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This week is your last chance to take advantage of our early renewal campaign. This is the last week we will be publishing the coupon in the upper corner of page 2. If you would like to save $1.50 off of our already low subscription rate, just clip the coupon, fill it out and mail it in along with your check or credit card numbers. We will make sure that you never skip a beat.

I realize that I say thank you quite a bit in my column, when I do, it usually is from the bottom of my heart. When I say thank you for reading our newspaper, I couldn't mean it more. Plain and simple, we love our readers. We think that we have some of the most intelligent readers in the state. I think that is evident in the amount of letters we receive during the course of a year.

As a reader, you may not always agree with what is written, but in all honesty, if there was a newspaper which pleased everyone with what it wrote, I have yet to see one. That is why our letter to the editor section is an opportunity for you to have your voice heard.

The number of people who subscribe to the County Press has grown quite a bit this year. We welcome our new readers, and hope you enjoy the paper. If you know someone who reads the paper, but does not subscribe, tell them that it is actually cheaper to receive the paper than it is to purchase in a store.

I know I am rambling on and on, so I will end this by once again saying thank you. Thanks for reading.

As many of you know, we have an extensive library of old editions of the County Press. Many of you have been in to research the past, whether it is related to geneology, news events, or looking up your old high school sport stats. Every week we have anywhere from two to 15 people in here sifting through old County Presses. We are more than happy to help people research what they are looking for.

We recently moved the bound newspapers to another room here and we noticed something. One of our books is missing. Someone either borrowed or took one of our older editions of the County Press. If it was just one edition, it wouldn't bother me, but this was a whole year bound into a book. If you or someone you know were looking at our 1958 edition of the County Press and forgot to return it, we would really love to have it back. There will be no questions asked, no scolding, just a big thank you. Quite a few people come in looking for something that happened in 1958, it would be nice to share it with them.

If you have been in Designers Spa & Salon in the past few months, you would have seen a contest. The contest was to guess the date of Dan and Jess Twohy's new arrival. Designers patrons were asked to fill out a date with their name and address. Well, that wonderful day has come. Dan and Jess gave birth to Brenna Grace on March 16. Who was the lucky winner of the contest? Kim Hofmann. Kim has won a $50 gift certificate to Designers. Congratulations to Kim and more importantly congratulations to Dan and Jess.

If you purchased this edition of the County Press from the store shelf, first let me say thank you. Have you ever thought about subscribing? Why not have the Press delivered to your mail box? The cost of a subscription is less than purchasing a paper at the store.

For a limited time, new subscribers will receive two free passes for a historic train ride in Osceola. That's a $34 value. So, if you have thought about subscribing to the Press, why not now? You could be riding on the train through the beautiful St. Croix Valley. To start a new subscription, call us at 651-257-5115 and mention the train deal. Offer for new subscribers only.

Some of my most fond memories as a child were in March. March was the time my dad would include his boys in picking teams for the NCAA basketball tournament. Big deal you say? It was to a nine year old, to be included in adult conversations, and of course the opportunity to win some cash.

After every game we would sit down and mark which games we predicted correctly and the ones we didn't. It was a very special time for me, because it was ours.

I have been waiting to share that same bonding moment with my son. Up until this year, he was too young and really didn't have the attention span to either participate or care. After talking him into it, it was just like I remembered. You could see that twinkle in his eye, when just the two of us would sit and watch the games. I made a point of asking his opinions about different teams, and he loved it.

Like 30 years ago, it is one of the best feelings to spend time with your son bonding over a simple game. And like 30 years ago, the father is handing over the pot of money because his son picked the teams by the team names, Stinkin' Blue Devils.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Easter. Take time and enjoy the day with loved ones. If you are planning on attending church on Easter Sunday, we have a complete listing of churches and their Easter services in this edition of the Press.

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