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07/11/2018 08:30 AMAfter moving to Deep River in 1978, Roy Jefferson immersed himself in a community that soon taught him what a great benefit it is to live in a small town. He says small-town life is like a book: it’s unwritten and you have to find what suits you to fill the pages.
“Deep River, just by its very nature, has a very community feel to it. It’s a great opportunity for people like myself who are looking for some involvement,” says Roy, who joined the Deep River Public Library (DRPL) Board of Directors in 2006.
In his time on the board, he’s helped to organize art shows as well as other fundraisers that aid the cost of improvements to the library. The largest fundraiser for the library with which Roy is involved with is The Mad Hatter’s Garden Party, which will be held for its fourth year on Friday, July 27 from 6 to 9 p.m. at DRPL.
“The event overall has always been a good success, a lot of fun, and a successful fundraiser,” he says, adding the irony, “I hate fundraisers, but it turns out to be a lot of fun.”
Tickets for the event are sold at the library, Celebrations, and Ashleigh’s Garden for $25 per ticket. DRPL, the Deep River Garden Club, and the Friends of DRPL sponsor the event, which will feature live music, hors d’oeuvres, a tea cup auction, and even a competition for best hat.
His wife Cathie Jefferson had suggested to do a different theme for the Garden Party, but Roy says “it’s always Mad Hatter-themed because there’s a contest where people wear hats and they judge each,” so he felt to change the theme would be unfair to those who have prepared their hats in advance.
Roy is contributing to the hat competition by making a hummingbird hat out of peanut shells and toothpicks for Cathie to wear on the night of the event, “so she’ll have a pretty unique hat” he says.
Roy also plans to provide his locally famous champagne punch, which he says, “is probably the only reason that they invite me. I make it for the Christmas party [at the library] and I make it for the event there…I get good reviews.”
In past years, the Garden Party has funded a new sprinkler system as well as a new front gate, which should be installed within the year, Roy says. The funds from this year’s events are going to go toward a dumbwaiter that was originally in the house and will be used for transporting materials up and down the stairs.
Local merchants are quick to donate gifts and certificates to restaurants for the silent auction as well, and Roy says that there are a lot of different offerings that are provided by local businesses who are very generous in town.
Roy was involved in many other organizations and efforts before landing at the library. His first motivation came from his wife, Cathie, who is the Planning & Zoning officer for both Deep River and Killingworth.
“She, believe it or not, is probably my greatest incentive to get involved with stuff,” says Roy.
When his kids, Whitney and Robbie, were young, they were another large motivation to get involved with the community. He first joined Deep River Park & Recreation Commission with Cathie in 1991.
For 13 years he spent time with Park & Rec efforts organizing Easter egg hunts, summer camp activities, and more. His last four years of his tenure were spent as chairman.
Roy also followed his kids through their years of Sunday School at St. Joseph’s Church by becoming one of the teachers. He thought if he survived attending himself, he could teach as well and overall he says it turned out to be a good experience.
“I tried to make it fun,” he says. “I think I brought enough to the table to feel like I was really making some good inroads with kids.”
To this day, Roy has past Sunday School students stopping him in the street calling him “Mr. Jefferson.” He was amazed by the friendships and relationships that could be made with people and last even further down the road. His daughter Whitney is planning her September wedding, and Roy notes she plans to have one of his Sunday school students as her justice of the peace.
Roy also served on the Deep River Land Trust, with a period spent as chairman.
The trust’s goal is to preserve the land but, “the harder goal is getting lands that are contiguous so that you get more open space,” Roy says.
Roy is now retired, but as a salesman he spent time on the road and says it was always nice to come back to Deep River, where not much had changed.
“We’ve come a long way. I think the town’s got pretty good vision and a lot of good things going on. My experience here has been a part of a real community. I don’t think there are many big cities where you can have the same feel, so we’re very fortunate in the Valley, we have nice towns and good communities,” says Roy.
Asked to review his years spent serving on Deep River boards and committes, he was surprised by the number of years he spent participating in different areas around town.
“Looking at these time frames, that’s a lot of time—years and years. But it’s not hard because it’s something that you enjoy doing. It’s a social aspect to it, too, but you’re giving back. I think it’s important,” says Roy.
While Roy and Cathie have a boat on the harbor and love to travel, they always come back to the sense of family and community that they found in Deep River.
“If you really appreciate something, you give back, you nurture it,” Roy says.
The Mad Hatter’s Garden Party to benefit the Deep River Public Library (DRPL) will be held Friday, July 27 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the library. Tickets, $25, are available at library (150 Main Street), Celebrations, and Ashleigh’s Garden. The event is sponsored by the DRPL, the Deep River Garden Club, and the Friends of DRPL. For more information, call 860-526-6039.