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Granby celebrates Heminway’s legacy by Alan Addley Superintendent of Schools After 32 years of public service to the Granby Board of Education, J. Callender (Cal) Heminway said farewell at his retirement gathering held on November 4th at the Board of Education office. Cal was joined for the ceremony by his wife, Sue, and other family members. During the hour-long ceremony, public officials and educational leaders from across the state paid tribute to the significant contributions that Cal has made to the Granby Public Schools and to public education in the state of Connecticut. A long-time Granby resident, Cal has devoted his life to public service and improving the quality of life for Granby citizens and students. Cal’s public service also includes work with the Granby Ambulance Association and the Granby Education Foundation. Cal has brought much leadership, expertise and representation to the Board of Education in areas such as public advocacy, town and school funding models, union contract negotiations, municipal health plans, strategic planning, school programs, and

board governance. Cal has been Granby’s voice at the state and national level, serving with the Capital Region Education Council (CREC), Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, CREC Foundation, Great Path Academy, State Teacher of the Year Committee, and numerous legislative committees. Granby Public Schools have undergone a transformation during his tenure. He has overseen the completion of new school buildings and renovation projects, the Salmon Brook Ecology Center and the new athletic ﬁeld facility at the high school. The district has gone from possibly losing its accreditation to being one of the highest performing, most cost-effective and highly regarded school systems in the state. Recognitions during his tenure have included: a Federal Blue Ribbon School and School of Distinction (Kelly Lane Intermediate School); a Connecticut Vanguard School (Granby Memorial High School); a twotime Federal Blue Ribbon School and Connecticut Association of Schools’ Middle School of the Year (Granby Memorial Middle School); and Board of

Heminway cont’d. on p. 4

Granby Public Schools Alan Addley and Cal Heminway, who recently retired from the Board of Education. photo by Rita Isaacson

Handing over the reins Newly-elected First Selectman B. Scott Kuhnly (l.) receives the ofﬁcial BOS gavel from outgoing First Selectman John Adams. Kuhnly photo by Shirley Murtha

Newly elected ofﬁcials sworn in November 18 by Shirley Murtha At a special swearing-in ceremony in the Town Hall meeting room on November 18, in his last ofﬁcial duty as First Selectman, John Adams noted that “we are celebrating not just the winners of an election, but Granby’s outstanding spirit of volunteerism.” After administering the oath to the new First Selectman B. Scott Kuhnly, the Board of Selectmen and all the other members of the boards and commissions, Adams recognized the members of the Athletic Fields and Special Projects Building Committee who received plaques for their outstand-

ing work. Town Clerk Karen Hazen then swore in Adams to his new position as Town Moderator, after which BOS member Sally King, State Representative Bill Simanski, and Town Manager Bill Smith paid tribute to Adams’ work ethic and accomplishments during the past 10 years. King noted that Adams’ tireless work with the Connecticut Resources and Recovery Authority had a major effect on the town’s budget and also helped other towns to navigate the complexity of dealing with trash. Simanski said that in his work at the Capitol he

BOS cont’d. on p. 4

Polly Hall 1917–2013 by Carol Laun

Board of Education elects new ofﬁcers

The new Board of Education met for the ﬁrst time on November 20 and welcomed newly-elected Melissa Migliaccio and newly-appointed Mark Fiorentino. Fiorentino was appointed as a result of Ed Ohannesian’s vacated seat following Ohannesian’s election to the Board of Selectman. The board unanimously elected Ron Walther as the chairman, Ben Perron as vice-chairman and Lynn Guelzow as secretary.

Polly Hall was a Granby treasure. She was actively involved in every aspect of community life—family, church, school, town, recreation, politics, history and was also a legendary quilter. In all of these areas, Polly was a leader. In her later years, she sometimes led from the side or from the back, but she still achieved what she wanted done.

A Granby native, Polly attended local schools and graduated from Simsbury High School. Reunions of the Class of 1934 were held yearly since 1996, as their class of 72 got smaller. Polly met her future husband, the late Bert Hall, in high school, when he noticed an attractive blonde and asked his brother to introduce him. Their marriage lasted 68 years and they raised four children in Granby.

Polly Hall cont’d. on p. 14

Inside:

Understanding mill rate Page 5

Granby Artists events Page 21

Land Trust Award Page 29

Holiday church services Page 33

PAGE 2

THE GRANBY DRUMMER

DECEMBER 2013

Drum beat

editorials, commentary & letters to the editor Unsigned editorials are the consensus opinion of the editorial staff and publisher. Commentary pieces express the opinion of the writer and not necessarily the opinion of the Drummer.

Letters to the Editor

The Granby Drummer, PO Box 165, Granby CT 06035-0165 editor@granbydrummer.org

The Drummer welcomes letters. Letters do not necessarily reﬂect the views of the CBG Board and the Drummer. The length of letters will be held to 500 words and less. To be published, letters must be signed and include an address and phone number. This information will not be given to anyone other than the necessary editorial staff. Letters from readers who do not reside in Granby will have the town of residence noted with the letter. The Drummer reserves the right to edit and shorten letters, and to run them in any electronic form. Letters become the property of the Drummer.

Independents say “thanks” Thank you to everyone who supported the Granby Independent Party candidates on Election Day. We accomplished many of our objectives, most importantly giving the voters of Granby more choice and a competitive election. Despite the fact that we did not have the organization or funding that the established parties had, we still managed to make a respectable showing at the polls. We are humbled and extremely grateful to have received such support from so many of you. Congratulations to those who have been elected. We will be closely watching to see if you are listening to the people of Granby. Rest assured that we will be.

Thank you Granby! Barbara Berkowitz, Doug Maus, Terry Wright, R. W. Maier

Thanks from the Democrats The Democratic slate of candidates appreciates the support and responsiveness of the Granby townspeople throughout this campaign season. To those residents who took the time to attend one of the neighborhood open houses in Granby, North Granby or West Granby, thank you for letting me get to know you, and to hear your thoughts and ideas. And thank you to the hosts for the use of their homes. To those concerned citizens who participated in the 11 listening posts around town, thank you for caring, and for sharing. And

thank you to the merchants who opened their establishments to us, Peppermill Bakery and Lost Acres Vineyard. To the voters who answered our phone calls or read our mailers encouraging you to “Get Out and Vote,” thank you for exercising that right and that responsibility. To the property owners who graciously opened their doors when I came knocking over the past nine weekends, I appreciate your courtesy and the information you shared with me. If you were not home, but read the info I left for you and called or emailed me, I appreciate your time and thoughtfulness. To those I missed, I just wish I had more time.

Letters cont’d. on p. 3

Corrections

Please tell us if you find an error in this issue of the Drummer. We’ll attempt to correct it in the following issue. Leave a message at 860653-9222 or send an email to editor@granbydrummer. org.

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phone and email address. Deadlines for the next issue are printed on page 36 in this issue or visit our website: www. granbydrummer.com.

The Granby Drummer A volunteer, non-proﬁt publication established in 1970. The Granby Drummer (ISSN 1547-1497) is published monthly except January and August by Citizens for a Better Granby at 11 North Granby Road, Granby, CT 06035. It’s delivered free of charge to all Granby households and businesses. Outof-town subscriptions are $20 per year. Periodicals postage paid at Granby, CT, and additional mailing ofﬁces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE GRANBY DRUMMER P.O. Box 165 Granby, CT 06035-0165 Copyright ©2013 Citizens for a Better Granby, all rights reserved. CBG BOARD Lew Noble, President David Tolli, Vice President Roger Hayes, Treasurer Flo Bischoff, Secretary Carol Bressor, Becky Mikus, Sam Mikus STAFF Rita Isaacson, Managing Editor Marilyn Sponzo, Copy Editor Chris Levandowski, Copy Editor Amanda Lindberg, Special Pages Andrea Leshinskie, Photo Editor Dave Tolli, Photo Editor Flo Bischoff, Features Coordinator Barbara Blanchette, Mindy Borrego, George Borrego, Carol Bressor, Carolyn Carter, Nancy Dudenhofer, Nancy Fischer, Elaine Girard, Joan Griswold, Shane Kertanis, Patricia Kovaleski, Chris Levandowski, Amanda Lindberg, Eileen Longhi, Lew Noble, Sally Pullman, Lauren Sannizzaro, Kristie Simmons, Donna Schedinger, Anne Schneider REPORTERS & CONTRIBUTORS Kim Becker, Jennifer Benson, AnnMarie Cox, Peter Dinella, Bernadette Gentry, Emily Henselder, Elaine Jones, KerryAnn Kielbasa,

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DECEMBER 2013

THE GRANBY DRUMMER

Letters cont’d. from p. 2 To those 110 volunteers who actively supported my campaign (and the other 13 Democratic candidates!), thank you for your time, your energy, your ﬁnancial contributions and for placing a sign on your lawn! Before this campaign, I knew people I had something in common through their kids, sports, clubs, church. But through these campaigning activities I have met many more with only one thing in common—our choice to live here together in Granby. For those new relationships, I give thanks. Through your kind and respectful treatment, I have come to view Granby from another perspective—yours. Jim Loﬁnk

Thanks from Kuhnly Thank you for electing me as your next First Selectman. I am truly honored by the trust you have given me and I am very excited to get to work. I know that I have big shoes to fill, and promise that I will give it my all. I am thrilled to be working with such a great group of elected officials from the many different boards and commissions. I would like to thank all those who ran for positions. I applaud you and am in awe of your tireless efforts. To the many volunteers in this election who worked for all candidates: the folks that opened your doors and shared ideas, the registrars of voters, poll workers, families, friends and countless others, thank you! It’s easy to see why Granby is such a great place to live. We are a community of people who, regardless of our political beliefs, care about each other and the town as a whole. This year’s election was about listening to your questions, concerns and ideas and I pledge to continue to seek out and be guided by your input. You can count on me to find innovative ways to communicate so that we can work together to “Keep Granby Strong.” B. Scott Kuhnly

Congratulations to Kuhnly By the time the Drummer is published, Scott Kuhnly will be Granby’s newly elected First Selectman. I congratulate Scott, and wish all of our elected ofﬁcials the best as they make thoughtful decisions concerning issues of great importance to our town in the coming years. I also extend well wishes to those

who were unsuccessful in their quest for public office. It takes great courage to open one’s self up to the scrutiny that our electoral process creates. Please stay involved and continue to be an important and valued voice in Granby’s future. I thank the people of Granby for the opportunity to serve you during the past 10 years. We experienced some difficult times during my tenure and your town government has attempted to respond appropriately and with concern for all our citizens. I am happy to report that total municipal spending has been below the rate of inflation for the past 10 years. While being cognizant of the fiscal constraints, we have successfully maintained and improved infrastructure, added open space, fostered private development and responded to the most devastating weather events in memory. In partnership with town officials, the Granby selectmen invested in schools, roads, bridges and parks. School improvements include providing safer access to Kearns by rerouting Canton Road, updating our intermediate schools, and building a state-of-the-art electronics lab and track/field complex at GMHS. Road re-construction and bridge replacements help keep travelers safe. Parks and recreational opportunities have been improved. The town is working collaboratively with Holcomb Farm, Inc. to improve facilities and increase programming. Granby’s rural character and scenic vistas are often mentioned as a defining aspect of our beautiful town. I am proud that we partnered with the Granby Land Trust and the State to preserve hundreds of acres of open space. Commercial developers continue to see Granby as an opportunity; a medical office building has been constructed in the town center and the Mill Pond Road area was developed in the past 10 years. We have taken steps to maintain access to large tracts of land in the southern portion of town for future commercial development. All of this and much more has been accomplished because Granby is a town that works together with vision and commitment. The many study committees, town boards, commissions, building committees and municipal staff work diligently to plan for our future, develop cost effective solutions, fund and build the projects. Granby will continue to move forward under the watchful eyes of many hardworking volunteers and

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municipal staff. I do wish to recognize our Town Manager Bill Smith for his 35 years of service to Granby. His knowledge and dedication to our town is unsurpassed. Thank you, Bill, for all you have done to guide Granby to become the Jewel of the Farmington Valley. Thank you, Granby, for the honor of serving you. I love this town that we call home, and look forward to what the next 10 years bring. John E. Adams, First Selectman

East Granby Ambulance thanked It’s that time of year where we become hyper-aware of what we are thankful for, and maybe even aware of how delayed some Thank You’s are. I want to take the time right now to thank a special group of people who are integral to our community and often forgotten—our Emergency Medical community at East Granby Ambulance Association. There are a few parts to that group and I am focusing on the volunteers and paid staff that are actually the ones that come to us at any and all times of day or night. The ones that drive in any weather for any reason we deem an emergency, the ones that hold our hands or heads, and reassure us. They’ve been there at our parades, our car shows, our re-enactments, and our moments of weakness and fear. They leave their families to take care of ours. So thank you to the techs and medics that have taken care of us for so long. Good luck to you all in your future endeavors as your time as our 11th hour heroes and heroines draws to a close. I know that you’ll take care of your next wards with the same compassion and professionalism that you’ve had with us. Thank you, and God bless, A thankful resident Editor’s Note: The East Granby Ambulance Association and The Granby Ambulance Association will combine their services starting Sunday, Nov. 24. An article explaining the change will appear in the February 2014 Granby Drummer.

Response to Hornish I am writing in response to Annie Hornish’s letter published in the September edition of the Drummer. Her letter focused on two items: endorsing the Democratic slate of candidates and finding fault with the existing Republican leadership. As is typical around election season, information tends to be broad-based: no facts, no specifics, just broad generalizations. The terms used to describe the slate of candidates are not defined nor are specific examples provided. In essence, this is simply offering an opinion. However, when the comments turn to the existing leadership, “facts” appear. After connecting a couple of unrelated facts, an attempt is then made to assess

PAGE 3 blame, drawing an erroneous conclusion. The first statement made is that “our property taxes have gone up regularly and significantly over the past 15 years.” True, but salaries and wages have also increased over the past 15 years, along with nearly everything else. The issue is how large have tax increases been relative to increases for other items. We’ve been in town over 24 years. The first year, our annual property taxes were about $3,600. Our tax bill from the 2012 assessment was about $7,350. That means our tax bill increased 104 percent. By comparison, the CPI inflation rates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for that same period show an aggregate CPI increase of 90 percent. If assessment increases from two major home improvements are removed from the comparison, our property taxes have essentially increased at the rate of inflation over a 24-year period. The next fact presented is that this increase in property taxes “has been under the Republican majority’s rule.” Yes, it has. And I think that for a governing body to be able to claim that they only increased taxes in line with the overall cost of living increase over nearly a quarter of a century is something that they should be proud of. From these two “facts,” the conclusion is then made that “this highlights the need to replace the rhetoric of the past with transparency and government accountability…” Respectfully, I disagree. The fact that my taxes have gone up over time and that this occurred under “Republican rule” has nothing whatsoever to do with government accountability or transparency. While I have a number of disagreements with how funds have been allocated, which programs have been supported, the growth levels of administration and the shenanigans that have occurred surrounding a recent bonding issue, I’ve got no such quarrel from a financial standpoint with leadership that has only increased my taxes in line with the rate of inflation. Ms. Hornish states that Granby needs people who are fiscally smart. I agree with her. However, considering that she is the one-term representative who highlighted her career by proposing tax increases less than 10 days after taking the oath of office, I question whether she is the best person to make that judgment. Harold Forbes Corrections Mr. Forbes’ letter was inadvertently omitted from the October issue. A letter in the November issue written by Robin L. Brown-Newberg was attributed to Robert L. Brown-Newberg. We regret the errors.

Letters cont’d. on p. 4

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THE GRANBY DRUMMER

Board of Selectmen cont’d. from p. 1 often hears words of respect for the way Granby is governed and that much of that is directly related to the leadership of Adams and Smith. Finances In the previous regular BOS meeting on November 4, consideration of the request to appropriate money to the Capital Non-recurring Expenditure

Fund was approved. The town received a $600,000 premium from our bonding agent. In addition to this money, the town saw a substantial savings on the Silver Street Bridge project and the on-going Evonsion property clean-up. The Athletic Field Project came in right on target, and the other major budgeted projects for the

Letters cont’d. from p. 3 Running in the face of tragedy It’s easy to be a cynic. These days it seems impossible to turn on a television without hearing talking heads portending America’s economic collapse. A failing education system, a government shutdown, violence in our schools, these are the things that we as Americans are inundated with on a regular basis. This is of course to say nothing of the personal struggles that are an inherent part of the human condition. We need to deal with the seemingly trivial elements like paying bills, and then there are the burdens of memory that we will forever carry with us. The world, however, is not without its beauty. Perhaps one of the most deﬁning characteristics of the human spirit is its ability to persevere in the face of shattering adversity. As of writing this letter, one year ago this week, Granby lost one of its own. Christopher Pettee was tragically taken from us in a car accident that left our world a poorer place. It is impossible to quantify the feeling of loss experienced by his family, and it would be a disservice to Christopher and his family to try. This article, however, is not about the loss of a great man, but the inspiring action of his sister, Victoria Pettee Macgruder, in spite of such loss. It is more than likely, at some point, if you are a Granby resident, that you passed Tori jogging along one of our towns many scenic roads. When you saw her did you spare her a thought? Did you wonder what would drive someone to run endless miles day after day?

While being fit was certainly an added benefit, Tori was running for nothing so pedestrian as being in shape. She ran for catharsis, she ran for her brother, and she ran for others like him. You see, almost a year to the day of Chris’s passing, Tori completed the New York City Marathon, running for Team Boomer in support of Cystic Fibrosis, a condition with which her brother had been diagnosed. In the proceeding months, Tori raised over 3,000 dollars in support of Cystic Fibrosis awareness, culminating in her completion of over 26 miles in the largest marathon in the world. It’s easy to be a cynic, but if Tori can still find the love in such anguish, redirect that pain to find beauty again—what’s our excuse? For more information on Cystic Fibrosis, Team Boomer or to donate for the cause, please visit esiason.org. Nicholas Venn

year (Cossitt, high school tech lab, etc.) also were completed within budget. Smith feels optimistic that a FEMA grant will come through for a generator that would allow the middle school to be used as emergency shelter if needed. Traffic Signal finally approved The DOT has finally approved the installation of a traffic control signal at the intersection of Salmon Brook Street and Floydville Road based on traffic studies and accident reports. The board approved that the town pay the $10,000 required. The money is not due until the installation is complete, which should be during 2014. In addition to the regular traffic light, an on-demand cross-walk will be included. RPIP Approval was given to a resolution to apply to CRCOG for a grant for the Regional Performance Incentive Program. Programs include a data/disaster recovery center that towns can use for replacement of aging servers, new applications and replacement of existing applications and a regional forensics laboratory dedicated to computer crime. September Budget Report Smith noted that in a meeting with the Board of Finance, it was determined

DECEMBER 2013 that the current year tax collection is a percentage point above the past year (55 percent vs. 54 percent) and that thanks to conservative budgeting, all aspects of the budget are in good shape, with income from the state and motor vehicle operations yielding a surplus of $11,000 in one category. First Selectman’s Report After thanking his wife and children for their understanding of his time spent for the town of Granby, and appreciation to Smith and the selectmen for their hard work, Adams made note of the improvements to Granby’s infrastructure that have occurred during the 10 years of his tenure. The town has chosen to invest in its schools, roads, bridges and parks, all the while keeping municipal spending below the rate of inﬂation. He mentioned that when attending state meetings with auditors, he has frequently been told that Granby is the best run town in the state. New appointments Lynne DeMatteo was appointed to the Commission on Aging and Bill Sleavin was appointed to the Conservation Commission. Mark Fiorentino was appointed to ﬁll the seat on the Board of Education following Ed Ohannessian’s election to the BOS.

Heminway cont’d. from p. 1 tinction Awards (12 consecutive years). Cal has also supported innovative school programs for students and staff such as pre-school, full-day kindergarten, professional learning communities, one-to-one computing, the Open Choice Program, elementary world languages, athletics, and artistic and enrichment opportunities for all students. Cal’s expertise and leadership on the Board of Education will be missed, but his accomplishments and contributions to the Granby Public Schools will be appreciated and remembered by generations of families, staff and students for years to come. Cal is an “IBMer” and navy veteran. An IBM slogan is to “build a smarter planet” while the motto for the navy is “not for self but

for country.” As a Board member, Cal has lived those ideals serving Granby students, not himself, while all the time providing better educational solutions for our schools and better educational opportunities for students. A painting of the district school buildings by local artist Sally Melrose and a tribute fund established in Cal’s name by the Granby Education Foundation will be timeless memories of his contributions. Superintendent Alan Addley closed the proceedings by thanking Cal for his loyalty, leadership and friendship and by presenting him with the children’s book, The Giving Tree, as a simple symbolic gesture of his unconditional dedication and commitment to the students of Granby.

Members of Cal Heminway’s family joined him at his retirement reception. photo by Rita Isaacson

Tori Pettee Macgruder at the New York City Marathon. submitted photo

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PAGE 5

How revenue and grand list components affect the mill rate by Michael Guarco, Jr. Chair, Board of Finance When discussion rolls around to property taxes and the mill rate, sometimes a simple comparison is really anything but that. Just as what one spends affects taxes, a host of variables and differences within the components making up a particular town’s grand list play just as much of a role, if not more so, in highlighting why one town’s mill rate is more or less than another’s. For example, while Granby’s mill rate is 34.83 ($34.83 per $1000 of assessed value), that of Greenwich is about one third of what it is here; while they spend more than 50 percent more per student than we do here in Granby.

Town of Granby Meeting Calendar Board of Selectmen, 7:30 p.m., Town Hall Monday, December 2, Monday, December 16 Board of Finance, 7:30 p.m., Police Community Room, Monday, December 23 Board of Education, 7 p.m., Central Ofﬁce, Wednesday, December 4, Wednesday, December 18 Planning & Zoning, 7 p.m., Town Hall Tuesday, December 10, Tuesday, December 24 Inland Wetlands & Watercourses, 7 p.m., Town Hall, Wednesday, December 11 Development Commission, 7 p.m., Town Hall, Monday, December 9

Through what miracle can that be? The answer is to be found in understanding how differences in the grand list components affect calculation of the mill rate, here and elsewhere. For purposes of this discussion, the assumption is made that spending levels are comparable between towns. Obviously, if all else is held equal, a town with higher spending per capita or per student will require more tax dollars. For this exercise we assume that spending levels are constant and that the revenue variables and grand list components are where the differences are to be found. For example, if the only difference between two towns is that one has 10 percent higher property value assessments than the other, the mill rate in that town would be roughly 10 percent lower while still raising the same amount of property tax. Similarly, if a town has a 24 percent commercial/ industrial component of its grand list compared to 8 percent as in Granby, then the mill rate can be roughly 16 percent lower there while still raising the same amount in property tax. Another significant factor on the revenue side is pilot money—what a town derives from the state for certain facilities that do not pay property tax to the towns where they are located. The towns of Somers, Enfield, and Suffield get millions for having prisons located within their towns, while Suffield, Windsor Locks, and East Granby share millions for having Bradley Field. Once again, a two-million dollar payment from the state in pilot money is about seven percent of our property tax bill overall, and therefore would allow a mill rate reduction of roughly that seven percent. Instead,

Granby receives less than $20,000 in pilot money from the state, as we have none of the above. A last important factor in terms of revenue from the state is how the state aid formulas are affected by a town’s relative wealth. Simply put and with all else held equal, a wealthier town will receive less in state aid than will a less-well-off community with equal spending levels. The system in Connecticut is set up so that a well-to-do town will get less and therefore have to come up with more through property taxes than its less-welloff neighboring town. With equivalent spending and grand lists, that means a higher mill rate to raise the difference in taxes needed to offset the difference in state aid. While holding the level of spending equal, the above examples help explain

why mill rates differ as much as they do. Greenwich has a mill rate of about one third of ours, because it has such high property values, multi-million dollar residential neighborhoods, as well as a significant commercial/industrial/equipment component of its grand list. Some neighboring towns have double and triple the commercial component percentage of the grand list compared to our eight percent, such as Avon and Canton. Then again, they have the Rte. 44 traffic that goes with it. Others like Suffield and Windsor Locks have the airport or a prison, which many would just as soon not be host to. That said, despite the reservations, these factors all make a difference in how a town is funded and how the mill rate gets calculated. It is not just a function of how much is spent.

