Hallowed Grounds Tour 2007 Box Clues
& Maps
We’ve just started planting these, so if you decide to go for
them ahead of schedule, keep in mind there may be little glitches in the
directions. Contact us at spriteandhighlander@yahoo.com
and we’ll give you our home number so you can call if you get lost! I’m also
including a copy of the map so you
should be able to stay on track on your own. Keep the following info in mind:
·
With
the exception of the event stamp (which will ONLY be around on the 20th
of October), all these boxes are permanent placements, so don’t worry if you
can’t get them all in one weekend…you’ve got the rest of your life (or until
the muggles find them, whichever comes first!)
·
On
that note, be sure to look around carefully, since even out in the sticks where
many of these stamps are, there are farmhouses that can see RIGHT WHERE YOU
ARE! We recommend carrying a camera or camera phone of some sort and telling
any muggles that you’re following a “Cemeteries of Orleans County” tour instead
of boxing.
·
Directions
to the specific locations are in italics and gray, while the box clues are in
normal font in orange. When you print these, you might just want to copy the
whole thing and save it to a Word document, where you can change the color to
something easier to read on white paper!
·
The
boxes are simply the stamps on about an inch square piece white carving
material in snack sized Ziploc bags (or sometimes just alone without the bag),
so don’t look for anything big.
·
Anytime
we tell you a direction to leave from the cemetery (left or right), it will
ALWAYS mean the direction you’d go if you had your BACK to the cemetery.
·
Finally,
leave enough room in your logbook for the event stamp in your little forest of
tombstones. It should go very nicely with them!
·
NEW
MAP UPDATE!!! The map is actually off by one stamp. Before we ever started this
tour, we lost the stamp listed at #3 on the map. So, as you go, understand the
numbers will be off by one on the map once you’ve done the first two (ex—the Shelby
Center stamp is #3 on this list, but #4 on the map!)
First Half
of the Tour
Start first by
find the intersection for the Orleans/Niagara BOCES in Medina
(this would be the intersection of Maple Ridge (Route 31) and Shelby
Basin Road. If you want to add a few boxes to this
trip, you could get to this intersection through Lockport
(which has a ton of drivebys itself) and hit a few drive by boxes on the way,
such as Phases, Woody and Homestar Runner. If not, just get to the
intersection and head north on Shelby
Basin Road (away from the BOCES). You’ll only need
to go about a tenth of a mile before you’ll look to the right and see…
1. North Shelby Cemetery—Pull into the first drive and
head back around to the opposing back corner where you’ll see the Phillips
family near a large tree. Look to your right and you’ll see a tree with a small
chunk of white headstone at its base. Look behind this piece for the first
stamp. Head back out to the main road and turn left to
cross back over Maple Ridge Road
(Route 31). Follow this past the BOCES and past it to where Shelby
Basin Road intersects with Salt
Works Road (which is at a strange little bend in the
road past the stop sign). Keep going straight and follow the road about a mile
past Ryan Road on the left. Keep going uphill, then on the left you should see…
2. Mt. Pleasant
Cemetery—Enter
through the second entrance (the one with the sign between the white birch trees.
Drive a little ways down the hillside until you see the large Colman monument
on the right with the shrouded urn on top. Park here and check under the base
of this monument with your back to the road. You’ll have to lift a stone to see
it. Head back out of the cemetery by going downhill and coming back
up one of the other roads. Turn left from the cemetery and take Salt
Works Road to the next intersection at West
Shelby Road (conveniently located in bustling
downtown West Shelby…watch for the squirrels
and farm equipment!). Turn left here and follow this road until it reaches a
stop sign at Route 63. Turn left on Route 63 and head north until you reach a
fork in the road. Take the right fork away from the main road and on your
right, you’ll see…
3. Shelby Center Cemetery—Bet you never knew there was
this much Shelby outside of The Simpsons Shelbyville! ;-) Park in front of this
cemetery on the grass and climb the old stones steps (there’s only two, so
don’t panic!). Head toward the monument in front of you with the urn on top for
Woodruff. It’s next to a MASSIVE broken slab for Sarah Ellicott that looks like
it once was an above ground grave. Cool as it would have been to plant a stamp
inside there, I (the Sprite) was NOT about to reach into the depths of a crypt
looking thing to drop a stamp! So, just check behind the big rectangular stone
to the right of the Woodruff monument. Behind it are two small pieces of broken
stone that have the stamp underneath. Get back on the
road and continue straight (right from the cemetery) to the stop sign at Main
Street. Turn right and this road wraps around into
some S curves. The road forks, so stay left. The road eventually becomes
Sanderson and empties out at Route 31A (West
Lee Street on the map). Turn right onto 31A and stay
on it until you see the dirt road that is Culvert
Road. The sign for the road is on the right, but the
road itself is on the left between a cornfield and a gray house. Follow Culvert
all the way up to the stop sign at Telegraph
Road (Route 31). Cross over and make the FIRST left.
