| MAY 29, 2008 -- On the evening of May 22, a small crowd gathered at the Taghhannuck Grange to honor the newly chosen Citizen of the Year, Cornwall First Selectman Gordon Ridgway.
Ridgway sat at the front of the room with his wife and son as Grange members gathered to socialize, share stories and laughs and enjoy a potluck dinner. At around 7:30 p.m., the ceremony began. Ridgway smiled as family and friends stood to praise him, or to tell an anecdote about his life in Connecticut as a town official and a farmer.
Some farmer jokes were told, modified to make Ridgway their focus.
After this, he was presented with the Citizen of the Year award, and a paperweight bearing the emblem of the Taghhannuck Grange.
Following the presentation, Ridgway stood up to speak. He started by telling those in attendance what the award meant to him.
"It is not the award that you receive, but who you receive it from... And this is the first award I've gotten where there is no E in Ridgway," he quipped, referring to the uncommon spelling of his last name.
He told a story about the morning when he heard that he was being honored: He was taking some animals to church to be blessed, when he was handed the phone and informed he would be the Citizen of the Year. Ridgway managed to talk on the phone, lead a group of animals and take care of a bird all at the same time. He thanked the committee and expressed his gratitude for being chosen for this honor.
After the ceremony, musicians Country Spice played as guests talked and enjoyed refreshments.
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