Happy New Year!

Well…it’s a sleepy time of year in Indiana.  With these cold temperatures and the snow that has thankfully melted, most of us are driven inside to our cozy homes.  It’s not the busiest time of year for events in our community…or probably in most communities.  The expense of the holidays causes us to cut back a bit on January and February entertainment…all very understandable.  What I do know, though, is that even though it is a sleepy time of year, the planners and leaders among us certainly are not sleeping.  This is the period when lots of preparation is taking place.  It takes months of planning to make all of our events and festivals successful!  As soon as our events of 2010 ended, the planning for 2011 began.  You can bet that the committees for the Riley Festival, Second Fridays, Pennsy Trail, Fortville Winter Festival, the Gourd Show, New Palestine Fall Festival, and all the other events in Hancock County have been meeting and working to make their respective events bigger and better.  These are the events that we all are familiar with.  One of my goals for this year is to help some of the less familiar events gain a new following.  There are many events that take place at our 4-H Fairgrounds that go unnoticed.  Groups come into our community for their “trade-specific” event, and sometimes we all don’t even know they’ve been here.  This year, keep an eye on the event calendars…the one on this site and www.HelloHancock.com.  You’ll be surprised at some of the interesting events that you can attend in Hancock County, often at little or no cost.  Coming up in January is Shop at the Hop on the 22^nd and in February is the Remote Control Show on the 26^th.  Have fun and stay warm!