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To the annual Albert Lea Holiday Bazaar.

We love watching downtown Albert Lea fill up with people for events, and this Thursday was a great example of Albert Leans coming together for a fun time with the annual Albert Lea Holiday Bazaar and Santa Cruise. 

Whether families came out to take photos with Santa, see the live reindeer, ride in a horse-drawn carriage, shop at one of the local shops or pop-ups downtown, participate in or watch caroling, or watch the lighted holiday parade, there was a great turnout, and we hope people enjoyed themselves. 

It was a wonderful opportunity to get into the Christmas spirit.

Thanks to all who put in the time and energy to organize the events. We appreciate these opportunities all throughout the year. 

To all those people who help clear snow after storms.

Thank you to the city, county and state snowplow drivers, who clear the roads each winter, and in turn, help to keep our roadways safe for motorists. 

Whether it’s just a few inches of snow that need to be cleared or larger amounts, we are grateful for your efforts — a lot of which are happening while the rest of us are still sleeping or snuggled up in our warm homes. 

You often face difficult conditions when you’re doing your job, and we appreciate your work for the public good. 

We remind everyone also of the importance of removing snow off of sidewalks for United States Postal Service letter carriers and others who utilize sidewalks to walk or to deliver packages. In addition to all of the other things that come in the mail, letter carriers need clear sidewalks to deliver the print edition of this newspaper to readers.

Most people will say if you keep on top of snow removal from the first snowstorm, it will make it easier for you to remove snow from future storms and it won’t get as compacted down and turn to ice.

Also keep in mind it is against the law to remove snow or ice from your property and place it onto a public street or sidewalk.  

To decreasing gas prices.

Gas prices dropped below $3 a gallon this week in Albert Lea and are even lower in our neighboring communities south of the Minnesota-Iowa border. 

At a time when many other costs are on the rise, we are pleased to see some relief in this area. In fact, gas prices are now lower than they were a year ago.  

According to the New York Times, the decrease is a result of the decline in worldwide energy demand, which drove oil prices lower. The newspaper said the national average price for regular gasoline stood at $3.33  gallon on Thursday, according to AAA. A year ago, the average price at the pump was $3.34. The highest recorded average price was about $4.76 a gallon in June 2022. 

According to AAA, Minnesota’s average price as of Friday was about $3.15 a gallon. 

Though it’s too soon to say if the decreasing trend will continue, we can only be hopeful as we move into a new year.