Animal Talk
Sniffles and Sneezing — Upper respiratory infections across species, Part 3
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Poultry: Chickens and Turkeys
Animal Talk
DPW Open House
The Open House held by Granby’s Department of Public Works on May 16 attracted some young recruits!
Recent Stories
People
Memorial Days
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Every Memorial Day for the past 14 years my husband and I have risen at dawn and made our way to the Over the Mountain Burial Ground in West Suffield (OTM) to watch the Marquis of Granby. We first entered the hallowed grounds 15 summers ago to consider final resting spots for our daughter and Marquis member, Jacky, and ever since the Marquis has kept vigil with us.
Friends of Holcomb Farm
Friends of Holcolmb Farm — June 2026
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Construction progress continues, FOHF Annual Meeting is June 28 in the New Farm Store, News from around the Farm, Meet the Farm Crew: Farm Store Manager Melody Smith, and Coming events
Friends of Holcomb Farm
Kestrel nesting box added to the Tree Trail
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If you’re not familiar with the Holcomb Farm Tree Trail located on the hill across from the entrance to the North Barn event facility, this would be a good time to check out its newest addition. It’s not a new tree—it’s a kestrel nest box placed 12 feet in the air, on the right a short way up the entrance trail.
Great Outdoors
Bear season in Granby
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June is bear season in Granby.
According to Connor Hogan, director of the McLean Game Refuge, there are currently at least three sows with cubs in the eastern portion of the Game Refuge and likely at least one more mother bear with cubs in the west.
Great Outdoors
June and the color yellow
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There is a day in June celebrating yellow, appropriately named Yellow Day. In the psychology of color, yellow is linked to joy, and “the happiest day of the year” was started by psychologist Cliff Arnall to balance Blue Monday, the saddest day of the year, which occurs on the third Monday of January.
Great Outdoors
June is the start of picnic season
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I always enjoy sharing tried-and-true favorites from my recipe box, and this one has become a longtime favorite for good reason. I first brought this salad to a friend’s Labor Day picnic years ago, and after several people immediately asked for the recipe, I knew it was a keeper!
Great Outdoors
A gardening adventure awaits
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Near the center of town, community gardeners work the soil in the tradition of Granby’s agricultural past. On Hungary Road, in Ahrens Park, kids enthusiastically play ball near the south entrance while gardeners use the next entrance for the Granby Community Gardens. Just as enthusiastically they plant, water and care for their little bit of nature.
Great Outdoors
Gardening for the plants
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“Companion planting” is a good way to think about relationships in the kitchen garden. This is a method of gardening where plants are situated alongside one another for mutual benefit: tomatoes and basil, marigolds and squash, cabbage and thyme, cucumbers and radishes for a few. Each relationship offers something different, whether it’s pest control or shading the soil, attracting pollinators or improving soil fertility.
Granby Land Trust
Earth Day Weekend Cleanup 2026
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More than 100 people volunteered their time to help clean Granby’s roadsides as part of the Granby Land Trust’s 2026 Earth Day Roadside Cleanup.
School & Sports
Reading adventures begin at GPL
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Kindergarten classes visit the Granby Public Library and get their first Library cards!
Fun & Rec
Meet me at the Center — May 2026
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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.
The Senior Center will be closed Monday, May 25.
Fun & Rec
Granby Recreation — May 2026
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Summer Camp Registration; Summer Sports and Enrichment Camps; Summer camps, clinics and more
Events
Volunteers and donations needed for Safe Grad
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Granby Parents for a Safe Graduation (GPSG) has been working hard to create a memorable evening to celebrate the Class of 2026. The party, held Graduation Night (June 11), absolutely cannot happen without volunteers. The committee has done the legwork; now volunteers are needed to help with day-of-event preparation and chaperoning the party itself.
Drumrolls
BOS honors Sergeant Doreen Mikan
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At its March 16 meeting, the Granby Board of Selectmen paid tribute to Sergeant Doreen Mikan, who recently retired after her 33-year career with the Granby Police Department.