Windsor Fed’s Hermann elected to ABA Board George Hermann, President and CEO of Windsor Federal Savings has been elected to the Board of Directors of the American Bankers Association. ABA’s board is the association’s governing body between annual conventions and is made up of CEOs from banks of all sizes. “I am honored to be representing our bank, our region and our industry,” said Hermann. “Though our competitive situations are different and our local economies vary, there are core issues that concern all bankers and all communities.” With a 30 plus year career in the financial service industry, including five years as President and CEO of The First National Bank of Suffield, Hermann joined Windsor Federal Savings, a $390 million mutual institution, in February 2012. At present, Hermann is Vice President of the Connecticut Community Bankers Association, a member of the Legislative Committee and past member of their Executive Committee of the Connecticut Bankers Association. Currently he is a member of the Windsor Rotary Club and serves on the Board of the Bradley Development League. He has also served as Director of the Red Cross, Hospice, and Visiting Nurse Association.

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PAGE 6

THE GRANBY DRUMMER

DECEMBER 2013

Greenway Village developers propose increased density by Elaine Jones At their November meeting, the Planning and Zoning Commission welcomed alternate members Steven Royer for a two-year term and Christine Chinni for a four-year term, both were elected to serve at the recent town elections. The addition of alternate members was suggested by the commission and approved as part of the recent changes to the Town Charter. Having alternates assures that the commission will always have a quorum and better decisions by the commission. The Plan of Conservation and Development (PCD) and the Earth Excavation and Removal Regulations (EERR) subcommittees are still looking for people willing to serve. The PCD is slated to begin in January with commission members Paula Johnson, Eric Lukingbeal and Steve Royer, and the EERR this December with commission members Jim Sansone, Eric Lukingbeal and Christine Chinni. Residents wanting more information or are willing to serve should contact Director of Community Development Fran Armentano. Staff Reports Fran Armentano reported that Greenway Village, the proposed housing development behind the Stop and Shop

Plaza, will present a change in the layout at a public hearing on December 10. Four additional units were added to the plan and the infrastructure layout has been significantly changed. The proposal is for a large green space in the middle with the 34 units surrounding it. The plan includes eight one-bedroom units on a single level, and 26 two-bedroom units on multilevel. See drawings accompanying this article or view full-size drawings in the Building Department ofﬁce in Town Hall. New gas lines being installed by Connecticut Natural Gas along Salmon Book Street will soon be connected and extend to the high school by spring. The Evonsion Farm, bought by the town last year and rented out as farmland, has been tested for contaminants by the DEP and found to be free of any. The land will again be used for agriculture. The Shepard Way subdivision off Day Street will have one less lot as a buyer wants a larger lot that would combine lot 1 (2.4 acres) and lot 3 (1.8 acres). Armentano plans to meet with the owners of Lost Acres Vineyard after January to discuss the recent complaints of excessive noise during evening parties.

Proposed plan for Greenway Village adds four units and changes the infrastructure.

Original plan for Greenway Village

Municipal Election Results: Election Day Registration Debuts On November 5, Granby had a very impressive 39.5 percent voter turnout, with 2813 people voting out of 7113 registered voters, an increased turnout of more than 50 percent over 2011! 2711 votes were cast in person at the community gym, 94 absentee mail-in ballots were sent in and eight election day registration ballots were cast at town hall. Active campaigning, positive messages and serious get-out-thevote efforts by Republicans, Democrats and Independents all helped improve voter turnout. All of the incumbents were re-elected, and the majority of the open seats went to the Republican candidates. By appearance on the ballot: Ofﬁce First Selectman First Selectman Selectman Selectman Selectman Selectman Board of Finance Board of Finance Board of Finance Board of Finance Board of Finance 2 yr Board of Finance 2 yr

Name B. Scott Kuhnly Jim Loﬁnk Edward E. Ohannessian Mark Neumann Ronald F. Desrosiers Sally S. King Gordon C. Bischoff Alfred G. Wilke Frederick Moffa Reinhard W. Maier Kelly O. Rome Christopher M. Roughton

Party Rep. Dem. Rep. Rep. Dem. Dem. Rep. Rep. Dem. Ind. Rep. Dem.

Votes 1765 1001 1494 1510 1200 1147 1910 1886 1452 1174 1756 921

Ofﬁce

Name

Party

Votes

Board of Education Melissa E. Migliaccio Rep. 1708 Board of Education Benjamin L. Perron Rep. 1495 Board of Education Ronald S. Walther Rep. 1319 Board of Education Valorie A. Hollister Dem. 1271 Board of Education Celia R. Lofink Dem. 1052 Board of Education Evan Socrates Dantos Dem. 995 Board of Assessment Appeals Celia Eggert Rep. 1404 Board of Assessment Appeals James R. Sansone Dem. 1218 P&Z Commission Mark W. Lockwood Rep. 1932 P&Z Commission Margaret Q. Chapple Dem. 1576 P&Z Commission Eric Lukingbeal Dem. 1580 P&Z Commission Barbara J. Berkowitz Ind. 1152 P&Z Commission Alt - 4 yr Christine L. Chinni Dem. 1709 P&Z Commission Alt - 2 yr Stephen Paul Royer Rep. 2006 Zoning Board of Appeals Robert M. Lindeyer Rep. 1698 Zoning Board of Appeals Wayne E. Chapple Dem. 1224 Zoning Board of Appeals Douglas R. Maus Ind. 804 Zoning Board of Appeals Terry D. Wright Ind. 729 Zoning Board of Appeals Alt William P. O’Leary Rep. 2024 Zoning Board of Appeals Alt Suzanne Yucha Dem. 1628 Moderator John E. Adams Rep. 2247 The election this November ran smoothly and efficiently, with no serious traffic or parking problems. There was only an occasional line to check in or vote at the community gym at the high school. The registrars received a few complaints about the signage at town hall, from residents who were confused by the election day registration signs held at town hall. Special thanks to the staff at Granby Memorial

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The soul grows in silence: Make space to listen. That’s our worship theme this year at South Church. Join us some Sunday to listen and explore your own faith calling. All are welcome! Worship services at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday school and child care at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 14th Cookies by the Pound, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Dec. 15th Christmas Pageant, 4 p.m. Dec. 24th Christmas Eve Services Family service, 5 p.m. / Candlelight service, 9 p.m. 242 Salmon Brook St., Granby, CT / (860) 653-7289 / www.southchurchgranby.org

DECEMBER 2013

THE GRANBY DRUMMER

PAGE 7

BOE eliminates restrictions on Quality and Diversity Funds by Kim Becker On November 20, the Board of Education met for the ﬁrst time since the municipal elections, with new members Melissa Migliaccio and Mark Fiorentino. The board elected Ron Walther as Chair, Ben Perron as Vice-Chair and Lynn Guelzow as Secretary. Mark Fiorentino was appointed to the board after Ed Ohannesian’s election to the Board of Selectmen. Quality and Diversity Funds Quality and Diversity Funds are given to the District as tuition for students participating in the Open Choice program. Many years ago, the Board decided to reserve these funds primarily for magnet school tuitions for Granby students. However, the law also allows the Dis-

trict to use the funds for new programs. Currently, these revenues fund Choice student needs and support staff, magnet and other school tuition, transportation, College Connections program, summer school support, partial kindergarten support, and enrichment clubs. In his last act as Chair, Cal Heminway proposed eliminating the restriction of Q&D funds to magnet school tuition. Therefore, the Board could elect to use these funds for appropriate programs as recommended by the Superintendent. The Board passed his proposal with the understanding that the Board will review the programs annually. One to One Computing Students, parents and teachers had an opportunity to share their views about the 8th grade pilot program with the Board

Election cont’d. from p. 6 High School for their help in this election. Kudos to a terriﬁc poll working team! Volunteers and paid pollworkers greeted voters, helped guide them to the correct line for check-in, gave out ballots, ensured their ballot was counted and assisted voters with special needs. Also helping on Election Day, the Granby Police Department and Town of Granby Public Works did a great job of making sure that voters could drive safely to and from the polls. On the heels of this November election, new election night reporting is scheduled to be tested in Granby and online voter registration for Connecticut residents who have either a valid Connecticut driver’s license or valid identiﬁcation card is being planned to debut in 2014.

Feel free to stop by to register to vote, figure out your voting district or make corrections in person at the Registrars’ Office in the town hall every Wednesday, our regular office hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Please note, voter registration forms are also available at town halls, libraries, DMV offices and online at the Secretary of State’s website: www.

sots.ct.gov

Questions? Please feel free to contact the registrars, Laura Wolfe and Maureen Wolf. Their office phone number/voice mail is 860-844-5322 and email addresses are: lwolfe.granby. ct@gmail.com and mwolf.granby.

ct@gmail.com

On Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, Miss Lauren Sannizzaro was the ﬁrst person in Granby to take advantage of the new State of Connecticut law granting citizens the ability to register to vote and complete a ballot, upon approval on Election Day. Granby Registrars Laura Wolfe and Maureen Wolf noted Miss Sannizzaro, a senior at Granby Memorial High School, also registered to vote for the very ﬁrst time as well. This service, called “EDR” (Election Day Registration and Voting) will be available for every Election going forward. Granby residents who wish to use this service in the future must go to Granby Town Hall to complete a voter registration and cast their ballot. All other registered voters will continue to vote at Granby Memorial High School. —Maureen Wolf

through surveys and public comment. All reported an increase in student ownership of learning and overall positive experiences using technology in the classroom. In particular, students and parents saw benefits in research and organization as well as connecting with real-world situations. However, each group had concerns about connectivity issues, both at school and at home, inappropriate use of technology in PE and other special classes, and distractions such as YouTube and games during class time. Parents who spoke at the meeting asked for consistency and rules regarding use of unauthorized sites and cheating. Parents were concerned about online homework. Children are not always at doing homework at home and after-school activities may not have WIFI access. Teachers echoed much of the optimism and concern about the program. They report using the devices at least one to two times per week with 17 percent using the technology daily for research, student presentations, and collaboration. However, technology issues are reported daily with the teacher being able to resolve them 50 percent of the time. These issues are decreasing as the school year progresses. Teachers would like more assistance with technical and curriculum issues to embed the technology in their subject areas. Achievement Gap The board requested that the administration look at the overall educational outcomes for children with special needs and also by town of residence (Granby, Hartford, Hartland). In both cases, signiﬁcant academic achievement gaps were apparent, reflecting trends seen across the state. The data was drawn from high school surveys and assessment

scores. Data was not available for other schools. Children with special needs had a higher incidence of disciplinary action, and a lower participation in athletics. Data for other activities was unavailable. These students scored signiﬁcantly lower on the CAPT assessment and very few elected to take AP courses. Director of Pupil Personnel Services Aimee Martin, made it clear that students with special needs have ability levels comparable to their peers and pointed out that this was a small sample size. Additionally, the board reviewed the data by residence (Granby, Hartford, and Hartland). Again, the data is from the high school. Children from Hartford had a higher incidence of disciplinary action and lower participation rates in athletics, and AP and Honors classes than Granby students. Hartland students had fewer disciplinary incidents and a lower participation rate in athletics and AP and Honors classes than Granby students although it was higher than Hartford students. CAPT scores show that Hartford students did not meet goal in any academic area. However, Hartford students attending GMHS outperform their peers in Hartford. Hartland students need improvement in reading and math, but score higher than Granby students in writing and science. Overall, Hartland students achieve at similar levels to Granby students. Pupil Personnel Services will expand the data it collects throughout the district and develop a new measurement to assess the success of the intervention program. Also, issues that may bar children from after school participation, such as transportation, will be examined.

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PAGE 8

THE GRANBY DRUMMER

Focus on Education

with Emily Henselder and Sarah Toth

Alan Addley �

�

Tales of comedy, chorus and championships!

�

Professional Learning Community Study This year, district administration is conducting a Professional Learning Community Time Study and developing recommendations to present to the Board of Education by the end of the school year that will increase the amount and quality of time that teachers have to collaborate with each other on curriculum, teaching practices and interventions for students. Possible recommendations might include starting school later one day a week or a weekly early dismissal that would allow teachers time to work together. Other options could include an extended work day for teachers and expanded use of technology to facilitate meetings. Some reasons for conducting the study include: • Addressing the recommendation from last year’s Intermediate School Reconﬁguration Study to seek alternate solutions to increase grade level teacher collaboration on teaching and learning; • Providing staff the necessary time to address Common Core State Standards that require fundamental shifts in the ways teachers teach; • Providing opportunity for addressing plateauing student achievement; • Increasing teacher collaboration time around teaching and learning. Presently, teachers have approximately only one hour week of professional learning community team time; • Increasing the opportunities for greater PK-12 collaboration. For example, it is rare that English teachers from grades PK-12 can meet together to vertically align curriculum; • Improving the quality of instructional time and ensuring students are taught by a highly qualiﬁed teacher. Currently, some classes are covered by teaching assistants to permit teachers to attend PLC meetings during the day and substitute teachers cover for teachers to write curriculum; • Providing regular embedded time for professional development for teachers. Attending workshops or bringing in guest speakers is no longer the accepted practice of professional learning; • Providing equitable PLC time for all schools and teachers. The amount of collaborative team time provided to

DECEMBER 2013

teachers across the district fluctuates from school to school; • Aligning best practices to the practices of other high-performing schools around the world. In many countries that are cited for international achievement, teachers spend much less time working directly with students and much more time working with their peers; • Utilizing professional learning time as a recruitment incentive. Most teachers do not come to Granby because of the salary; rather, they come because of the professional culture and our commitment to providing time for teachers to meet together as collaborative teams; and, • Addressing the discontinuity and disruption of early release and full-day professional development days on the school calendar by providing a regular time for professional development. Clearly, however, there are a host of factors to consider. They include the impacts on school programs and clubs, potential loss of instructional time and any financial impact and the needs of families. These and other factors will be taken into consideration as part of the process and addressed as part of the recommendations. Providing this time requires a paradigm change in how we value and perceive the needs of our teachers. In the 21st century, schools must be places where students and teachers learn. Our professional learning community teams are the engines for our organization and, in this time of significant educational reform, providing time for our teachers to do the work is the biggest resource they need in order to guarantee the future success of our students. Parent and teacher surveys, PTO meetings, superintendent forums and board meetings will be utilized to solicit input into this topic. Parent and teacher focus groups will review the administration’s findings before the administration presents its report and recommendation to the Board of Education in January. Parents will be kept apprised about the process and there will be opportunities to be heard by the Board before a decision is made.

Even though the weather outside is starting to look grayer, things in Granby Memorial High School couldn’t be anymore vibrant. Fall sports are finishing with the final state championship games, the drama club just finished a successful run of The Merry Murders At Montmarie, and last, but certainly not least, the Granby Memorial High School chorus hosted its annual Coffee House and participated in Northern Regional Auditions. It’s no secret that Granby High has talented sports teams. All that natural talent with the backdrop of top-notch new fields at the high school came together for perfect seasons that all the fall sports achieved. With the athletes playing the best they have all season and skilled coaches, all the teams went far in their state games. Along with championship games, each sport (soccer, field hockey, volleyball, cross-country, and football) all had senior nights to honor their seniors. Students and staff alike always wait in anticipation for the fall play put on by the skilled GMHS actors and actresses. This fall, the play was The Merry Murders At Montmarie. As expected, the witty, upbeat comedy had everyone in the audience on their toes waiting for what was to come next and laughing out loud at the clever jokes. The drama club put on

three shows, each receiving the standing ovation it rightfully deserved. The GMHS chorus is always up to something, and this month is no exception. Just as the fall drama club production is anticipated, the fall coffeehouse is always looked forward to. Coffeehouse is a night of all acoustic music—by students, for students. The chorus sells food to go along with the music, and the proﬁt from the tickets and snack sales is donated to a worthy charity. With great tunes, great food, and a good cause what’s not to love? Don’t worry if you missed this Coffeehouse, because there will be another one in February, with even more great music that you won’t want to miss! Another exciting GMHS chorus event is the Northern Regional Auditions. For the students in the choir, auditioning and getting into the Northern Region choir is the equivalent of fall athletes going to their championships. Students are offered the opportunity to audition, and if they choose to, they prepare a pre-determined song to perform for the Northern Regional judges. The Northern Regional choir is composed of students from all over New England. The competition is tough, but the GMHS chorus has a history of having many talented members accepted, and this year will be no exception.

Wells Road School participates in No Kid Hungry/Go Orange campaign Wells Road Intermediate School participated in the Food Network’s No Kid Hungry/Go Orange campaign. This awareness activity was organized by Kylie Williams, a Wells Road 5th grade student. Kylie was driven to action when she learned that over six million children throughout the United States struggle with hunger daily. Childhood hunger is a bold problem and orange is a bold color! Kylie challenged Wells Road School to “Go Orange” to support this worthy cause. She decided to “think globally, act locally” by holding both a fundraiser and a food drive. Over $485 and 460 canned goods were collected. The money was sent to the Food Network to globally support their No Kid Hungry campaign and the canned goods were donated to the local Granby/VNA Food Bank.

Kylie Williams

DECEMBER 2013

THE GRANBY DRUMMER

Granby Soccer continues its proud tradition by Shane Kertanis The 2013 Granby soccer team was nothing but a success, lead by remarkable seniors including All-Conference, Captain and MVP Connor Hoeckele and All-Conference, Captain Owen Rust. Contributions from seniors Logan Brower, Brent Goldman, and Matt McTeague ensured the team that they were on track and headed in the right direction after a 0-3 start. Critical emphasis on moving forward and working hard came from tenth-year Coach Dave Emery. From year to year, Emery adapted game strategies based on the variations in players’ skill sets. With the new marvelous facility composed of two synthetic turf fields, this team seemed to excel by “playing on the carpet.” The players made it clear that great conditions made playing more enjoyable. Players Jose Pedro-Flores and Brent Goldman specifically displayed their talents as Granby’s starting center mid-fielders. Together these teammates frustrated many opponents and gave the team many laughs as well. An unforgettable moment occurred when Bryan McTeague scored the first goal of the year alongside senior brother Matt McTeague. The two were exciting to watch with high expectations for the coming years. Strong defensive play from solid backs Logan Brower, Owen Rust, Tanner Gibson and Joey Noyes gave Granby a great advantage, holding many teams to zero goals. Star goalkeeper, Connor Hoeckele, had 160 saves on the season and provided the team with a fighting chance at every match. Hoeckele received many honorable mentions including MVP, allconference and senior bowl player. The 2013 Granby boys soccer team’s collaborative efforts led to great achievement. Making it to the second round in the State Tournament was a great milestone in a competitive league.

Granby Boy Scout Troop 125 supports soldiers overseas by Troy Chicoine On Saturday and Sunday, November 9 and 10, Boy Scout Troop 125 stationed themselves outside Geissler’s and Stop and Shop to request donations of items to send to men and women in the armed forces currently deployed overseas. The troop is working with the non-proﬁt organization Give2TheTroops, whose mission is to send care packages to deployed troops. This organization is based in Rocky Hill and has been shipping packages to military troops since 2004. This past spring, when the boys were planning next year of scouting activities, they felt it was only appropriate, that on the weekend preceding Veteran’s Day, they do something to show appreciation and support of our military men and women stationed far from home. The response from the Granby community was fantastic and 20 boxes (almost 40 cubic feet) of items were donated, based on lists of items requested by military personnel, including holiday decorations and cards, personal care items, snacks and entertainment items. In addition, over $1,000 of cash dona-

Granby Boy Scout Troop. submitted photo

tions was received that will be used to purchase additional items and to pay the shipping costs of the items collected. The boy scouts of Troop 125 would like to thank all who gave donations and to all those in the armed forces who have, and who continue to sacriﬁce so much to serve and protect our nation.

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THE GRANBY DRUMMER

DECEMBER 2013

Little Hooves 4-H Club celebrates end of 4-H year by Mary Adams “What can you do with miniature horses if you can’t ride them?” is a common question asked of Mary Adams and Gary Gudinkas of On Target Miniatures in West Sufﬁeld. Their answer is that you can start a 4-H Club, which they did in early 2012. Thus the Little Hooves 4-H Club is just celebrating the end of its

first complete 4-H year. The eight Little Hooves members, all girls ages 9-16 years, live in Suffield, Enfield, Windsor Locks, and Granby. Each leases a miniature horse from On Target Miniatures to use for their project. The past 12 months of training and practice culminated in the last horse show of the season on October 5. In the short time of the club’s

Youth Lacrosse registration is open by Kathleen Olchowski On a beautiful autumn day in October, when fall sports were in full swing, the Granby Youth Lacrosse League was busy planning for its 2014 spring season, with a fall festival meet-and-greet at Salmon Brook Park. Free food and refreshments were provided. Players tested their accuracy and speed by shooting lacrosse balls at pumpkin targets. Board members answered questions and introduced new players and parents to the fun and exciting sport of lacrosse.

Lacrosse, considered to be America’s own sport, first played by the North American Indians, is the fastest sport on two feet and one of the fastest growing team sports in the U.S. Youth participation in the sport has grown over 77 percent since 2006 to nearly 400,000 in 2012, and there are now an estimated 282,000 high school players. Granby’s lacrosse program has seen tremendous growth from 2002 to 2013 with over 200 boys and girls playing at four different levels. New players are always welcome, as well as parents, who have an interest in volunteering in various capacities. Granby Youth Lacrosse online registration opened November 1 and will conclude on January 15. Registrations processed on or after January 16, will incur a $25 late fee, and players will be placed on a waiting list. Check out the website at www. granbylacrosse.org. Register for lacrosse today and join the Granby Lacrosse family!

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existence, the members have gone from struggling to put a halter on to becoming accomplished and successful horse show competitors in showmanship, jumping, trail, ground driving (without a cart) and game classes such as egg and spoon. All classes are fun and require lots of work to get everyone ready. In addition to training their project minis for show, members have learned about grooming, feeding, general horse care, foaling, horse conformation, taking a horse’s vital signs of respiration rate and temperature, and helped train three minis to drive (pull a cart). Members are also required to set goals and keep records of activities, time and money spent on their projects, and any public speaking and 4-H contests they participate in. Perhaps some of the most important lessons that members learn are working together and sharing. One of our members has more physical and mental challenges than most youth, but she participates in all club activities, including showing. The ﬁrst time she got her mini to trot with her, there was spontaneous applause from all the members, leaders and parents present. With help from other members she is now learning to jump her mini over small jumps and to ground drive. She also came along with other members and two minis when we

Little Hooves 4-H member Anna Mikalonis of Granby and her project miniature horse Princess compete in a costume class. photo by Gary Gudinkas.

visited a local nursing home as a community service project. If your group would like to use the club minis for a community service project please contact Leader Mary Adams at 860-370-9035 with your request. For more information about the Little Hooves 4-H Club, visit

www.ontargetminiatures.com/otm4h.html. In Connecticut, 4-H is offered

through the University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension System. More information is available at www.cag. uconn.edu/ces/4H/index.php.

appy Holidays & appy Healthy New Year! As the year closes, I look back on 2013 with a grateful heart! Happily this has been my best Real Estate sales year ever and I look forward to continuing to do what I love; Sell Real Estate! I also wish to thank all the people in the Town of Granby for their outpouring of support and love for our family this year. I appreciate your business, but especially your friendship! Have a Wonderful Holiday Season!

JUDY GUARCO GROUP 860-651-2127 jguarco@bhhsne.com 22 Hartford Avenue Granby, CT ©2013 Berkshire Hathatway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc.® Equal Housing Opportunity.

