Happy Birthday, North Reading Patch

Today we celebrate North Reading Patch's third birthday! Three years ago, North Reading Patch launched and has been a community hub in town ever since.

On this special day, I'd like to thank all of our loyal readers, contributors, bloggers, followers on Twitter and Facebook and of course those of you who have allowed us to tell your stories and helped make our articles come to life. We wouldn't be North Reading Patch without you!

Let's took a look at the top 10 articles from the past year:

1. Lobster Claw Closes Its Doors. After 37 years of business, the North Reading institution has announced it is closed. Just a couple of days later, the Lobster Claw announced that it reopened.

2. NRPD Officers Honored at Ceremony Monday. Residents gathered at Town Hall to thank and honor the police officers who assisted in Boston after the marathon bombings. 

3. North Reading Remembers Tim Chaloux. North Reading resident Tim Chaloux was killed in a one-car accident in April. The 18-year-old was about to complete his final year of high school this June.

4. Liquor License Passed for Joe Fish in North Reading. Residents were excited to learn that a Joe Fish was coming to town. The restaurant is now open on Main Street.

5. $15.5 Million Override Passes at Special Election. Residents voted 1,964 to 1,090 to finalize the $15.5 million addition to the budget for the school building project. The appropriation was first approved at Special Town Meeting in March and is now final. 

6. Blizzard of 2013 in North Reading. The blizzard of '13 will always be remembered, but not for power outages and accidents in North Reading. As a result of the blizzard, the town saw about two feet of snow and residents spent a lot of time shoveling.

7. VIDEO: North Reading Fire Chief Sworn-In. Residents, town employees and firefighters from North Reading and beyond gathered to support Chief William Warnock as he was sworn in by Town Clerk Barbara Stats at Town Hall.

8. First Look: Resorts North. The Resorts North, formerly the Thomson Country Club, pools and tennis courts are now open.

9. Medical Marijuana Moratorium Passed at Town Meeting. Town Meeting voted to pass a medical marijuana moratorium. The moratorium will last for 18 months.

10. Vanilla Cream Pie Never Tasted So Good. I kept my promise to Reading and North Reading residents and took a pie in the face after reaching 1,000 fans on Facebook.