What’s your favorite place in all of Suffolk?

Is it viewing the sunset from a boat on Bennett’s Creek? Fishing on Lake Meade? Somewhere on the back 9 at Suffolk Golf Course?

Maybe it’s having coffee with friends every morning at Hardees? Astride your mower cutting your lawn? In the stands at a Suffolk Youth Athletic Association game watching your child pitch? Maybe it’s your own living room, parked in your recliner watching a football game?

Or, as in my own case, Planters Park, jogging the track alone pondering the great questions of our time: What is the meaning of life? Is there an afterlife? And if so, will it have golf?

Whatever it is, we want you to tell us.

As part of our Horizons edition, which publishes in February, we’re going to try to answer the question – What’s your favorite place in Suffolk?

Members of the News-Herald staff will pen a few graphs describing their favorite spots in our fair city and we want you to join in the fun.

In 250 words or less, simply describe your favorite place and tell us why you like to be there. You can send it to:

&uot;Favorite Place&uot;

c/o Suffolk News-Herald

P.O. Box 1220

Suffolk, Va. 2342

You can also e-mail it to: Stephen.cowles@suffolknewsherald.com

The deadline is Jan. 21. Oh, by the way, each submission will be entered in a random drawing for $100 cash.

While you’re at it, consider nominating someone for our Citizen of the Year award. This will be the fourth year the News-Herald has bestowed this title on someone in our community who gives of themselves to make Suffolk a better place to live. Past winners have included Gin Staylor and Donna Perry.

Unlike the Suffolk Rotary Club’s First Citizen Award, we are not seeking someone in the spotlight but someone who toils in obscurity, behind the scenes; someone not seeking notoriety or influence, but simply working for the good of Suffolk and its people. Nominations can be directed to the above addresses, or any News-Herald staffer.

Publication of Horizons is fast approaching and thanks to the hard work of our staff and the tremendous support from advertisers, Horizons 2004 is sure to be our best ever. We love Suffolk and appreciate the fact that you welcome us to your home each day. That’s really the impetus behind Horizons – it’s our one, big opportunity during the year to point out some of best things about Suffolk, its residents and to say thanks.

I’ve said many times that the News-Herald is &uot;your&uot; newspaper, and we intend to back that up in this year’s Horizons with a section titled &uot;From Our Readers.&uot; It will be entirely made up of submissions from our readers, hence the name.

We are seeking poetry, photographs, essays, short stories, drawings, any writing or artwork produced by people in our community to feature. If you’ve got a good poem, a brief family history you’ve written, a child’s work you are particularly proud of, or even a family photo, we’d love to have it for inclusion.

Once again, the deadline for submissions is Jan. 21, and they can be directed to the addresses above. There will also be cash prizes awarded in this section.

Be on the lookout in the coming weeks for reminders of the items I’ve mentioned here. Horizons is our most important project of the year and a true community effort. I hope you’ll accept this invitation to be a part of it.

Andy Prutsok is editor and publisher of the News-Herald. He can be reached at 934-9611, or via e-mail: andy.prutsok@suffolknewsherald.com