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As I am sitting here writing this, our country is welcoming in its 44th President. Monumental? Yes, they all are, except for second term Presidents. This inauguration will be different, we are welcoming in a President that is African-American.

Whether you are a Republican, Democrat, or an Independent, you have to admit that this race threshold we have crossed is one of the most historical events that is humanly possible. I personally would have never guessed that our next President would be anything other than caucasian. I am thrilled that we as a society have come so far that we can now see the person inside rather than the color of someone's skin.

Will Obama make a good President? Will he represent you and I the way we want to be represented? Will he lead this great country in the right direction in terms of war and recession? Who knows. Only time will tell. Unlike other President elects, we will learn sooner than later with President Obama, because there are pressing needs that need addressing immediately. In a way, President Obama probably can't win. If the economy turns around, the nay sayers will tell you that we were at the bottom and it had to turn around no matter who was in office. If the economy keeps souring, all you will hear is that we elected the wrong person. Again, only time will tell.

From all that I have read and seen, President Obama seems to be the real deal. He seems genuine, and most importantly, he seems to care about the United States. At this point, that's all one can ask for.

In your last week's Search Shopper, you received a 2009 Celebration of the Lakes circular. We here at the Press, along with some really great help from some outstanding community individuals, have put together a small magazine highlighting this year's Celebration of the Lakes.

The Celebration takes place next weekend on North Center Lake in Center City. In the circular, you will find great pictures from past celebrations, stories about community ambassadors (the Dusenka family) and ballooning tidbits. Most importantly, you will find a schedule of events for the celebration. Starting January 30, there will be events happening virtually every hour for three days.

If you have never been to the Celebration of the Lakes, I would strongly encourage it. It is a laid back, community event where people can come and go as they please. Since there are so many events taking place, whenever you get there, you will find plenty of fun things to do and see.

One of my favorite ways of taking in the Celebration of the Lakes is on snowmobile. Think about it, you can spend part of the day cruising around the lakes on your snowmobile, and then come and watch the balloons, eat some chili, play some games and relax with family and friends.

Just a quick note, my family is unfortunately being forced into purchasing a new vehicle. Our minivan has decided it does not like winter and has urged us to move south. Because we have resisted moving south, it has decided to get back at us by making new noises, and breaking down whenever it seems fit.

Anyway, I have been looking at dealers around the metro and locally. All you see in the paper and on television are screaming deals that will end soon, so get in now before they are gone. Yuk. I decided to check locally, thinking how much higher could they be? Guess what? Just the opposite. The dealers around here (Koehn, Koppy, Nelson to name a few) are actually cheaper! I can't explain why (maybe they do not have the overhead that the big dealers do), but I know one thing, I will be purchasing our next vehicle locally. And I won't have to stare at some inflatable gorilla or polar bear.

The Chisago Lakes businesses and area has lost a business icon. Doug Booth, whom most of you know from Printing Express in Center City, passed away last week. Doug and his wife Mary have been the face of Printing Express for years and years, and have made it one of the best printshops around. Doug was all about customer service. It didn't matter how large or small your order was, if he was out and about, Doug would deliver it to your door with a smile on his face.

Our hearts go out to Mary and her family.

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