DRACUT -- Ron Marino left his home in Milton Mills, N.H., at 7:30 on Saturday morning.
He stopped along the way for coffee and pulled into Dracut about two hours later, 90 minutes before Tony & Ann's Pizza on Broadway Road opened for business.
"I'm first in line," said Marino. "It was a nice ride. A nice way to spend a Saturday morning."
That line steadily grew behind him. Close to 100 people waited patiently for owners Paul and Annamaria Getman to open the pizza shop on this, the second weekend of business for the legendary eatery, which closed its North Chelmsford pizzeria in 2002 after 50 years in the business.
Marino, 44, grew up in Westford and remembers the sweet pizza that had no equal. "It's great stuff," he said. "I'm hoping it's the exact same recipe. I'm looking forward to it."
The Getmans -- Annamaria is the granddaughter of original owners Tony and Ann Privitera -- say they will be faithful to the closely guarded secret recipe. The store's original location was on the Princeton Boulevard. Several years later, Tony & Ann's Pizza moved a few miles down Route 3A to Middlesex Road. Tony Privitera died in 1999 and Ann kept the shop open for four more years.
Greater Lowell residents have been anticipating the opening since word broke last summer that Tony and Ann's granddaughter would be opening shop in Dracut after first of the year.
Marie Berrille grew up in Lowell and knew Tony and Ann personally. "I waited in line for an hour the other night just to order," Berrille said. "They took my order but said it would be another hour, hour-and-a-half, until it was ready. I came back an hour-and-a-half later and I still had to wait close to another hour."
Was it worth the wait? "I'm back today, ain't I?"
David Murphy grew up in Nashua, N.H., and now lives in Mt. Vernon, N.H., in the Monadnock Region.
"An hour ride," said Murphy. "I came down the other night but I couldn't get in. It was packed. I got here and there was sign on the door that said, 'Sold Out.' Dunkin' Donuts should set up a little stand right here for people waiting in line."
So crowded was the shop during its first two weeks of business -- Tony & Ann's Pizza is only open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday -- that Dracut police were on hand to direct traffic.
Berrille said that during an earlier trip to the shop last week, she witnessed a remarkable occurrence that she will not soon forget.
"One man waited two or three hours and bought four pizzas," Berrille recounted. "When his order was ready, he paid for the pizzas and turned around to leave. He saw a young man in a military uniform and found out he just returned home from Afghanistan
The crowd allowed the man to go up to the front of the line because of his patriotic gesture.
The long line of patrons waiting for the doors to open on Saturday morning did not appear impatient. They laughed, drank coffee and waved at cars that drove by honking their horns. Nobody complained about the wait.
"I've been waiting for seven years, I can wait a little longer," said Bruce Walazek of Lowell, standing in line with his wife, Dottie, who grew up right across the street from Tony & Ann's.
A 12-inch tomato and cheese pizza will set you back $10. Additional toppings run from a dollar to two dollars. A Tony & Ann's Special costs $16.95. The menu also includes fresh-cut French fries, meatball subs, veal cutlet subs, Italian sausage on a sub roll, and chicken tenders. Store hours are Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
It's located at 11 Broadway Road. The phone number is 978-251-3311. Visit Tony & Ann's Web site at www.tonyandannspizza.com.