout our woodlands; and the community has noticed.

Pumpkin carving winners

The Granby Senior Center held a Pumpkin Carving Contest in October. Several local healthcare companies and Granby Town Departments were invited to participate.

On a clear day

Rob Flanigan captured this unusual angle of the fall colors recently. Shot from the Mary Edwards property in North Granby looking north, the city of Springfield, Mass. is visible.

Election Update

For the Presidential Election on Nov. 3, many new precautions are being implemented to ensure the safety of both poll workers and voters. If you come to the polls, plan for a long wait, be patient, wear a mask, and dress warmly—it will take lots of extra time to vote.

Balancing today with tomorrow

At its September meeting, all six members of the Board of Finance supported using the General Fund over the next few years to offset all or a portion of the projected Debt Service for the capital projects approved last year. The intent is to help flatten the rate of increase in the mill rate over the next few years.