Courtesy of Town of Stanford
On Sept. 1, 1959, Stanford held its first Community Day, under the guidance of Oliver Orton. As secretary of the Stanford Grange, Oliver ran the event until 2008, when his son Ryan, freshly returned from college, took over. As the current secretary of the Grange, Ryan continues to manage Community Day, maintaining a 65-year streak of Orton family stewardship that will continue on Saturday, Sept. 16, in the center of town.
This year’s schedule includes a magic show (10 to 10:45 a.m.), a grandstand program at the Grange Hall (noon), baseball games at the rec center (starting at 3 p.m.), and music (featuring the Red Barn Band) and free ice cream in the evening (6 to 9). One new activity of particular note is the Stanford Birthday Dessert Contest (11 a.m.), which is sponsored by the Grange and Taconic Distillery to celebrate the town’s 230th anniversary. Entries must be birthday-worthy dessert items that are able to hold a candle. Ryan emphasized only one candle is necessary—230 might attract the attention of the fire department across the road from the Grange.
Inspired by the Town of Clinton’s example, local residents and Grange members Carrie Barton and Grace Thorpe tried for years to start a Community Day in Stanford, before the 1959 inaugural. The early years included a horse show (when there were more open fields around the Grange Hall) as well as a pet contest, and even a Little Miss Stanford pageant.
The Grange is the driving force behind Community Day, but many other local organizations contribute. In May, representatives from each of them form a committee that meets monthly through the summer, organizing events and choosing the recipient of an annual Community Service Award, which is announced on Community Day.
For Ryan, Community Day is a natural extension of the Grange’s civic-minded mission, which is to act as an advocate for agriculture, the environment and other rural interests. Describing the event, he said, “Everyone comes together to celebrate who we are as a town – our past, our present, and what we hope to be in the future.”
Stanford Community Day activities will run from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the middle of town, centered on the Grange Hall (6047 Route 82).