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Renovation Update: An Amazing 21 Hours and a Visit from an Angel
What a difference a day makes, 21 little hours! Beginning at 7 p.m. on Thursday last week, eight volunteers made very short work of emptying store shelves, putting lots of stock in totes, disassembling old shelves, moving quite a number of things to the second floor of the store for storage, vacuuming and washing the areas under the old shelving, and clearing the space around the old chimney to get ready for the morning. We were prepared to go well into the evening, but due to the many capable hands we were out the door a little after nine o'clock.
Crews started to arrive the next morning at about 6:30. Shippee Builders, our prime contractor, had arraigned for six carpenters/workmen/insulators, a stonemason to remove the chimney, an excavation team to dig up the west-side parking lot for a new electric service, a large backup generator to power most of the store and provide power for all work crews, three electricians to install the new service inside and out, a crew of three from Western Mass. Electric Co., and one plumber. In addition, we had a full regular crew of Creamery staff who moved and cleaned anything in the store needing attention.
And we had an angel drop in.
The carefully orchestrated symphony of work was playing out smoothly until we hit a discord; that is, more of a chimney than we had bargained for. We thought the old chimney bricks remained only within the confines of the first floor. However, once the walls were removed and the chimney exposed, we discovered two things: the chimney was still in place all the way up to the floor of the third-story attic, and the chimney's base had been encased in about four and a half feet of solid concrete (see photo on right). Meeting our goal to reopen the store by mid-afternoon now seemed dubious.
Enter our angel. Member-owner Steven Bushway, a lifelong mason, just happened to show up at the store Friday morning to see if he could help out. Lucky us! Steven spent the entire day teaming up with the Shippee Builders mason, and together they got our doubly tough challenge taken care of in roughly the time we had planned for one mason (with a hauling crew) to accomplish the original task. We did in fact reopen the store a little before 4 p.m. The Co-op extends a huge thank-you to all the volunteers and work crews and staff along with very special thanks to Steven.
So the next time you're in, check out the new produce and bulk sections behind the plastic sheeting, where the sheetrockers are finishing this week (rock on!), and ponder the space where that large chimney used to be. Exciting changes are happening!
 | | The Co-op's big dig: new electrical service |
 | | Mason-angels deal with the old chimney |
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Cheese of the Week!
This weekend, we're sampling (and selling!) Grace's Choice from the fantastic folks at Plymouth Artisan Cheese in Plymouth Notch, Vermont. Grace's Choice is named after Grace Coolidge, the  vivacious and talkative wife of taciturn Calvin, thirtieth president of the United States, whose father was the founder of the Plymouth Cheese Factory. Using the same raw cow's milk from which Plymouth's other signature cheese is made, Jesse Werner fashions the seven-pound, lightly washed, natural rind Grace's Choice. The cheese is creamy, smooth, buttery, and delicious.
Come in this Saturday and have a taste. Remember, we'll take 10% off the regular price all day! Hope to see you this weekend!
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Pioneer Valley Spring Plant Sales Are On!
March is upon us, so it's time again to "think spring" and order your springtime plantings! The Hampshire and Hampden Conservation Districts are pleased to offer a wide variety of evergreen, deciduous, and ornamental trees; shrubs; perennials; groundcovers; and edibles. There are several new varieties of plants this year. All are well suited for this area. You can order online or download brochures from which to order; click here to go to the Pioneer Valley Conservation Districts' website.
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World-Record Amounts of Rice, with No GMOs
From the Guardian newspaper: "In a village in India's poorest state, Bihar, farmers are growing world-record amounts of rice--with no GM, and no herbicide. Is this one solution to world food shortages?" To continue reading, click here.
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Free Farm Flicks, and Cows Save the Planet!!
The Old Creamery's Community Calendar is your place to post, and check for, happenings in the Hilltowns. The Community Calendar can be found on the Old Creamery's website under "News & Events." You can click on any event in the calendar to pop up an expanded information box. For instance, click here to see the listing for "Cows Save the Planet: How to Find and Tell Stories of Ecological and Economic Restoration," a reading and discussion this Sunday in Great Barrington, part of the Berkshire Festival of Women Writers. And you might want to check out the link here and mark your calendar for next weekend's series of four free "farm documentaries" at Images Cinema in Williamstown.
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Send Electronic Mail to Your Co-op; We Love to Hear from You!
For questions about Co-op membership, product requests, or suggestions or other feedback, please send a note to info@oldcreamery.coop. We'll make sure your note is sent to the appropriate person and that you get a prompt response.
If you'd like to contact the Co-op's Board of Directors, simply send your email to board@oldcreamery.coop. Emails sent to this address are received only by the board.
To reach Karen Doherty, the Co-op's general manager, send an email to gm@oldcreamery.coop. Emails sent to this address are received only by Karen.
If you're thinking of becoming a valued volunteer of the Co-op, you can reach Shirley Todd, volunteer coordinator, at volunteer@oldcreamery.coop. There are many opportunities for volunteers. Emails sent to this address go directly to Shirley.
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Help us spread the word! Consider encouraging your friends to sign on to receive the Creamery's weekly email newsletter. Better yet, encourage them to become member owners of the co-op. You can forward this email to your friends and relatives, and rest assured, we won't clog their inboxes and we will respect their privacy. We will not disclose your or their email addresses to anyone else. You can unsubscribe at any time. Thank you for your interest, commitment, and support.
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Many items are on sale every week at the Creamery. Look for the brightly colored shelf tags. These items are 15%-45% off regular prices. We work hard to find bargains on many different items, including staple groceries, treats like chocolate, juices, refrigerated items, personal care products, and supplements. The shelf tags indicate when the sale price expires. Some sale items are one-time opportunities that remain on sale until sold out. Many are purchasing opportunities that can be replenished over several weeks at great prices. Enjoy the savings!
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Your continued patronage supports the ongoing success of our community-owned, values-based cooperative. Thank you for supporting the Old Creamery Co-op as a member-owner, as a shopper, as a friend. We value every contribution to the success of the Old Creamery Co-op.
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