The Butler community should be appreciative of the efforts of those who made possible the "Ring in the Arts" celebration on New Year's Eve in Butler.

It's amazing that a comment during a private New Year's Eve party a year ago was the seed for what took place in the city Friday evening.

It was Maggie Stock, coordinator of the Butler New Year's celebration that served as a fundraiser for the Butler Arts Council, who made the observation at the start of 2004 that there should be something more exciting to do in the city to ring in the new year.

Her brother, Larry Stock, who is cultural director at Butler County Community College, delivered the idea to the Arts Council last January, and then the idea was proposed to Mayor Leonard Pintell, who gave his blessings to the proposal.

Maggie Stock, who is a professor at the college, said a group of about eight people began meeting in March to plan the event. Within months, the planning group had grown to 15.

The rest is history.

Money raised as part of the celebration will benefit the arts group's plan to create a cultural village in several historic buildings on North Main Street. Meanwhile, Maggie Stock, who is no stranger to coordinating large-scale activities, said, "I don't think I've tackled something of this magnitude that's been met with so much enthusiasm and cooperation."

Hopefully what began this year will grow into an even-larger event in future years - an event that will bring people here from beyond the county's borders.