Dear editor,I attended Car Free Sunday in Courtenay and had a great time.It was fun participating in the activities, seeing kids playing on the street, road hockey, skateboarding, dancing, listening to music and visiting the various community booths.I stopped and talked with lots of people some who I know and others for the first time. The event seem to make everyone extra friendly.I would like to thank the volunteer organizers for their time and commitment to make the event such a success and Courtenay and Cumberland for supporting them.Special mention for Andrew Gower, who had the vision and initiative to get this thing started and persisted through the many challenges that arose during the planning of the event. I hope we see more Car Free Sundays and other similar events throughout the Valley in years to come. I think the potential that these events can have on improving the quality of life of our communities is enormous. The benefits I saw on Sunday included increased outdoor recreation, positive community social interaction and attracting people to the downtown area.David Stapley,Royston