Recent Stories

Spring gardening advice

In northern Connecticut, spring gardening (March through May) focuses on indoor seed starting, cleaning up debris, improving soil and planting cool-weather crops. Start peppers, tomatoes and eggplants indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost date.

Memories of the Marquis of Granby

In 1969 in Granby, the Marquis of Granby Fyfe and Drum Corps was the only game in town for a kid my age to find something fun to do after supper. At age 11, I became an original member of a ragtag group of what began as mostly un-musical kids. I became a “fifer” but looking back and assessing my lack of talent and precision, I may have been better suited as a drummer.

In Town Focus — March 2026

Good Company Theater, Camera Club, Children’s Vision Screening, Civic Club, Empty Bowls, Art Show, Women’s Breakfast, Granby Bible Study, SBHS News, Men’s Breakfast, and Granby Horse Council

Memories

Today, if an umbrella turns inside out and breaks, we would probably get a new one. When I was a little girl in Port Chester, N.Y., on Main Street there was an “umbrella man” who had a little cart on the sidewalk and, for a small charge, would repair the umbrella.

Ann Woods joins BOE

The Granby Board of Education is pleased to welcome new member Ann Woods. Woods moved to Granby in 2002 for its New England charm and natural landscape. She started her career at The Hartford and continued her education, earning a master’s degree in management adding to her bachelor’s in communications.

Church welcomes new pastor

North Canton United Methodist Church’s (UMC), 3 Case Street, welcomed its new minister, Reverend Doctor Oon Don Choi, this summer at the church’s July 6 worship service.

Ride with the Granby Pony Club

For those unfamiliar with Pony Club, the name may be deceptive. You might assume that the club is solely focused on children and ponies but, in fact, it is an equine program open to all ages.

Town manager, IT people, attend cybersecurity program

Town Manager Mike Walsh, Board of Education IT person Frank Melanson and Town of Granby IT person Tristen Grouten attended a cybersecurity program on May 28. The Town of Simsbury invited Avon, Canton, East Granby, Farmington and Granby to join in assessing how each town handles the occurrence of a cyber incident.

Granby Artists’ Open Studios Tour

Connect with your local Granby artists at the annual Granby Artists Open Studio weekend on Oct. 4 and 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Open Studio tour invites visitors to artists’ studios to meet the artists, watch demonstrations and find art and gifts.

Granby teen earns Girl Scout Gold Award

Girl Scouts of Connecticut recently recognized 35 exceptional Girl Scouts who earned the organization’s highest achievement at the Annual Girl Scout Gold Awards Ceremony. One of these scouts is Granby’s Mackenzie Janski.

Improvements for district buildings

Granby Public Schools Building Facilities Department has made major strides this past summer, working to improve buildings and facilities.
In preparation for the new school year, the facilities team has ensured that school environments are clean, safe, and welcoming for students and staff. They have thoroughly deep-cleaned classrooms and other school facilities.

Purchase Stop & Shop shopping bags in September

The Stop & Shop grocery store in Granby has selected the Citizens for a Better Granby (publishers of the Drummer) to receive a portion of the sales of its Community Bags during September. The $2.50 reusable bags both benefit the environment by reducing the use of paper and plastic bags and yield a $1 donation to CBG. That sounds like a WIN-WIN to us!

Granby resident represents state at UN conference

Dave Roberts, vice president of the United Nations Association of Connecticut, recently returned from the 2025 UNA-USA Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C., where he represented Connecticut in a call for global engagement and international cooperation. Held June 22–25, the summit gathered 150 grassroots advocates from 225 chapters across the United States.