This will take you to another stop sign and you’ll be able to look to the right
and see…
4. Tanner Cemetery—Park
in the grass in front of the cemetery or pull up into the faint road it has.
You’ll see a very distinctive monument on the right with a stone cross that
looks like it’s made of logs (about 4 stones behind Henry J. Tanner himself).
Check the underneath the base of this monument for the stamp. Go back to the road and head left for a VERY short way to return to
Telegraph Road.
This time, turn left (east) onto Telegraph
Road and stay on this until you reach Snell-Dresser
Road on the right. Turn right and follow all the way
to Maple Ridge Road
(the stop sign). Cross over and go about 1 mile down on the left , where you’ll
see…
5. Millville Cemetery—Turn
in next to the old chapel and follow the road back to the back of the cemetery.
When you get to the back, turn right and either park or drive up the next
little road over between Milhollen and Howe. You’ll be able to see to HUGE
copper beech trees near the hilltop to drive between. Stop at the top of the
hill if you drive, since this road doesn’t continue to the main road. Get out
and walk to the left over the hill’s crest. From here, you should be able to
see the magnificent monument to Union soldier
Asa B. Hill, who’ll get to watch over the land below for eternity. If you stand
next to him and face the horizon with him, you can look to your right and see
another huge copper beech tree that’s embracing a stone marking the resting
place of Mary E. Look under the SPOR at the tree’s base. Leave the cemetery via any of its roads (except the one you’re on,
since you can’t do that!) and turn left. Drive until you reach East
Shelby. Turn left to the next intersection at Hemlock (this road is
marked as East Shelby Road
on the map, so don’t get confused). It has a volunteer firehall and a park near
it, so you can’t miss it. Follow this road to the next intersection at Townline
Road and make a right. Once you’re on Townline for a
few tenths, you should be able to see your destination on the left in the
distance. To get there, you’ll have to make the first left you can and drive up
a small hill to…
6. East Shelby
Cemetery—Frankly,
this one didn’t really stand out much to us, but as we walked to the back…well,
just follow the directions! Turn in on the faint road right by the storage shed
and drive past the two crosses carved out of tree trunks to the BACK of the
cemetery. A few new graves have been placed here, once of which belongs to
Odmund T. Olsen. We were VERY surprised to find this old friend of the
Highlander’s who used to work on the wildlife refuge not too far south of where
you’re standing (so much so that an area of the refuge was named after him). We
knew he wouldn’t mind a few respectful visitors, so check on the left side of
the cement anchoring his stone. Just move a little chunk of stone to see it,
but be careful you don’t place the stamp into the many critter holes around
this area. Turn
around in the little space back here (between the old and new area), then go
back to the main road (labeled Trench on the map). Turn left from the cemetery
and take this road until it ends at Crane
Road. Turn left and follow Crane to its end at
Hemlock again. Turn right and follow Hemlock all the way to the stop sign at Eagle
Harbor Road (right in West Barre).
Cross the road and on the left, along with a historical marker for the song
“Kum-Bah-Yah”, you should see…
7. West Barre
Cemetery—Pull
into the cemetery’s long access road and park by the gate. Enter and go
straight up the little hill. Once at the top, look to your right and you should
see some tall cedars. Walk toward them and you’ll notice they hide a little
natural tunnel. Just before you’d actually go into this tunnel, look on the
ground to your right. A headstone for William Haylett is hidden here with a
chunk of dead branch behind it. Lift it to find the stamp. Go back out the way you came in and head east (left from cemetery).
