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THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2022
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Enjoying a strawberry Sunday at New Troy’s ‘Strawberry Social’
F Heather Courtney (far right) scoops out strawberries for guests
Linda and Bob Miller enjoy their strawberry treats
Victoria Petroff, Terry Hanover and Brett Boyd of Classic Catering man the fundraising booth
Members of the big band, Down by the Dock, provide the entertainment
BY FRANCESCA SAGALA
or the fourth year, the Friends of New Troy (FONT) Community Center was host to a celebration that centered around everyone’s favorite, juicy summertime fruit: the strawberry. Everyone gathered in the center’s gazebo garden for the Allan Boyd Memorial Strawberry Social, which featured an array of strawberry desserts courtesy of Classic Catering as well as live entertainment from Down by the Dock, Sunday, July 10. The annual event is a gift to the community from the Boyd family to honor the memory of Allan Boyd (1925-2017), who grew up in New Troy and attended New Troy High School, which used to stand on the site of the current New Troy Township Park. As a young man, Allan owned a garage in the center of town. Later in life, he became township supervisor and remained a prominent figure in local politics for many years. In 2018, the Boyd family also donated the gazebo that now is the centerpiece of the community center’s gazebo garden. The event was a part of FONT’s “Gather and…” series. Victoria Petroff, vice president of FONT’s board of directors, said that any of the events that they’ll be hosting, as well as any other fundraisers through FONT in general, at this point will be raising money for a new library and meeting room for the center. “We’re making an effort to transition from books to more technology,” she said, adding that the renovation will include more Wi-Fi and computerfriendly items. Petroff added that Wi-Fi infrastructure is a “huge need” in Weesaw Township. The new library will still have books; however, Petroff said there will be more of a book club and curated items.
The popular story hour with Miss Ollie (a retired teacher and graduate of New Troy High School) will remain. With regards to games, some installations will be on the wall. “We’re going to try to create spaces that are super user friendly – create interactive, engaging stations for kids to play at,” she said. Funds are also being raised to redo the meeting room, which Petroff said will “bring it up to par with what the community room is – new floor, new blinds, just to make it more inviting and fresher.” An effort will also be made to procure grants to help cover the cost for the renovations. Petroff said the cost is around $43,550 (as of that afternoon, $12,000 had been raised).
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etroff said the same “template” that was used when money was raised two winters ago to redo the bathrooms will be followed to raise funds for the building’s projects. “The Friends of New Troy will allocate a certain amount to the project and then seek help from the public and grant writing,” she said. Another project has been the everevolving history room, which has been made possible through a collection of historical artifacts of the area that have been collected through the years by board president Terry Hanover and former board member Mike Metz. Petroff said the “Gather and…” events were the brainchild of board member Marlene Newmiller, who owns Newmiller Farms. The next one will be a partnership with the Coastline Children’s Film Festival’s summer film series, where children can watch “Shaun the Sheep Movie” at sunset Wednesday, Aug. 17 (rain date is Aug. 18).
