Dear Editor:

Genuine thanks to all the people who have carried on the tradition of the Merritt News, publishers and readers alike. My mother, the late Susan Holmberg, founded the News in 1991. It was a labour of love and a great risk, but she believed Merritt needed and wanted another newspaper. I remember the excitement and trepidation of those early days, and I couldn't have been prouder of my mum when the first issue came out...with a photo of a newly-elected Harry Lali on the front page! For some time, I used to drive to Kamloops and back every week to pick up the issues hot off the presses, filling the back of our old yellow station wagon. I recall one night when I missed the exit on the way back and had to blindly u-turn across the grassy dip of the median, heart in throat! But with perseverance and a little luck, I made it, just like the News ended up doing. My family and I have loving memories of Merritt and the News, and I hope that all of you in this beautiful Nicola Valley town will hold similar recollections of this wee newspaper that holds a mammoth place in my family's heart.

Steven Holmberg
Toronto, Ontario