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DECEMBER 2013

THE GRANBY DRUMMER

PAGE 11

Valley Pre-School’s Halloween Spooktacular by Sally Moon

Granby Memorial High School Marching Band was named Best High School Band at the fourteenth annual Veterans Day Parade in Hartford. photo by Andy Hart

On a Tuesday evening in late October, Valley Pre-School’s Spooktacular returned after two years of October storms eclipsing this enchanting evening. Children, many with coats over pajamas, came with their parents to the event. Nearly 100 ﬂickering jacko-lanterns were displayed on picnic tables, each designed by one of the children and contributed by their family, beckoned the children to join the after-dark fun. The evening consisted of ﬁnding one’s own scary, friendly, surprised, happy pumpkin carving, admiring the work of others and feasting on donuts and cider. It culminated with a puppet show from this fall’s Catapult Program run by Audrey Laird. “Catapult”

is Valley Pre-School’s extended-day program. With marionettes crafted by the children, mummies, Draculas and witches performed “The Monster Mash” frightening all into laughter. Excited children went home to be tucked into bed with memories of jacko-lanterns in their heads. For more information about Valley Pre-School, please check out the website at valleypreschoolinfo. org or like it on Facebook.

GMHS Marching Band honored by Connecticut Veterans Parade The winners of the five Band Contests at the 2013 Connecticut Veterans Parade in downtown Hartford have been announced. Twenty (20) different musical units marched in the November 3 parade, including college, high school and middle school bands, pipe and drum, and fife and drum bands. A judging panel selected one winner in each of five categories. Each band will receive a trophy from parade organizers. The winners of the 2013 Connecticut Veterans Parade Band Awards are: Best High School Band Award goes to Granby Memorial High School Band; Best Middle School Band Award goes to Windsor Locks Middle School Wildcats Band;

Ken Davis and Dave Amidon of the American Legion Post 182, Granby accompany the Submarine Veterans, Inc. USS IREX SS-482 float at the Veterans Day Parade. Legion member Al Hahn, who served aboard the USS IREX, designed the float. The USS IREX was the first snorkel submarine. photo by Andy Hart.

Best Fife And Drum Band Award goes to Junior Colonial Fife and Drum Corps of Westbrook; Best Pipe And Drum Band Award goes to Manchester Regional Police and Fire Pipe Band; and Best Parade Spirit Award goes to The Salvation Army’s HPD (Hartford Proud Drummers) Cold Groove Percussions. Close to 3,000 people marched in the 14th annual Connecticut Veterans Parade. The event is the largest veterans parade in New England and is one of the largest salutes to veterans in the entire U.S. For more information about the annual Connecticut Veterans Parade, visit www.ctveteransparade.org or call 860-986-7254.

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PAGE 12

THE GRANBY DRUMMER

DECEMBER 2013

Granby Cub Scouts help clean senior living community by Todd Hollister On Saturday, October 19, sixteen Cub Scouts from Granby’s Pack 325 met at Stony Hill Village to help in its annual fall cleanup. Two non-scout siblings also joined in the activity. Cub Scouts ranging in age from 6 – 11 converged on the senior

living community in the heart of Granby to move household refuse, unwanted electronics, and a few pieces of worn furniture from resident’s homes to a large dumpster at the center of the complex that was graciously donated by Paine’s Inc. The previous weekend a group of 7 Scouts and siblings knocked on doors

This Holy Night The night, so dark The stars, so bright The air, so cold Snowﬂakes by morning, Inside our warm homes candles shine out their light— welcoming the Stranger seeking shelter. A scent of pine pervades the living room, The Christmas tree’s lights twinkle their Merry colors. The silver tinsel sparkles.

and circulated ﬂiers informing residents of the upcoming clean-up day. Frank Sarr, Stony Hill Village’s Fall Cleanup Coordinator, said, “The Cub Scouts did an excellent job of knocking on doors and talking up the Clean-Up Activity. Where the people were not home, I am certain that they heard about the visits that took place because of the ‘buzz’ generated by the scouts.” Bill Percival, Stony Hill Village Board Member, said, “The residents love to see the kids, and the kids provide a great service to our community!” The Cub Scouts visited 43 homes and nearly ﬁlled a large dumpster with the materials they gathered. They also collected electronic equipment, some of which was recycled. Max Hollister, one of the Cub Scouts involved in the cleanup commented, “It feels great to help unclutter people’s houses who have trouble doing it themselves.”

Some will open their presents now Others will wait until morning. All realize that being together with family and dear friends is the most wonderful gift of all.

The Granby Cub Scouts do multiple service projects in the community throughout the year, including two Scouting for Food drives, an annual leaf rake, holiday food baskets for MeadowBrook Community Center in December, and various smaller projects like tree planting and litter pickups. Cubmaster Todd Hollister said, “Scouting is a great way for kids to build character, develop their own leadership skills and give back to their community. It is also a fantastic way for parents to build lasting bonds with their sons while having a lot of fun!” The Granby Cub Scouts typically meet at First Congregational Church, commonly known as North Church, the last Monday of each month. For more information about the Granby Cub Scouts contact Todd Hollister at 325Cubmaster@gmail. com or visit sites.google.com/site/ granbypack325/.

Cub Scouts from Granby’s Pack 325 recently did a clean-up at Stony Hill Village. photo by Todd Hollister

Together we sing Silent Night, Awaiting the birth of our Savior into our hearts again. —Bernadette Gentry, 2013

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Raiders B team ends inaugural season with big win by Jennifer Rome Fourteen-strong to the finish! That’s what the Granby Raiders B (ages 10 and 11) football team calls itself in its inaugural year with a 14-player roster that wouldn’t quit! For many games there weren’t even three players on the sidelines and, with other commitments and injuries, for most games there was only one player on the sidelines. In the team’s toughest game against Enfield (with 35 on their roster), the Raiders played the last eight minutes with 10 players on the field. That didn’t stop them from playing every second like the last play would win the game! Team members can hold their head high

after every game because they play their hearts out every single play! They are playing both ends of the ball and most never come out of the game, if they’re hurt, they stay in or come out for a few seconds, catch a breathe and head back in. They are the toughest players in the league by far. Just shows that with heart, determination and skills, they can be winners. With two games left of the regular season, one more player came on the roster, but the team remained 14 Strong to the ﬁnish because another player was out for the season with an injury. The regular season finished with a record of 4-4, and a “bang” with the last game of the season against Coventry a

Granby youth football teams. Coaches from left to right: Coach Rosenberry, Coach Mathews, Coach Flebotte, Coach Zyzdorf, Coach Ransom; players left to right top row: Dylan Disabella, Sam Attianese, Charlie Kendall, Jackson Rome, Wyatt Rosenberry; bottom row: Simon Mathews, Logan Flebotte, Matt Zyzdorf, Cullen Swanson, Eliyas Delaire, Brody Matthews, Ben Caputo, Nick Boyd. Missing from photo are Kyle Kadis and Kameron Dear.Last game of the season was a 38-0 Victory over Coventry! Photo by MaryAnn Zyzdorf

38-0 win in Coventry! “Believe” is the high school football team’s motto. Believe is what the Raiders team did every single game! As Vince Lombardi said, “The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have” This quote explains our coaches. With 14 players all season, what they accomplished with this team is incredible. Granby Raiders youth football is the feeder program for the Granby Bears

high school football team. The transition to Granby Bears youth football starts next year with new jerseys sporting the high school colors. The Raiders have enjoyed Bear’s football games at the new stadium, and were invited onto the ﬁeld at halftime during the homecoming game. New players (ages 6-14) and coaches are welcome. Visit www.raidersyouthfootball.org for more information.

Granby Rovers U10 boys team plays Soccer Fest

The Granby Rovers U10 boys team recently ﬁnished their season completing and succeeding in their ﬁrst soccer tournament—Colchester Soccer Fest 2013. Shown above are, back row from left: coaches Paul Murphy, John Kroninger, John Oliveri and Dave Sessions; middle row: John Bell, Dillon Murphy, Andrew Guiliano, James Phillips, Noah Kroninger, Eli Dehner and Freddie Baker; front row: Trevor Hazard, Troy Crockett, Russell Brown, Tyler Brown, Liam Heinze, Beach Sessions, and Jacob Oliveri. photo by Lindsay Sessions

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THE GRANBY DRUMMER

DECEMBER 2013

Granby Civic Club enjoys the Party of the Century by Shirley Murtha Over 40 people attended the Granby Civic Club’s Party of the Century, celebrating the club’s one hundred years of making “A Better Granby.” Colorfully decorated tables and a tantalizing array of delicious tidbits provided a festive air as each partygoer selected a delightful teacup for their beverage. Club president Eleanor Moody introduced Granby First Selectman John Adams and Town Manager William F. Smith, who paid tribute to the work done in the past and present by the women of the club. Historian Carol Laun presented a retrospective of the club’s efforts, beginning with the sale of Liberty Bonds during World War I. The women also made knitted items for the men overseas, and did what they could to support the effort to gain women’s

voting rights. During World War II, the club sold war bonds and sent care packages to Europe. Laun noted that after the war, the women concentrated on areas of Granby life where they saw the need for improvement. For example, they felt that the town’s teenagers needed a place for their own activities, leading to the formation of a recreation center. They felt that there should be a place to bring trash, rather than sending it to Simsbury or throwing it in the back yard, leading to the formation of the town land ﬁll that is now the trash transfer station. They allocated a history room in the basement of the old library that eventually became the historical society. They spearheaded a recycling program long before any other nearby towns, with large containers at the landﬁll for different colors of

Polly Hall cont’d. from p. 1 Her volunteer work for the YWCA developed Polly’s organizational and leadership skills. She served as vicepresident for the Hartford County Y for several years. Polly was instrumental in the building of the Granby Youth Center and also in the creation of the Granby Tennis Club. Polly was active in politics, served as secretary to the Republican Town Committee, and attended conventions as a delegate. In the 1960s, she served two terms as a Granby representative in the state legislature. Polly became a Justice of the Peace to notarize documents, but also ofﬁciated at many weddings. She once gave a talk at the Civic Club called, “Husbands I Have Married.” Music was very important to the Hall family. Polly and Bert were both in the South Congregational Church choir for many years, and she sang in a women’s quartet called “The Discordettes.” Polly was a member of the Granby Civic Club for 56 years and helped plan the Club’s 100-year celebration this

year. When the Town Hall was built in 1965, Polly presented the town with a ﬂag from the club. Later, she had the Civic Club fund a sign for the Town Hall and after it was no longer used, Polly made sure the sign went to the Historical Society. She was a life member and former president of the Salmon Brook Historical Society. She obtained a grant to renovate the Abijah Rowe house when it was given to the Society for a museum. The ﬁrst Granby history, “The Heritage of Granby” was published in 1965, and Polly wrote the chapter on cemeteries and monuments. Through the years, her interest and involvement never wavered. Polly served on many Society committees, participated in parades and was involved in every Historical Society activity from the Flea Market to the Wassail Party. In 1976, Polly chaired the town’s participation in the United States Bicentennial. She began her quilting career at this time, wanting to start something

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Town Manager Bill Smith (l.) and First Selectman John Adams present Civic Club President Eleanor Moody with a plaque commemorating the Club’s 100th anniversary. photo by Shirley Murtha

glass, metal cans and newspapers. In more recent times, the Civic Club has donated to the upkeep of the DeweyGranby Oak, the construction of the Preservation Barn at the Salmon Brook Historical Society and the refurbish-

ing of the Civil War Monument on the center Green. In the spring, we will all be the beneﬁciaries of the 100 daffodils members are planting in town to commemorate a century of devotion and service to the town.

new and different, that also reflected history. Polly’s first quilt—the 1976 Bicentennial Quilt— led her to organize a quilt show for the state. She went on to teach many quilting classes in adult education and start a weekly quilting group at South Church. She was a renowned quilter, quilt collector, teacher, appraiser and lecturer. When Granby celebrated its Bicentennial in 1986, Polly and the late Evelyn Hildreth envisioned a Granby Bicentennial Quilt, and artist Sally Sargent Markey made the dream a reality. Many quilters Polly Hall photo by Peter Dinella helped create the stunningly beautiful quilt now permanently Almost to the end of her life, Polly on exhibit in the Granby Town Hall. continued to volunteer, serving in the Polly’s extensive quilt collection dated Community Kitchen until a few months from the late 1700s to the present, and ago. included the many beautiful quilts that In a Drummer interview by Elaine she made. She once said her goal was to Jones, nearly 20 years ago, Polly shared have one quilt of every pattern. that she had recently been included in In 2008, Polly chose to donate the “Who’s Who in American Women.” bulk of her magnificent collection to She laughed as she added, “I’m the only the Salmon Brook Historical Society one in my family who didn’t go to coland wanted it to be used in fundraisers. lege and yet I’m the only one who is in “Quilt Turnings” featuring the Polly “Who’s Who.” Hall Collection were held (and will Polly never lost sight of what was continue to be held) to fulfill her wishes. important in life and always kept her Polly joyfully attended every one, often lively sense of humor. She leaves an sharing her expertise. empty space in our lives.

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DECEMBER 2013

THE GRANBY DRUMMER

PAGE 15

Author visits marked the fall women’s breakfast gatherings by Carol Bressor and Fran Miller Women’s breakfast members heard from several Connecticut authors on writing and publishing at their fall meetings. Robert Steele, Jr. On October 2, the Granby Women’s Breakfast Group heard Robert Steele, Jr., speak to the issue of gambling in the State of Connecticut at the Senior Center. Steele, son of the famed morning radio host, Bob Steele, has authored a novel, The Curse; Big-Time Gambling’s Seduction of a Small New England Town. The story begins in southeastern Connecticut in 1637 with the massacre of the Pequot Indians. The war decimated the Pequots who were the largest and the most warlike tribe in Connecticut. Before the Pequot sachem died, he delivered a curse to the young English soldier who was about to kill him. The novel then leaps forward 350 years and thirteen generations to the soldier’s direct descendant, who is embroiled in a battle to stop a newly minted tribe from building a third casino that threatens his town and the ancestral home where he lives. Steele, in discussing the impetus for writing the book, said that Congress, by passing the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act that gave federally-recognized tribes the right to open casinos in states where casino-type gambling was permitted, had no idea what a Pandora’s box it had opened. Within three years, in 1992, the Connecticut Mashantucket Pequots opened Foxwoods. In 1994, the Connecticut Mohegans were granted federal recognition and opened Mohegan Sun in 1996. These two casinos are the world’s largest gambling casinos. The Pequots who, in essence, were wiped out during the massacre of 1637 will soon open a third casino. In Connecticut, the people had the casinos put upon them—there was no vote as to whether casinos or gambling as an industry was wanted or not. Nationwide, gambling has become a 63 billion dollar industry, but at what expense? Currently 39 states have casinos and there are over a thousand casinos in the United States. Casino gambling has become our new national pastime, with more people going to casinos than to professional baseball, football, basketball, hockey and soccer combined, Steele said. He also addressed the troubles local communities have as a result of gambling development. Casinos create only a modest number of jobs and for every job created, two to three jobs are lost amongst other businesses in the area. Casinos devastate the host communities’ economies by removing the money spent on gambling from local businesses and shops. Most casino jobs are ﬁlled by immigrants. And, historically, wherever

gambling has been legalized, the huge amounts of money involved invariably have corrupted the political process. A very small percentage of Native Americans benefit from casino profits. Two-thirds of gambling adults eventually turn to crime to finance their habit and, as with any other addiction, no personal assets are safe once the problem develops. Arrests for embezzlement increased by 400 percent after Connecticut’s casinos opened, a rate of increase over ten times the national average. Three million American adults are pathological gamblers, 6-8 million have problems with gambling and 15 million are at risk. In 1997 Congress set up a national commission to study the effects of gambling, but their recommendations were never implemented. States bring in casinos to get a piece of the gambling revenue, but there is no proof that gambling actually helps the states over the long term. Meanwhile, local businesses are cannibalized. As a result of the recession, robots are being used in N.Y., and N.Y. has seen a 36 percent drop in revenues. Connecticut has seen a 32 percent drop in slot machine revenues. The downward trend in revenues is continuing because of there being so many casinos. And yet Connecticut is doubling down by encouraging more gambling opportunities. Local bars may be offering Keno with bartenders overseeing the game. Connecticut is also considering a plan to legalize in-state, online gambling with 24-hour availability, meaning that your high schoolers, and younger children as well, could have access to full time gambling opportunities. Mary Ann Tirone Smith Departing from its monthly morning routine, women’s breakfast members met for lunch on Oct. 25 to hear best-selling author Mary Ann Tirone Smith, author of Girls of a Tender Age, a memoir that takes place in Hartford in the 1950s. The book describes the joys and chaos of growing up in an extended family with an autistic brother (at a time when no one know what autism was) and then the chilling experience of the death of a classmate at the hands of a serial pedophile. Smith shared the “behind the themes” of her nine novels and one memoir. Phoebe was actually written in the ninth grade. Her teacher then said, “Phoebe was most obnoxious, evoking much emotion on the reader’s part.” This compliment led the teacher to tell Smith she should be a writer. That notion seemed right on target—Smith was always asking “what if” when things happened. Years later, after graduating college and getting a master’s degree, she took a writing course in Fairfield. She “dusted off” the Phoebe story for one of her assignments. This teacher

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Linda Spevacek and Maureen Wolf are two of the authors of Just Ordinary Moms. Photo by Joan Ducharme

said it should be a novel. “The idea was daunting at the time,” Smith recalled, “but at the teacher’s suggestion she put the story into 12 short stories and that worked.” At 40-something, she got a contract from Doubleday to publish The Book Of Phoebe. A Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon in the 1960s, Smith used this experience for Lament for a Silvered-eyed Woman. Going through family and friends’ photographs she came across a photo of a four- or ﬁve-year-old child in a 1920s style bathing suit peeking out from behind an old-fashioned beach chair in which an old man was sitting. The scene, plus stories of her parents going to the shore, sparked her imagination and Port of Missing Men, set in Miami Beach, was born. Masters of Illusion grew out her recollections of the 1944 Hartford circus ﬁre. Her “what if” imagination and curiosity continued as she decided to try her hand at suspense writing. This led to American Killing, which reviewers praised her talent of characterization. This success led her to penning a mystery series. Poppy Rice, an FBI agent who appeared in American Killing, became the series’ focal point. According to her marketers, each book had to have “her or she” in the title so there was Love Her Madly, She’s Not There and She Smiled Sweetly. In 2008 she collaborated with her son, Jere, on Dirty Water: a Boston Red Sox Mystery, set at the 2007 World Series. “Jere is an avid member of the Red Sox Nation and invited me to a World Series game,” she said. With her ‘what if’ imagination and her son’s enthusiasm for the Red Sox, the book became reality. She’s working on another book. Given her track record, it will be another big success. The Moms In November Maureen Wolf and Linda Spevacek, two of the eight Granby moms who authored Just Ordinary Moms,

shared their experiences of publishing. The other “ordinary moms” are Robin Cournoyer, Caren Garvan, Lael Jacobs, Jeanne Lebens, Bonnie Quinlan and Celia Rose. A portion of the book proceeds will be donated to charities for women and children. The book contains 16 true stories and two poems taken straight from real life experiences of the eight. “Many of us met through a book club,” said Spevacek. “In addition to discussing books, we shared happenings in our lives, often giving each other advice and certainly support.” Such sharing showed the ups and downs of motherhood were often universal, only the names were different. At one point, they decided to write down these happenings and an idea of a book was born. “Our get-togethers became a writing circle, where each of us wrote out our story and read it to the group. We laughed, we cried and we gave each other a safe setting to speak honestly about how we felt,” recalled Wolf. During the visit, the women read a couple of stories from the book, including the ﬁnal story that washed up on shore as the book was being ﬁnished. The women published the book on their own, watching over all the details. Asked about the book’s cover, Spevacek said, “we had heard about online graphic design contest and decided to hold one.” Within days the group received hundreds of ideas. “The cover we selected represents so much about motherhood: mom and apple pie, primary colors, balancing home and work, multi-tasking, humor and elegance. It’s perfect!” beamed Wolf. The group is looking for stories for upcoming books. “You could become a published author, earn royalties and have tons of fun, all while helping others” completes the first paragraph of the book’s Tell Us Your Story section. Readers are encouraged to use the included bonus section, called My Story Workshop.

PAGE 16

THE GRANBY DRUMMER

Out of Town

OSA Christmas Bazaar

Wreaths Across America by Jackie Fenelon For the fifth consecutive year, the Abigail Phelps Chapter DAR, assisted by the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, has invited Wreaths Across America™ to Simsbury. Wreaths Across America is a national nonproﬁt organization founded in 2007 to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman, Morrill Worcester in 1992. In that year, Worcester and the Worcester Wreath Co. donated the ﬁrst wreaths, numbering just 5,000. The organization has since expanded to include more than 1,000 local fundraising groups in all 50 states representing more than 800 cemeteries, military memorials and other locations, along with our nation’s cemetery at Arlington and at national veterans’ cemeteries on foreign soil. In 2012, the one-millionth wreath was placed on the ceremony’s 21st anniversary.

The organization’s mission, Remember, Honor, Teach, is carried out in part by coordinating the wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington and elsewhere and is committed to teaching younger generations about the value of their freedoms and the importance of honoring those who sacriﬁced so much to protect those freedoms. In 2008, and each year since, Congress has issued a proclamation officially recognizing Wreaths Across America Day each December. This year, it will be held on Dec. 14. The Simsbury ceremony, an emulation of the Arlington wreath-laying ceremony, will take place at the Simsbury Cemetery at the ﬂagpole, near the garage at 16 Plank Hill Road on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 12 noon. The public is invited. A reception, including light refreshments, will follow immediately after the event in the Program Room of the Simsbury Library.

Sufﬁeld Players Happy Hollandaise by Tim Koenig, directed by Jeffrey Flood, will be presented on Friday, Dec. 6 and Saturday, 7 at 8 p.m. and on Sunday, Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. The production will be at Mapleton Hall, 1305 Mapleton Avenue in Sufﬁeld. All Claire Finley wants is the perfect Christmas. Unfortunately, her deliciously-planned holiday dinner is disrupted by burglars, bumps-on-the-head, and bedlam. Claire tries to keep everything together as things continue to unravel in this sidesplitting farce reminiscent of Arsenic and Old Lace. Once all the mayhem dies down, however, the true Christmas spirit shines bright in a surprise ending involving transformation, forgiveness and a beautiful new beginning. Happy Hollandaise features the talents of Mark Proulx, Kelly Seip, Dana Ring, Freddie Rodriguez, Gabrielle Howe,

Jennifer Rawlings, John Fabiani, Logan Lopez and Vanda Doyle. The show will be presented as a staged reading, performed with scripts in hand. Created with a minimum number of rehearsals, and a maximum amount of creativity, Happy Hollandaise is a benefit production for the group, with all donations going toward the maintenance and upkeep of the Players’ historic theatre home, Mapleton Hall. The performance will be accompanied by The Holiday Teacup Raffle, in which audience members bid on lovely baskets chock full of donated goods and gift certificates before and after the show and at intermission. General seating only; no reservations are required. Tickets will be available at the door, with a $10 donation suggested. For more information, call 860-6680837, or 800-289-6148, or visit www.

sufﬁeldplayers.org.

Old St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church will hold its annual Christmas Bazaar on Saturday, Dec. 7, 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 8, 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. in the church parish hall at 59 Tariffville Road in Bloomﬁeld. Lunch is available both days. In addition to Cookies by the Pound, crafts include artisan olive oils, soaps, pottery, jewelry, and handmade clothing. Check out the huge White Elephant sale downstairs. Proceeds beneﬁt the women’s center in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. For more information, call 860-242-4660.

Adult Ed Teachers sought

Windsor Locks Adult Education is currently planning the Spring 2014 semester and invite those who have a skill, hobby, or interest to teach or share with the community to contact us. This is your chance to shine, so call 860-292-5712, or adulted@wlps.org or visit www.windsorlocksadulted. org for more information. The program runs three nights a week. The deadline to offer new classes for next semester is Dec. 9, in order to be printed in the brochure.