Follow this road (which is now West Barre)
until you reach the end at Quaker Hill (Route 98). Turn left and follow this
road until you get to a diagonal intersection where Oak Orchard and Quaker Hill
meet. On the hillside at that intersection, you should see…
8. Barre Center
Cemetery—Turn
onto Oak Orchard Road,
then make a quick U-turn to park in the grass on the side of the cemetery. Walk
up the little slope to the farthest corner of the cemetery where a tree
embraces Alpheus Foster. Still supporting him in the afterlife is his wife
Louise, just behind him against the tree. Look behind her stone under some bark
for this stamp. Get
back on Quaker Hill heading north (right turn from the cemetery). As you head
into the tiny town of Barre,
you’ll pass a beautiful scene straight out of some autumn painting...pumpkins
for sale! Keep going past them into the town and soon you’ll see a left turn
for Maple Road
that’s as well hidden as the Getty Gas station on the right. Turn left and take
this road about 2 and 2/10 of a mile to…
9. Snyder Cemetery—You
can pull to the roadside or pull up into the actual cemetery. Either way, head
to the largest monument in the place, the one for John Dix. Behind him is
Rebecca Dix and another smaller piece of tombstone. Reach under this small
piece for what you seek. Continue down the same road heading
west (right from cemetery) to the stop sign at Eagle
Harbor. Cross over and
drive about 1 and 7/10 of a mile until you can see Pine
Hill Road on your left and, on your right…
10.
Pine Hill
Cemetery—Head
right to the only gated area in this cemetery and enter through the gate. Go
right to the far left corner and reach down under the bottom of the fence and
the ground for this stamp. Hop back on the road still
heading west (right from cemetery). The road makes a sharp right to become Mix
Road, then stops at West
Lee Road (Route 31 A again). Turn left and make the
very next right onto Long Bridge
Road. At the stop sign, you can see another cemetery
(Long Bridge)
that would have been GREAT if not for the people living right behind it that
never seemed to go away! Anyway, at the stop sign, turn right onto West
County House Road. You’ll pass over Eagle
Harbor-West Barre again and head a little ways down before you’ll just barely
see to the right…
11.
Union (Pendry)
Cemetery—The alternate name of Pendry
is key in this search. Park on the side or pull into the cemetery and look to
the right. You’ll see two large obelisks, one of which is right in front of a
huge maple. This one for William Pendry and the name is on the side with the
tree. The stamp, however, is in the tree’s roots under some bark. Got a little bit of a drive for this next one. Get back on the main
road and continue east (right) across Route 98 (Quaker
Hill Rd. again). Keep going to the next stop sign,
which is at Rich’s Corners. Turn left and go about a mile until you see a stone
wall on the left and…
12.
Annis Cemetery—Make
a U-turn and park on the side of the road next to the cemetery. Go in between
the stone walls and once inside, follow the stone wall to the left until you
get to the corner of the cemetery nearest the road. A large cedar stands here
with a flat rock a little bigger than an adult hand at its base (to the right
of the tree if you’re looking at the road). Lift it to find the stamp. From here, turn back around and continue north (left from cemetery)
until you get to Route 31 at the next stop sign. Turn left onto 31 and on your
left, head to…
13.
Mt. Albion
Cemetery—Welcome
to what we think is the most impressive cemetery on the tour (even though we
have a few close runnerups!). It’s not the oldest, but it’s one of the most
amazing. Several of the Elba Onions’ boxes are in this cemetery, but we have no
idea which ones are still available. Look at the clues for Mt. Albion,
Mr.
Bojangles and Box of
Rain before you come to be sure. Pull into the entrance that has the sign and
the big stone archway. From here, pay
attention, since this really winds around. No matter what you do, just try to
make it to the TOP of the big hill you see in front of you (which means a LOT
of right turns). First, drive straight ahead and take the left fork in the road
to Hemlock. Take the right at Hemlock to Central, where you’ll go right again.
At the next TWO forks, go right, which should bring you to the Lee
Monument on your right and
four way intersection. Again, hug the hill to the right and follow it around
uphill past the Kincaid monument on the left. This should get you to the top of
the hill where you can see the TOWER. You can park in front of this tower and
head inside (yes, INSIDE…you’re climbing to the TOP!). Take the spiral staircase
to the top and do NOT worry…there’s little mesh grates on all the light holes
all the way up, so things cannot get in to attack you or freak you out. Once at
the top you can see out over the ENTIRE county…a beautiful view rain or shine!
