Hundreds Flock to Mack’s For Pork and Peaches

As part of an event-filled weekend at Mack’s Apples, this past Saturday’s Pulled Pork and Peach Festival proved a huge success. Featured during the festival were pulled pork sandwiches from KC’s Rib Shack in Manchester, peach shortcake, made from Mack’s very own peaches, and the Brook’s Young Band.

The festival pulled in hundreds of people, all apparently craving the delicious sandwiches, shortcake and lemonade being served. Over six hundred pulled pork sandwiches, four hundred shortcakes, and more than fifty gallons of lemonade were dished out by the Marching Lancer’s parent support organization.

Also at the festival was a Lancer cutout. The cutout was imaged and donated by local companies, and proved to be very popular with the younger crowd.

The Pulled Pork and Peach Festival was organized to help raise money to send the Lancer’s Marching Band and Colorguard to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena this New Year’s. Overall, the band raised more than $5,000 for transportation expenses at the festival. The total cost to transport the equiptment is about $18,000.

Sponsors of the festival last Saturday include Mack’s Apples in Londonderry, Frank FM 106.3, KC Rib Shack in Manchester, ImageAbility in Londonderry, McDonald’s, Frito Lay, Shaw’s Supermarkets, and Hostess.

If you missed the festival, but would like to donate, please visit the Send the Band website.

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Mack’s U-Pick 4, Col. Pillsbury Orchard Sold to Highest Bidder

Mack’s U-Pick 4 was sold to a unknown buyer for an unknown amount at the end of August.

In play for over a year, this land was first approved for purchase by the Londonderry Town Council in a vote of 3-2 on June 15th 2009. Since then, it has gone through a process of public conversation, hearings and finally an appraisal that came in lower than expected. This led to the termination of the open space offer by the Mack family as allowed in the contract since the appraisal came in at $535,000, well under the $900,000 trigger value.

Mack’s U-Pick 4 originally had $900,000 set aside in 2009 for open space easement; value $535,000 by latest appraisal in May of 2010

The Mack Family came to an agreement with a undisclosed buyer at the end of August, 2010

Farming and keeping family farms open in today’s economy, with stiff competition from factory farms both domestically and internationally, is not an easy task. Farms, when located near transportation infrastructures like Route 93, are targeted for the highest and best use and the value for development easily exceeds the value as farm land.

That is not the only challenges Mack’s U-Pick 4 has. Andy Mack Jr. took a moment out from his responsibility at the Hopkinton State Fair this morning for an interview. He was about to judge the “Stock Tractor Pull Contest” as he has for many years.

Wondering what the first thing that comes to mind about Mack’s U-Pick 4, Andy Mack Jr. was quick to answer, “One of the problems with the U-Pick 4 location is the distance it is to the main farm.”

U-Pick 4 at Mack's Apples

This area of the farm lacks irrigation, Andy continued. “The one pumpkin field that failed this year is on the hilltop at that location. Combined with the warm and dry weather we had this year, it could not be saved. It was replanted several times. We could use a drip type irrigation system on that land, however wells would need to be drilled; it is very hard spot to farm.”

When people visit Londonderry for agrativities in the fall, they like to visit one location and pick a selection of products. At Mack’s 4 U-Pick this year, visitors will have no pumpkins to pick, only apples. Asking Andy Mack Jr. about the fall picking at that location, “Likely we will just have our workers pick that orchard and not open it for U-Pick this fall.”

The Col. Pillsbury Orchard (U-Pick 4) looking over great marsh (Woodmont) Sears Essentials can be seen in October 2007

Always wondering about the terracing that this area has, we asked Andy what the challenges are for farming land like that. If you have not taken notice it can be seen clearly in the aerial photos we have taken, included the ones in this story. Andy answered, “The hillsides are great for drainage, they are especially helpful in the spring in preventing frost from damaging the young fruit. The problem is they are unfriendly to tractors. The distance to the main farm could cause safety concerns in dispatching help to the field should an accident occur.”

A consolidated operation is something an insurance company is more comfortable with, according to several farm operations we have talked to.

