Recent Stories

Men hear about Cossitt’s makerspace

Last month, Ash Erwin introduced the Men’s Breakfast Group to the makerspace at the Cossitt Branch of Granby Public Library. Her enthusiasm gave us ideas for making things with the 3-D laser printer and all sorts of impressive tools.

The way Beman Hardware used to look!

Granby Manufacturing Co. on Hartford Ave. was organized in 1873. It later housed a store, post office and ice cream parlor, and was called the Cowles Block. Beman Hardware was in this building until 1972. When the new store was built behind the store, the old building was razed. 

Granby-Simsbury Chamber of Commerce Spotlight

Lindsay Sanchez serves on the board of directors for the Granby-Simsbury Chamber of Commerce, where she has chaired multiple committees and led projects that included the Celebrate the Valley and Spooktacular community events.

Support the Drummer

The Granby Stop & Shop has again selected the Citizens for a Better Granby (publisher of The Granby Drummer) to benefit from the sales of reusable shopping bags at the Granby store.

Scents and salamanders, the early signs of spring

For me the scent-sational start of spring is the smell of the rich, damp forest floor awakening. It’s actually geosmin, a Greek word meaning earth and smell, a soil-based compound produced by bacteria and blue-green algae. I take deep breaths to revitalize my winter-weary senses.

Browse & Borrow — April 2025

Registration is required for library programs unless indicated. To register visit granby-ct.gov/Library, and click on “Register for a Program” or call the library at 860-844-5275. To learn more about upcoming programs, sign up for the library’s monthly eNewsletter. For the most updated information on dates and programs, refer to the library’s online calendar.

Pastor leaving Simsbury United Methodist Church

Members of Simsbury United Methodist Church (SUM) are preparing to bid a heartfelt farewell to their beloved pastor, Gene Ott, as he transitions to a new appointment on July 1. For nearly eight years, Ott has been a pillar of faith, guidance and compassion, leaving an indelible mark on the church and its members.

April Thoughts

Sticks, leafless and devoid of life, turn into the overflowing, yellow glory of the forsythia.

Mike Walsh was East Hartford’s marshal at St. Patrick’s Day parade

The facts that he is Irish and that he is the guy who “got things done” in his previous job as mayor of East Hartford, led the Central Connecticut Celtic Cultural Committee to select Granby’s town manager, Mike Walsh, as the honorary marshal to lead the East Hartford delegation of the 2025 St. Patrick’s Day parade in Hartford.

Meet me at the Center — April 2025

Please visit granby-ct.gov/senior-services or check your Center Life Newsletter for a complete listing of health services, support groups, clubs and ongoing activities.

Kathleen Scranton fashions vintage books into one-of-a-kind purses

Kathleen Scranton, an artist from Coventry, fashions vintage hard-cover books into distinctive purses. As guest speaker at the Granby Woman’s Breakfast meeting in March, Scranton described the process she follows during the 10 to 15 hours required to bring about her unique form of magic: transforming old books into purses, purses that many would also consider pieces of fine art.