Granby Land Trust
Coming land trust events
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Dam It: Partnering With Beavers To Save The Planet, Spring Migration Bird Walks, Preserve Our Properties Day, and CT Trails Day–Crag Mountain Ridgeline Hike
Granby Land Trust
Granby Land Trust represented at State Conference
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Three members of the Granby Land Trust (GLT) participated in the Connecticut Land Conservation Council Conference held on March 21 at Wesleyan University in Middletown.
Granby Land Trust
Coffee and cocoa at the cabin
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Nearly 50 Granby Land Trust (GLT) members came out for a hike through the GLT’s Dismal Brook Wildlife Preserve, guided by GLT Vice President Dave Emery, and followed by “Coffee and Cocoa at the Cabin.”
Granby Land Trust
Spring afternoon at Creamer Pond
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Beautiful in every season, Creamer Pond at the Granby Land Trust’s Dismal Brook Wildlife Preserve gleams in the late afternoon sun on a lovely spring day.
Bonus Pages
William Shattuck: his 90-year-old diary of Granby life
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(Part 2 of 2) William Shattuck of Granby was 71- to 74-years old at the time he kept a diary that covered the dates of May 5, 1936 to Oct. 13, 1939.
Bonus Pages
Photographer creates new art with ancient techniques
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Unless this is the first edition of the Drummer you are holding in your hands, you have certainly seen the work of Granby photographer Jay Harder. His photos of town sports, seasons and milestones like graduation appear frequently in this paper and various locations around town.
Bonus Pages
Mystery writer addresses women’s group
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The speaker at the April 1 Granby Women’s Breakfast was Reverend Jane Willan, mystery writer and pastor. She discussed her mystery novel Widow’s Walk, which blends her love of storytelling and faith into a story that is filled with warmth and suspense.
Bonus Pages
Flowering trees on the Holcomb Tree Trail
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There are lots of flowering trees on the Holcomb Tree Trail that will be blooming in May, including this red horse chestnut located near the pond.
Bonus Pages
Ephemeral spring flowers
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Bees of all kinds feasted on cherry blossoms April 15 during a spring heat wave that was followed a few days later with a frost.
Bonus Pages
Budget Public Hearing held April 6
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A large number of residents attended the annual Budget Public Hearing on April 6 in the high school auditorium. After an introduction and explanation of the process by Board of Finance Chair Mike Guarco, First Selectman Mark Fiorentino and then-Board of Education Chair Monica Logan presented the municipal and education budgets, narrating slide presentations.
Town/Govt
Handling the revenues
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On occasion I hear back and forth banter about who “owns” the money from this or that revenue stream received by the town. The simple answer in most cases is—whether generated on the municipal side or education—it flows into the General Fund of the Town of Granby.
About Town
Get ready to vote on the budget
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If it’s April, then the FY27 budget vote is right around the corner. That vote will occur on Monday, April 20, and you can vote in town hall between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Absentee ballots are also available from the town clerk.
People
Ray’s open letter to Granby
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To everyone in Granby, especially those I have had the pleasure to deliver to, it is with bittersweet emotions that I am announcing my retirement from UPS. I started driving for the company in 1988 and have been delivering in Granby for the past 24 years.
Fun & Rec
Where tradition meets the trail: Granby’s 2026 Road Race
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Spring will once again bring scores of sneakers hitting the pavement and cheers echoing down Salmon Brook Street as runners from near and far gather for the 2026 Granby Road Race on Saturday, May 2. The event, one of Connecticut’s oldest and most treasured road races, has become a cherished Granby tradition that celebrates fitness, fellowship and community pride.
Events
Bruce Porter Memorial Music Series holds tribute concert
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The Bruce Porter Memorial Music Series will host a concert in memory of Brazilian Pianist Luiz de Moura Castro on Friday, April 10, at 7 p.m., at the South Campus of Granby Congregational Church, 242 Salmon Brook St. The concert marks the first anniversary of his death.