The FFA Agriscience elves are at it again…

The Suffield Regional FFA Holiday Sale at Suffield High School will run this year from Monday, Dec. 2 through Friday Dec. 6 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and also on Saturday, Dec. 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fresh balsam wreaths, poinsettias, door swags, kissing balls, and birch reindeer will be for sale. Special order wreaths available upon request. To place an order, please contact Maryellen Mercik at mmercik@suffield.org or call the workshop hotline at 860-668-3817.

Diabetes Support Group

The Diabetes Support Group will meet at the Simsbury Senior Center, located in Eno Memorial Hall at 754 Hopmeadow Street, on Thursday, Dec. 5 from 9 to 10 a.m. The meeting will address How to Navigate Through the Holidays, with guest speaker Mary Margaret Horan, a registered dietician. Pre-registration is required for this free program. Please contact Kathy Marschall at 860-6583273 for more information.

Cobb School alumni parents set the record straight by Maureen Scudder On Wednesday, Nov. 13, The Cobb School, Montessori in Simsbury, put the elephant in the room. Parents worry. Some worry a little, others worry a lot. One thing is certain: they’re worrying right now whether or not a Montessori education will prepare their child for what’s next. Cobb School teachers and administrators hear it all the time: What happens after Montessori? Since the school’s inception in 1974, parents at Cobb have been asking this question, and teachers and administrators have been trying their best to answer it. But it took six alumni parents at one single event to really answer the question, “What’s next?” and put an end to the worry. At least, for the moment. On this chilly November morning, The Cobb School welcomed home alumni parents Betsy van Gemeren, Helen Castellani, Denise Giacco, Pete Gwyn, Jill Ford, and Donna McHugh. Together they ushered 12 children through Cobb, and each parent had his or her own tale to tell. The singular message: trust. Trust the process, trust the people, most important, trust the child. Swirling around and

through this one message were many additional comforts, such as Montessori lays the foundation, its graduates know themselves, they can talk with adults, know how and when to ask questions, will advocate for themselves, and so on. Montessori students will “get there,” i.e. will be organized, com- Cobb School panelists stand with Head of School Mary Lou passionate, capable Cobb following their presentation on Montessori outcomes. (From collaborators. They left: Helen Castellani, Mary Lou Cobb, Betsy van Gemeren, Jill are high on the “get Ford, Denise Giacco. Missing: Pete Gwyn and Donna McHugh) it scale.” They photo by Maureen Scudder know how to be. Our guess is that they, whether they reThey have the courage to make good alize it or not, handled that part of their decisions, choose good friends, and build future education with grace as well. better communities. Ultimately, MontesHead of School Mary Lou Cobb closed sori graduates know who they are and that the morning event with one ﬁnal gem. makes all the difference. Montessori is not preparation for middle What weren’t these Montessori graduschool: it is preparation for life. The ates anticipating when they entered a nods from the panelists punctuated her traditional environment? The drama. statement, and for a moment, maybe That’s all. They knew the tests were comeven a minute, there wasn’t a worry in ing, and they knew how to tackle them, the world. but the gossip wasn’t as easy to stomach.

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Healthy Diet = Healthy Teeth Although Brushing and flossing are vital to help keep your teeth healthy, what you actually eat and drink between brushings is just as important to your oral health. When you eat starches and sugars, which are present in many of the foods we eat, the bacteria that sit on our teeth gobble it up and produce acids that can cause cavities. By choosing your foods wisely, you can decrease the amount of acid that attacks your teeth. Here are some diet tips for keeping your teeth healthy: • Limit foods and drinks that are high in sugar, like cookies, cakes, candies and sodas – remember even unsweetened fruit juices are high in sugar. • Limit drinks that are very acidic, like cranberry juice, orange juice, grape juice, Snapple drinks, and sodas. A great chart listing most drinks you ingest is found at: http://www.painfreedentistry.uk.com/docume nts/DrinksThatEatTeeth.pdf • Avoid snacks between meals – but if you must snack, replace sugary treats with crackers, cheese, yogurt, nuts, and celery or carrot sticks, which produce less acid. • Read packaging labels to find out how much sugar is included, and make educated choices in the products you purchase. • Limit dried fruits, which are sticky and cling to the teeth – instead, eat fresh fruit, especially apples, which serve as natural tooth cleaners. If you decide to drink soda, sports drinks, or juices, go ahead and gulp them down. This limits the time the acid can attack your teeth. • Avoid adding sugar to coffee or tea. • Be sure to send your child to school with healthy snacks (veggies, fresh fruits, cheese) instead of packaged foods that are high in sugar and starches. • If you do treat yourself to a sugary snack, brush your teeth afterwards to reduce the acid effect. If you can’t brush after your snacks or meals, be sure to rinse with water or chew a piece of sugarless gum to stimulate saliva, which helps clean your teeth and neutralize the acid attack. Your diet also affects your overall health, which helps determine how well your body can fight off infection. If you aren’t getting certain nutrients, the tissues in your mouth may not be as resistant, leaving you more prone to gum disease. Be sure to eat a balanced diet, including foods from the five food groups: • Vegetables • Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, nuts • Breads, cereals, rice, pasta • Milk, yogurt, cheese • Fruits If you have any questions about your diet and its effect on your oral health, let us know. We’ll be happy to guide you toward healthier eating habits. The doctors and staff of the Granby Dental Center invite you to see all of the new and exciting advances in modern dentistry at our office. CEREC CAD-CAM technology allows us to make crowns and onlays in just one visit without the impressions or temporaries! Computerized Dental Radiography allows us to lower radiation doses to our patients by 50-90%! INVISALIGN lets you straighten your teeth without braces—we are your Invisalign connection! At the Granby Dental Center, we even offer “Smile Vision,” which allows us to take a photograph of your current smile and then alter the photo on the computer to show you what you could look like with straighter, whiter teeth! Are you curious? Come in and ask us about SMILE VISION! If you have a question you would like answered, or would like a tour of our modern office to view our sterilization procedures and to meet our friendly, caring staff, please contact us or visit our website: w w w. g r a n b y d e n t a l c e n t e r. c o m The Granby Dental Center Wishes everyone a great Summer! …and remember, We are the CENTER for ALL your dental needs!

Michael A. Ungerleider, DMD Susan DePatie, DMD 41 Hartford Avenue, Granby 860-653-3220 Visit our website at: www.granbydentalcenter.com

DECEMBER 2013

Food Drive

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A Holiday Food Drive to beneﬁt the Granby and Southwick Food Banks will be held through Dec. 29. Please bring non-perishable food donations to TaSA Trading Company, 569 Salmon Brook Street (Rte. 10/202). Receive 10 percent off your entire purchase as thanks from TaSA for your donation. Cannot be combined with any other coupons or discounts, valid through Dec. 29.

Addiction Support Groups

AA meets at South Church in the Gathering Room directly below the sanctuary on Sundays, Tuesdays (women’s group) and Thursdays at 8 p.m. Al-Anon meets in the Teale Room in the Fellowship Building on Sundays at 8 p.m. NA meets in the Youth Building on Wednesdays at 7 p.m.

mately 50 students from Kelly Lane and Wells Road Intermediate Schools under the direction of Nicole Luca and Sarah Warner. Cost is $3 per person. For reservations call Corinne Dickerson at 860-653-9891.

Guitar Recitals

Windy Hill Guitar Ensemble will perform at several West Granby venues during December, including: Dec. 7 and 8, the Granby Artist’s Association Holiday Art Show at Holcomb Farm; Dec. 7, 10 –11:30 a.m. at South Congregational Church, 242 Salmon Brook Street; Dec. 8, 10:30 a.m. at West Granby United Methodist Church; Dec. 15, 4 p.m. Studio Recital and Beneﬁt at West Granby United Methodist Church. Donations to the American Red Cross accepted for those affected by Typhoon Haiyan.

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MS Support Group

The Granby MS Support Group meets at the Salmon Brook Apartments located at 287 Salmon Brook St., at 1 p.m. on the second and fourth Monday of each month. For more information, please contact Jane at 860-653-2436.

Civic Club Holiday Meeting

Cossitt Happenings

Book Gift Trees The Friends of Cossitt Library invite patrons and townspeople to stop by Cossitt and select a tag (giving age and gender) from the children’s book gift tree and/or a tag tree (type of book selected is noted) from the seniors’ gift tree. Granby Social Services will distribute the donated, gift-wrapped books. Books must be returned to Cossitt by Saturday, Dec. 14, at the latest. The Friends thank you for your generous spirit and wish you a season of holiday joy. A Historic Christmas Storrowtown Museum Director, Dennis Picard, will present the program, Dashing Through the Snow: The Real History of Christmas in New England, at Cossitt on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. Picard has presented two other wellreceived historical programs at Cossitt. Please join us for an interesting hour of history and delicious refreshments. Crafts For Kids Parents, when you visit Cossitt allow a little extra time for our young patrons to make a holiday craft in December and a winter craft in January while you choose from the great selection of seasonal books in the Children’s Room. Holiday Hospitality Catch your breath during the holiday rush and drop in for a bit of peace and quiet at beautifully decorated Cossitt Library between Dec. 14 and 28. Relax in a comfortable chair and enjoy delicious homemade snacks and hot drinks courtesy of the Friends, staff and patrons. Be sure to notice Sally Markey’s wonderful seasonal arrangement in the Adult Room display case. Mini Fund Raisers The Friends continue to offer selections of DVDs, CDs, and books-on-CD on the book truck in the Adult Room. We accept donations of these items through the year. Check out the new best sellers and holiday magazines while enjoying a cup of coffee, tea or hot cocoa. More Comfortable Seating The Granby Library Association has purchased a beautiful new bench and pad for the Children’s Room. Now parents/caregivers can sit comfortably while sharing books with the youngest patrons. Thank you, GLA!

Lions Club Christmas Tree Sale

The Granby Lions Club will be selling Christmas trees once again this year beginning Saturday, Nov. 30 on Bank Street between the Bank of America and the U.S. Post Ofﬁce. The trees range in height from ﬁve to 10 feet and are available 24/7. Should a Lion not be present to aid in a customer’s purchase, a “drop box” will be on site to accept money. The Granby Lions will donate an 18foot tree to the Town of Granby to be placed at a central location. All monies realized from the sales of the trees will be donated to worthy individuals and organizations including the Granby Senior Center, the Farmington Valley Visiting Nurses Association, Granby schools, and the Granby Ambulance Association.

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The Granby Civic Club will meet Thursday, Dec. 19 at 1 p.m. in the main room of the Senior Center. Members and guests are looking forward to enjoying the music of the GMHS Chamber Singers, an a cappella choir of 26 very talented students under the direction of Mindy Shilansky. Members and all women of Granby are welcome to attend and enjoy the holiday entertainment and festivities. The club invites all women of Granby to join in their tradition of service and socializing and share in their vision for “a better Granby.” Contact Ginny Wutka, ginny@lostacres.com, for additional information.

Safe Graduation Party Committees

GMHS Safe Graduation Party Committees are forming and volunteers are needed. Organizers need your help to make Grad Night 2014 come alive for the senior class. Parents of freshmen, sophomores and juniors are urged to attend the meeting on Monday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. Meetings are held at the GMHS Media Center and are the second Monday of the month. Please come and be a part of this special event! Help support this proud tradition and give the seniors a night to remember. For more information, see the Newsletter on the GMHS website.

Winter Farmers’ Market

The Granby Farmers’ Market will host its ﬁrst winter market at the Farmington Valley YMCA Saturday, Dec. 14. Vendors: Sweet Wind Farm, Killam and Bassett, Barefoot Books, Beech Tree Ranch, Free Lunch Studios, Capa Di RomaGIV Coffee, Lyric Farm, Bridget’s Breads, Maple View Farm and Vermont Art Store. There will be a wrapping table too; for a small donation to the market they will wrap your items in a holiday gift basket. The market will be indoors and will run from 9 a.m. to noon.

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Christmas Around the World

Life Church will hold its second Christmas Around the World event on Saturday, Dec. 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 23 Grifﬁn Road. This free event has interesting displays and activities for all ages. Each country’s table boasts creative decorations, information on the history of Christmas traditions and samples of holiday foods. Holiday games and crafts are available to entertain children while their parents browse through the country tables or enjoy a cup of coffee and dessert. Christmas Around the World is a great way to get into the spirit of the season! Contact Stephanie at 860-878-2643 with any questions or for more information.

Camera Club

The Granby Camera Club will meet on Monday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. at the Granby Senior Center. The program will be Getting Ready for Your Santa Wish List: tripods, heads, camera bags and other interesting accessories, plus visiting some sites to research purchasing such items (new and used). The ﬁrst program of 2014 will be on Jan. 6, featuring photographer Gary Melnysyn. He will present a program on Alaska, starting at 7 p.m. at the Granby Senior Center. To learn more, visit www. GranbyCameraClub.com. The Drummer welcomes announcements of upcoming events sponsored by Granby organizations. Announcements may not exceed 120 words.

Women’s Breakfast

The next Women’s Breakfast meeting is Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 8:30 a.m. at the Granby Senior Center. A holiday program will be presented by approxi-

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School Concert Dates

Thursday, Dec. 12—GMHS Band Concert; Tuesday, Dec. 17—Wells Road School, 3rd – 6th Grade Chorus Concert; Thursday, Dec. 19—GMHS Chorus Concert; Friday, Jan. 10—Kelly/Wells Band and Chorus Springﬁeld Falcons Performance; Tuesday, Jan. 14—GMMS Winter Chorus Concert; Thursday, Jan. 16—Wells Road 5 th and 6th Grade Winter Band Concert; Tuesday, Jan. 28—Kelly Lane Winter Concert (all ensembles); Thursday, Jan. 30—GMMS Band Concert.

Nunsense Auditions

Good Company Theater will be holding auditions for Nunsense on Monday, Dec. 16 and Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the Fellowship Hall, South Church Congregational. Parts for ﬁve women age 20 and up and will audition males willing to impersonate females. Please bring a song to sing, or sing something from the show. Show will be ﬁrst three weekends in March. Any questions can be forwarded to goodcompanytheater@gmail.com.

FV-VNA Programs

Blood Pressure Screenings Tuesday, Dec. 3, 9–10:30 a.m. at the Farmington Valley YMCA; Thursdays, Dec. 5, 12, 19 and 26, 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. at the Senior/Youth Center. In East Hartland: Tuesday, Dec. 3, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Walk-In Flu Clinics The Farmington Valley VNA offers low-cost flu clinics throughout the Greater Farmington Valley Region. The costs of the flu shots are typically covered by Aetna (Regular/Medicare), ConnectiCare (Regular/Medicare), Anthem (Regular), WellCare Choice (Medicare Advantage), and Medicare Part B (as primary) insurances, or are $39 for the regular flu shot, $42 for the intradermal vaccine and $56 for the high-dose vaccine. Call 860-653-5514 for more information, or to schedule an appointment for the flu vaccine in the Granby office.

Cookies by the Pound

On Saturday, Dec. 14 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., come to the South Church’s fabulous Christmas cookie sale. Get there early before they sell out! This yearly event offers scores of different kinds of home-baked cookies that are sold by the pound. Great for holiday get-togethers or for gifts.

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THE GRANBY DRUMMER

DECEMBER 2013

Men’s breakfast attendees entertained with legend of Daniel Hayes By George Lynch

on his back; they stretched him out on the ground, extended his arms forward, and The Indian slowly emerged from the tied his wrists to a sapling. They extended recesses of the senior center. Chief White his feet in the other direction and tied Eagle aka “Chiefee” was dressed in war them to another sapling. They took long apparel: feathers stuck into his Nike branches and laid them crosswise on his headband, braids, and a nose that would body. One Indian slept on one end of the have made Jimmy Durante jealous. An branches, another slept on the other end. ominous war spear hinted of savagery. The third stood guard. They apparently Here was the direct descendant of a didn’t want him to get away. He passed former dental office in Granby, come most of the next 30 nights bound in this to speak to the Granby senior men. He manner during the trek to Canada. came to give them an account of a local They eventually arrived at an Indian historical event that has intrigued him encampment on the Canadian border. since he gave up counting coup. Daniel was handed over to the Council of It was hard living in Salmon Brook the Nation, the tribe’s governing body, to in the early 18th century. Subsistence be disposed of as it saw fit. No mention of the French rewards. The council didn’t know what to do with this “paleface” that had appeared out of the blue, but they thought a gauntlet might be fun and it would break up the monotony. So they formed their best hatchet guys and stone throwers and club swingers into two lines. The idea being that Daniel was to run between them and, if he could reach a decorated pole at the end of the run, he would stay alive. He started running but, about ten feet in, it became evident that Dr. Richard Martindale entertained the Senior Men’s he wasn’t going to make it. Breakfast as Daniel Hayes an early settler of Salmon So, he took an abrupt left Brook. photo by Lou Urban turn between a couple of club-wielding braves. They swung, giving it everything they had. wasn’t easy and healthcare was iffy, They hit nothing but thin air. That put all especially with the Indians wanting to of them in a really bad mood. impact your health insurance. He was running, literally, for his life, In the fall of 1708, Daniel Hayes was 22 and finally gave out in front of a wigyears old, living in Salmon Brook (now wam. He couldn’t have picked a better Stony Hill Village). He had left his horse wigwam. This wigwam was not just in the woods overnight to forage while any wigwam; it belonged to the tribe’s he enjoyed the festivities of a corn huskmatriarch, an infirm old woman. Her ing celebration. Next morning, he went husband and son had been chiefs of the to retrieve his horse. Now, three Indians tribe, which gave her clout. had been watching the horse for a while She stuck her head out to see what the and were thinking, “Hey, we could get a commotion was all about, and there, lycouple of bucks from the French if we ing on her doorstep is this guy; a young could get the white guy to a French settleguy who is all bloodied up. She called off ment in Canada in one piece.” the posse, praised her medicine man, and At the time, the English and French adopted Daniel on the spot, telling him were mad at each other (it all carried and the others, “You are my son.” Daniel over from Europe) and were causing a the “son” chose to be her caregiver; his lot of consternation in the valleys of New other option being bludgeoned to death. England. The Indians were partial to the He kept her comfortable, brought her French, because the French promised food and firewood, and took her to lodge rewards for delivering English settlers (or meetings to everyone’s relief—they English scalps) to their settlements. didn’t have to do it. Along came Daniel, whistling up the So it came to pass that the tribe built path, looking for his horse. Bam! They her a sled to get around on in winter. snatched him, and he was on his way out It was a fairly heavy vehicle. One day, of town. The first night, the three Indians while pulling her up a steep and slippery and Daniel camped in the vicinity of slope, Daniel lost his footing. Down the Sodom Mountain in Southwick. The Inhill the sled went with its passenger as dians were scared. They had outrun their he stood there looking at the end of his pursuers, but were a bit nervous about care-giving responsibilities. He was in a safeguarding Daniel. They put him flat

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bit of a bind, having killed the matriarch. Prudently he didn’t run away. Instead he smooth talked his way through his accusers and was found not guilty of intentional wrongdoing. Next on the scene was a “black shirt”— a Roman Catholic priest who periodically stopped by to convert the Indians. He had been fairly successful in bringing them to Christ, but he didn’t show up often enough to make it stick. He bought Daniel for seven pounds, and took him to Montreal where he sold him for 40 pounds to a Frenchman. The Frenchman was a nice guy who, after discovering that Daniel was skilled as a weaver, rented him out. He allowed Daniel to keep most of his wages and, over the

course of about two years, Daniel accrued enough to buy his freedom. The Frenchman found an Indian guide to return him to Salmon Brook. Daniel Hayes settled on a farm and married. He became prominent in civil affairs as well as the church at Salmon Brook. He died in 1756 at the age of 71. His redstone tombstone is stored in the Granby Cemetery chapel. Thanks to Dr. Richard Martindale, DDS, who entertained the Senior Men’s Breakfast with this true tale (with some writer embellishment) of the capture of Daniel Hayes. The full text of the story can be found at: archive.org/ stream/historyofsimsbur00phel/ historyofsimsbur00phel_djvu.txt

Granby’s U12 girls travel soccer ﬁnishes the season 21–2

Front Row - Left to Right: Annamarie Groskritz, Emelia Provencher, Alana King, Felicia Fauteux, Tess McMillan, Sarah Cramer, Sophie Sessions, Jaira Paine. Back Row - Left to Right: Jordyn Demyon, Annabelle Jerman, Elsie Phillips, Samantha St. Pierre, Maria Nolan, Rachel Hennessy, Emily Miller. photo by Lindsay Sessions

by Todd McMillan The Granby Rovers Girls U12 Soccer Team recently finished its season by winning the Colchester Soccer Fest hosted by the Colchester Soccer Club on November 2 and 3. The team beat East Longmeadow (MA) 4–0 in the final, after going undefeated over four matches of tournament play without giving up a goal over Columbus Day weekend. The team also won the 28th Annual Paul R. Cody Soccer Tournament hosted by the Windsor Soccer Club. In that tournament, the team went undefeated over five matches of tournament play and beat the Manchester Soccer Club 1–0

in the final. In addition to league play where the team finished second with a record of 5–1, the team competed in the Connecticut Junior Soccer Association’s 2013 State Soccer Tournament for its age bracket. It beat teams from Weston, Newtown and Tolland before losing 3–1 in the semi-final match against the eventual champion, the Farmington Soccer Club. The girls finished the season 21–2 with the only other loss coming against Farmington in league play. Earlier in the season, they beat Farmington 2–0 to win the 33rd Annual Meg Berte Memorial Nutmeg Classic Soccer Tournament hosted by the Manchester Soccer Club.

Drumrolls

Sarah Fortin received a Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology from Roger Williams University during the University’s Commencement ceremony last spring. The following local students merited a spot on Goodwin College’s summer dean’s list: Rebecca Camp, Janet Caruso, Kayla Kaplan and Morgan Keenan. Gina Garlasco received a Bachelor of Science in International Business from Roger Williams University as a member of the Class of 2013.

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THE GRANBY DRUMMER

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Time to check your progress toward your retirement goals Now that another year is ending, it’s a good time to take stock of where you are on your journey toward financial security. Of course, you could find many different measuring sticks to assess your progress, but you can gain considerable information by asking some basic questions. • How close am I to my retirement goals? Your comprehensive investment strategy should include a reasonable estimate of how much money you will need to sustain the retirement lifestyle you’ve envisioned. At least once a year, you should evaluate how much closer you’ve gotten to your goals. • Am I making sufficient progress toward my goals? When assessing your progress, try to determine if your portfolio is properly allocated between stocks, stock-based vehicles, bonds, government securities, certificates of deposit and other investments. Being “overweighted” in a particular asset, such as cash, may impede your ability to move toward your goals. • Am I adhering to my investment strategy? To stick with your investment strategy, you need to invest at regular intervals and meet regularly with your financial professional to review your progress and make adjustments—such as rebalancing your portfolio—when necessary. Of course, even with regular progress reviews and portfolio rebalancing, it can be challenging, psychologically and emotionally, to stick with a strategy. For example, during any given year the financial markets could be down, and your results might be disappointing. Nonetheless, if you have built a diversified portfolio containing quality investments, and your portfolio is well suited to your own risk tolerance

and time horizon, you don’t necessarily need to make changes following a down year in the markets. • What aspects of my life have changed in the past year? Your investment strategy should be based entirely on your individual needs and circumstances,—so if these have changed during the past year, you may also have to adjust the way you invest. Consider any and all changes in your life—marriage, new children, divorce, remarriage, new job, new home, etc.—and try to determine what impact these changes might have on your long-term ﬁnancial strategy, and if you need to adjust that strategy in response. • Have I changed my thinking on my retirement goals? Over time, you might undergo some changes in your thinking about retirement. For example, perhaps you’ve decided that you no longer want to retire early and travel the world; instead, you’ve discovered a growing desire to open a small business or do some consulting. Any signiﬁcant changes you make to your retirement plans will likely have a big effect on your savings and investment strategies, so you’ll want to incorporate these changes into your planning as soon as possible. By asking, and answering, these questions at the end of each year, you should always have a good sense of where you are in pursuit of your longterm goals—and what you need to do to bring the realization of those goals closer to reality. James Q. Rice, CFA, Edward Jones, 714 Hopmeadow Street, Suite 7, Simsbury, 860-651-0849

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Girls U11 Rovers earn second place The Girls U11 Rovers earned the 2nd place trophy at the Paul R. Cody Windsor Columbus Day Tournament winning four of their five games! The team only gave up two goals in the tournament in their lone loss to the first place finisher. Great teamwork was displayed by all. The team is coached by Todd Klein and assistants Tammy Zacchera, Jeff Dixon and Dan Caputo. Pictured above are, back row (l-r): Riley Shelansky, Addy Fede, Mary Prestegard, Laura Tickey, Abbey Caputo, Maddie Buchman, Ashlyn Dixon, Meggie Hennessey; front row: Maddie Gilmore, Alexis Klein, Alyssa Goldman, Sarah McTeague, Natalie Schock, Sophie Zacchera, Lizzy Strapp. submitted by Kelly Hennessey

Drumrolls John Marona, son of Katherine Healy and John Marona, has been named a writing coach at Saint Michael’s College for the fall 2013 semester. Marona, a senior, English and secondary education double major, was selected from nominees submitted by the college faculty to be one of 29 student coaches at the liberal arts college. MCPHS University (formerly Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences) has named the following to the dean’s list for the spring semester: Tyler Powers, who is pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy and Kate Geick, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical and Health Care Business.