“You know the farm has not always been an apple farm, you want land that has a number of options available to it. That hill is not something that can be farmed as a field. It may be good for grapes but the tractor safety would still be an issue,” said Andy

Open Space and Farm History

Reading the instructions at Mack's U-Pick 4

The 24 acres at the corner of Pillsbury and Gillcreast was once owned by Col William Pillsbury, the founder and owner of the Pillsbury Shoe factory in Derry, New Hampshire. Adjacent to this land, Woodmont Farm was also owned by the Colonel.

Col Pillsbury, a decorated Civil War Veteran, had nine children. Five of them died as infants, four survived into adulthood. Ullisis Grant Pillsbury passed away at 28 years old. Col Pillsbury’s daughter, Harriet Pillsbury married Wallace P. Mack, a bookkeeper for the Pillsbury Company. Harriet’s brother Rosencrantz Pillsbury, owner of the Union Leader at one time, began transferring ownership of the land in that area in early 1900′s. It was at that time that Woodmont Orchard was founded.

Wallace P. Mack Jr., the son of Harriet and Wallace Mack, obtained the land that is known today as Mack’s U-Pick 4 in 1938 .

You may be interested in reading our online book, “Andy Mack Sr. Open Space, In His Own Words.” This story has a number of links on the recent history of this land over the last year, too.

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A New Hampshire Labor Day Tradition Continues

Imagine being surrounded by the smells of Italian sausage loaded with peppers and onions, French fries fresh from the oil, fried dough caked in powdered sugar and cinnamon, and manure. Children are screaming from all different directions, cows are mooing, engines are roaring from across the field, and you can’t help but smile. You make your way through the crowds and pillars of smoke from the overcooked food, to the center of it all. Why? Well, because it’s a state fair and it only comes once a year.

A New Hampshire tradition now in it’s 95th year, the Hopkinton State Fair officially started today. The fair boasts five days filled with animals, wild shows, rides, demonstrations, food, and so much more. Fairgrounds open early, and close late, letting the thousands that come exhaust themselves, stuff themselves, and leave feeling completely content.

Events include Greg Frisbee, a new addition to the fair this year. The show amazes audiences with juggling, fire eating, mind reading, extreme balancing, audience participation, and comedy. Also, the Free Cycle Bikes and Skateboards will perform. Professionals will perform daredevil stunts choreographed to high energy music. Ron Diamond will also headline with two different shows. The Magic of Ron Diamond and Ron Diamond’s Hypnosis will amaze all with his feats of magic and illusion.

For farmers and animal lovers, several shows have been scheduled for the weekend. The Stock Farm Tractor Pull, The Horse Show Gymkhana, a few Horse Pulling demonstrations, and an Open Sheep Show will be today’s agricultural highlights. Also featured during the weekend will be 4-H Swine Shows, Cattle Pulling, 4-H Llama and Alpaca, Four Ox Working Hitch, Pony Pulling, and Draft Horse Farm Shows.

New this year is a one-day-only show; the Monster Trucks will perform in the Grandstand. Performing tonight at 7 PM, these trucks will surely pump up the adrenaline. The show has been described as an “incredible, ground pounding, car crushing, axle wrenching Monster Truck Show.”

Other special shows include the one-day-only Freestyle Motocross Bikes Competition. The competition will be held on Friday, September 3, at 6:30 PM on the Grandstand. “Don’t miss the opportunity to watch these mud-slinging bikes perform jaw-dropping turns, jumps, and ‘whoops’. Not sure what a ‘whoop’ is? Come find out. This show is a must see!” claims the fair. The Demolition Derby will perform both September 4, and 5, at 6:30 PM. Saturday’s performance will include full-size and Sunday’s will feature four-cylinder vehicles.

Throughout the rest of the weekend, a special Sand Sculpting demonstration will be held near Piggy Palace. The team of master sand sculptors will turn mounds of sand into works of art right before spectators eyes. A maple sugar house will show visitors how maple syrup is made, and will offer samples of one of New Hampshire’s oldest agricultural traditions. Charmingfare Farm will bring the classic barnyard animals for a special petting farm to entertain adults and children alike.