For the STAMP, backtrack down the stairs to the 22nd step from the
top, then turn back around as if gong back up the stairs. You should be near a
window hole on your right in the wall. Reach into it and UP into the right
corner. This is a tricky hide, so be sure to rehide well. You can stamp in on
the tower top, of course! To get out of the cemetery,
drive straight down Mountain Road
on the right, then take a left at the fork near the Burrows monument. Take a
right on Central and a left back to Route 31. Take a left out of the cemetery
and go just 3/10 of a mile down on the right where you’ll see a wooden sign and
a phone pole hiding a much older cemetery called…
14.
Tanner Cemetery
(Albion)—Those Tanners really got
around Orleans County
(like the Shelbys and the Barres, I guess!) J There’s a little dirt path
right between the sign and the phone pole. Pull in here, then enter the
cemetery on the right. Go up the hill to the far right corner of the place
where Jedidiah Phelps still stands guard. Look behind him and you’ll see a
broken headstone against a tree facing you. Look behind it for the stamp. Come back out of this cemetery
and head west (right from cemetery) to the next place, just 5/10 of a mile down
the road on the right, which is…
15.
St. Joseph’s
(New)—Pull into this cemetery at
the sign for it and park right in front of the chapel. Get out and go around
the right side to the SPOR in the corner for this stamp.
NOW you can take a break! You’re in the town of Albion at this
point, so you can leave here heading west (turning right) and either go right
into Albion for McDonald, Pizza Hut, Subway, BK, and a bunch of other places,
including a mega Walmart. IF you REALLY want a break, you can KEEP heading west
until you get to Medina
and stop in for the event stamp at our place. To do that, just drive clean out
of Albion for about 10 minutes or so until you past the two stoplights in Medina.
The road is now called Center
Street. Keep going down to Beach
Drive, which is the 7th right after the
stop light at West Avenue
(the street after Erie Street).
Drive and park at the dead end and come on up to the log cabin.
If you choose to keep going, just drive to the first stoplight in Albion
and follow the steps for the second half of the tour!
Second Half of the Tour
Start first by
finding the intersection of Route 98 (Quaker
Hill Road) and Route 31 in Albion
(there’s a stoplight here as well as TWO Riteaids!). Head north (right if
you’re coming from the last cemetery) on this road over the canal to Linwood
Road, which is right at the Historical Society. Turn
right at Linwood and take it to where it ends at Brown
Street Road (yeah, we asked why, too!). Make a left
up Brown Street
and go for about 2 miles to the cemetery on the left past the cabbage field and
house…
16.
St. Joseph’s
(old)—Our next favorite in this
tour! We love how the evergreens here keep this area in quiet shade and
solitude regardless of how much sun shines down. Pull in under the main gate
through the middle of the cemetery and drive until you reach the little
intersection near the statue of St.
Joseph and the maintenance shed. Turn left and stop at
the second tree on the left, near the big stone for the Roche family. Look in
the roots of the tree behind a pinecone. Return to the main
road by taking that side road and u-turning back up the edge of the cemetery.
Go left up Brown Street Road to the first left at Bacon Street, which will lead
you to a stop sign at Five Corners, a 5 way intersection between Bacon Road
east and west, Route 98 north and south and Route 270 heading northeast. Your
destination isn’t far…just make a right up Route 98 (Oak
Orchard Road) to Watts
Farm Market just up the road. There’s a petting zoo, orchards, a “train” ride
and playground, as well as…
17.
Union Cemetery
(Five Corners)—This is why we LOVE
cemeteries! Here’s a perfect example of the living interacting with the
deceased in a way other than to grieve. I’m sure somewhere above, those who’ve
passed are glad to see people visit that are happy and full of life. Head right
to the blue and yellow state historical sign. It’s very near a fairly new gray
monument to the Bacon Family. If you look at this new monument with the road to
your back, you can turn around 180 degrees and see a much older and shorter
marker dedicated to Moses and Sarah (the Bacons who donated this land). Look
under the edge of this stone and move a few of the rocks at the base to find
this stamp, but be warned. LOTS of muggles are about during harvest season! Leave the market heading right (north) up Route 98 to the stoplight
at Route 104 in Childs (right next to the Cobblestone Museum which has a fake
cemetery, if you’re interested…no stamp, thought!). Turn left onto 104 and go 1
and 1/10 of a mile to the Gaines Congregational United
Church of Christ just
before Route 279. Just behind it is the very first cemetery in the county…
18.