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THE GRANBY DRUMMER

DECEMBER 2013

Lose For Goods campaign is Granby Food Bank Program’s gain by Andrea Boyle In addition to participating in Weight Watchers® annual nationwide Lose For Good® incentive, members of a local Weight Watchers group have initiated their own crusade against hunger. Weight Watchers participants who meet on Saturday mornings at the South Congregational Church in Granby donated the equivalent of pounds lost during the September 15 — October 12 challenge period, to the Farmington Valley VNA’s Granby Food Bank Program. Pam Currier, who leads the Granby South Church Weight Watchers meetings, delivered nearly 200 pounds of food to the VNA’s Food Bank at the end of October. “It isn’t easy to make good

choices every day. It was so inspirational to see the members working hard at their health, and to be able to help others at the same time.” The group’s generous contributions of pasta, cereal, canned fruits and vegetables, salad dressings, oils, baking supplies, canned meats, condiments, side dish items, and cleaning products fulﬁll a critical need for the individuals and families who presently participate in the Granby Food Bank Program. The Granby Food Bank Program, located in the Farmington Valley VNA ofﬁce at 248 Salmon Brook Street in Granby directly adjacent to the South Congregational Church, subsists solely on donations to assist those served with access to essenPam Currier, who leads the Weight Watchers meetings at South Congregational Church in Granby, and Amanda Neal, RN, Manager of Community Programs at the Farmington Valley VNA with donations from the Weight Watchers group at South Church. photo by Andrea Boyle

tial nutrition, hygiene, and household cleaning items. The volunteers at the Granby Food Bank Program and staff of the Farmington Valley VNA extend their congratulations and gratitude to members of the Granby South Church Weight Watchers group for their personal accomplishments and heartfelt generosity.

National Honor Society Inductees Charles Kuchenbrod, Jeremy Ray, Cody Kirschbaum, and Ella Ackerman were recently inducted into the National Honor Society at The Greater Hartford Academy of Math and Science. Photo by Rick Kirschbaum

Birth Announcement Jodi and Jason Warnke (1995 GMHS Graduate) are blessed with their ﬁrst child, Chase James, born 11-02-2013. Grandparents are Donna and Chuck Wallach of Newington and Priscilla and Jim Warnke of Granby.

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Granby Artists’ “Winter Wonders” Art Exhibit, Sale begins Dec. 12

Granby Artists Branching Out for the Holidays by Laura Eden

Expressions Potters Welcome Family Artists by Tracy Marlor

Rare class openings are currently available for Expressions’ Monday morning class for the winter term running January through March 2014 (the evening class is full). The unique gift of a class to a loved one is an incredible opportunity! Gift certiﬁcates are always available and may be used in the gallery or toward class tuition. The Expressions website provides a wealth of information about the cooperative, how pottery is made, and classes and registration. Visit expressionspottery.com to learn more. Expressions potters reside throughout the Farmington Valley and are a great example of artisans coming together for the good of the community. Support the community and shop local at Expressions, where creative spirit yields the perfect gift! Expressions is located at 9 School Street in East Granby.

sale and proceeds beneﬁt their Wednesday night community meal. There will be live music by Laura Mazza-Dixon’s Windy Hill Guitar Studio students as well as musicians from the Granby public schools. Hours are 10 a.m.–4 p.m. on Saturday December 7, and 12-4 p.m. on Sunday December 8. The event is at Holcomb Farm. For more information, call Laura Eden at 860-653-6274.

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Wishing You a Wonderful Holiday Season & may your New Year be blessed with Peace, Love & Joy!

Have you ever thought of starting a Granby ornament collection? Did you know you can select from artists within your own community rather than designs created and mass produced in faraway places? A collection is easy to start. Many Granby artists are “branching out” for their annual Holiday Gift Show this year, stepping away from their usual craft, to make special holiday ornaments. Avis Cherichetti, Dorothy Dumond, Sally Sargent Markey, Mark Gottlieb, Laura Eden and Debbie Reelitz are among the artists making these treasured ornaments. The ornaments range from pottery to decoupage and ﬁber arts, to blown glass and painted glass, to handpainted calligraphy. Sally will also have an abundance of her incredibly wonderful stray-sock animals. Calligrapher Debby Reelitz will have her cozy natural ﬁber tee shirts. Avis has bird feeders, and Paul Hahn will have cutting boards, toys and wooden boxes, a holiday departure from his furniture. These are just a few of the enticing gift ideas created by over ten Granby artists at Holcomb Farm on December 7 and 8. Waste Not Want Not Community kitchen will provide delicious food for

Agent #3

Twenty-six members of the Expressions Pottery Workshop, including Granby potters Avis Cherichetti, Claudia Karimi, Tracy Marlor, Mike Platner and Linda Yurasevecz, will share their Holiday Opening festivities with the work of a variety of talented family members this year. In addition to the potters’ beautiful selection of bowls, mugs, platters, sculpture, jewelry, and more, the artistic creations of their family members will add texture and ambiance to the gallery. The talents of the potters’ family members are highlighted in wood, ﬁber, glass, pottery, photography, paper, and fabric. The holiday opening on Friday, December 6 from 4–8 p.m., will include a reception with appetizers and spirits; Saturday and Sunday, December 7 and 8 from 10 a.m.–4 p.m., will offer pottery-making demos, tours, gifts under $20, and assorted seasonal noshes and beverages. A $50 gift certiﬁcate, as a door prize to be used in the gallery, will be given away at the end of each day of the three-day event.

esque New England setting, and perhaps ﬁnd that perfect gift. For more information, contact Claudia Karimi at 860-653-0556 or visit www. lostacresvineyard.com . To learn more about Granby Artists, visit their web site at www.granbyartists.org.

Agent #2

More than twenty members of the Granby Artists Association will sell their artwork at the second annual “Winter Wonders” sale, held at the Lost Acres Vineyard, 80 Lost Acres Road. This event was very popular last year and will be larger and more inspiring this year with the participation of artists working in a variety of mediums, including glass art, pottery, sculpture, furniture, jewelry, photography, paintings and high-quality prints. Experience an evening of fine art, meet the artists, and see their exciting

new pieces at the opening on Friday, December 13 from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Complimentary refreshments will be served. Lost Acres wine is available for purchase. The sale runs from Thursday, December 12 through Tuesday, December 31. Hours on December 12 are 5 to 9 p.m. Regular Vineyard hours are Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. until 6 p.m., Sundays noon to 5 p.m. Additional holiday hours are December 16 through 19, December 23, 26 and 31, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and December 24, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Experience Granby Art in a pictur-

Nancy Reardon

by Dorothy Dumond

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THE GRANBY DRUMMER

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GEF’s Paul Winter event an engaging experience By Rebecca Brewer On Friday, November 15, the Granby Education Foundation (GEF) brought Grammy Award-winner Paul Winter to town. In the morning, Mr. Winter presented his “Adventures in Sound Play” workshop to students at Granby Memorial High School. Through exercises in improvisation, or “noodling” as Mr. Winter prefers to call it, the students tapped their creativity. While experimenting with a range of sounds, both vocal and instrumental, the students learned the importance of spontaneous expression and deep listening, both of which are required to create music. In the evening, Paul Winter and pianist Jeff Holmes performed in concert for the community, sharing Winter’s vision of music that celebrates the creatures and cultures of the whole earth. His unique genre of “earth music” interweaves the voices of the greater symphony of the wild with instrumental voices from

classical, jazz, and world music traditions. The extraordinary talents of these two musicians provided an engaging and inspiring experience for audience members. Following the performance, a complimentary reception was offered at which concert-goers were able to meet Winter in person. The GEF would like to thank their event sponsors and community partners: Windsor Federal Savings, Lost Acres Orchard, Peppermill Deli and Bakery, Granby Pharmacy, Granby Land Trust, and the Granby Public Schools. Through events such as this, the GEF strives to fulﬁll the mission of its arts endowment by supporting artistic programming that exposes multiple generations of our community to exemplary works of art. Please visit our webpage, www.granbyeducationfoundation.org, to learn more about our organization or to make a tax-deductible donation. They greatly appreciate your support!

Grammy Award-winner Paul Winter presented his “Adventures in Sound Play” workshop to students at Granby Memorial High School. photo by Bill Morgan

State Comptroller Kevin Lembo with CTVV Host Susan Regan at the Comptroller’s ofﬁce in Hartford. photo by Bill Regan

Kevin Lembo talks ﬁscal frankness with CTVV by Bill Regan

and opportunities and how they impact the forecast for individuals, families and our business and industry. See this informative program on Cox/ Enﬁeld and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 Friday, December 6 and 13 at 6 p.m. This and all our programs are also available on the website www.ctvalleyviews.com. CT Valley Views is an award-winning, independently-produced Public Access TV show series sponsored by Windsor Federal Savings and is seen in 22 towns on Cox/Enﬁeld, Windsor, Simsbury, Nutmeg, West Hartford and Hartford Public Access stations.

Informed taxpayers have always been concerned about what is done with their hard-earned dollars when it comes to local, state and national budgets, but in today’s economy the microscopes are out and “transparency” is the coin of the realm. Join Susan Regan, host of CT Valley Views as she explores various aspects of Connecticut’s budget with Kevin Lembo, the State Comptroller. His comprehensive career in multiple public service roles makes him well-positioned to provide the state’s ﬁscal future for challenges

A Service of Hope and Healing At Trinity Episcopal Church 11 Church St., Tariffville

Tuesday Evening

December 3, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. This service will focus on grief and loss and how to find comfort and peace during the holidays. There will be a time of reflection with anointing and prayer at the altar rail available for those who wish to receive it. “Come unto me, all ye that travail or are heavy laden, and I will refresh you” Matthew 11:28

Phone: 651-0201

www.trinitychurch@trinitytariffville.org

facebook.com\trinitychurchtariffville

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�� December Activities

Stop in to see your Senior Center in action. Attend an event, join an exercise class, check up on your health or visit with friends. The Senior Center will be closed on Wednesday, Dec. 25 and Wednesday Jan. 1. Unless otherwise noted, all events take place at the Granby Senior Center located within the Municipal Complex at 15 North Granby Road. Please call 860-844-5352 for additional information.

Farmington Valley VNA Blood Pressure Checks: Every Thursday from 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. in the Community Room. No charge. Foot Care Clinic with Pedi-Care: Friday, Dec. 27, appointments from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. A specially trained nurse will assess feet and lower extremities, trim, ﬁle and clean nails, smooth corns and calluses, massage feet and make referrals to medical doctor or podiatrist as needed. $29 at time of service (not covered by insurance). Chair Massage: First and third Tuesday, 10:30 a.m. – noon. Call to make an appointment for a relaxing 15-minute chair massage. $10. Reiki Sessions: Second and fourth Tuesday of the month by appointment. Half-hour session, cost $20. Grandparent Support Group: Thursdays at noon. This is a group for grandparents who are raising children. Join others, like yourself, to share friendships, ideas, and tips on being a parent again. No charge. Loaner Closet: If you need a wheelchair, walker, cane, tub seat or other durable medical equipment contact 860844-5352. The Civic Engagement Team has created this award-winning closet. Donations accepted.

Staying Physically Fit

Classes are available six days a week at the Senior Center. Classes are ongoing, most run for a 6-week cycle and can be joined at any time; cost $36 for 6 weeks for residents, $40 for non-residents. Call the knowledgeable staff at 860-844-5350 to register or for assistance in selecting the class that best ﬁts your abilities. Monday Classes: Tai Chi (Beginner) at 8:45 a.m.; Smart Moves at 11 a.m.; Strength and Cardio at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday Classes: Basic Training for Men at 8:30 a.m.; Muscle Work for Women at 9:30 a.m.; Chair Yoga at 2:30 p.m.; Yoga and Movement at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday Classes: Advanced Smart Moves at 11 a.m.; Full Body Workout at 4:30 p.m. Thursday Class: Pilates Plus at 4:30 p.m. Friday Classes: Tai Chi (Intermediate) at 9 a.m.; Cardio Combo at 10:15 a.m. Strength and Cardio II at 12:45 p.m. Sunday Class: PEAK at 8 a.m.

Artist Group: Wednesdays at 9 a.m. Bring your current project to work on alongside fellow artists, share painting ideas and techniques. Needleworks: Thursdays at 10 a.m. Open to anyone with an interest in knitting, crocheting and needlepoint. Share ideas, patterns, advice and encouragement. Creative Beading: Fridays at 9:30 a.m. This group does more than mere stringing. Bring a beading project and share ideas, tips and camaraderie.

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Something Special

Holiday Dinner: Wednesday, Dec. 18, 5 p.m. Food, friends and festivities! Come with your friends or invite a neighbor to enjoy a delightful evening with an elegant baked ham dinner and ﬁne entertainment. Bob Mel is back to set the holiday mood with an upbeat musical performance. $6pp. Please call 860-844-5352 to reserve by Dec. 13. Gingerbread House Workshop: Tuesday, Dec. 10, 1 p.m. We will decorate little gingerbread houses to use for our table decorations at the Holiday Dinner. All the decorations and supplies will be provided but we need YOUR creative talents! There is no better way to enjoy some holiday spirit! No charge. Meditation Workshop: Monday, Dec. 9, 10 a.m. During the busy holiday period, be good to yourself and remember to take a few moments to regroup. Led by Deb Mullins of MeadowBrook of Granby. There is no charge to recharge! Senior Club Holiday Party: Thursday, Dec. 12, 12:30 p.m. The Club invites you for an afternoon of holiday fun as the students of the Kelly Lane Chorus delight us with holiday music. No charge. Civic Club Holiday Party: Thursday, Dec. 19, 1 p.m. The Club invites you to enjoy festive holiday goodies and the lovely sounds of the GMHS Chorus. No charge.

Promoting Your Good Health

Dental Care Clinic: Friday, Dec. 6 by appointment. Licensed dental hygienist will provide dental cleanings, ﬂuoride treatments, denture cleanings and oral health evaluation at an affordable rate. Eligible seniors may receive a subsidized rate. Enrollment forms are available at the Senior Center ofﬁce. Please call 860-844-5352 for additional information.

Keeping You Informed

Ask the Doctor: First Monday of the month at 10 a.m. Dr. Barwick leads a group discussion on varying health topics. The open forum invites questions. No charge. Ask the Attorney: First Wednesday of the month at 10 a.m. What do you do when a loved one is suddenly unable to make decisions for themselves? How do you ensure that your wishes will be carried out in the event you can no longer communicate? There are documents that can be put in place to make unforeseen events a little less traumatic. Generic situations can be discussed. No charge but please register by calling 860-844-5352. Ask the Tech Trainer: Second Wednesday of the month at 1:30 p.m. Ask questions about laptops, iPads, smart phones or software. No charge. CHOICES Counselor: Second Tuesday of the month by appointment. Our CHOICES Counselor, will be available to assist with health insurance issues such as election or reevaluation of the Medicare Part D prescription drug plan coverage. Please call the ofﬁce at 860844-5350 to make your appointment. No charge.

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Social Hours

Setback: Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m. Play a few hands and enjoy an afternoon cup of coffee. Monday Morning Coffee: Mondays at 8:45 a.m. Start the week with a good cup of coffee and the chance to catch up on what’s happening in the area. Community Café: Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12 p.m. Complete hot meal is served for seniors through the Community Renewal Team. Suggested donation of $2. Monthly menus are available at the Senior Center. Call 860844-5350 by Friday noon to make your reservation for the following week. Bingo: Second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 12:30 p.m. Senior Voices Expressing Yourself Through Poetry: Second and fourth Tuesday at 11 a.m. for six weeks. This class is led by local poet, Andrew Weil, who shares his talent for writing poetry in a comfortable, no rules, no homework atmosphere. Turn everyday thoughts into written works. No experience necessary! $50. Mexican Train: Mondays at 9:45 a.m. This domino game is easy to learn and fun to play.

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The Granby Senior Van provides rides for shopping and activities at the Senior Center. Please call Nancy Grakowsky at 860-844-5353 one week in advance for scheduling. All persons who use the van must have a valid van card.

Excursions

Little Town of Bethlehem: Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 9:30 a.m. Get your holiday cards ready if you would like to have them postmarked from Bethlehem. Stops at the Painted Pony for lunch and Abbey of Regina Laudis are planned. $3, for the ride. Berkshire Museum: Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 8:30 a.m. Located in Pittsﬁeld, Mass., the museum will hold its annual Festival of Trees. Wander through the decorated holiday trees to decide which theme you like best. $15, includes ride and museum. Taste of the Valley: Monday, Dec. 16 at 12 p.m. Reservations at Iron Frog Tavern in Simsbury. $3 for the ride, lunch expense is yours.

Shopping

Valid van card required; $3 transportation fee. Enﬁeld Mall on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 9:30 a.m. Shop the mall and surrounding stores. Target on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 10 a.m. Grocery shopping trips and in-town errands on Monday and Thursday afternoons.

Medical/Dental/Personal Care Appointments

Local appointments (Granby, East Granby, Simsbury) may be scheduled for Mondays and Wednesdays and medical appointments out of the area may be scheduled for Fridays. The Senior Van is equipped with a wheelchair lift. There is no additional fee for local service.

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Senior Van

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THE GRANBY DRUMMER

DECEMBER 2013

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Granby Public Library

Monday, Wednesday and Thursday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday (thru March 30): 1 to 4 p.m.

Cossitt Public Library

Tuesday and Thursday: 10 a.m. to noon; 3 to 8 p.m. Saturday: Noon to 5 p.m.

Holiday Closings

The libraries will be closed Wednesdays, Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. The libraries will close at 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, Dec. 24 and Dec. 31. Phone Numbers Pre-registration is required for the majority of the programs. Please call 860-844-5275 (GPL Main Desk); 860-844-5284 (GPL Children); or 860653-8958 (Cossitt) for information or to register. December is Amnesty Month In the spirit of the season, we invite you to bring back any overdue library

materials and we will waive the fees (Amnesty does not include lost or damaged items). Sunday Programs Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. at Cossitt Library. Get into the holiday spirit with The History of a New England Christmas, hosted by the Friends of Cossitt Library. Dennis Picard, Director of the Storrowton Village Museum and a historical re-enactor, will talk about the many ways New Englanders celebrated the holidays in the 18th and 19th centuries. Please pre-register for this event, as seating is limited.

Adults

Something About The Author will meet on Monday, Dec. 2, 1:30 p.m. This month’s author proﬁle focuses on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. A collection of Doyle’s works is available for borrowing before the meeting. Crafter’s Café: Wednesday, Dec. 4, 6:30 p.m. Just in time for the upcoming

Meet the New Owners of Wine Etc. by Rebecca Mikus When Jim and Marianna Rossetti decided to retire and sell their business, they wanted to turn it over to someone who possessed character and the kind of integrity that represented what they believed built a well-established, successful business. They wanted someone who had experience with wines, who had the passion and the desire to run a successful business, and who would relate to the community. “When we ﬁrst spoke with the Rossetti’s three years ago, we knew they wanted to turn the business over to Justin and me. We are very good friends; “unofficial family so to speak”, says Lisa Hamel. The Hamel’s, Lisa, Justin and their three young children, live in nearby Simsbury. Justin spent 11 years in the corporate world and Lisa is a teacher. In high school, Justin worked in a wine shop in Madison, and after college helped a friend open a store in Old Saybrook. The couple possesses “a love” for wines, enjoy going to vineyards and celebrations with family, and over the years have developed a keen sense of what is a good wine. At Wine Etc., you will still ﬁnd the same quality products at competitive prices, but the new owners have added some different touches. For instance, each month a display of wines and liquors entitled “Picks of the Month” will be highlighted. “Our goal is to bring the tastiest wines to our customers for the best price,” comments Lisa. “We plan to introduce two or three brand new wines each month to our store. Also wine tastings will be held once a month so customers can sample some of our vintages.” For most of us, time is an issue; therefore, Lisa and Justin have added a “one-stop shopping” model to the shop. Wine is a popular item for hostess,

birthday, anniversary or just “hi, how are you” gifts. To add a special touch to your gift, the Hamel’s have incorporated some high quality, handmade jute single and double wine totes, beautiful SCOUT coolers that hold four bottles of wine, and SCOUT single totes. Lisa calls herself a “diehard crafter” so it’s very important that what she sells at the store is handmade and of good quality. She also has beautiful handmade greeting cards. How convenient! Your shopping is complete: all in one stop. Along with an extensive selection of ﬁne quality wines and liquors, the store features a large selection of craft beer. Justin added that they will deliver for those who are unable to come to the store or for large parties. Please check out Wine Etc.’s Facebook page for “Picks of the Month” and other special offerings. You can also read Lisa’s recommendations on Tweeter @ctwineetc.

gift-giving season, learn how to make Origami Gift Boxes, simple but beautiful little boxes for that special gift; all materials will be provided. Please pre-register to ensure enough materials for all. Sci-Fi / Fantasy Book Group: The Black Tower by Richard Lupoff is the selection for this month’s discussion on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. Multiple copies of the book are available beforehand.