The Midway will feature rides to thrill anyone. Opening at noon on Thursday and Friday, and 10 AM on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Fiesta Shows’ Midway has partnered with the fair to bring the best of the best in rides. Along with regularly priced tickets, the fair offers “Pay One Price.” This allows guests to ride unlimited rides for one price.

A short trip north on 93, through the tolls, and onto highway 89, the fairgrounds are just off Exit 7. Follow the signs, they’ll take you straight to the fun! Once there, parking in the fair’s lot costs only two dollars. If parking is full, several other private parking lots are in the area and cost anywhere from two to four dollars. Admission into the gates varies depending on days and ages. The prices are as follows:

Adults Age 12 and Up
Thursday and Friday: $8
Saturday and Sunday: $10
Monday: $5

Senior Citizens Age 60 and Up
Thursday and Friday: $7
Saturday and Sunday: $10
Monday: $5

Child Age 6 to 12
Thursday, Friday and Monday: $5
Saturday and Sunday: $6

Child Age 5 and Under
Any Day: Free

Grandstand shows require an additional admission fee. Prices may vary depending on shows and ages of children. Visit the Hopkinton State Fair website for more information.

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Concerts on the Commons Wrap Up

With our 8th season of Concerts on the Common coming to a close, we’d like to thank all of the sponsors who contributed to make it possible.  Our sponsors are what make this concert series possible, so we greatly appreciate their generosity.

Premiere Sponsor

Manchester – Boston Regional Airport

Gold Tier

Mark Oswald of Remax returned as a sponsor for the 8th year in a row

Corporate Cost Control, a new sponsor this year

Londonderry Professional Firefighters, Local 3160

Market Basket

Silver Tier

Music’s Cool Academy of Music

Bronze Tier

White Birch Fine Art

Londonderry Lions Club

Oxford Learning Center

We had a great concert series this year, starting off as always with the local High School and Middle School Jazz Ensembles.  We had a few singer-songwriters, from Liz Longley to Greg Holden to even Michael Johnson!  A couple different styles of jazz bands played as well, The Peter Hostage Trio played original tunes and standards, and the Robinson Bros. and Friends stuck to the standards and included some great horn players.  One of our new artists this year was Tubby Love, a reggae fusion band with a fantastic sound.  We also had Brian Templeton back for another year, playing a fun set with his awesome band.  This year we changed things up a little and included a “High School Night”, where we had three different artists, Michelle Mayer, Andy Lee, and The Procrastinators, come and play.

Thank you to all of our sponsors for contributing, and thank you for coming out to enjoy the concerts each week.  We had a fantastic concert series this season.  To see all of the videos and pictures from each concert, or to learn more about our program and sponsors, visit our newly designed website www.londonderryculture.org

Check out some picture highlights from this summer!



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Londonderry South School 2010 Achievements

As we start our new school year in Londonderry look what happened last year!

Spelling Bee Champion
Alena Pursel was runner-up in the Regional Spelling Bee and competed in the State Spelling Bee finishing in fifth place!

Talent Show

  • First Place: Sophia Scaccia for performance on the piano
  • Second place: Zachary Chmielorz, Christopher Pizani and Jack Stuart for scarf dancing
  • Third place: Christy DeMarco and Rachael Martinez for singing
  • Fourth place: Tie with Ashlie Dodge for singing, Jeremy Bornstein for baton twirling and Josie Collins for singing

Destination Imagination
The Caputo Team with Kiera Tewksbury, Anna Loginov, Abby Dolan, Alena Pursel and Julia Turk competed at the State Competition.

Youth Art Month Display at the Department of Education in Concord

  • Lydia Todd
  • Nathan Haigis
  • Kaivon Fernandez
  • Maximos Igoe
  • Trevor Pascarelli
  • Ty Belville
  • Taylor Varnum
  • Alena Pursel
  • Kaitlyn Marchant
  • Madison Sousa
  • Caroline Russell

Hip Hoppin’ Hawks Jump Rope Team visited 12 schools as inspiration for the Jump for Heart Jump-a-Thon. Thirty-nine members ranged from grade 1 to 5.

Drama Club produced a fabulous performance of Beauty and Beast.

