On this 7th day of Christmas, I want to start by wishing everyone a Happy New Year.

Once again I am thankful for the many liberties that we Americans enjoy in this great country, state and town.

What a wonderful town we have here in Fountain Hills with lots of really nice, hard-working people with a common goal of improving our town. There are many great organizations around town for anyone to join (and by-the-way, you can find out more about them on Jan. 28 at the Volunteer Expo sponsored by the town) and many special events to attend.

Some such events are the Stroll in the Glow, the two art fairs and the Thanksgiving Day Parade sponsored by the Chamber, the Holiday Mart sponsored by the River of Time Museum, the Memorial Day, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day and Veterans Day ceremonies sponsored by the three veterans service organizations (VFW Post 7507, AMVETS Post 7 and American Legion Post 58), Make a Difference Day and the Turkey Trot sponsored by the town itself and St Patty’s Day and Oktoberfest.

I could go on and on mentioning additional organizations and events that make Fountain Hills such a wonderful place to live, but I will not. You may think of them yourself and give your own thanks -- or even join one or more of them.

I will finish by saying once again that I love this town and the people in it and wish everyone a safe, prosperous and joyful New Year.