Grangers Serve Up Holiday Spirit at Annual Breakfast

By Allison Collins

Grangers Serve Up

at Annual Breakfast

“This is free; it’s a community service project to encourage families and seniors to come and enjoy the holiday season together.”

The Butternut Valley Grange will bring cheer to children and seniors this holiday season with its annual “Breakfast with Santa.”

The free event takes place from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 10, at the Butternut Valley Grange Hall, 7 Bloom St., Gilbertsville. Attendees are asked to make reservations before Dec. 2 by calling 607-434-9922, 607-783-2232 or 607-445-4037, at which time a child’s name, age and gender should be provided, ensuring an appropriate gift from Santa.

Roger Halbert, past president and member of the organization’s community service committee, responsible for planning the event, said Breakfast with Santa has been happening “for well over 10 years.”

“It was started to generate community fellowship, with a focus on children and senior citizens,” he said. “We wanted to hit both age groups, and we’ve been doing this for at least 10 years on the second Saturday of December and, naturally, Santa is there … and, if (attendees) have children from infant up to age 12, Santa has a gift waiting for them. Any senior from the community is invited to come for the breakfast and (to) participate in the festivities, and they also receive a gift. Those are donated by Grange members, and they sign up for various gifts so that they’re there at Santa’s disposal.”

Photos Contributed

The event’s success and longevity, Halbert said, relies on such dedication from the group’s roughly 100 members. The Butternut Valley Grange, he noted, is New York State’s largest.

“This is free; it’s a community service project to encourage families and seniors to come and enjoy the holiday season together,” he said. “Members sign up and donate food and have fundraisers throughout the year to help fund (such events). One of the big ones is, we sell homemade pies at our farmers’ market from May to October every Saturday, and we have a dinner or two throughout the year and other fundraisers to help support the community service projects that we do.”

Attendees young and old, Halbert said, appreciate the group’s efforts.

“They’ve just been very supportive and appreciative,” he said, noting that members typically serve between 60 and 70 breakfasts. “It’s people from Butternuts, Gilbertsville and Mount Upton school district. Anything that a small community can (do to) muster up and create fellowship time and enjoying the holidays together just generates good memories, for kids and families that attend.

“(It) generates a neighborliness and a feeling that you care about each other and it’s just a fun event,” he continued. “And it’s quite a lively event. It’s just fun to see the kids interacting with Santa and seeing the seniors take this in and visiting with other and having a good breakfast, compliments of the Grange.” f

Butternut Valley Grange is also introducing new and returning holiday happenings, Halbert said.

“New this year is the cookie swap … Saturday, December 17,” he said. “That, again, is a fun, fellowship time with friends and neighbors. Anyone that wants to participate brings two dozen holiday cookies in a container and then they go home with two dozen cookies from people participating.”

According to a media release, the cookie swap will also feature a vendor fair, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The swap happens at 7 Bloom St., with participants asked to bring cookies by 10 a.m. and use the downstairs side entrance to the hall. Craft vendors should call 607-563-1104 by Nov. 28 to reserve a space.

And, Halbert said, Grangers will return to the streets of Gilbertsville for Christmas caroling, around 6:30 p.m., Monday, Dec. 19.

“We did that for a number of years and, interestingly, a lot of the places we went to, the persons died over the years, and we didn’t have a lot of shut-ins that we could come up with a list to carol at,” he said. “So, we haven’t done it the last two or three years, but decided to try it again. Grange members go around Christmas caroling to various people who are shut in or would just like a little cheer.”