Mayor Buddy Snowden

First of all let me start by extending a big thank you to so many of you for the handshakes, hugs, cards, letters, and phone calls of congratulations regarding my blessing to become your mayor. I feel so extremely proud and grateful to live in such a loving and generous community.

The end of the year holiday season is upon us and a great deal of festivities are in the works. The Christmas tree lighting in Blake Park will be at 7:00 PM December 1st. The Tour of Homes celebrating our historical homes and churches is December 5th and 6th. A grand Lake Helen Ball will be held on Saturday night, December 12th at Hopkins Hall where the entire community can come out and enjoy a year end celibration of dining, dancing, and good music. Blake Memorial Baptist Church’s Christmas Cantata will be held on December 13th at 5:00 PM plus the Lake Helen 2nd annual Christmas Parade begins at 5:00 PM that same date.

The city’s Public Works employees have been busy sprucing up the streets and sidewalks for this year’s festivities and they all deserve a big “thank you” for their hard work. Take the opportunity to thank them when you see them.

The new year ahead will open the door for a lot of exciting opportunities. Beginning early in the year, Lake Helen will be sponsoring a Health Fair for the entire community and surrounding areas. Hopefully, it will be close enough to the new year to help energize those new year’s resolution we all make about living healthier, eating better, quitting smoking, and exercising more. If any of you have ideas about what you would like to see at the Health Fair or would like to participate, please call me at City Hall at 228-2121 or cell phone 717-3307. My email address is: bsnowden@lakehelen.com. Any and all volunteers are welcome and encouraged to help promote this event’s success. More on this event will be in the next issue of The City Observer.

I am hopeful that Lake Helen will begin 2010 with a campaign to provide more and more community wide events to bring us all together. Lake Helen has a number of parks and facilities in which to accommodate a variety of events and festivities. Let’s use them.

Just recently I’ve started visiting the various local churches and pastors in our community. There are about 12 or more religious groups/churches in Lake Helen. I am truly amazed at the out reach services that are provided through our local churches that pick up on the needs of our community. In a future issue of The Observer, I’d like to share what our local churches are doing over and above their scheduled services. It is so rewarding to see our churches involved in our community and likewise the community involved in the churches. This is truly an expression of working together to make our

On behalf of the City Commission and all city staff, my family and I extend our hopes that your holiday season will be that of great blessing and good cheer.