PEABODY — He had them at "hello."
Michelle Melanson Conroy and Berta Reddy, two employees of the city-run Brooksby Farm, were still buzzing yesterday about their encounter Sunday with Tom Cruise. The A-list movie star stopped by the farm with his famous wife, Katie Holmes, and daughter, Suri.
"I walked in, and there he was at the register," Conroy said.
The surprise cameo came around 3 p.m. The Cruise family shopped in the farm store, perused the pumpkin patch and, at Conroy's suggestion, hopped on a hayride.
"He was so nice," Conroy said. "He smiled the entire time. He was just wicked friendly."
The visit lasted about an hour. Two bodyguards accompanied the family.
"He fit right into the crowd until people started noticing him," Reddy said. Then out came the cell phone cameras.
Cruise bought four bags of apples, maple syrup, pancake mix, fudge, cider and doughnuts, Conroy said. Before he left, he paused to sign a few autographs and pose for pictures.
One of those pictures, laminated and proudly displayed on the farm store's front door yesterday, was of Cruise with Conroy on one arm and Reddy on the other.
"He's just as handsome in person as he is (in the movies)" Reddy said. She loved him in "Risky Business" and "Top Gun." Conroy is partial to "Jerry Maguire" and "Tropic Thunder."
Cruise is in the Boston area filming a movie. No one could say how he heard about Brooksby Farm. But farm manager Patrick Kriksceonaitis had a theory:
"Our apples are known around the world."
Man Falls Off Crane, Dies After Police Standoff
Raw Video: Cop Shoots Man Eating Another's Face
Russia Condemns Ally Syria Over Massacre of 108
Raw Video: Earthquake Shakes Evacuees in Italy
Dairy Farm Uses Chiropractor to Help Cows
Unexpected Smog in Pristine National Parks
Air Canada Plane Makes Emergency Landing
New Ticks Spread Across Southeast, Diseases Rise
Bring Your Own Tech Programs Charge Up Students
Pope's Butler Vows to Help Vatican Investigation
Mother of Allegedly Abused Girl Denies Claims
Raw Video: 19 Dead in Qatar Shopping Mall Fire
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
