I remember when I was a student the first AVC Open Houses. We were so proud of our school and what we could provide to animals in our region. We would spend weeks planning displays and hands on opportunities for the public. It was so much fun to watch the reactions as people realized the quality of care now available to their pets and to see the children's faces light up as they got to "be a veterinarian". We had lizards, birds, snakes, ducks, dogs, cats, rabbits, and other strange and unusual animals in the petting zoo. We let the kids "do surgery" as they gowned and gloved before reaching into a teddy bear's belly only to find candy. It was like watching the birth of new James Herriot's. I am pleased to see that AVC open house remains a popular event every fall and it makes me nostalgic when I think about the fact that I was there at the beginning.