Happy New Year Everyone! The surfing committee just completed its annual County of the Year surfing and it was tough again this year. After a tie-breaker surfing, we proudly announce that the 2005 County of the Year is Grayson County! Susan Hawkins is the CC, and her efforts to keep Grayson County in top-notch shape is displayed on the extremely attractive site that is easy to use and offers both useful and interesting information. Congratulations to Grayson County and Susan! The County of the Year Honorable Mention counties are (in alphabetical order): Bosque - Bettie Woods, CC Henderson - Bunny Freeman, CC Orange - Shirley Cullum and Elaine Stone, CC's Upshur - Ealine Martin and Sharon Pierce, CC's and Wharton - Teri Brown, CC The following features were found by the surfers as they visited the websites: Bosque - Very useful site that is easy to navigate. The section on Early News Items gives a look back into time for the county. The Old Letters are interesting and the College Song is a great addition. Grayson County - A unique feature of this site is the Threads of Grayson County with beautiful photos of quilts made by Grayson County residents. Newspaper articles include a story about Raymond Hamilton (of Bonnie and Clyde fame) being captured in the county. Henderson - Simple, uncluttered site - easy to use with lots of information. The sections for Black History and the Old Letters are very informative and the Military Page is quite impressive.. Orange - Well-designed site with alphabetized directory makes it easy to find whatever you are looking for. The site has scans of the registered Brands and Marks in the county and the Election Results for 1861. Even the animals are represented with a section called In The Wild. Upshur - Easy on the eyes, with scads of data and links to more data. The Cemetery photos number more than 4,000! The Scrapbook offers tidbits of the county's history. Wharton - Easy to use website that has lots of information. A unique feature of this site is the Tips for Spanish Genealogy. There are lots of photos on the Old Photos page that are very interesting. Again, congratulations to Grayson County and the Honorable Mention Counties. My personal thanks to the members of the surfing committee for another year of hard work. Sincerely, Shirley Cullum Surfing Committee Chair