Gaines Cemetery—Go
behind the church to where the cemetery actually is and climb the hill to find
John Anderson, a Revolutionary War soldier. Stand facing him and you’ll see another
soldier down the hillside a ways, John Bullard. His wife Lovina is in front of
him and in front of her is a twin trunked tree. Look under some bark wedged
tightly between the two for this stamp. Now leave the
cemetery heading west (right from the cemetery) to Route 279. Turn right and
follow the road (which will make a sharp left) into Waterport (the next stop
sign). Turn left onto Eagle
Harbor-Waterport Road and go about 1/10 of a mile on
the right (not even down the hill) to…
19.
Waterport Cemetery—There’s
a small road going up into this one, so pull in and look to your left. A large
cedar is here with a relatively new black and red granite monument to the
Stitts next to it. Next to that are three original stones for the Stitt family.
Face the road and look under the base of Margaret’s headstone for this stamp
(you’ll have to move some flat rocks to see it. Leave the cemetery
by heading south (right from the cemetery) on Eagle
Harbor-Waterport Road. Take this to the next stop
sign at Route 104. Turn right on 104 and go about 6/10 of a mile on the left
to…
20.
Otter Creek
Cemetery—Pull
into the main driveway and look to the left. About five row back, you’ll see a
tiny gray steeple for Baby Johnnie Hill. This little monument was recast
apparently, but still has the death cast of the little one’s hand on the side.
Next to him is his mother, Laura. Look behind her marker under some gravel for
this stamp. Make a left out of the cemetery
heading west on Route 104 again for another 6/10 of a mile on the left to…
21.
West Gaines
Cemetery—This
tiny cemetery is right next to a house, but the folks inside and their dogs
didn’t bother us at all as we looked around. In fact, the only thing that WAS
around was a black cat sitting directly on the grave of a girl named Clarrissa
back under a tree (spooky trivia: Melissa Joan Hart, the girl who played
Sabrina the Teenage Witch, was first on a Nickelodeon show called “Clarissa
Explains It All”…ooooo!). Anyway, drive up the tiny driveway into the cemetery
and look on the left in the back for Mary Shelley (yes, MARY SHELLEY, although
not the one of Frankenstein fame!). This stamp is right next to her stone on
the right side (watch for the prickly plants growing here!). Leave the cemetery heading west again (left from cemetery) to make
the next left onto Kenyonville Road.
Go 1 and 5/10 of a mile down on the right and look back off the road a ways
for…
22.
Eagle Harbor
Cemetery—(Note: Stamps 23-24 are mixed up, so the stamp here is actually
the one for Kenyonville!) There’s a faint ridge that was the original road into this
cemetery that we parked on, but if it’s wet out (or you’re just not sure) park
on the roadside and walk up instead. Head to the very back of the cemetery
behind the little gated plot area. A huge tree is back here with a monument to
(we kid you NOT!) Sabrina and her infant child. We were pretty surprised, too,
after the Clarrissa cat! Anyway, against this tree are some broken headstones.
Check behind one on the left for this stamp. Now backtrack up Kenyonville
Road again (left from cemetery to cross over 104 and
head into Kenyonville itself. There’s a stop sign before the lake (Lake
Alice) for Hanlon Ext. and
one after for Oak Orchard Rive Road.
Turn left at Oak Orchard River Road,
then look to your left to see…
23.
Kenyonville Cemetery—(Note: Stamps 23-24 are mixed up, so the stamp here is actually
the one for Eagle Harbor!). Pull into the cemetery and go to the tallest monument in the
place (to the Plummers). Keeping the monument in front of you, face the big
white house over by the cottages and reach under the base for this stamp. Leave the cemetery and head west
(left) on Oak Orchard River Road.
A fork in the road will try to take you to where Oak
Orchard River Road bends, but go straight instead
where it becomes Platten Road.
Follow this road until you get into the stop sign at in the center of
Lyndonville. Turn right on Route 63 (Lyndonville
Road) and go up past the high school on the left and
the elementary on the right. You should see a sign for the cemetery pointing to
Housel Street.