Senior Volunteer Of The Year
“Grammy” Jeannette Gabaree

Gold Circle Awards
Partners with the Londonderry Post Office and the MooreMart Resource Team.

Artist In Residence
Fourth graders worked with ceramic artist Robert Rossel to produce a tile mural depicting the Koi Pond. This is installed in the new courtyard.

2009 State Winner of the Third Grade Cabbage Program
Sophia Scaccia was awarded a $1,000 scholarship toward her college expenses.

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Momma

Skip Waves

Ruth Fidel Silverman, 76, of Londonderry NH and formerly of Ossining, NY, died at home on the evening of Tuesday, August 31. Ruth had been diagnosed in late July with advanced cancer of the pancreas. Her passing was peaceful and without pain.

Ruth was born on November 19, 1933 in New York City, the daughter of the late Joseph Fingerhart and Nellie Silverstein Figerhart Fidel. She was the mother of Karen L.S. Robinson of Londonderry and Margot J. Silverman of Larchmont, NY. She was the grandmother of Brooke, Christopher, George, and Shea Robinson of Londonderry. She was mother-in-law of John Robinson of Londonderry.

Ruth was a graduate of Bennington College and earned a master’s degree in social work at the Columbia University School of Social Work. As a psychiatric social worker in Westchester County, New York, she counseled returning veterans of the Vietnam war, families, and children. As a therapist at the Westchester County Medical Center, she was also a member of the faculty of the Cornell University School of Medicine. She was a member of the Elder Affairs Committee in Londonderry, a driver for Community Caregivers of Greater Derry, and a mental health volunteer for the Upper Room in Derry.

A private burial will take place at the Pillsbury Cemetery in Londonderry. In lieu of flowers, friends are urged to contribute to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, The Young Adult Institute Day Treatment Program in Tarrytown, NY, or the organization of their choice. The family wishes to extend great thanks to Rockingham VNA and Hospice at Exeter Hospital for their outstanding care and assistance during Ruth’s illness.

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Howard Jones Just Booked; Open Mic This Weekend at Tupelo!

Ticket Update
THE TUBES Oct. 21 Show SOLD OUT – Second show added!
THE ALARM- Only 12 tickets remain!
PAULA POUNDSTONE- Only 2 tickets remain!
CHRISTOPHER CROSS- Only 20 tickets remain!
MARIA MULDAUR - Only 22 tickets remain!
THE WEEPIES – SOLD OUT
CRASH TEST DUMMIES – Selling fast!
JUDY COLLINS – Selling Fast
LIZ LONGLEY with Seth Glier – Only 1 ticket remains!

This Week
Thursday, September 2 OPEN MIC NIGHT
A great, entertaining night out for only $5. You can sign up and play a couple of songs or just come watch. Either way, our Open Mic Night is always a lot of fun!

Saturday, September 4 KENNY NEAL and JOE LOUIS WALKER
Kenny Neal is known as a modern swamp-blues master and multi-instrumentalist, that draws musically from the sizzling sounds of his native Louisiana. Kenny has been honored with numerous awards such as: 2009 Monterey Bay Blues (MOBBAY) Artist of the Year Award; 2009 BMA (Blues Music Award) Winner for Song of the Year, 2009 West Coast Blues Hall of Fame Awards for Blues CD of the Year and “Blues Band of the Year”; 2009 Grammy entries for Grammy Nominations in 4 categories; W.C. Handy Blues Awards “Acoustic Blues Album”; and Grammy Nomination for Tribute to Howlin’ Wolf “Best Traditional Blues Album”.
Joe Louis Walker is a multiple Grammy and Blues Music Award-winner who garnered five nominations for the 2010 Blues Music Awards, including Album of the Year, Contemporary Blues Album of the Year, Song of the Year for “I’m Tide” from his recent release Between a Rock and the Blues, Instrumentalist-Guitar of the Year, and Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year.