Children

Special Programs Craft Weeks: Sunday, Dec. 8 to Saturday, Dec. 14, and Sunday, Jan. 5 to Saturday, Jan. 11. Drop in anytime during the week and create a craft project. We supply all materials. Toddler Play Groups: Mondays, Dec. 16, 23, 30 and Jan. 6 at 11 a.m. and Thursdays, Dec. 19, 26 and Jan. 2, 9 at 11 a.m. Toddlers age 12–24 months and a caregiver are invited to come and play for a while. We will put out toys for unstructured fun and socialization. No registration necessary. We Love Legos! Tuesdays, Dec. 3, 17 and Jan. 7, 21 at 4 p.m. and Monday, Dec. 23 at 1 p.m. For age 3 and older. We have a generous supply of Legos and Duplos. No registration required. Crafternoon: Thursday, Dec. 19, 4 p.m. Everyone loves stretch band bracelets! Create a bracelet to keep or to give as a gift. Please bring your own loom. Registration required. Ages 6 and up. Family Movie Night: Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 6 p.m. and again at 6:45 p.m. Bring the family and enjoy The Snowman. Nominated for an Academy Award, this animated ﬁlm is rated G and lasts approximately 30 minutes. We will show it twice. All ages welcome. No registration needed. Movie Matinee: Thursday, Dec. 26, 2 p.m. Relax at the library with a family-friendly ﬁlm. All ages welcome. No registration needed. Games for the Whole Family: Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 30 and 31. Take a break from the holiday stress with an assortment of board games, puzzles and simple card games that are available all day in our Program Room. All ages welcome. No need to register, just drop by and have fun. Game Night: Wednesdays, Jan. 8 and 22, beginning at 6 p.m. Choose cards, a board game or a puzzle to enjoy. All ages welcome. No registration required. Special Guest Author, Barbara Stacks: Thursday: Jan. 9 at 6:30 p.m. (snow date Jan. 16) Barbara Stacks,

former resident of Granby, has recently published a child guidance book, Childhood Roots, Raising Children Birth to Eight, which compares a child’s growth cycle with that of a maple tree. Her original poems, text and the colorful illustrations, created by Sarah Leas, capture the charm of childhood. Barbara will share Childhood Roots with a presentation and book signing; cover artist Carole Day of North Granby will also attend. The program is free and all are welcome. Space is limited, please register in advance. ZUMBA for Kids: Saturday, Jan. 18, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. (snow date Jan. 25) Beat the winter blahs and come move to the music. Jackie Voelker from the Farmington Valley YMCA will lead this fun program. For children ages 6 and up. Please register in advance, as space is limited. Storytimes Wee Ones: Offered twice on Mondays, Dec. 2, 9 and Jan. 13, 27 at 10:30 a.m. and again at 11 a.m. Also on Thursdays, Dec. 5, 12 and Jan. 16, 23, 30 at 11 a.m. Join Sheri Litchﬁeld from the Granby Early Childhood Council for a special story time. Sing, dance, read and have fun with your baby! For toddlers aged 12–24 months with a caregiver. Advance registration suggested; dropins welcome if space permits. Preschool Story Time: Tuesdays, Dec. 3, 10 and Jan. 14, 21, 28 at 10:30 a.m. Children aged 3–5 with a caregiver enjoy stories, songs, ﬁngerplays and a craft with Miss Joan. Advance registration suggested; drop-ins welcome if space permits. Drop-in Storytime: Friday, Dec. 27 at 10:30 a.m. Stories, songs and a craft for preschoolers and a caregiver. Drop in and have fun!

Cossitt Library

The History of New England Christmas: Sunday, Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. Get into the holiday spirit with this presentation hosted by the Friends of Cossitt Library. Dennis Picard, Director of the Storrowton Village Museum and a historical re-enactor, will talk about the many ways New Englanders celebrated the holidays in the 18th and 19th centuries. Please pre-register for this event, as seating is limited. Give the Gift of Reading: The Friends will place tags on gift book trees for children and seniors. This is your opportunity to share the gift of reading; the gift books will be distributed by Granby Social Services. Stay tuned for further publicity!

�� The ��

Lisa and Justin Hamel

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�� Office Hours: 9 a.m. − 4 p.m. Open 24/7 at www.GranbyRec.com for program registration. Telephone: 860-844-5356 Website: www.GranbyRec.com. We accept MasterCard/Visa/Discover for payments. Program/Trip Registration: All programs/trips are based on a first come basis and space availability and require advance registration; payment must accompany registration. Please register early to avoid disappointment. Scholarships: Recreational and leisure opportunities will not be denied any resident because of lack of financial resources; program scholarship information is available upon request. All inquiries are kept in the strictest confidence; apply early. Party and Event Planning Have your next party or event this winter and spring at Salmon Brook Park. The new building at Salmon Brook Park is complete. The beautiful facility has a kitchen, patio, multi-purpose function room featuring a gas fireplace and can accommodate events up to 99 people. Make an appointment today to get a tour and see if it is right for your next event. Granby Youth Basketball League The Winter Youth Basketball Program gets underway in December and January please call the Rec Office or the website to get more information and check availability. Late fees may apply.

offered to all elementary school students who would like to have fun developing their thinking skills and creativity. Students will engage in team building activities that will enhance their lives both in and out of school. Creative Problem Solving, Logic and Strategy Games, Creative Thinking, Fun with Language and Math, Improvisation, Higher Order Thinking Skills, Collaboration and Teamwork, Independent Study Programs, Community Service Projects. Jan. 8 to Feb. 26, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. at Wells Road School. $100pp. Intro to Spanish Language and Culture: We are pleased to present a fun and dynamic introduction to the Spanish language and culture. This instructional class will be taught using a multi-sensory, fun-ﬁlled approach so that students learn fast and with a high level of retention. Students will be engaged with Spanish language and culture in an exciting way, with the primary focus on the acquisition of vocabulary and practical conversation by using different tools to create variety in class experiences. The classroom time will be spent on playful, interactive, hands-on activities. The creative use of posters, colorful associations, magnetic pictures, color-coded word cards, songs, games, acting skits, sign language, books and multimedia will stimulate different learning styles. Classes will include: vocabulary development, pronunciation, games, music, songs and a variety of cultural explorations. No prior experience required. For grades K–2, Mondays and Thursdays, Jan. 13 to April 24, 3:30 – 4:15 p.m. at Kearns School. For grades 3–6, Mondays and Wednesdays, Jan. 8 to April 21, 3:15 – 4:05 p.m. at Kelly Lane School. $155pp. Intro to French Language and Culture: We are pleased to present a fun and dynamic introduction to the French language and culture. This class will be taught using a multi-sensory, hands-on approach. An exciting blend of artwork, songs, games, skits and multimedia will lead students to a high level of retention. Students’ learning of practical vocabulary and conversation skills will be integrated with an exploration of the major cultural traditions from France and French Canadian cultures. Classes will include vocabulary development, conversation skills, pronunciation and a variety of fun cultural explorations. Students do not need any prior foreign language experience to take part in this program. No prior experience required. For grades 3–6, Jan. 28 to April 24, 3:15 – 4:05 p.m. at Kelly Lane School. $155 pp.

stamina, improve balance and inner stillness, build lean, strong muscles and improve flexibility in joints and connective tissues. Focus your awareness on harmonious body alignment, integrity of postures, and deepen into poses with the guidance of your breath. Instructor is Mary Ellen Mullins. For ages 13 and up. Jan. 14 to Feb. 18, 8:15 – 9:15 a.m. at Holcomb Farm Workshop. $65pp. Free demo class on Tuesday, Jan. 7—call to register. YogaChi with Mary Ellen: YogaChi is a fusion of Yoga, Chi-Gong and Pilates. This class is a great way to stretch, strengthen and relax while creating balance in the body, mind and spirit. For ages 13 and up. Jan. 14 to Feb. 18, 8:30 – 10:30 a.m. at Holcomb Farm Workshop. $65pp. Free demo class on Tuesday, Jan. 7—call to register. Tai Chi and Qi Gong: Taijiquan (Tai Chi) is an ancient Chinese martial art practiced throughout the world for its many health benefits. Tai Chi consists of fluid, circular movements, relaxed and slow in tempo. Practicing Tai Chi strengthens and mobilizes all joints and muscles, improving physical fitness and promoting mental relaxation. Qi Gong is a term used to describe the study of Qi (energy); more specifically it is used to describe exercises which help calm the mind, regulate the breath, and relax the physical body. Students will be introduced to the basics (body alignment, footwork, hand positions) of Yang-style Tai Chi as well as several movements from the Simplified 24-Form. In addition, participants will be taught an easy-to-learn series of Qi Gong exercises to increase flexibility and stimulate energy circulation. Participants should wear loose-fitting clothing, flat-bottomed sneakers, and be able to stand and move unassisted for at least one hour. For ages 18 and up. Jan. 13 to March 10, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. at SBP Rec Building. $75pp. Free demo class on Monday, Jan. 6—call to register. Full Body Cardio Strength Fitness Class: An hour long fitness class incorporating cardiovascular moves along with strength training for a full body workout. This workout will target all muscles using various equipment to include free weights, steps, bands and other fitness equipment. All fitness lev-

els are welcome to participate in this high energy and fun class which, in addition to cardio and strength training, will include core training, balance work, flexibility and stretching exercises. Please bring an exercise mat and water bottle. Instructor is Terri Ziemnicki. For ages 18 and up. Jan. 14 to Feb. 18, 9:15 – 10:15 a.m. at SBP Rec Building. $60pp. Free demo class on Tuesday, Jan. 7—call to register. Adult Drop In Basketball: The Granby Recreation Adult Drop in Basketball Program is held on Mondays through March 31 (no Dec. 23, Dec. 30, Jan. 20, Feb. 17) from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at GMHS’s Community Gym. The cost for resident and non-residents is $3 per person per drop in. Participants must be at least 18 years of age and will be required to sign a liability waiver before taking part. Please take note of the school schedule. If school is closed or dismissed early due to inclement weather Open Gym will not be held.

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Youth Enrichment

Penguins and Polar Bears Art-ventures, grades K–4: Art explorers visit Antarctica and the arctic region to learn about the captivating lives of penguins and polar bears. This fun, art-packed series explores life in and around the water while kids discover a myriad of unique art materials and imaginative techniques. Play with clay and sculpt polar bears and penguins, build light houses, paint ceramics and learn fabric design and print making while creating T-shirts and hats. Experience the art of mosaics, decoupage, collage, stained glass and so much more. Jan. 17 to Feb. 21, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. at Kearns School. $95pp. Holiday Cookie Decorating Class, all ages: Learn how to beautifully decorate holiday-themed cookies with your friends. Decorate both gingerbread and sugar cookies that are shaped like Christmas trees, angels, ornaments, Christmas lights, mittens, candy canes, gingerbread houses, snow globes, snowmen, snowflakes, gingerbread men/women, Santa hats, holly, etc. Class includes decorating instruction, cookies, icing and decorating candies/ sprinkles. All participants will take home their drying cookies in a bakery box. Dec. 15, 1:30 – 3 p.m. at SBP Rec Building. $27pp. Gifted and Talented Enrichment Program, grades 3–6: This program is

Adults

Try before you buy! Read about free demo classes below. Power Yoga: Jump-start your day with this energizing and dynamic one hour class! Develop core strength and

Bus Trips

Boston Flower Show: Saturday, March 15. Enjoy the day on your own in Boston or visit the New England Flower Show and Quincy Market. Romance in the Garden is the theme for the 2014 show with exhibitors creating romantic garden oases, scenes of romantic garden entertaining, and gardens inspired by romantic literature, movies and locales. The show will feature 25 show gardens, 240 vendors selling plants and garden-related merchandise, free lectures and demonstrations for gardeners at all level of expertise. Those who wish to skip the Flower Show will disembark the motorcoach at Quincy Market in the morning and be picked up again at 6 p.m. for the trip home. $55 (includes flower show) or $39 (bus only). Depart Salmon Brook Park at 7 a.m., depart Boston at 6 p.m. Red Sox Games: We expect to provide one or two Red Sox Bus Trips in 2014. Please call the office to get information. Tickets will be sold on a first come first served basis. Yankee Stadium Trip: We expect to provide one Yankee Bus Trip in 2014. Please call the office to get information. Tickets will be sold on a first come first served basis.

Spotlight on the Granby Conservation Commission by Anna Sogliuzzo, Chairman Granby Conservation Commission Established by town ordinance, the Granby Conservation Commission formulates policies to preserve and protect Granby’s natural resources. While the commission has no regulatory powers, it can make recommendations to the Board of Selectmen or the Planning and Zoning Commission. For the last three years, the commission has been chaired by Neil Hornish, who worked tirelessly on a number of projects, especially Granby’s Natural Resource Inventory. This document details the town’s natural resources including open space, farmland, forestland, geology, waterways and a rich variety of wildlife. Hornish and the commission members also tracked energy usage in municipal buildings, promoted the “EPA Community Challenge” program that rewards the use of clean energy by

residents and businesses, started to map Granby’s trails using GPS technology, and continued to make recommendations on planning applications. Neil has recently retired from the commission, and the members of the commission would like to thank him for his excellent leadership and dedicated service. The commission is considering some new initiatives including working with the state on a wildlife survey; evaluating an assessment tool to identify environmentally sensitive areas, establishing working relationships with local youth groups to obtain assistance on projects, and providing educational events. If you have an idea for a project or would like to become more involved, the Conservation Commission meets on the ﬁrst and third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Police Department Community Room. All are welcome.

PAGE 26

THE GRANBY DRUMMER

Public Works Extended hours at transfer station The Transfer Station on Old Stagecoach Road has returned to its Saturday only hours of 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. 2013-14 holiday trash schedule During a holiday week, if your curbside collection day falls on or after the holiday, your trash and recycling will be picked up one day after your regularly scheduled collection day for that week only. Here is a list of upcoming observed holidays: Wednesday, Dec. 25, Christmas Wednesday, Jan. 1, New Year’s Day Composters Composting is GOOD, even in the winter! Our “Garden Gourmet” composting units can be purchased at a subsidized price of $35 (tax included). Stop by the Public Works ofﬁce (52 North Granby Road, next to the High School entrance) weekdays from 7:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. to pick one up. Need a second recycling barrel? Many residents are ﬁnding that their one, 95-gallon recycling barrel is not enough to handle all your recycling. There are two options: you may bring any extra recycling to the Transfer Station on Saturdays, or you may request a second recycling barrel to be used curbside. Both options are free. Call Public Works at 860-653-8960. Got books? The Transfer Station has a container where residents of Granby can bring new or gently-used books (hard and soft cover), CDs, DVDs, records and audio books for reuse and recycling. Items that are not accepted in the program are encyclopedias, VHS tapes, newspapers, magazines, and multiple copies of the same book (such as textbooks or workbooks). However, we ask that before you recycle your books, please sort through them and save the best ones for our library used book sales. Both Cossitt Library and the Granby Public Library hold book sales for fundraisers and would very much appreciate your support. Please check the library website for schedules. Electronics recycling Please note that it is illegal to dispose of any electronic devices in the trash. These include desktop computers, monitors and components, laptops, TVs, electronic devices found in appliances, telephones, etc. Our transfer station provides residents a convenient, safe way to dispose of these items—and it’s free. Salt and sand Sand and salt mix is available at the Granby Animal Shelter across from McLeans Game Refuge on Route 10. Residents are welcome to the equivalent of one 5-gallon bucket at a time, please.

Winter hints Please note the following suggestions, ordinances and rules to ensure a safe winter season for all Granby residents: Trash Barrels: Many residents have had their trash and recycling barrels badly damaged or even lost during severe winter storms. When it snows, it is imperative that you place your trash barrel and recycling barrel at the end of your driveway, facing the street, and not in the street! Otherwise our plow drivers cannot perform snow removal operations in a safe and effective manner. Driveways: The frustration of watching the plow fill the end of a freshly-shoveled driveway may be alleviated if you make sure to shovel or plow snow to the right side of your driveway, as you face the street. Please be sure not to plow any driveway snow into the street—this creates a dangerous situation and you may be liable for causing an accident. In addition, it makes our job of clearing the roads twice as difficult. Mailboxes: The U.S. Postal Service requires that rural mailboxes must be at least 42” high (from the ground to the bottom of the box) and 9”–12” back from the edge of the road. Please be sure your mailbox post is secure enough to withstand snow thrown from the plows. We suggest you visually inspect your post (try poking a screwdriver through the wood at the base of the pole to make sure it’s not rotten). Please note that if a mailbox is damaged from thrown snow, it is the responsibility of the resident to make any necessary repairs. If it is obvious that the plow actually hit a properly installed mailbox, then the Town of Granby will take responsibility for repairs. The post office also asks that you make every effort to keep your mailbox cleared of snow for mail delivery. Parking: An ordinance in Granby prohibits parking of any vehicle on a town road from the start of a snow or ice storm until 12 hours after the storm ends. The town is authorized to have any car towed that is obstructing snow removal operations. Sidewalks: An ordinance requires a homeowner whose property abuts a sidewalk to keep it clean of snow and ice. In the event of a snow or ice storm, residents have up to eight hours after the end of the storm to clear the sidewalk, unless the storm occurred overnight. In this instance, residents have up to eight hours after sunrise. Child Safety: Children love to make snow forts along the edge of the roads, but this is potentially very dangerous because our plow operators cannot see the children. Visibility is difficult even in the best conditions, so we ask that you please keep your children away from the roads during snow removal!

SALMON BROOK APARTMENTS 287 SALMON BROOK STREET GRANBY, CT 06035 HOUSING FOR ELDERLY & DISABLED Applications being accepted for our Waiting List One Bedroom units USDA – Rural Development Regulations Rents based on income/credit & criminal check required Managed by: MJKH PROPERTY SERVICES, LLC For additional information or to receive an application, please call:

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DECEMBER 2013

Farm Manager’s Report

Is�� it the end of the farming season? by Karen Pettinelli

No way, we are happening here at Holcomb! Yes, this is the time of year when everyone starts asking me what I am doing with my time now that the season is over. What many don’t realize is that at Holcomb Farm, as soon as one growing season has ended the next one starts. We are in full swing here now with our Winter CSA share program. As I write, the crew is out in the barn getting kale, spinach and arugula prepped and bagged for our Winter CSA on Saturday. People are also often really surprised by how many greens we have in our Winter Share. Right now the greenhouses are full of delicious, colorful, tender greens that will make a great salad mix for our Winter CSA members. This is also the time of year that can

make or break the rest of the farm year. The two most important things a CSA vegetable farmer needs to worry about for the next summer season are the year’s planning, hiring and purchasing and share sign-ups. The majority of the farm’s income comes from a single source—the Summer CSA Share program. By June when the summer share starts, we have already made the majority of investments and guaranteed employment to our farm staff for the entirety of the year (yes, Winter CSA season included!). The majority of the groundwork for the growing season happens before June—most crops have been seeded in the greenhouse and planted in the ground before the Summer CSA starts. In order to adequately plan for the amount of produce needed in the summer, we need to receive your Summer CSA share signups in the winter. To help people make this decision early, we offer a special $25 discount on Summer CSA shares purchased by Dec. 31. This discount is open to the public so even if you haven’t held a share before, sign up now and save. Give the gift that keeps on giving; buy someone a CSA Summer Share at Holcomb Farm and they will have a summer full of amazing-tasting vegetables. Visit us at www. holcombfarm.org.

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Granby resident Emma Lee Smith signs in at the ﬁrst Holcomb Farm Winter CSA distribution with farm manager Karen Pettinelli. photo by Shirley Murtha

Jen Violette glass show is Dec. 7 Now based in Vermont, but originally from Granby, glass artist Jen Violette will have her 17th annual Holiday Glass sale on Saturday, December 7 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 30 Haven Drive (off Barn Door Hills Road). The sale will feature Violette’s colorful Venetian-style handblown glass ornaments, whimsical vases, bowls, pitchers, glass jewelry and some seconds. Prices will be 15 to 40 percent off retail prices. Also on display will be some of Violette’s mixed-media wall sculptures that incorporate hand blown glass fruits and vegetables on a distressed stainless steel background. Payment is by cash or check only.

Violette grew up in Granby and graduated from Granby Memorial High School in 1990. She has been working with glass for over 22 years, having studied glassblowing at Alfred University where she received her BFA in 1994. She has won several distinctive awards for her glass and is included in numerous private collections throughout the world. Having had a busy and successful year creating numerous commissioned sculptures for clients’ homes, she was also featured in several prominent gallery shows and ﬁne art shows. For more information call 860-6537632 or 802-464-5206 or visit www. jenviolette.com.

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DECEMBER 2013

THE GRANBY DRUMMER

PAGE 27

Granby Land Trust and Granby Artists Association Host Art Show at Lost Acres Vineyard by Trish Percival The Granby Land Trust and the Granby Artists Association are pleased to announce that their eighth annual juried art show is now open at Lost Acres Vineyard in North Granby. This year’s show, which many believe might be the best show yet, will be open through December 8, offering beautiful original art in a variety of mediums and a range of price brackets. A record 200 people attended the show’s opening on November 6, where they enjoyed Lost Acres wine, delicious hors d’oeuvres, inspired (and inspiring!) art, and the company of some of the Land Trust’s very best friends. Entitled, “Art and Agriculture: Celebrating the Farmington Valley’s Natural Beauty,” this year’s show highlights the importance of local agricultural activities and their heritage in Granby and the Farmington Valley. Artists from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island submitted art inspired by agricultural enterprises such as Holcomb Farm, the Garlic Farm, Sweet Pea Farm, Valkyrie Equestrian Center, and Lost Acres Vineyard. Seventy-nine pieces were selected for the show, which was juried by Carli Freeman, a formally trained artist and manager of the Art Essex Gallery in Essex, Connecticut. The show’s 14 awards, totaling nearly $5,000, were presented at the event. The winner of the show’s top prize—the Don and Marty Wilmot Award—was Virginia Peake for her oil painting Afternoon Pasture. Steve Linde won the show’s second place prize, the Granby Land Trust Award, for his pastel titled Garlic Farm. There were 12 additional prizes awarded as follows: Karen Suponski won the Stephen Brown Memorial Award for Ready to Roll. Joan Brault won the Austin J. McNey Memorial Award given by Karen, Scott and Patrick McNey for Tobacco Barns. Diane Christian won the Helen and Al Wilke Award for Sunlit Grapes. Del Bourree Bach won the Granby Artists Association Award for Indian Summer. John Walker won the Mildred Dewey Award, given by Jenny and Dave Emery, for Horse Barns at Western Barndoor Hill.

Paul Batch won the Salmon Brook Watershed Association Award for Sweet Pea Farm, Dusk. William G. Hanson won the Matthew K. Orluk Award, given by Trish Percival and Rick Orluk, for Holcomb Farm, Trail View. Ralph Acosta won the Tudor and Laura Holcomb Award, given by Nannie and Put Brown, for The Perfect Tree. Laura Eden won the Olof Stevenson Award, given by Jamie Gamble, for A Farmer’s Sculpture Garden. The Ray Betts Award, given by Carol and Greg Reid, went to Nina Ritson for Windmill on Day Street. The William Stewart Award, given by Dave and Judy Russell, went to Elizabeth Rhoades for October in Connecticut. And Kristen Cormier won the Sandy and Dave Schupp Award for Farm View Acres. Granby Land Trust President Rick Orluk welcomed the crowd and introduced the event sponsors as well as each of the award sponsors. He invited sponsors to take the microphone and explain why they chose to support this event. People told wonderful stories about the people they were honoring with their awards, the reasons they love and appreciate art, their abiding love of Granby’s rural character and open spaces, and the deep appreciation they have for the Granby Land Trust and the work it does to preserve that rural character and those open spaces. Mark Wetzel and Fiduciary Investment Advisors, LLC, one of the event’s presenting sponsors, thanked Orluk for taking the initiative to make this event happen, eight years ago, and for doing the hard work to keep it going. Don Wilmot spoke about how Orluk “roped” him into funding an award in the Post Ofﬁce one day, and how supporting the event has given him and his wife Marty pleasure ever since. The Land Trust sincerely thanks all of its supporters, especially Don and Marty Wilmot, who have funded the show’s top award since its inception; as well as the show’s presenting sponsors, Mark Wetzel of Fiduciary Investment Advisors, LLC and Ted Cormier and ALIRT Insurance Research LLC. Without their loyal support the show could not go on. The Land Trust also thanks Tony Capelli, who provided beautiful ﬂoral

Swim Your Stress Away in the

The art show opening drew a big crowd at Lost Acres Vineyard. photo by Peter Dinella

arrangements for the show’s opening and Michelle Niedermeyer and Kevin Riggott, the owners of the Lost Acres Vineyard, who welcomed the Land Trust and its enthusiastic followers with open arms (and a complimentary glass of wine per person!). Last, but not least, the Land Trust thanks event co-chairs Laurie Schock and Els Fonteyne Blair and their outstanding committee for making sure the Opening ran smoothly and was a big success. The show will run through December 8 at the Lost Acres Vineyard, 80 Lost Acres Road. Gallery hours: Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday

12 to 5 p.m. All of the art is for sale, as is Lost Acres Vineyard’s wine, and a portion of all art sales beneﬁts the Land Trust. Since its founding in 1972, the Granby Land Trust has worked to preserve Granby’s natural heritage through the conservation of its scenic vistas, open space corridors, wildlife habitat, ecologically sensitive areas, and agricultural land. For more information about this or other upcoming Granby Land Trust events, please visit our website at www.Granby-

LandTrust.org.

