Silas Griffith Christmas Party
Last evening (Wednesday, December 18) the Danby Congregational Church hosted the 116th annual Silas Griffith Christmas party. Silas Griffith (June 27, 1837 – July 21, 1903) established a trust fund to provide Christmas presents for all of the children of Danby. And for 116 years, a party is held at the Congregational meeting house, and presents and an orange (as stipulated in Griffith’s will) are given to each of the children in the community. I did not get a count for last night’s party, but typically between 135-150 presents are distributed. We begin the party with a puppet show and skit led by Beth Thompson. Children from the community, with no prior rehearsal, dress up as angels and shepherds, and we have an adult “Mary” and “Joseph” and a live baby “Jesus.” Brad Bender, our town historian, shares a brief history narrative about Silas Griffith. And then the presents are handed out. Below are pictures from last evening’s celebration. If you are interested in learning more about Silas Griffith, there is a Wikipedia article about him, as well as pictures and documentation at the Mt Tabor-Danby Historical Society website (http://www.mtdhistoricalsociety.org/silas-l-griffith/)
