Free State Project Forum
New Hampshire -- The "Live Free or Die" State => New Hampshire Welcome Wagon => Topic started by: Russell Kanning on March 26, 2009, 10:33:07 am
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Since we have so many people visiting each week, I was thinking it would be a good idea to hold picnics in Grafton almost every Saturday during the nicer weather.
So I will be posting here, on the NHUnderground forum, and facebook, when we are going to hold a potluck lunch at the Porcupine Recreation Area located at Hoyt Farm in Grafton.
New home page for the Grafton Welcome Wagon
http://welcometotheshire.com/?q=node/3
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http://nhunderground.com/forum/index.php?topic=17568.0
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we will not be ready for a picnic this saturday .... even though the weather is pretty good :-\
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Little muddy?
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it has been very muddy, but we had a great party last weekend anyhow
this time I am feeling badly :-X
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Mud Season makes picnicking messy and potentially not fun.
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last week we mostly ate inside and threw snowballs around the fire
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The Grafton Welcome Wagon will be open for lunch this Saturday April, 4th at noon Shire Time.
it will be a potluck affair where you can meet any local movers that will be in attendance.
if it rains we shall make do indoors. Tours of the rushing Smith Brook and melting swamps will be available.
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no rain yet
if you are a visiting free stater roaming the back woods you can stop by the Hoyt Farm and get a look at Grafton.
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yesterdays indoor picnic worked out well
any visiting porcs could have met some Grafton locals, a veteran libertarian activist Lois Gardner, and some city porcupines getting out into the country. :)
April 11th we will take the Grafton Welcome Wagon on the road. Join us at Mt. Sunapee to cheer on Jim and Lauren's cardboard sled racer. Admission and parking are free. We will meet at the bottom of the slope and bbq and cheer on the crazy cardboard contraptions.
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reminder that the Grafton Welcome Wagon is on the road today at Mt. Sunapee. We will finish off the day back at Hoyt Farm for the film "The Singing Revolution". :)
April 25th will be a softball game.
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Let me know when the next Lazy Day is and I may come.
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Let me know when the next Lazy Day is and I may come.
Today was lazy. I watched other people sled ... then ate hotdogs ... then walked around the farm ... then watched a movie.
let's see .... next Saturday ... the 18th is official Lazy Day at the Hoyt Farm in Grafton. :) People can bring a picnic lunch and we will eat. How about that?
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Hot Dogs? Count me in.
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Hot Dogs? Count me in.
too late ... we ate all of them ... even the one I dropped on the snow
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ok, Russell, if the 18th is lazy day, we will come and bring some picnic food.
Cathleen
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This thread is #1 result when you follow Ridley's advice and Google "Grafton welcome wagon".
And I'm sure Google is happy about all the free advertising it is getting.
Now go make a real Web-site. Sheesh. Need any help? ::)
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This thread is #1 result when you follow Ridley's advice and Google "Grafton welcome wagon".
And I'm sure Google is happy about all the free advertising it is getting.
Now go make a real Web-site. Sheesh. Need any help? ::)
We don't necessarily need a website. People can find us if they know the name.
You want to put up a website for me?
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ok, Russell, if the 18th is lazy day, we will come and bring some picnic food.
Cathleen
Step right up Step right up folks ..... if you are touring NH and want to see the backcountry (like my friend AntonLee in search of cow hampshire) this saturday ... well do we have a treat for you .... not only do we promise a lazy saturday watching clouds role by and fresh air ... we will have have a real live southern lady who can answers your questions about her transition to the middle of yankee country
april 18th ... absolutely nothing planned
april 25th ... traditional chicago style no glove softball ... bring your own deep dish pizza or sausages
may 9th ... volleyball
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reminder that the Grafton Welcome Wagon will be available from 10-6 today
we might do some stuph outside before the rain, but later we can discuss if the Hoyt Farm is the best place in NH to watch it rain.
Tours of the brook running over its banks might begin at 5pm ;D
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last week was a fun party even though it rained some
we were lazy and some guys played frisbee
this week is the softball game and the Cardinal ordered in perfect weather 80 degrees
in the late afternoon there will also be a movie viewing ... i think the weather will be too good and I will still be outside
here is our new group on facebook so all the events will be listed
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=66833941238
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Russell, we don't currently have a contact for Grafton County for the FSP Welcome Wagon (http://www.freestateproject.org/community/welcomewagon). It might be a good way to let new movers know about Welcome Wagon Saturdays and to help them get to know their new neighbors. Let me know if you're interested.
