Father Time Invitational and Free Speech

Happy aught-six!

With the turning of the calendar come an appraisal of things past and a contemplation of things future.

A singular highlight of the last minutes of the old year and the first minutes of the new was the Father Time Invitational Race in Brooks.

Nearly 90 runners of many ages, from 11 to well into gray-haired wisdom, braved the 40-degree sparkle of Dec. 31 to inaugurate the first-ever “run out of the old, run into the new” race here in Fayette County.

Thanks to all the runners and their supporters for starting this great way to begin a new year. Proceeds from the race go to participating high school track and field programs here in Fayette.

I appreciate the gracious hospitality of Brooks Mayor Bobby Butler and the Brooks Council in welcoming this fledgling beginner to the Brooks football fields. Mayor Butler started the race and handed out many of the winners’ clocks and medals afterwards.

The Fayette County Sheriff’s Department professionally handled traffic control and escorted the starters and finishers to safety. Thanks to Col. Wayne Hannah and Capt. Bryan Woodie and deputies of the Traffic Division for overseeing the whole race.

All of us are especially grateful to the Fayette County Fire Department and Emergency Services for allowing the use of the Brooks Fire Station as the de facto race headquarters, as well as the finish line and awards presentation. You were great hosts, and we look forward to visiting with you in 12 months for the second annual race.

Thanks also to the race sponsors for their financial support in getting the race off the ground and providing trophies, t-shirts and headband lights for the winners and participants.

Thanks to the coaches and athletes for your help and participation. You have begun something worthwhile.

The race was the brainchild of Dean Breest of Fayetteville, who got the idea from a South American race several years back. It was Breest who spearheaded the race planning and preparation, and who came up with the idea of the race as a fund-raiser for local high school track programs. Thanks, Dean, for your determination and hard work to get this going.

Meet us in Brooks next New Year’s Eve for a delightfully different way to ring out the old and ring in the new.

***

I’m hard-headed, but I’m not deaf. Free Speech is back in the paper.

I had the idea that opening up our Web site to freewheeling reader comment (which we did this past fall) would serve the same purpose as the print version of Free Speech in the Wednesday paper.

Our online newspaper continues to offer that reader participation, but I heard loud and clear that online Free Speech was simply not the same as the print version and failed to serve many of our print readers.

I’m a publisher and newsprint costs big money. I was trying to save some money by moving Free Speech to the Web, where costs are dramatically lower.

OK, I was wrong. The ink-on-paper Free Speechers win. Free Speech is back. Fire at will.

yes you were wrong ....but

Submitted by mudcat on Tue, 01/10/2006 - 7:50pm.

Yes Cal, taking free speech out of the printed paper was wrong, but thank you, thank you, thank you, for putting it back in. Senior citizens like us are happy to read the free speech comments in the paper - sometimes we can't get online.
meow

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