The year 2000 dawned quietly in Rock County with none of the dreaded Y2K problems long predicted. The next thousand years weren't launched, however, without observation.
As the early months thawed into summer local residents poured their hearts and souls (and every free volunteer minute) into a millennium celebration that would stand out in local history books.
That party, staged July 20-26, tops the annual Star Herald review of news highlights for the year.
Party of the millennium
If numbers of people are a good indicator of an event's success, the Rock County Millennium Celebration will undoubtedly go down in history as the party of the millennium.
For example, Saturday night's all-school reunion program drew more than 1,200 people, with dinner registrations totaling nearly 1,000.
The little town of Kenneth, with a population of 87, swelled to more than 1,600 Saturday for its Centennial Parade that touted 90 entries.