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well jean is supposed to covering our area (dartmouth is in Grafton County)
you could put us down for the county or just put in the "grafton welcome wagon"
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softball when perfectly
volleyball on the 9th has been canceled, but the picnic on the 16th is a go
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one out of state visitor at least for the 16th
on Saturday the 23rd the Grafton Welcome Wagon recommends visitors to enjoy the Free Keene Fest
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the picnics have been going great
next one is June 7th from noon til dark
Kira's birthday and graduation
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this weekend:
the merrimack valley porcupine meeting will be open at midday on Saturday at murphy's taproom
the grafton welcome wagon will be open from noon until bonfire time on sunday
and the free keene social sundays will be open from 4 til closing time on sunday
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The Grafton Welcome Wagon is similar to the NH Welcome Wagon and other regional welcome wagons, in that it is a group of people who help supply info about their area for incoming porcupines. Kat and I used to be the Monadnock Welcome Wagon, but we passed it on to Ian about 2 years ago. I just created the Grafton version for our small area, since there is so much interest.
The Grafton Welcome Wagon holds official parties every once in a while, which I post on this forum. We have held most of our parties here at the Hoyt Farm also called the Porcupine Recreation Area. Grafton porcupines and other friends from in town stop by on a daily basis to visit, garden, or join in on impromptu potlucks. There is always someone here, so it is a great place to talk with other porcupines.
If you would like to visit other porcs in Grafton, drop us a line somehow and we will make sure we are here and maybe even plan a party to greet you.
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the volleyball net here at the farm was broken in at Kira's birthday ... it worked great. We had a great party.
Some of the locals are asking what all is happening here and the volleyball net and garden is starting to be a landmark for those passing by. Maybe we have more fun and more parties at our place than anyone else. These porcupines are playful.
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next time the Grafton Welcome Wagon will be officially available:
July 1st - 7th for Burning Porcupine
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Picnic on July 12 from noon til 4pm
to welcome Floridian and his family
http://forum.freestateproject.org/index.php?topic=18142.0
they will be stopping by midday
the rest of us will be lounging around, eating, and possibly playing some sports
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Me thinks I was deceived. Whoever said that Grafton had an actual town "with stuff in it," must have been embellishing a tad, or taking major license with what I meant by "stuff in it." (I talked to a bunch of Grafton residents this Porcfest, who encouraged me to come down and see all there was to see.)
I drove all the way there, to be greeted by an overly large white town hall who's size didn't really seem to correlate with the type of town. It looked residential, for the most part.... but I didn't really see any "town," per se'. It is obviously a town, but there was no town.
** Considers scratching Grafton off my list of possibles **
Actually, I don't mind rural... It was what I was looking at anyway.... but feel quite disappointed, because it seemed to be nothing like what people have told me it was for years. It wasn't even particularly scenic (putting it diplomatically).
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Me thinks I was deceived. Whoever said that Grafton had an actual town "with stuff in it," must have been embellishing a tad, or taking major license with what I meant by "stuff in it." (I talked to a bunch of Grafton residents this Porcfest, who encouraged me to come down and see all there was to see.)
I drove all the way there, to be greeted by an overly large white town hall who's size didn't really seem to correlate with the type of town. It looked residential, for the most part.... but I didn't really see any "town," per se'. It is obviously a town, but there was no town.
** Considers scratching Grafton off my list of possibles **
Actually, I don't mind rural... It was what I was looking at anyway.... but feel quite disappointed, because it seemed to be nothing like what people have told me it was for years. It wasn't even particularly scenic (putting it diplomatically).
Someone told you Grafton had a town center?
You do know that stuff like “the Grafton mall” and similar was meant as a joke, right?
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The Grafton Mall (Don't trip over the dog!) is the Retail Center. A few hundred yards West is the Civic Center with Town Offices, Post Office and Fire Station and a mile or so west of that the Town Center with the big white church, Town Green and one of the town's many cemeteries.
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When I visited Grafton, the biggest thing there was a gas station/mini mart. The second biggest thing was the VFD.
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the pretty mountains are big
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Not after driving thru the mountains on the way to Porcfest, but, they are everywhere!
