To our readers:

You hold in your hands the final issue of Town Crossings, this free, community newspaper that covers Boxford and North Andover.

We at Town Crossings have been proud to cover the special events and people of these two towns. We thank you for inviting us into your homes and lives, and for sharing your stories with us and your fellow residents. It has been our pleasure to offer you this publication.

The first issue of Town Crossings appeared more than 10 years ago, on May 1, 1998. It was a very different paper; it was tabloid-sized and covered Andover, Lynnfield, North Reading, Tewksbury and Wilmington. The cover story — Town Crossings originally was created to look more like a magazine than a traditional newspaper — was "Prom Night: Preparations, Price, Parties and Pressures."

Town Crossings has changed over the years, but, like many publications, it has remained a labor of love for employees, including reporter Bethany Bray. Her comments and some fond memories of her work at the paper appear in this issue. Bethany has been working with me at our sister paper the Andover Townsman, and I am happy to have her continue as a full-time reporter there.

While this week marks the end of Town Crossings, coverage of your communities will still be provided by Eagle-Tribune Publishing Co.'s daily newspapers, and we encourage you to continue to submit your news tips and calendar items.

Boxford news tips can be sent to Salem News reporter Mike Stucka at mstucka@salemnews.com; Boxford calendar items should go to Salem News editorial assistant Will Broaddus at wbroaddus@salemnews.com.

North Andover news tips can be sent to Gretchen Putnam, Eagle-Tribune managing editor, at gputnam@eagletribune.com; North Andover calendar items should go to community news editor Betsy Curry at bcurry@eagletribune.com.

Thank you for reading. Again, it's been our pleasure.

— Editor Neil Fater