New Bookings
October 20 HOWARD JONES
It was in 1983 that Howard Jones released his first single ‘New Song’ in the UK. The expectation was that it might sell a few thousand copies and introduce his fresh new music to an unsuspecting world. The reality was quite different. The single steadily climbed the UK chart to peak at No. 3.
The second single ‘What Is Love?’ reached No. 2 in the UK and the third, the enigmatic ‘Hide and Seek’, showed the spiritual side of Howard Jones’ writing. These were followed by his first album, ‘Human’s Lib’, which came straight in at No. 1 in the UK, eventually going platinum, taking the synthesiser and Howard Jones to a new plateau.
The second album ‘Dream Into Action’ was even more successful, spawning a series of hits including ‘Like To Get To Know You Well’, ‘Look Mama’, ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ and the classic ‘No One Is To Blame’, which reached No.1 in the U.S. singles chart and has since had over 3 million radio plays in USA. ‘Dream Into Action’ went platinum in the U.S. and lived in the top 20 album chart for the best part of a year, making Howard Jones one of the very few British artists to have comprehensively ‘broken’ America in the past 25 years.

May 6 OTTMAR LIEBERT and LUNA NEGRA
Grammy Nominated Ottmar Liebert has become one of the most successful instrumental artists of the past decade, thrilling audiences throughout the world and releasing a catalog of classic recordings. By 1989, he had founded the first incarnation of his band Luna Negra. Nouveau Flamenco began life as a self-produced local release called Marita: Shadows and Storms, copies of which local Indian artist Frank Howell distributed in his art galleries. When the record found its way to radio stations and began generating a buzz among programmers and an unprecedented response among listeners, Higher Octave Music picked it up and released a fully remastered version.

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Woodmont Design Session, Let’s Build a Community!

The new owners of the Woodmont Orchard land, 280 acres located at Exit 4 and bordered by 102 and Route 93, are opening a temporary design studio in the old Woodmont packing house on Pillsbury Road in Londonderry, New Hampshire. The opening session will be Tuesday, September 7th at 7pm, by the design firm DPZ & Company, of Miami, Florida.

Londonderry is no stranger on gathering together to brainstorm and come up with solutions like the Best Town’s and Best School’s initiatives which pulled hundreds together in the 1990′s. Whether governmental design sessions, like the Londonderry Master Plan, the Airport area design charrette, or listening sessions with giant projects like the Granite Ridge Power Plant, Londonderry citizens are known for helping and rendering opinions.

Woodmont Orchard sold for $7Million to Pillsbury Realty Development LLC – Located at Exit 4 in Londonderry on Route 93 the site is 280 acres. A design Charrette is planned for September 7th thorough the 13th 2010 at the farm.

The intent of this design charrette is to conduct a series of intensive planning sessions where citizens, designers and others can collaborate on a vision for development of the area. This session is just one of the requirements of the Planned Unit Development (PUD) zoning that applies to large tracts of land like this one. In what will likely be a long and comprehensive planning period, the information collected will be gathered into a master plan that will ultimately be presented to the planning board for approvals.

For this design session, the intent is to share ideas and collaborate with stakeholders in the project. Property owners, designers, local and state officials along with those that live near the project, in Londonderry and throughout the region are invited to participate.

Table of events at the Woodmont Design Session

Location; 15 Pillsbury Road, Londonderry, New Hampshire
Inside the original packing house of Woodmont Orchard

Tuesday Sept 7th
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM State & Local Officials
3:30 PM – 5:00 PM Traffic Safety & Infrastructure

7:00 PM – 8:30 PM

Opening Presentation

Wednesday Sept 8th
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM Environment & Parks
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM Retail
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM Schools & Recreation
Thursday Sept 9th
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM Housing
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM Pin-Up
Saturday Sept 11th
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM Neighbor’s Open House Pin-Up
Monday Sept 13th

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Closing Presentation

Wonder what the design sessions will be like?

The interactive environment of a design charrette, includes a collocated presentation area with a design studio.  The addition of images and “pin-ups” of design concepts throughout the facility creates a dynamic work center.

The arena provides real time project information and allows residents real time input into the project. This open environment is also intended to stimulate collaboration and help the design firm understand the needs and desires of the community.

In the end, the design team will produce a set of finished documents that address all the aspects of the design. The final presentation on Monday, September 13th will be one you will not want to miss. It should provide you with a good idea of what could potentially be the largest single private project in the region, if not New England.