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sorry for not seeing new posts to this thread ... we have been busy outside for the last week or so
I would tell someone that is visiting .... yes Grafton is a town (since almost everything in NH has been claimed by some government) .... no Grafton does not have stuff in it .... but sometimes it has keith and stuph in it
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I drove all the way there, to be greeted by an overly large white town hall who's size didn't really seem to correlate with the type of town.
** Considers scratching Grafton off my list of possibles **
you saw the fire department ... i think they vote there too
you did not see the small town hall, which hardly gets used ... John C. does yoga there every week
i think you should scratch it off the list, since it was not what you were hoping for.
i like the way it looks here, it does not have great mountains or anything, but we have some nice views here and plenty of trees
BTW .... anyone that visits Grafton should stop by the Hoyt farm
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Picnic on July 12 from noon til 4pm
to welcome Floridian and his family
http://forum.freestateproject.org/index.php?topic=18142.0
they will be stopping by midday
the rest of us will be lounging around, eating, and possibly playing some sports
We are looking forward to it!
And here is my gift to Grafton in appreciation for your hospitality: www.frisbrews.com (http://www.frisbrews.com)
John McCabe
based on the weather ... it looks like Sunday afternoon should be nice ... we can ever throw a porcupine frisbee at beer cans
that completes the russell roll (tm markus) for today
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Me thinks I was deceived. Whoever said that Grafton had an actual town "with stuff in it," must have been embellishing a tad, or taking major license with what I meant by "stuff in it." (I talked to a bunch of Grafton residents this Porcfest, who encouraged me to come down and see all there was to see.)
I drove all the way there, to be greeted by an overly large white town hall who's size didn't really seem to correlate with the type of town. It looked residential, for the most part.... but I didn't really see any "town," per se'. It is obviously a town, but there was no town.
** Considers scratching Grafton off my list of possibles **
Actually, I don't mind rural... It was what I was looking at anyway.... but feel quite disappointed, because it seemed to be nothing like what people have told me it was for years. It wasn't even particularly scenic (putting it diplomatically).
What is it that your actually looking for?
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Perfect day for a picnic.
some floridians got to check out the countryside and meet a dozen Porcupines .... they might move in the distant future, meanwhile they are touring with an fsp bumper sticker :)
henry caught 3 fish in the brook and released them
more snakes were tortured
Kira, John M, and I beat the boys at ultimate frisbee
lots of food
good music from 4 different players
not sure when the next Grafton Welcome Wagon picnic will be .... any requests?
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next picnic will be on Saturday August 1st
10am people start arriving
noon shire folk share food
volleyball game might break out
evening bonfire in the field under the almost full moon
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Perfect day for a picnic.
some floridians got to check out the countryside and meet a dozen Porcupines .... they might move in the distant future, meanwhile they are touring with an fsp bumper sticker :)
henry caught 3 fish in the brook and released them
more snakes were tortured
Kira, John M, and I beat the boys at ultimate frisbee
lots of food
good music from 4 different players
not sure when the next Grafton Welcome Wagon picnic will be .... any requests?
Thanks Russell, and everyone else, for your gracious hospitality and the fine entertainment. It was a special afternoon. My favorite quote for the day was when Russell told Henry about the fishing opportunities...
Russell: "I don't know what kind of fish are in the brook or how to catch them."
Henry: "I do."
:D
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My favorite quote for the day was when Russell told Henry about the fishing opportunities...
Russell: "I don't know what kind of fish are in the brook or how to catch them."
Henry: "I do."
:D
kids these days ... no respect for us old codgers
but we did beat em in ultimate frisbee with a chick on our team :)
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I've been following the FSP and NH underground sites for about 2 years now and just recently went to PorcFest. I found a property in Croydon on the internet and went there to check it out with the wife before PorcFest and wound up putting in an offer the owners accepted so we will be up there for the closing on the 31st of July. Didn't have much of any intention on moving so soon but my wife instantly fell in love with the place and didn't want to leave after getting so much grief for about a year and a half about leaving family and people not knowing her when she went to the store etc etc. I was totally surprised by her 180 degree turn around. Meeting some of the folks at PorcFest helped seal the deal. It's been pretty crazy. Anyway, the purpose of this post is to get directions to the picnic. I checked out google maps and it's about a 45 min drive to Grafton Center from my new home.
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Cool! But, you should have bought in Grafton.
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Cool! But, you should have bought in Grafton.
