WILLIAMSVILLE — By now, the destruction of Irene in Windham County has been well catalogued.
And while the powers that be have been quibbling about whether the damage was caused by a hurricane, a tropical storm, or a flood, we've been so busy cleaning up and caring for one another we haven't allowed such quibbling to bother us - or even to remember how passionately and sometimes impolitely we used to argue about things like whether to maintain The Williamsville Hall.
The Williamsville Hall is former Grange 389, a chapter of a national organization whose goal was to promote “better community life” in rural America. The building itself - equipped with a kitchen, dining room, stage, and ADA restrooms - is 101 years old, and has been owned by the town since this chapter of the Grange disbanded in the late 1960s.
For many years, the building was neglected and unused. But about 10 years ago, a group of citizens petitioned to save the hall, and much ingenuity, elbow grease, and thrift has made it usable again.
But it wasn't easy.
An unfortunate amount of friction between past Selectboards and Hall Committees raised rancor on both sides. The Selectboard questioned the use of town funds to maintain a building so little used, and the Hall Committee claimed the Hall could be used more if it were better maintained.
Happily, a truce has reigned for the last couple of years. Town Meeting met in the Williamsville Hall last March; senior meals are served the fourth Thursday of every month; and this summer, we've been treated to free movies every other Friday night.
The Hall is also rented for private parties and has been the venue for perennial community events, including a popular talent show and a Passover Seder that fills the building to capacity.
The Hall sits on the Rock River side of Main Street in Williamsville. It was not damaged by the flood, although buildings upstream were demolished, including the nearby grist mill.
Many Newfane homes sustained damage as a result of Irene's rain, especially in the south end of town, along the Dover Road and into South Newfane and beyond. Several houses along that road have disappeared, along with the road itself.
Other houses are a total loss. A few might be salvaged, and a few were unharmed. But even people whose homes survived don't have power or water or an easy way out.
Happily, we have been able to congregate daily at the Williamsville Hall.
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Since Irene, people from all over Newfane have been meeting in the Williamsville Hall, for hot breakfasts, potluck dinners, and informational updates from members of the Selectboard and other elected officials and from emergency personnel.
By Irene-plus-four (Thursday), the Hall was outfitted with WiFi and a telephone for those south of the Covered Bridge who are without power and telecommunication. The same day, AT&T installed a temporary satellite and cell phones. This southern end of Newfane has never had such good cell service before.
As I write this, on Irene-plus-five (Friday), the nightly potluck will be followed by a special screening of the movie “True Grit.”
A Hall Cooking Committee hopes to plan a menu and schedule for hot meals to be served at the hall for people to eat there, take home, or to carry to those who are still stranded. The Hall is where volunteers gather and organize to find out what needs to be done and who is willing and able to do it.
The Williamsville Hall has become an essential community resource.
The old Grange has found new life, fulfilling its original cause of improving the social life of a rural community.
And we have Irene to thank for showing us that.