President's Message

By Tom Sinclair - September 25, 2025

Welcome to the Dryden Center for Community!

First, I want to thank you for visiting our website. I hope that you will stop by this virtual space often to learn about good news and exciting initiatives that are happening in our village.

The Dryden Center for Community is quickly becoming a reality. It feels like the time when the whole village came together to build a new playground in Montgomery Park. Everywhere we went, folks were talking about the playground. People came together to organize fundraising, they worked with children to plan and design the build, and they coordinated the necessary governmental approvals. With large and small gifts they raised over $100,000 for the project. And when all was ready, hundreds of volunteers participated in the actual build; some committed an entire week to the project, while others were only able to spare a couple of hours of their time. Do you remember how great it felt to see Montgomery Park swarming with people, youths and elders, skilled crafts people and construction newbies all sweating, laughing and working together? In the end, it took all of us to realize that dream and the playground became the foundation for Montgomery Park's transformation. When I tell out-of-town friends that Dryden is a special place, the playground is my favorite example.

We are capturing that spirit again. The Dryden Center for Community was organized to purchase the Methodist Church in the center of the Village. We are working to ensure that the historical building is preserved. Together we are creating a place where everyone will come together to share music, dance and stories, eat meals, play games, learn new things, get help, and ultimately strengthen the bonds that make Dryden so special. Already, in just the short time we have been up and running, so many of you have offered your ideas, talents and financial support that the possibilities of what can happen here seem boundless.

There are so many talented people right here in Dryden and Freeville that we will never run out of things to do together. The Center for Community will give our musicians, singers, artists, authors, poets, chefs, healers, dancers, quilters and knitters, naturalists, historians, craftspeople and neighbors of all ages a place where they can come to share and showcase their gifts. Imagine thousands of people dropping in for a visit next year to attend events, workshops, classes, and exhibitions. Imagine having a place where neighbors who need a helping hand can get it without having to take an hour-long bus trip or spending a small fortune for a lift. We are making this happen.

Don't be shy. Join our online community, donate what you can, and show up to help build something wonderful again, right here, right now in Dryden, New York.

Thank you.