Lloyd does not speak for the Grafton Welcome Wagon
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Anyway, the purpose of this post is to get directions to the picnic. I checked out google maps and it's about a 45 min drive to Grafton Center from my new home.
very good to hear you have found a great place to buy in the Shire
directions can be found on this page
http://welcometotheshire.com/?q=node/3
we are 2 miles from the highway ... look for the porcupine crossing sign
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the Grafton Webcam is up and running
http://welcometotheshire.com/?q=node/4
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Thanks for the info. Finding a place to settle down is pretty difficult from out of state and the logistics of running up there to check out properties is a hassle. I'm lucky I found a place that convinced my wife to move. Having these forums and PorcFest is a great help in finding a plce everyone can agree on.
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good to hear
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good group showing up for the picnic on August 1st .... just hoping for no rain :)
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forgot to post the sunset from today
http://welcometotheshire.com/?q=node/4
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rainy all day today .... perfect for tomorrows picnic and bonfire
http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=03240
(http://welcometotheshire.com/sites/default/files/images/IMG_0126.JPG)
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cheng's family was a lot of fun to hang around
it was perfect weather and a great party
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next picnic will be Saturday August 29th
volleyball and bonfire in the first field
the last one went well. we had good weather and a nice trip to a waterfall to watch after the heavy rains
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Thank you Russel and Kat for your gracious hospitality. http://forum.freestateproject.org/index.php?topic=18691.0
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i've lost an 'l' but not my friends :)
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Here: l
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If you missed our party yesterday:
http://welcometotheshire.com/?q=node/85
the next event is Sunday the 5th at Jerry's house
then the Grafton Apple Festival on September 20th
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If you missed our party yesterday:
http://welcometotheshire.com/?q=node/85
the next event is Sunday the 5th at Jerry's house
then the Grafton Apple Festival on September 20th
Russell you need a new calendar. Sunday falls on the 6th next month.
You can come on the 5th, but I'll be in Concord that day.
jerry
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oh yea
in the meantime we moved in a family down the road in backwoods Danbury ... then lit up another bonfire back at the farm :)
see you guys at Jerry's
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Today Tom and Jerry are hosting
Church Rd off Hardy Hill in Grafton, NH
noon til late
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Jerry's party was great.
now on to the Apple Festival.
We are inviting locals, so come meet the nice townsfolk and eat some apple desserts.
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Grafton Apple Festival
Sunday Sunday Sunday
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Grafton Apple Festival
Sunday Sunday Sunday
I made the first pie of the season the other night. Mmmmmmmmmm.
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Easy Apple Pie (425 °F for 60 minutes)
5 or 6 (depending on size) Granny Smith apples or other tart variety
3/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Set of two frozen pie crusts in pie tins (ergo "easy")
Preheat oven to 425 °F.
Loosen one of the frozen pie crusts from the tin, this will be the top; if it thaws it will stick. Place the other (bottom) pie crust and tin in a glass pie plate lined with aluminum foil - the ends of the foil should extend about 7-8" long on each side so you can make a tent over the pie.
Mix dry ingredients. Peel and slice apples. Mix apples and dry ingredients and stir well to coat all of the slices, then pile them high into the bottom pie crust. Cover with the top pie crust (sans tin) and slit it to release steam.
This is important: Make a loose tent over the pie with the aluminum foil. The pie should be covered, but very loosely so air circulates well. Bake for 45 minutes tented, then take down the tent and continue baking uncovered for 15 minutes to brown the top crust. Remove from oven, cool for 45 minutes and serve with vanilla ice cream.
edit: It just occurred to me that 45 minutes is 90+°F-in-September Florida cooling time. In NH it is probably less! :)
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That does sound easy. and tasty
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the Apple Festival was great
the next event is a Bonfire on the 5th of November
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chance for rain or snow on Bonfire Night
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Hey Grafton Folks,
Thought you might like this!
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=11999725
Thinking it might be that good living Lloyd might have
something to do with this! ;D
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Hey Grafton Folks,
Thought you might like this!
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=11999725
Thinking it might be that good living Lloyd might have
something to do with this! ;D
our town might not be representative of the county .... but it is good to know anyhow
btw we are having a big party this weekend, so if someone is visiting the state they could stop by on Saturday for our luau and broomball
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The Grafton Welcome Wagon will be open this Monday after the Liberty Forum for a potluck supper at Hoyt Park.
We have one family and one couple visiting that day.
So if you in the area, you can stop by our place sometime that day and meet fellow fsp visitors, a new mover to our neighborhood, and the usual suspects.