Some of the items that will be looked at in this design may give you a peak into what may be the dreams of the owners for this area. They consider these to be 10 keys to a successful community of this type.

  1. Compact, lively town center. A variety of stores offering local products and services mixed with significant housing.
  2. Many linkages to neighborhoods (including walkways, trails and roadways.) People have choices of walking routes and bike lanes.
  3. Low-speed streets. Narrow neighborhood and town center streets with on- street parking.
  4. Neighborhood schools and parks. Most residents live within a quarter to half mile of small parks or other well maintained and attractive public spaces.
  5. Public spaces for all including children, teens, and people with disabilities and senior citizens. Sitting places are plentiful.
  6. Convenient, safe and easy street crossings.
  7. Good landscaping practices. Landscaping is respectful of place, often featuring native species, drought resistant plants, colorful materials, and other local specialties.
  8. Coordinated land use and transportation. Compact development built a human scale allows residents to have a choice of travel modes to most destinations.
  9. Celebrated public space and public life. Well-loved public spaces are convenient, secure and comfortable.
  10. Many people walking. People are walking in most areas of town. Lingering in public places is encouraged and celebrated.

The organization of the event is intended to encourage the participation of everyone. This is a great opportunity to come out and voice your ideas about how Londonderry may change in the decades to come. Ultimately, the purpose of the charrette is to give all the participants enough information to make good decisions during the planning process.

DPZ & Company

The charrette will be led by internationally celebrated design firm Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company. Founded in 1980, DPZ has been a leader in the practice and direction of urban planning, urban design, architecture, community revitalization, public process and project implementation and has been involved in the design of over 300 new and existing communities. DPZ has been a major part in developing the guiding principles of smart, sustainable development.

Andres Duany is a founding principal of DPZ and a leader of New Urbanism. He is co-founder of the Congress for New Urbanism and the recipient of several honorary doctorates and awards. Duany is co-author of Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Andres Duany Decline of the American Dream and The Smart Growth Manual.

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Stonyfield To Send One Winner to the 2011 US Open

Wishing you could be in New York right now, watching tennis balls getting hit back and forth between players at the US Open? One lucky person, along with Stonyfield, will be! Sponsored by the local yogurt company, the US Open Getaway has already named one person who will fly into New York, stay in a four star hotel, and eat free yogurt for a year. But the competition isn’t over!

From now until October 31, the contest will name one more lucky individual who will join Stonyfield at the 2011 US Open Tennis Championships. The second Grand Prize winner, to be drawn on November 15, will fly to New York, along with a friend of their choice. If the winner lives within a 200 mile radius of the city, however, they will be provided ground transportation. Ground transportation from the New York metropolitan airport to the hotel and back will be provided as well.

Click for a larger image.

The winner will stay in a four star, double occupancy, hotel room for two nights in Manhattan, New York. Dinner the day of arrival, breakfast, lunch and dinner the second day of the stay, and breakfast the final day, for two, will also be provided. The winner will also receive a year of free yogurt, which consists of one serving of Stonyfield products per day for a year. The approximate value of the prize is $3,500.

Also on November 15, Stonyfield will draw “Finalist One” and “Finalist Two” winners. Each winner will receive the opportunity to choose a tennis racket and tennis bag of their choice. They will also receive a year of free yogurt. These prizes are valued at about $750 each.

Entrants can send their information via mail, or online through the Stonyfield website. Click here to go straight to the entry form. To see all the official rules, go here. To enter through mail, send a 3″ x 5″ card with your first name, last name, address, including zip code, daytime telephone number, including area code, age and email address in a postage prepaid envelope before October 31, 2010 to:
Stonyfield Farm, Inc.
Attention: US Open Getaway Sweepstakes
10 Burton Drive
Londonderry, NH 03053

Contest ends October 31! Don’t miss your chance to see New York, cheer on your favorite tennis players and eat at the newest addition to the Stonyfield family! The Stonyfield Cafe, located just outside the walls of the US Open, is a great place to stop for fresh, organic, and fast food. Get there early, the food is popular!

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