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PAGE 28

THE GRANBY DRUMMER

Wilhelm Farm – North Granby Road This past summer, we updated our Forest Stewardship Plan for renewal with the State in 2014. We are now preparing for a timber harvest. Ian Branson, a forester certified by both the State DEEP and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service is assisting us. The harvest plan has been approved by Granby’s Inland Wetland Commission, and logging will commence this month. Our forest has been managed sustainably since 1936, when Oscar Wilhelm bought the property. Wilhelm Farm was one of the first 10 tree farms certified in the state! To learn more about Connecticut’s Forest Stewardship Program and its Tree Farm System, go to www.ctforestry. uconn.edu/stewardship.html and cttreefarm.org. We also have a wide variety of jams and jellies available for sale. A jar of local, homemade jam makes a wonderful hostess or teacher gift. Contact us at 860844-0008, or email annwilhelm@cox. net, to arrange your purchase. Shinder Family Farm – Case Street It is hard to believe that the holidays are right around the corner! We made our last cord-wood delivery in October

and have been busy getting things put away for the winter. We ﬁnally put up a greenhouse (hoops and plastic) so we have some additional storage to keep our equipment out of the elements. I was always impressed at how much stuff David could ﬁt into the garage, though. Talent—pure talent! The cows have been enjoying the cooler weather, and I know they must be happy to have the pesky bugs gone for a few months. For those who are still wanting to catch a glimpse of Mario our Scottish Highland steer, he is now in the pasture near the road. Please feel free to stop by and say “hi”—he loves visitors! The chickens are laying full force these days so if you are in the market for some fresh eggs ($3/dozen), please let us know. Give us a call at 860-693-1427 or send an email: smile_167@yahoo.com and we can work out a drop off/pick up time. David, Deanna and I would like to wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season! Maple View Horse Farm – Salmon Brook Street Starting the day after Thanksgiving we’ll be selling Christmas Trees from our front paddock. This year, every tree

Join Us – Sundays in December – 9:30AM Granby High School Auditorium 860.844.0001

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in the paddock will be $25 when you spend $20 in our Farm Store. It’s a great opportunity to get a fabulous deal on a Christmas tree, and at the same time, stock up on our delicious pasture raised beef and pork. We have all cuts from sausage and kielbasa to steaks and short ribs. Look for our new pastured pork liver dog treats (our doggie “testers” have loved them)! Around the farm, all of the animals are neatly in their new winter quarters and equipment is in the hoop house. Join us for BARN FUN one Saturday each month to see how we care for the horses and all the animals in the wintertime. Order a gift certiﬁcate online for a great Christmas present! Lost Acres Vineyard –Lost Acres Road We are settling down for the winter, the vines are all tucked in, the horses are home, and we are winding down the season. Our tasting room is open through January 1, with holiday hours starting

DECEMBER 2013 December 16. Our local wine pairs great with your holiday celebration and makes a wonderful hostess gift. We are closed for the season January through March, so stock up on your favorite wines for the winter. Sepe Farm – Wells Road Our blankets are in and they are beautiful! We have king, queen, and long throws, as well as some baby blankets in a beautiful natural gray and white plaid. Visit www.sepefarm.com to see pictures and order your blanket online. You can do the same with sheepskins for a very unique holiday gift—perfect for someone who has everything! And this season is the perfect time for lamb—stew, ground, roasts—you name it. Order your lamb directly from the farm and get a half or a whole lamb, with all of your favorite chops and roasts cut to order. Or, if you’re looking for individual cuts, visit Lost Acres Vineyard!

DECEMBER 2013

THE GRANBY DRUMMER

PAGE 29

Godard Family receives Land Trust’s Highest Honor by Shirley Murtha October 20 was a picture-perfect day here, a ﬁtting backdrop for the annual meeting, picnic and hike of the Granby Land Trust. This year the event was held at the Broad Hill Road home of Nannie and Put Brown, with the hike emanating from their property and winding its way through the preserved lands of the Broad Hill Road corridor, Holcomb Farm and McLean Game Refuge, touching on the corner of the Land Trust’s Petersen Preserve on the way to Carpenter’s Falls and past the Diamond Ledges back to Broad Hill Road. Before the hike, Land Trust president Rick Orluk, speaking for the board, expressed thanks to all those who have supported the Land Trust through the years — donating property, acting as stewards and energizing the organization through their membership and enthusiasm for the Trust’s mission. One of the most respected land preservation organizations in the state, the Granby Land Trust recently submitted

an application for national accreditation through the Land Trust Alliance. The board is hopeful for a positive outcome and looks forward to the new strength the accreditation will afford. To conclude the meeting, Land Trust board member Put Brown presented the annual Mary Edwards Friend of the Land Trust Award to Barbara Godard and Sali Godard Riege and the entire Godard family who have made three land gifts to the Trust, creating the 120acre Godard Preserve off of Donohue Road in North Granby. This preserve connects with the Mary Edwards Preserve on Mountain Road — one of the Trust’s signature properties featuring a beautiful trail system open to the public. The Godard sisters received a triptych of their preserve photographed by Peter Dinella. If you are interested in learning more about the Land Trust, visit www.GranbyLandTrust.org or become a friend of the GLT on Facebook.

The triptych presented to the Godard sisters.

Hikers get a brief rest and bit of history from trail guide Put Brown (red vest) during the Land Trust’s annual foray into preserved properties. photo by Peter Dinella

The Godard Family Legacy by Trish Percival At its annual meeting on October 20, the Granby Land Trust presented the 2013 Mary Edwards Friend of the Land Trust Award—the Land Trust’s highest honor—to Barbara Godard, Sali Godard Riege and the entire Godard Family in gratitude for all they have done for the Granby Land Trust over the years, including – and most particularly – the generous donation of the beautiful 120-acre Godard Preserve on Donahue Road. Ms. Godard and Mrs. Godard Riege are direct descendents of Daniel Gozard, who came to Hartford in 1646. For eleven generations, his descendants lived in the area, most of them settling in what is now North Granby. The family name changed from Gozard to Godard somewhere along the line and the family grew in prosperity and influence. They became prominent in local affairs, held distinguished statewide offices and assembled a vast tract of land on which they farmed, cut and sold timber and ran thriving mills. Ms. Godard and Mrs. Godard Riege are the daughters of Paul Beach Godard, who was born in Hartford on February 17, 1901, and who lived in this area all his life. He went to Wilbraham Academy and Wesleyan University, and in 1925 he married Alice Litchfield Hills.

Mr. Godard’s career was in real estate as the highly respected president of his own ﬁrm. He was a leader in local, state, and national real estate boards, served two terms as a West Hartford town councilman and was president of the Governmental Research Institute. He was also governor of the Order of Founders and Patriots, member of the Sons of the American Revolution and of the Society of Colonial Wars. During his life, Mr. Godard assembled 120 acres of the family’s land on Donahue Road, and, upon his retirement, Mr. Godard’s principal interest was in the care and the future of those properties. Mr. Godard passed away in 1968. In 1997 Mr. Godard’s widow, Alice Hills Godard, donated 108 acres of the family land to the Granby Land Trust; and, more recently, Ms. Godard and Mrs. Godard Riege followed suit, creating a 120-acre preserve. The Godard Preserve is dedicated in memory of Paul Beach Godard. The Granby Land Trust deeply appreciates the generosity of the Godard Family and is pleased to honor them in this manner. The Godard Preserve is one of the Land Trust’s signature and most visited properties. The Trust promises to serve as the perpetual stewards of that land, of the Godard name and of the family’s distinguished heritage.

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PAGE 30

THE GRANBY DRUMMER

DECEMBER 2013

Simsbury Bank participates at Celebrate Granby

South Church Mission Sunday celebrated A Mission Sunday celebration was held at South Congregational Church on October 20. Sixteen youth and seven adults traveled to Mann, West Virginia, for a week of service in July as part of the Appalachian Service Project (ASP-www.asphome.org). The youth led the service and shared their service experiences. A big “Thank You” goes out to the church and the community for helping them raise funds for their trip. Youth participating were Emma Percival, Ali Ricci, Brendan Moore, Bryan Hayes, Michelle Allen, Rebecca Rising, Will Rice, Austin LaVigne, Jake Macomber, Casey Curtis, Emily Cote, Jamie Mazrek, Tom Scallion, Grace Ford, Hala Vanostrand and Ashley Jennings. Adult leaders were Dick Mullen, Tamara Torres McGovern, Chris Rising, Amy Lukens, Jen Curtis, Mike Hayes and John Stevenson (absent from photo). This was the 11th year South Congregational Church has been represented on ASP. —by Cindy Rising

Simsbury Bank participated in the 2013 Celebrate Granby event that took place on October 4 and 5 at Salmon Brook Park in Granby, hosted by the Granby Chamber of Commerce. Simsbury Bank was a Silver Sponsor for the event. Employees from the Granby Branch team along with the bank’s Mortgage Loan Advisors hosted a booth, where they Pictured are from left to right: Kelly Meuser, Mortgage welcomed visitors and Loan Ofﬁcer; Joyce Slater, Teller; Irene Smith, Customer highlighted services such Service Representative; Shirley Gentry, Teller Manager; as mortgage loans. and Lori Ethier, Assistant Branch Manager The Chamber estimates photo by Chiara DiFronzo that approximately 2,000 people attended the event, featured a business expo, crafts show, a which drew crowds from Granby and classic car show, a carnival with rides, the surrounding area. The two-day event musical entertainment and more.

In Memory Of … Aguiar, Abel de Oliveira, 73, husband of Maria de Fatima Castro Aguiar, October 14 Greene, Lorna Carmen (Salazar), 72, wife of Gerald Greene, October 15 McKelvey, Vincent T., US Army Maj.

TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH 11 Church Street, Tariffville, CT In this Christmas Season, we all long for home and family. Many people are also searching for a deeper and spiritual reason for this season of joy, peace and hope. If you don’t have a church home of your own, we invite you to join us here. Come and experience the greatest gift of all — God’s love made available to us all in the birth of Jesus on that first Christmas.

CHRISTMAS WORSHIP SCHEDULE CANDLELIGHT FESTIVAL OF NINE LESSONS AND CAROLS December 8

4:30 pm

A Traditional Service of Scripture Readings, Choral Anthems and Seasonal Carols

December 24

CHRISTMAS EVE 4:00 pm Children’s Christmas Service 6:00 pm Family Worship Service 9:00 pm Festival Choral Eucharist

December 25

CHRISTMAS DAY 9:00 am Holy Communion with a Short Message and Traditional Carols

Phone 860-651-0201 www: trinitytariffville.org facebook.com\trinitychurchtariffville

(Retired), 91, husband of Joan R. McKelvey, October 17 Walmer, Richard C., 77, husband of the late Bette Hammarstrom Walmer, October 22 Allshouse, Annie Grace (Messenger), 86, wife of the late Lucius Ernest Allshouse, Jr., October 25 Blackburn, Steven Michael, 44, October 25 Garcia, Raymond J., husband of the late Ruth E. (Geoffrion) Garcia, October 29 Guarco, Edward John, 60, husband of Barbara (Moulton) Guarco, October 30 White, May G., 90, wife of the late Richard C. White, II, November 5 Hall, Evelyn Elizabeth “Polly”, 96, wife of the late Albert J. “Bert” Hall, November 10 Nelson, Hersey B., 89, husband of the late Saara Alexsandra Nelson, November 10

DECEMBER 2013

THE GRANBY DRUMMER

Historic Footnotes Carol Laun

Christmas Past in Granby From an interview with the late Edna Spring Messenger Edna Grace Spring was born in 1887, one of five children of Louis and Flora (Griffin) Spring. She lived in the Hungary section of Granby and attended the Hungary Road School. Her father was a farmer. One of her happiest memories was visiting the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904. She attended Simsbury High School, boarding with a Simsbury family, and taking the train home weekends. Edna taught school for a year after graduation. In 1910, Edna Spring married William R. Messenger, raising eight children in the old stage coach stop on Messenger Road. She was a member of the Connecticut Botanical Society and a recognized expert on wildflowers and ferns. Will Messenger was Granby’s first selectman from 1939 to 1961, the longest period in Granby history. He died in 1965 and Edna died in 1977. “I think we fussed more about Christmas in those days (c.1895). On Christmas Eve, Dad would hitch two horses to the bob sled and we would ride to church, the Copper Hill Methodist Church in East Granby. There was always a church entertainment—the children would recite appropriate pieces. We did not have a Christmas tree at home, there was a big tree set up at church for all the church families. All the families took their gifts to church and hung them on the tree. There was no fancy wrapping paper then, all the presents were in brown paper. They were the only trimming on the tree. The older men would then call off the names on the gifts. There was a sort of contest to see whose name was called the most times. One neighbor had no children, but used to try to have his niece’s name called the most. We received gifts like sleds, skates, clothes, umbrellas and games like checkers, dominos and Pit. There was always an orange and a bag of candy for each child. “I think this was just the Methodist method of celebration. We had no big celebration at home, no big family dinner. We did hang up our stockings on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. I don’t remember why we hung them up on New Year’s Eve. We would find mittens and candy, nuts and oranges in our stockings. On Christmas Day we would play with our new toys.”

From an interview with the late Helen Cotton Howland Twins were born in 1892 to Burdette and Eliza Cotton—Helen and Harold. They lived in the old farm house on Day Street and played on a swing attached to the Granby Oak. Their uncle ran the farm and their father was Superintendent of the Granby Creamery for 35 years. After ﬁnishing school, Helen became a teacher in the one room school on the corner of Mountain Road and Donahue Road.

Edna Grace Spring c.1893, about 6 years old. SBHS photo

She earned $279 a year and boarded with a near-by Swedish family for $3 a week. She continued her education and in 1922 went to Schenectady, NY where she was the supervisor of language arts in the elementary schools for 25 years and a principal for 10 years. She married Dr. Charles Howland and after his death returned to Granby and taught in Suffield for a few years. Her retirement was filled with painting, braiding and hooking rugs, playing cards, making jelly and loving children. Helen died in 1986, age 94. It was Christmas Eve about 1898 when my family went to Granby’s Universalist Church to attend a Christmas service for children and parents. The church seemed filled with children who rendered Christmas stories, verses and songs. Following this, the children lingered around the Christmas tree to receive oranges, while parents visited. The ride home in the big sleigh was one of the most impressive and memorable experiences I can recall. I didn’t know that the world seemed so big. Perhaps

Kyleen Davis and Jonathan Shyer Engaged

Jonathan Shyer and Kyleen Davis

Randy and Laurie Davis and Elliott and Nancy Shyer are pleased to announce the engagement of their children, Kyleen and Jonathan. Kyleen and Jonathan are both graduates of Granby Memorial High School, class of 2004. Kyleen received her Bachelor’s degree from The College of St. Rose in Albany, NY and went on to receive her Master’s degree from Teacher’s College at Columbia University. She currently is a ﬁfth grade teacher at The Lovett School in Atlanta, Georgia. Jonathan studied Business and Organizational Leadership at Southern New Hampshire University, graduating in 2008. He is a college entertainment booking agent for the Auburn Moon Agency, based in Atlanta. The wedding is planned for August 2014 in Atlanta.

it was the ﬁrst evening ride I ever had in winter. The pure white crusty snow seemed to cover the whole world. In the quiet of the night with no trafﬁc and nothing stirring, the full moon topped the snow with its golden light, while high above, our eyes encircled the glittering stars which seemed to want to speak. No sounds except for a jingle of sleigh bells and quiet conversation. An illustrious picture to remember through the years. The real excitement came Christmas morning. We could hardly wait to run to the Christmas tree to open packages and empty our stockings. We had few gifts, but perhaps we appreciated them more. There were toys we had never seen before and books that held our attention throughout the day. My parents and older half brothers and sisters would get down and play with the little ones. Once my father attached a wire to the ceiling and we had a toy monkey that would climb the wire. We had such fun and played with that the longest time. We also had oranges and Christmas candy canes. We always had a tree and would go back on the mountain to cut it. It was a time of family fun. The day’s excitement increased with cousins and aunts and uncles arrived for dinner. Our long black walnut table with many leaves would be set up for Christmas dinner, always very special for holidays. It was big enough to seat 20 or 21 people and there was so much food! We usually had a huge old-fashioned chicken pie and all the additions. How could a day pass so soon? I still recall, how in the early evening after company had gone, I stood alone by the long kitchen table admiring the long white tablecloth and the two beautiful lighted kerosene lamps, one a Rochester, the other a Gone With the Wind lamp. I said to myself, ‘Why can’t we have this every night? And so the most important day of the year came to an end.”

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The Granby Drummer

Animal Talk Dr. John Violette, DVM

Keep up monthly preventatives in the winter Here we are again in the cold months in Connecticut with freezing temperatures and short days. Our pets are lying down cozily by the fire and do not want to go outside except for quick trips to “do their business.” So the temptation is to skip the monthly preventatives for heartworm disease and flea/tick issues. This would seem to make sense because heartworm is spread by mosquitoes and they should be on hiatus. Also, one would think that fleas and ticks should definitely not be a threat until spring.  The reality is that fleas love to hunker down and reproduce inside our houses for the winter—that fleas that get inside from the little woodland creatures that harbor fleas and deposit them around our dwellings. The new reality is that fleas are thriving in our area like never before. We have seen more fleas on pets in the last few years than ever before. When we identify flea infestations on clients’ pets, they are disappointed and in a state of disbelief. Thankfully, there are oral preventatives that kill adult fleas (comfortis, capstar) when the topical medicines can’t keep up.  Ticks love to pop out in the dead of winter when it gets above freezing for a few hours and they are hungry for a bloodmeal! It is not uncommon to find ticks on our pets all year long now. I know my dogs enjoy stuffing their heads into the tall grass that pokes out of the snow all winter. Our practice has seen very sick dogs this fall from tickborne diseases such as Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis and Ehrlichia. The new normal in Granby is more ticks and more of their diseases. Again a monthly topical preventative is still necessary in the winter. Ticks are hearty and can survive outside. Fleas work their way into our

homes. But we know the mosquitoes that transmit heartworm disease certainly aren’t flying around in January. One would think it would be fine to skip a few heartgard treatments in the winter. It so happens that the particular mosquitoes that carry heartworm disease, Culex, live longer at cooler temperatures. In one study in Alberta, Canada, over half of the over-wintering Culex female mosquitoes studied survived more that 138 days at 23 F. These particular mosquitoes continue to seek blood meals every time they are in the process of laying eggs. So if a mosquito is infected with heartworm larvae in October and we have an unseasonably warm December, they are out looking for a host and will transmit the disease. We all know how unpredictable the weather is these days. We have seen more cases of adult heartworm disease in our hospital than ever before. Many dogs being “rescued” from the southern states are bringing us the disease. Remember adult heartworms lodge in the heart, grow up to 12 inches long, and can live up to five years. Parasitology specialists tell us that there are new preventative-resistant strains identified in the Mississippi Delta because we have been inconsistent with administering the preventatives. They make the point that it is more important than ever to give the preventatives all year and perform annual testing. Getting in the habit of monthly preventatives all year long for our pets makes the most sense especially if you are like me and have trouble remembering. Giving the meds the first of the month gives peace-of-mind and offers the most protection.

Free Lunch Studios events: Every Monday: Kids and Adult Jams! New Writing and Drawing Classes! Magic The Gathering and Game Nights! Call 860-305-6621 for more information or visit www.freelunchcomics.com. Want to see what Matt is working on? Check out the Drawing Board at www. mattsminestudio.com

December 2013

Local Residents Will Perform Messiah with Farmington Valley Chorale Nine local residents will perform with the Farmington Valley Chorale when it presents G.F Handel’s Messiah Part 1 and songs of the season with soloists and organ on Friday, December 6 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, December 8 at 3 p.m. at First Church of Christ, 689 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury. Granby area singers include: Linda Harrold of East Granby; Peter Barwick, Carolyn Flint, John Flint, Helen Hogan, and Janet Loynes of Granby; Judith Burhans and Kenneth Way of North Granby; and Carol Bressor of West Granby. Donation at the door is $15; Full-time students are free. Messiah soloists, who are all students or alumni of Central Connecticut State University include: Victoria Murphy, soprano; Emily LaRose and Michelle Gara, mezzo sopranos; Christopher Dukes and Kevin Schneider, tenors; and Brian Jones, bass. Also performing will be Frank Zilinyi, Organist and Director of Music at St. Mary’s Church in Milford, and pianist Bridget de Moura Castro, chorale accompanist and director of music at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Hartford. All of the soloists are generously donating their time for the concert, allowing the chorale to make a donation in their names to the First Church’s Masooli project, which provides health care for people in the village of Masooli, Uganda. Nancy Crouch, member of First Church and a founder and member of the U.S. Board of Directors for the Project, says the charity “Concentrates on improving women’s health, which positively affects the lives of the entire family and village.” According to Ellen G. Voth, the chorale’s artistic director, “With this donation, the chorale is joining a long tradition of Messiah concerts associated with charities. I want to give a huge thank you to our soloists and the music department at CCSU for supporting this cause so heartily.” The soloists also expressed their excite-

Ellen G. Voth will conduct Farmington Valley Chorale December 6 and 8 at First Church of Christ, Simsbury. Photo by Brian Ambrose

ment at being able to make a difference in people’s lives through music. Mezzo soloist and Burlington native Michelle Gara, who is making her debut as a professional soloist, says she is honored to participate in this worthwhile effort. “My true passion in life is doing anything I can to make a positive impact on children’s lives. So it seems appropriate to share my talent to help the children in Masooli develop their talents as well.” Similarly, bass soloist Brian Jones of Winsted says, “It is always a joy for me when I can use my passion for music to help those in need.” James C. Malley, Ph.D., Associate Professor Emeritus at CCSU, who is also Chair of the U.S. Board for the Masooli project, is delighted with the recently formed interconnections between the chorale, CCSU, First Church and the Masooli Project. “This Messiah Concert will be a wonderful way to celebrate the holiday spirit and our care and compassion for the people of Masooli. We are especially grateful to the CCSU soloists and the Farmington Valley Chorale for their generous support.” The Farmington Valley Chorale is supported by the Sanders Foundation and the Greater Hartford Arts Council. For more information about the chorale, visit www.farmingtonvalleychorale.org. For more information about the Masooli Project, visit www.masooliproject.org

December 2013

Christmas Services

Granby Churches: First Congregational Church 219 N. Granby Rd. Dec. 19 Thurs. Dec. 22 Sun. Dec. 24 Tues. Dec. 29 Sun.

7 p.m. Blue Christmas Service 10 a.m. Fourth Sunday of Advent 11:30 a.m. Live nativity and pageant 5 p.m. Family Service 9 p.m. Candlelight Service 10 a.m. Bell Sunday

7 to 8 p.m. Children’s Christmas Eve Service 11pm to Midnight, Christmas Eve Midnight Service

Pilgrim Covenant Church 605 Salmon Brook St. Dec. 13 Fri. Dec. 24 Tues.

6 p.m. Children’s Christmas Pageant 7 and 11 p.m. Christmas Eve Services

St. Therese Roman Catholic Church

Life Church 23 Griffin Rd.

Dec. 14 Sat.

Dec. 24 Tues. Dec. 24 Tues.

The Granby Drummer

10a.m. to 2pm Christmas Around the World in the Coffee House

120 W. Granby Rd. Dec. 24 Tues. Dec. 25 Wed.

5 p.m. Vigil 10 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass 8:15 and 10:30 a.m. Christmas Day Masses

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South Congregational Church

Old St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church

242 Salmon Brook St. Dec. 15 Sun. Dec. 22 Sun. Dec. 24 Tues.

59 Tariffville Rd., Bloomfield Dec. 15 Sun. 5 p.m. Tidings of Comfort and Joy, Readings, hymns and carols Dec. 22 Sun. 10 a.m. Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols Dec. 24 Tues. 7:30 p.m. Music, 8 p.m. Holy Eucharist Dec, 25 Wed. 11 a.m. Holy Eucharist

4 p.m. Children’s Christmas pageant 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Poinsettia Sunday 5 p.m and 9 p.m. Christmas Eve Services of Carols and Candles (Communion at 9 p.m.)