Turn left onto Housel past the high school and turn right at the first entrance
into…
24.
Lynhaven Cemetery—Keep
going forward and pass the cannon. Head toward the back fence, where you’ll see
a crypt for Marion F. Joy on your right in the corner. Look on the left side
under a piece of wood for this stamp. You’ll need to move the grass aside, but
DON’T pull it up…it’s helping to hide the stamp. Leave the cemetery
the way you came in and get back to the main road (left out of the cemetery).
Turn right on Lyndonville Road
(Route 63) and leave Lyndonville entirely. About 2 and 8/10 of a mile down on
the right you’ll see a cemetery back off the road called…
25.
Daniels Cemetery—Either
pull in on the faint grass path or park along the roadside and walk into the
cemetery. On the left side a little ways in is a red granite obelisk for D. F.
Hunt. Walk over and stand to the left of it with your back to the orchard and
check in the crack of the monument between its base and the monument itself.
The stamp is wedged in on right. Continue down Lyndonville
Rd./Route 63 heading south (right from cemetery) until you get to Route 104
again. Turn left and go just 1 and 1/10 of a mile down to Bates
Road on the right. Make the right onto Bates and
you’ll be seeing…
26.
Bates Road
Cemetery—Drive
down Bates Road
almost to the end of the cemetery where you’ll see the headstone for Herbert
Lacey, a WWI vet on the right. Park here and look behind him to the right. A
tree stands a few yards back with a convenient hole at about calf level…! Go back up Bates Road
to Route 104 again and turn left. Keep going down this road past Route 63 North
to Lyndonville (the way you came in) and Route 63 South to Medina
(keep the south road in your memory for later!). From Bates
Road, you’ll be going 2 and 7/10 miles down on the
left before you can see…
27.
West Ridgeway
Cemetery—Pull
in off the main road on the last entrance to the graveyard, nearest the chapel.
Park by the chapel and you’ll see a huge statue of a woman guarding over the
Mason Family. You’ll notice that she looks off toward the corner you seek. Head out of the cemetery by driving further in. You’ll see a road
that crosses behind the chapel and empties out onto Marshall
Road. Turn left onto Marshall,
which should put you back on Route 104. Backtrack on 104 by turning right and
going back to where you saw the turn for Route 63 South to Medina.
Turn right on this road and follow it for 1 ½ miles to…
28.
Sacred Heart
Cemetery—All
the Medina
cemeteries are in one big line along this road, but this is the first one you
come to. Pull in via the first entrance and head to the back of the cemetery.
In the back, you’ll see a silver painted wrought iron cross with the date
“1910” on its pedestal. It stands watch over the youngest members of this
resting place. Next to it on the left is a tree. Check the bark on the left
side of this tree, about a foot or less off the ground. Leave the cemetery to the left and head south to the next one,
barely 2/10 of a mile down the road…
29.
St. Mary’s Cemetery—You
have to enter via the second entrance, where you’ll see a stop sign at the back
keeping you from going further. Park back here and climb to the top of this
hill near the Faraghar momument (you can climb via the grassy slope instead of
the rocks, of course!). The whole area back here is dedicated to those of the
Emerald Isle, as you’ll notice on your way up. When you reach the top, say
hello to a man quite far from home…Mr. Patrick Hartigan of Limerick,
Ireland. Check
the base of the Highlander’s kinsman’s refurbished monument (you’ll have to
move a chunk of masonry to see this one). Leave the cemetery
to the left and head south to the last cemetery, barely a tenth down the road…
30.
Boxwood Cemetery—Enter
this cemetery at its third entrance, the one with the big stone gate nearest
the chapel that has the name Boxwood on both pillars. Drive up the road until
the stop sign stops you. Park along the side road, face the stop sign, then
turn 90 degree to your left. A faint grass path will lead you uphill. At the
top is not a headstone, but a TREE monument to a local journalist who wanted
his ashes spread around the tree so that he might live on through it. The tree
has seen better days, but the weathered plaque is still there. Look on the
right side in the crevasse near the bottom of the stump for the stamp. You’ll
have to move some chunks of bark and deadwood.
You’ve reached the end of our tour! If you want to box in Medina,
just leave the cemetery and head south (left). The village has a few boxes
nearby, including our hitchhiker hostel, the Letterbook & Choo-Choo Ch-‘Boogie.
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