By Gary Wamsley

Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah to all. It has been an exciting week of activity in and around Berthoud.

First have been the wonderful holiday programs, which continue on Christmas Eve at our local churches. It is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the company of friends and neighbors in a joyful atmosphere and set the mood for celebrating a day with family.

The delivery of gifts from our Christmas in Berthoud was a heartwarming activity. Town Hall was filled with gifts and volunteers on Saturday evening as Officer Jeremy Yachik checked his list and dispatched the bags of food and gifts to families around the area. Ably helped by members of the Christmas in Berthoud Committee, his family and other volunteers, the program was a great success.

I found my families to be very appreciative of the generosity of the community and other volunteers shared the same experiences when we relaxed over a late supper afterward. My only regret is that those of you who were so generous were not able to experience the heartfelt gratitude of those whose holiday we were able to brighten.

I want to give my thanks to Officer Yachik, the Christmas in Berthoud Committee, Don Dana, the Berthoud Area Chamber of Commerce, and others too numerous to name, for all the hard work they have put into the effort. From the trimming of the tree in Fickel Park to the distribution of food and gifts, they have all put in a lot of time and energy to make this a success and are already planning for next year.

The other significant event of the week was the ribbon cutting for Mountain Ave. The work is not quite finished and the lights are not yet working, but the new corners with the medallions are stunning. Be sure to go downtown and see the effect.

For us at the newspaper there was another significant event. On Friday afternoon, our editor, Jamie Folsom, was awarded her Masters Degree in Journalism at a ceremony in the Moby Arena at Colorado State University. Congratulations to her for her achievement and all the hard work it took to reach that goal.

While I do not like to be a procrastinator, I usually end up in frenzy this last week before Christmas trying to get everything done before the family shows up on Christmas Day. This year is no different and I must head out the door to finish preparations. 

I’ll see you around town next week, as we get ready for the New Year.