Lucky Leprechauns Hide Out In Granby

A line up of little green and not so green men could be found at Free Lunch Studios in Granby on Friday night. 

 Matt Ryan, owner of Free Lunch Studios, turned his business into a gallery as a preview and kick off to the first annual  Granby Leprechaun Hunt.  The hunt, which takes place this coming weekend, will feature statues of Leprechauns hidden throughout Granby in retail establishments.

“We needed a place, and for the feel of the [leprechaun] characters, it made sense and was a perfect fit,” Ryan explained to me.

Coordinator, Melien Lavoie from RelyLocal(Granby-Simsbury), shared with me that this event was inspired by her experience of living in Ireland as a child and the first time she witnessed a leprechaun hunt.  She remembers seeing a group of people dressed like leprechauns running around her town, looking for a ‘pot of gold,’ and thought it looked like fun. 

The intention of this event is to create foot traffic around Granby to give residents and visitors an opportunity to explore and discover the businesses.  The money raised will be given to the town of Granby to be used for community improvements.

Dot Muszynski, who works at Center Spirit Shop shared that “all the local business owners are all about being local and keeping people buying locally, and that is what makes this event so special.”

Rob The Leprechaun from Lazer 99.3 Radio Station, made an appearance and offered a much needed dose of spring to the audience.  He was dressed in head to toe green and spoke like a true leprechaun.

Each Leprechaun statue had a distinct personality, and as I scanned the room, most matched the personality of their creator and business.  I caught up with some of them to discuss their inspirations and this is what I found out.

Annie Chamberland, owner of New Beginnings Day Spa introduced her Leprechaun, 'Liam Harrington'.

“He’s a travel leprechaun, that's why he's in a bag, he even has a real ring that you can wear,”  she said.

Alaina Bisson-13, a student at Free Lunch Studios, created a leprechaun that was dressed in a military uniform.  When asked why she chose to bedeck her leprechaun in fatigues , she responded, “My Dad is in the army and I got the idea from him.”

Granby Artist Association member Sally Sargent Markey had a very colorful leprechaun.  “I am also a quilter and I based mine on an interpretation of my favorite fabric,” she stated.

If you’re feeling lucky you might try your own hand at Granby’s Leprechaun Hunt on March 19^th from 9-3pm.  Starting at the town green by Tina’s Ice Cream, this hunt is for the young and old alike.  Maps are available at the participating Granby businesses for $5.00.

Use your map, visit the participating businesses, drop a dollar in the Leprechaun Collection Tin and search for the resident leprechaun.  When and if you do find him, you are allowed to take one of his chocolate leprechaun gold coins to keep.

Some of the leprechauns are up for ‘adoption’, there is a silent auction and you can place your bid on your favorite sprite at the corresponding businesses during the event.

After the hunt is over, you can join everyone at The Good Life Grill  at 3 p.m. for announcements of winners in categories that include fastest time, best dressed and correct trivia question answers.  At that time the silent auction will end and so will your chance to own a wee bit o’ luck.

For more information on this event, you can contact Melien Lavoie from RelyLocal Granby-Simsbury, CT at (860) 214-9900.