Valley Brook Community Church GMHS Auditorium Dec. 7 Sat. Dec. 24 Tues.

5–8 p.m. Live Nativity, Salmon Brook Park 5 p.m. Christmas Eve Service, GMHS Auditorium

West Granby United Methodist Church 87 Simsbury Rd. Dec. 24 Mon.

7 p.m. Christmas Eve service

Area Churches: Copper Hill United Methodist Church 27 Copper Hill Rd., East Granby Dec. 24 Tues. 5 p.m. Traditional Christmas Eve service

St. Bernard’s Church 7 Maple St., Tariffville Dec. 24 Tues. 4:30 and 10 p.m., Masses Dec. 25 Tues. 10 a.m., Christmas Mass

Trinity Episcopal Church 11 Church St., Tariffville Dec. 8 Sun. 4:30 p.m., Service of Nine Lessons and Carols Dec. 15 Sun. 9:45 a.m., Children’s Christmas Pageant Dec. 24 Tues. 4 p.m., Children’s Christmas Eve service 6 p.m., Family Worship Service 9 p.m., Festive Choral Eucharist Dec. 25

Wed.

9 a.m., Holy Communion with Carols

Granby Memorial Middle School Fall 2013 Honor Roll GRADE 8 High Honors

Nesreen Ahmad, Madeline Attianese, Cole Battiston, Kathryn Boit, William Brucker, Jordan Clapprood, Celia Cochran, Sydney Cote, Amanda Courtemanche, Eden Cowles, Sarah Cusano, Lexi Cyr, Jaiden Delaire, Kyle Desjardins, Benjamin Eke, Katelyn Erickson, Karly Fisher, Cooper Fleming, Jarrod Gaalswijk, Kerry Gilmore, Cole Goodrow, Jacqueline Grimaldi, Masoul Harris, Ellen Hesketh, Grace Hoeckele, Matthew Jacobs, Sydney Jerman, Rachel Kadis, Colin Kanter, Kathryn Karabetsos, Erin Keener, Christopher Knight, Cheryl Latona, Meaghan Leonardi, Madisyn MacDonald, Kayleigh Manion, Cecilia Milbrandt, Ashlie Novak, Taylor Nowak, Simon O’Neil, Nathaniel Orluk, Owen Plourde, Tessa Rigby, Heather Salter, Kiley Schneider, Ethan Schock, Daquan Sheffield, Gina Sogliuzzo, Mackenzie Stahl, Caroline Stent, Russell Stone, Alyssa Tweeddale, Jennifer Ungerleider, Taylorann Vibert, Joseph Wix, Jordan Zajac.

Honors

Chiara Alfarone, Lisien Barolli, Jake Barrows, John Bayersdorfer, Daniel Betterton, Amanda Blejewski, Cannon Buchman, Jonathan Bystrowski, Arianna Caruso, Michael Cerbo, Steven Coon, Julie Coppa, Kyle Courtney, Evan Cramer, Natalie Crose, Daniel DeGagne, Dylan Dingivan, Hunter Donnelly, Conor Drennan, Jacob Dunham, Kathleen Ericksen, Justin Evanguelidi, Rachael Evasius, Jacob Fett, Brandyn Garcia, Matthew Gerace,

Noah Greer, Aidan Griswold, Erin Henebry, Cormac Hogan, Grace Holcomb, Keira Hollister, Katrina Howes, Christopher Hoyt, Christopher Kardys, Samuel Keir, Andrew Kibby, Adam Kinsley, Lily Kraner, Teagan Lapuk, Dalton Lemoine, Nicholas Liguori, Kari Marks, Rebecca McCord, Jacob McDonald, Caroline Miltenberger, Jeremy Minalga, Michael Nash, Sam Nguyen, Christina Peterson, Jacob Peverly, Benjamin Ranicar, Julia Rathey, Bryan Rome, Gavriella Rutigliano, Vito Rutigliano, Joshua Samplatsky, Richard Schoelles, Kelly Schultheis, Hannah Shoaf, Allyson Smith, Shelby Smith, Heather Smyth, Jesse Stanhope, Paige Stickel, Nicole Szilagyi, Haley Terva, Griffin Ware, Timur Wertz, Audrey White, Melanie Williams, Jacob Yoder.

GRADE 7 High Honors

Patrick Aldrich, Ryan Antkowiak, Rachael Badeau, Denise Blake, Anthony Bonadies, Brian Boyle, Haley Clark, Lindsay Courser, Jenna Dauria, Anthony DelPrincipe, Jack DiMeo, Sydnie Dorman, Mackenzie Dowd, Maya Dube, Michael Favolise, Emma Fetridge, James Gnesda, Evan Holm, Katherine Hosack, Mckenzie Huot, Lucy Jacobs, Luke Jennings, Benjamin Kibby, Spencer Kimble, Sage Kingsley, John LaPointe, Abigail Larson, Ashley Longest, Marile Marzo, Georgia McDougall, Madeleine McGee, Amelia Mezger, Erin Moody, Aleksander Morawiec, Jameson Morris, Tess Myers, Samantha Novotny, Andrew Phillips, Daniel Pierce, Persephone Platt, Eva Pockoski, Isabella

Quagliaroli, Elaina Raymond, Benjamin Russell, Caleb Sears, Kara Skrubis, Katherine Smith, Mikayla Thompson, Abigail Thrall, Serra Tickey, Gabrielle Vitti, Emily Wassick, Christopher Weber, Lauryn Wheeler, Addison Wilkey, Madelyn Wilson, Sara Zafian.

Honors

Anthony Amuso, Haley Beach, Andrew Bean, Emily Bennett, Sarah Bennett, Amy Briggs, Charles Brinegar, Jalyn Brown, Madelynn Brown, Ethan Butler, Catherine Bystrowski, Evan Carboneau, Beckett Cashman, Hunter Chicoine, Benjamin Davis, Lily Day, Michelle Dingivan, Logan Disabella, Elizabeth Escudero, Madison Flebotte, Karissa Gaughan, Ryan Gemme, Jessica Gerace, Erin Gilhooly, Jonathan Hacia, Cailin

Hesketh, Valerie Huber, Sara Jahrstorfer, Brittany Janzer, Melena Kopf, James Kuhnly, Joseph LaFlamme, Peyton Large, Logan Lauer, Shannon Leydon, Austin Loveless, Grace MacMurray, Carlie Max, Charlotte McMillan, Sophia Meyers, Christopher Murach, Emily Newman, Helen Newman, Andrew Olihan, Erica Presbie, Hailey Price, Clayton Rider, Meghan Roberts, Siena Sandridge, Connor Sharp, Madison Skiff, Sophia Speliopoulos, Matthew Spence, Anthony Spica, Garrett Strain, Gabrielle Sturgeon, Benjamin Taylor, Olivia Tein, Steven Tirillo, David Traun, Logan Unger, Elizabeth Volg, Adam Walker, Christian Warren, Chad Wheeler, Jessica Wright, Derek Zinck, Matthew Zyzdorf.

Granby Farmers’ Market to Host Winter Event by Amy Woodman The Granby Farmers’ Market will host its first-ever winter market indoors at the Farmington Valley YMCA on Saturday December 14. Some favorite summer vendors will be there: Sweet Wind Farm, Killam and Bassett, Barefoot Books, Beech Tree Ranch, Free Lunch Studios and Capa Di Roma. Several new vendors include: GIV Coffee, Lyric Farm, Bridget’s Breads, Maple View Farm and Vermont Art Store.

The winter market will be a great opportunity to stock up on your favorite items from local farmers. Need some last minute gift ideas? There will be plenty to choose from: jams, preserves, local maple syrup, coffee, books, soaps, and candles. There will be a wrapping table too where, for a small donation to the market, your items can be wrapped in a holiday gift basket. Come to the market on Saturday, December 14, from 9 a.m – noon at the Farmington Valley YMCA, 97 Salmon Brook Street.

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THE GRANBY DRUMMER

DECEMBER 2013

Closer to Home

The Cornfield

The Drummer provides this listing so readers can easily ﬁnd services they may need. Supporting our local businesses is a way to build a sense of community. Tell them you saw their ad in the Drummer.

Sparkling snowy white blanket Irregular brown stripes run through it Cornfield in October Rich dark brown earth Fresh green stripes run though it Cornfield in June A shaggy green carpet Accented by spots of darker green Spots of brown around the edges Cornfield in July Tall green leafy stalks Topped with straw-colored spikes Tufts of silk grow along the stalks Cornfield in August The green stalks are brown Silky tufts have turned dry and brown Cornfield in September

ABC Pizza House Action Carpet & Floor Covering Bakerville Library Beacon Mechanical Service Beman Hardware Berkshire Hathaway – Judy Guarco Berkshire Hathaway -- Karen Mendes Berkshire Hathaway – Nancy Reardon Berkshire Hathaway -- Lynn Svindland Berkshire Hathaway Real Estate Big Sky Fitness Bill Hart’s book In My Lifetime Bill Selig Jewelers Cahill’s Motors Cambridge Brew Pub Center Spirit Shop Christopher Bryant Co. – Septic Systems Chiropractic Care of Granby Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Command Electronic Surveillance/Security Creative Learning Preschool & Childcare Center D’Agata Granite & Bronze Don Johnson Carpentry Dr. Barry Walsh Chiropractor Durable Medical Loaner Closet Eagles Nest Coins First Congregational Church of Granby Granby Artists Association Granby Dental – Dr. Richard Kirschbaum Granby Dental Center –Dr. Michael Ungerleider Granby Education Foundation Granby Insurance Agency Granby Package Store Granby Pharmacy Granby Village Health Hartford Hospital Rehabilitation Network Hayes-Huling & Carmon Funeral Home Higleyville Coin Co. Jen Violette Hand Blown Glass Lifestyles Salon

Then one day . . . Back to dark brown soil, Stalks are now stubble. The ﬁeld has accomplished its task The corn has been harvested. Those dried-out stalks and cobs Will be chopped into small pieces Then stored in a dark, enclosed space; a silo There they will ferment And become delicious, Juicy and nutritious food for cattle During the ice, cold and snow of winter. —Emily Messenger

9 10 35 29 7 10 29 21 27 36 20 18 19 7 22 34 2 3 5 11 15 15 33 21 23 17 4 12 31 16 35 18 25 11 33 28 3 32 27 28

Manitook Motors 10 Maple Corner Farm 8 Marsi Callaghan, LMFT 14 McKenna Orthodontics 19 Melvin Porter Electrical & Plumbing 9 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney 32 Neo Nail Salon & Day Spa 33 Notch Road Appliance 31 Nurse Consultants, LLC 31 OP Painting 2 Peppermill Country Deli & Bakery 12 Pierce Builders - MeadowgateTownhouse 34 Raveis Real Estate 13 Riches Jewelers 12 Robert Carter Painting 14 Rte. 10 Tire & Wheels 30 Salmon Brook Apartments - Elderly & Disabled Housing 26 Sanditz Travel Management 34 Santa Realty 21 Second Chance Shop 12 Sig’s Plumbing & Pump 17 Simsbury Bank 6 Small Town Septic 19 South Congregational Church 6 State Line Oil 11 State Line Propane 28 Strain Family Equestrian Center 33 Subscription Opportunities to Drummer 24 Subseven Computers 12 Swim Center at Westminster School 27 The Tag Sale Shoppe 26 Trinity Episcopal Church 22, 30 Valkyrie Equestrian Center 14 Valley Brook Community Church 9, 22, 28 Valley Pre-School 29 Volunteers Opportunities at the Drummer 4, 23 West Granby Methodist Church 8 Windy Hill Guitar Studio 35 Windsor Federal Savings 9

Farmington Valley VNA named to Top 2013 Elite For the second year in a row, the Farmington Valley VNA has been named to the Top 100 of the 2013 HomeCare Elite™, a recognition of the top-performing home health agencies in the United States. HomeCare Elite honors the top 25 percent of agencies in the country in ﬁve categories including quality care (patient outcomes), best practice (process measure) implementation, patient experience, quality improvement and consistency, and ﬁnancial performance measures. The 2013 HomeCare Elite was compiled using publicly available data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Home Health Compare

website and cost reports. The HomeCare Elite also recognizes the Top 500 providers nationwide. In order to be considered, an agency must be Medicare-certiﬁed and have data for at least one outcome in Home Health Compare. Out of 9,969 agencies considered, 2,496 were recognized as elite. This prestigious award is sponsored by OCS HomeCare by National Research Corporation, the leading provider of home health metrics and analytics, and DecisionHealth, publisher of the most respected independent newsletter in the home care profession, Home Health Line. “The 2013 HomeCare Elite winners

demonstrate a commitment to providing patient-centered care and serving as leaders in the home health community. Their success is a tribute that managing healthcare data and utilizing it for improvement initiatives lead to high quality care, and we recognize them for their outstanding achievements,” said Mary Oakes, senior vice president of post-acute at National Research Corporation. “We congratulate the Farmington Valley VNA on being one of the top 100 home care agencies in the country.” Incy S. Muir, Farmington Valley VNA Executive Director, credits the agency’s staff at all levels for this outstanding achievement. “We are extremely proud of being named to the Top 100 of the 2013 HomeCare Elite. And further, the Farmington Valley VNA is one of only two home health agencies in Con-

necticut to have attained this exceptional quality standard. This is an incredible achievement considering we are a nonprofit, community-based VNA which is not owned or operated by a hospital or large health care system. We accomplish so much with limited resources and our wonderful staff deserves recognition for their dedication and hard work. Receiving this exclusive national designation for two consecutive years reflects the Farmington Valley VNA’s 105-year commitment to providing the best skilled nursing, palliative, and Hospice care possible within a fiscally responsible and well managed operating philosophy that assures superior care outcomes and performance.” Marci Heydt, Product Manager for the post-acute-care business group of DecisionHealth states “HomeCare Elite recognition is a significant acknowledgement. The shift from fee-for-service to pay-for-performance models is reshaping the healthcare profession. And home health is proving to be an integral part of the continuum. The entire list of 2013 HomeCare Elite agencies can be downloaded by visiting the National Research Corporation website at www.nationalresearch. com/homecareelite. Information about the Farmington Valley VNA’s in-home health care, palliative and Hospice care, and community-based illness prevention programs can be found online at www. farmingtonvalleyvna.org.

DECEMBER 2013

THE GRANBY DRUMMER

PAGE 35

TaSA Trading Company is on the move by Steve Kanaras Recently opened TaSA Trading Company, is joining forces with Freedom Candle Company for the Holiday Season. After just opening its doors, TaSA has moved to a larger location and has plans to acquire the long-time Granby candle manufacturer and retailer. Freedom Candle Company, located at 569 Salmon Brook Street has been the last stop in Granby for shoppers along the Rt. 10/202 corridor for the past 10 years. Owners Jerry and Janeene Crane revived an old local brand of made in

the USA candles after it fell on hard times under previous ownership. Now, after a decade of being candle makers and retail store owners, the Cranes are ready to slow down and just â€œsmell the candlesâ€? for a while. For the short term, gearing up for their ďŹ nal holiday season is the focus for the 70-years-young candle makers. â€œWe want to go out with a bang and help TaSA come in with as much support and hype as possible.â€? Referring to TaSAâ€™s owner Andrea Siana-Toland and her husband Anthony, Jerry Crane said â€œthey have the vision and energy to really take this location to the next

Holiday Safety Tips and Information by Joseph Killen, Fire Marshal According to the National Fire Prevention Association, holiday trees and decorations account for about 400 home ďŹ res annually. This results in approximately 24 deaths and over $13 million in property damage. Here are a few tips to keep your holiday safe and enjoyable and not adding to the statistics. â€˘ If choosing a cut tree, select one that is fresh. If the needles are already falling off, it could dry out and become a potential ďŹ re hazard. â€˘ Once you have the tree home, donâ€™t place it near any heat sources, radiators or ďŹ replaces, and be sure it doesnâ€™t block any of your homes exits. â€˘ Always keep the tree stand full of waterâ€”a dry tree will become ďŹ‚ammable. â€˘ If you use lights, inspect them each year for frayed wires, bare spots, gaps in the insulation, broken or cracked sockets, and excessive kinking or wear before putting them up. Use only lighting listed by an approved testing laboratory. â€˘ Donâ€™t overload electrical outlets. â€˘ If youâ€™re away or sleeping unplug all Bak Lib Granby Dr 5 x 2_Granby Drummer ad 13 decorations.

â€˘ If you use candles, never leave them burning while unattended. â€˘ Be sure candles are in ďŹ rm, stable holders, located where they cannot be knocked over by people or pets. â€˘ If you havenâ€™t checked your smoke detector recently, now would be a good time. At a minimum, at least one smoke alarm should be located on each ďŹ‚oor, including the basement. â€˘ If the power goes out and you use a generator, never run it indoors, not even in the garage. Always direct the exhaust away from the house. â€˘ Be extra safe while cookingâ€”kitchen ďŹ res are more common over the holidays. â€˘ Clear the ice and snow from walks, to prevent slips and falls. â€˘ Itâ€™s a good time to review your exit drills in the home and locate your family meeting place. â€˘ If you havenâ€™t signed up for emergency notifications from the town, now would be a good time to do so. You can ďŹ nd the CT Alert link on the townâ€™s website at www.granby-ct.gov then click on CT ALERT. Be safe and enjoy the holiday season.

level. They are excited, like we were, to make the move and build their business in Granby.â€? Siana-Toland, TaSAâ€™s founder, just had her ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration on October 18 at their initial location in Granby Commons. When asked about the sudden move and merger with Freedom Candle Company, she said â€œThis was the furthest thing from my mind; I was really just thinking about getting ready for the holidays and scheduling more classes, especially for kids, now through Christmas and New Yearâ€™s school break. I was just settling down from a great grand opening weekend and beginning our ďŹ rst week of being opened seven days a week (now through the end of the year) and this nice man that I had never met before, walked into my shop and presented me with an interesting business proposition.â€? The Cranes had been looking for a buyer for their business and planned to liquidate at the end of the year if a buyer didnâ€™t materialize. â€œI really would like to continue making candles for a while but the retail part of our business is what we just donâ€™t have the energy for anymoreâ€? said Crane. â€œBy TaSA taking over the retail operation and carrying our candles, we have the perfect opportunity to wind down at our own pace and truly teach our new friends the art of ďŹ ne candle making before they take over the business in its entirety.â€? â€œOur candles are hand made with the ďŹ nest ingredients and weâ€™ve learned how to achieve the best outcomes from a lot of experimentation over the years. Andrea is a natural for this, she is an artist and former art teacher and is used to getting her hands into her art; she already makes glassware and pottery in

a kiln at 2500 degrees and repurposes all kinds of furniture â€” making candles is right up her alley.â€? TaSA Trading Company plans to hold their ďŹ rst major sale on â€œBlack Friday,â€? November 29, the day after Thanksgiving. â€œThere will be an abundance of merchandise from TaSA as well as Freedom Candle. We will have our holiday merchandise out, and all of the fresh holiday scents that Jerry and Janeeneâ€™s customers have come to expect will be available in our extensive candle section. We will be offering gift specials for TaSAâ€™s Candle of The Month Club and selling gift certiďŹ cates for our Miss Mustard Seed Painting Classes as well as our Clay Creations class and drawing classes. Our certiďŹ ed instructors teach group and private classes for kids and adults. Weâ€™ll also have rafďŹ‚es and giveawaysâ€? said Siana-Toland. When asked what this opportunity means to her and her newly formed company, TaSAâ€™s owner said, â€œItâ€™s just huge. Hand-crafted candles are the perfect complement to our unique gifts, furniture, local art and home decor. We are already working on a line of â€œTaSA Homeâ€? custom-blended candles for release early next year; not to mention that a space like this will allow us to create a shopping experience that would have taken us years to get to on our own. We are very grateful to Jerry and Janeene for coming to us with this opportunity, and we look forward to having a lot of fun working with them over the holiday shopping season.â€? TaSA Trading Company moved to its new location in the former Freedom Candle Company building at 569 Salmon Brook Street, in early November. TaSAâ€™s phone number and web address remain the same: 860-670-7930 ~ www. tasadesign.com

11/12/13 2:47 PM Page 1

Bakerville Holiday Festival

Friday, December 6th â€˘ 7â€“9 pm â€˘ Bakerville Library 6 Maple Hollow Rd., New Hartford CT

OďŹ€ Rt. 202 at E. Cotton Hill Rd. â€˘ Just west of the Bakerville Methodist Church

Tree lighting â€˘ BonďŹ re â€˘ Carol sing â€˘ Mrs. Claus â€˘ Craft for kids Refreshments â€˘ SILENT AUCTION More info: Call 860-482-8806 or visit bakervillelibrary.org

The GEF would like to thank those local lost acres orchard Guitar lessons and classes for students www.lostacres.com of all ages with Laura Mazza-Dixon businesses and

! organizations " ! that supported our Arts ďż˝ ! ! ďż˝ " ďż˝ ďż˝ Endowment ďż˝ ! ďż˝ ďż˝ # Event,

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Paul Winter

Please call 860-653-6146 for more information ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ ďż˝ ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝

in Concert

PAGE 36

THE GRANBY DRUMMER

DECEMBER 2013

Oh, deer! Residents on and around Kelly Lane were astonished to see a doe with three newborn fawns this past spring. Triplets are quite rare. In their dappled coats, the fawns were hard to spot in woody areas, but glimpses of the quartet crossing streets and yards always set off a ﬂurry of phone calls: “The deer are here!” During the summer months, the family spent time in McLean’s at the end of Barn Door Hills Road in West Granby, a few miles away. October saw them return to the Kelly Lane area, and Shirley Murtha was able to get some good pictures of the young ones, whose coats are now solid tan like their mom’s. During November there have been no more sightings in the Kelly Lane area. Are they back in West Granby for the winter? If you see them, let us know so we can track their whereabouts. photo by Shirley Murtha

Following tradition, we at the Drummer are taking December off to give our volunteers a rest. We’ll be back to work in January for the February issue.

We wish you and yours a peaceful holiday season.

February 2014 Deadlines ARTICLES: Monday, January 13 noon Drummer phone and fax: 860-653-9222 Email: editor@granbydrummer.org ADS: Wednesday, January 8 noon Ad

Team 860-653-9222, leave message. Email: ads@granbydrummer.org

WORK DATES: January 7-20, call or email for times. The public is encouraged to submit articles about events of interest to Granby

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residents. The editors urge you to submit articles by email if at all possible. We acknowledge submissions by return email. If you do not hear from us please follow up with another email or leave a message at 860-6539222. Articles should be written in the third person. More detailed information on Drummer submission requirements is available at: www.granbydrummer.org.

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Mystery Photo Contest Congratulations to Dotty Hayes whose name was drawn from the pool of those who correctly identiﬁed last month’s barn on North Granby Road. Dotty had an advantage here. “I can see it from my living room window,” she said. We’ll be in touch with Dotty so she can claim her prize. Send your guesses as to the location of this month’s building to editor@granbydrummer.org. You can identify it by street name and/or number or by the name of the property owners. Good Luck! barn photo by Peter Dinella

Durable Medical Equipment closet celebrates its ﬁrst birthday by Sandy Yost The Durable Medical Equipment loaner closet is one year old! The DME closet is a project that was developed through the efforts of the Civic Engagement Team of the Granby Senior Center. The free loaner closet was warmly received when it opened in November 2012, and its ﬁrst year has been very successful. Over 200 items were donated to the closet; it has served 106 people who borrowed a total of 160 items. A big Thank You to friends and neighbors who generously donated walkers, wheelchairs, commodes, tub seats and other durable medical equip-

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ment. Volunteers clean the items when they are received and after each use and loan them to residents of Granby and neighboring towns. To continue acting as a resource for medical equipment when needed, the team welcomes donations of appropriate items, such as those mentioned above. Upholstered, customized or electronic items are not accepted. The DME closet is located at Holcomb Farm in West Granby and may be accessed by appointment only. For information on donating or borrowing items, or volunteering to assist in operating the closet, please call the Granby Senior Center at 860-844-5352.

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