To the Editor:

The Potsdam Food Co-op & Carriage House Bakery and Deli would like to thank everyone who took part in its Open House and 43 year anniversary celebration on Saturday, Sept. 17.

The festive day was filled with music, food, and fun for all, as well as a 10% discount on store purchases for everyone the entire day! Morgan and Shelley Bartlett were busy at the face painting table and Laurie Greenleaf worked with young artists with their Origami creations.

Hanneke LaFountain was the lucky winner of the bread raffle. For the next twelve weeks she will have the opportunity to choose a loaf of the Co-op's Carriage House Bakery's hearth-baked bread for each of those weeks.

In addition to sweet potato and black bean salad and Southwestern tofu chili produced by our own Carriage House Bakery and Deli, we are very appreciative to the Co-op vendors who contributed to this anniversary celebration held under the two big tents on Elm Street.

Andrew from Martin's Farmstand of Potsdam, offered samples of watermelon and cantaloupe at a table of beautifully displayed fresh fruits and vegetables (Non-GMO, pesticide & chemical-free) produced on the farm and sold here at the Co-op.

Two flavors of cheese sold in the store were showcased with samples provided by North Country Creamery of Keeseville. This Animal Welfare approved dairy makes cheese with milk from their grass-fed milking Shorthorn and Jersey cows.

Thanks also to Will from Aqua Vitea of Bristol, Vermont who was on hand for the day to offer samples of the various flavors of Kombucha we now have on tap in the store, and to Kaneb Orchards of Massena for donating their delicious fresh apple cider. Hot dogs donated by The Piggery in Ithaca, were transformed into the popular open house favorite, pigs in a blanket, by the Co-op’s own Carriage House Bakery and Deli.

We are grateful to the local musicians who provided the wonderful sounds that filled the day and to Beth Robinson who organized the program. The musical talents of Rosemary Philips & CJ Jahnke, Oscar Sarmiento and Steve Farina, and Victor Caamano and Crescent Street Jam were very much enjoyed by all who attended.

A special thank you to our friends and neighbors at the Christian Science Church for allowing us to use their lawn again this year for this annual community celebration, and to our working-owners, staff members, and members of our Board of Directors who assisted in the various aspects of the Open House. We appreciate their help and all they did to make this day a wonderful celebration!

The Potsdam Food Co-op & Carriage House Bakery and Deli is proud to have served the community for forty three years and looks forward to continuing its tradition of providing a cooperative grocery store where everyone is welcome to shop (with no membership required) and anyone is welcome to join.

Lynn Clark

Potsdam Food Co-op