Happy Birthday, Watsonville Patch!

It's hard to believe a year has passed since Watsonville Patch opened for business.

It's been a busy time. Just look back on .

We've loved being a part of the community. Patch has covered hundreds of local events, meetings, emergency incidents and happy moments in the past year.

There has been tragedy. We know that. Gang violence, and were some of the many events that pained the community.

But there's great stuff happening with kids in Watsonville. Patch has visited classes at Pacific Coast Charter School, like the . We saw Ceiba College Prep students exercising and having fun while . helps kids learn to swim and all about bike safety.

The inspirational stories have touched us. For Mothers Day, we profiled . . Patch also was the first to report on probation officer Gina Casteñeda making it big—.

And community members have made wonderful contributions to the site. An enthusiastic group of bloggers regularly share their thoughts. Also, the police chief, Farm Bureau, Salud Para La Gente and many others have contributed stories, photos and their time to the site.

Thank you, Watsonville, for your continued support and readership. I hope this is only the beginning of a long partnership—and friendship. We'll have a big, belated birthday party after the holidays. You're all invited.