Snacking begins at 6pm and main courses eaten around 7.
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Are you going to have any Welcome Wagon events in Grafton in the two days after the end of Porcfest? Grafton is one place I might like to check out (mostly with my Mom in mind), I need to be closer to the big towns for jobs while I figure out what I want to do when I grow up (JK, I'm 35 now).
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when does porcfest end?
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when does porcfest end?
June 27th
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We will have a picnic from noon until 3 on Monday after Porcfest June 28th.
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I plan on being there on the 28th.
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time changed to 4-7pm
if you come early .... just bring enough for lunch and dinner and hang out :)
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sorry for not keeping up with the thread
at our after porcfest party .... i expected bryce and maybe 2 others
instead we had like 30 some people there
lots of fun
the Grafton Welcome Wagon is getting superceded by Free Grafton and the Peaceful Assembly Church
if you want to find out what social events and activism is happening in these parts, check out their websites
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Burning Porcupine is upon us
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Hello Russell and others,
I'm looking at some pieces of land in your neighborhood and was wondering if you knew about the availability of high speed internet (cable or DSL) in the immediate vicinity of Hoyt Farm.
Thanks,
Don in Missouri
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Some links on the high speed internet options in Grafton:
- High speed internet in Grafton? (http://nhunderground.com/forum/?topic=20545)
- DSL? (http://www.graftonforum.com/forum/?topic=33)
- DSL is here! (http://www.graftonforum.com/forum/?topic=55)
My understanding is that cable (Comcast) is not available in Grafton. I was told they stopped at the town line. Canaan has Comcast, but I don't know anyone in Grafton who does (I'd love more info if I'm wrong!).
In some areas of Grafton, Verizon's MiFi is a workable solution (except the 5GB/month cap) but not at the Hoyt Farm (there is no cell service in that area).
I have lots more info on this topic, if you'd like it.
- Peter
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Thanks Peter
no we do not have dsl here yet
fairpoint is telling us any day now
a guy down the street has it working now
better than last year when they said they had no plans to bring it to grafton
btw. If anyone is passing through Grafton and wants to meet folks, it is getting easier and easier. We seem to be all over the place.
Friday night is Family Fun Night at the Peaceful Assembly Church in Grafton Center
otherwise contact one of us to hook up with some friendly locals
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Thank you for the response. Broadband is one of those must have things for us and I was afraid we would have to live in town. Glad to hear that is no longer the case. :D
Hopefully Fairpoint DSL will prove to be reliable.
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we are one of the last places to have decent internet
there have been plenty of back woods places with much better access
but now we are catching up
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next fun event in Grafton
Grafton Apple Festival
this time it is at the old church in Grafton Center
September 26th, 2010
lots of apples
juicing apples
apple dessert contest
bobbing
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I should also add, since it was the last post before the Apple Festival...
There is now DSL in Grafton.
Many of us have 7 meg DSL from Fairpoint, currently on promo for $23.99 a month for the first 6 months and $42.99 (maybe $43.99) for the year after.
Apples! Agorism! Internet!
You have no excuse to be NOT IN GRAFTON.
Mwahahahaahah!
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looks like beautiful weather this weekend
http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=03240
We have permission to extend our party onto the Grafton Center green owned by Millbrook Church.
The Liberty Scholarship spaghetti dinner will start at 5pm.
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Grafton Apple Festival tomorrow
Liberty Scholarship Fund dinner tomorrow evening
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the apple festival when well
we didn't have many visitors, but plenty of our friends came by to celebrate
the lsfund dinner had 40 paying customers so that raised $400 for the fund
about 50 came
next event is november 5th
check free grafton and peaceful assembly church for more info
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our Bonfire night turned into movie night, since you had to wade out to the burn pile that day
today we have a reporter from the valley news covering the Grafton Gulch, so swing by at lunch for a grilled burger and liberty belle ice cream, while we talk about what sort of stuph Barskey will be selling after his store is completed.
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Just signed up for Porcfest 2011. Wondering if there will be anything going on in Grafton about then. Had a great visit last time...
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I'm planning on giving a tour of Grafton, Lebanon, Hanover, and the rest of the Upper Valley on the Sunday that Porcfest ends. More details will be forthcoming as they are planned.
- Peter
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this year should be fun
hopefully Free Grafton will have a chance to pitch their town on the stage at Porcfest
the porcupine population has more than doubled since you last visited