It is a very real pleasure on behalf of the Sir John A. Macdonald Bicentennial Commission in Kingston to thank the Watertown Daily Times and its many readers for their support of our activities across the border in Kingston this past summer. Numerous residents of Watertown and Jefferson County participated in our Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald-themed walking tours of Kingston or stopped by our booth at the Kingston Visitor Information Centre to let us know they had read about Sir John A. Macdonald activities in the Watertown Daily Times.

We were also honored that your nation’s ambassador to Canada, His Excellency David Jacobson, took time out from his punishing schedule to lead our John A. walk this summer. A native of Illinois — the Land of Lincoln — Ambassador Jacobson shared with our commission and the wider Kingston community how his state embraced the bicentennial of the birth of Abraham Lincoln to great success in 2009.

As the 200th anniversary in 2015 of the birth of Canada’s founder and first prime minister, Macdonald of Kingston, gets even closer, our commission hopes many more of our American neighbors and friends will be able to participate in our activities. Should any schools in Watertown and Jefferson County or service clubs or other organizations like to hear a speaker from our group over the winter months, please contact us through www.sirjohna2015.ca. Canadians and residents of Kingston in particular are very fortunate to live next to the United States and the fine and friendly citizens of Watertown and all of New York state.

Arthur Milnes

Kingston, Ont.

The writer is the commissioner of the Sir John A. Macdonald Bicentennial Commission.

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