The three years I have spent here in Clanton have been great, but it’s time for me to move on and make way for someone else to take my place. Being the Managing Editor of The Clanton Advertiser has been a learning experience and a rewarding experience.

Ever since I came here on St. Patrick’s Day in 2006 as the sports editor, everyone has welcomed me with open arms. It was a major change for me going from a weekly to a six-day-a-week daily newspaper. I’ve spent some very long hours here. Some days began around 8 a.m. and it didn’t stop until after 10 p.m. Even though the work has been long and hard, I feel it was all worth it.

Here’s a few things that I will remember from being in Chilton County.

Pageants. They are everywhere and all times of the year. Miss Peach and Miss Chilton County is only the tip of the iceberg.

Mexican restaurants. There’s just about as many of them as there are barbecue restaurants. I know there are more barbecue places in the county, but in Clanton, there’s more Mexican than anything else.

The people. Everyone here has been great. I know we all don’t see eye-to-eye all the time, especially those who comment a lot on the Web site, but it’s been fun to get to know you. Some of the folks I will especially miss are Gay West, all the firefighters I have gotten to know and the staff of The Clanton Advertiser, past and present.

Also, there is one letter that I have kept in my desk ever since I received it. This letter is an unsigned letter; thus, it didn’t meet our requirements for publication.

I did wish someone would have called about it because I probably would have run it if I could have gotten the author’s name, but I will give you a couple of snippets of the letter:

“Republicans is my shepherd, I shall not want. They leadeth me beside the steal factories… They guideth me to the path of unemployment for the party’s sake.” If you want to read the rest of it, ask Scott Mims or Stephen Dawkins.

Thank you for working with me the last three years. I wish Chilton County the best.