Here's our first of two "review of the year" pieces for the Uttoxeter area, covering January to June.
It was an eventful period, with arson attacks, celebrity appearances and royal honours.
JANUARY:
The year got off to a stunning start as swimming hero Adam Peaty's name was, again, all over the front page of the Advertiser.
Having won two gold medals at the Rio Olympics six months earlier, Buckingham Palace chiefs announced the Uttoxeter-born sportsman was to be made a Member of the British Empire (MBE).
Aged just 22, Peaty would later in the year travel to London to receive his accolade from Prince William.
His mum, Caroline, said: "When I saw the letter, at first glance I thought it was from the tax office as it looked so formal. When we read through it, though, we couldn't quite believe it. I am just so proud."
Police confirmed the blaze which had destroyed popular Bramshall pub the Robin Hood on Christmas Day 2016 was started deliberately.
Staffordshire Police launched an arson investigation a fortnight after the pub was completely gutted ahead of what would have been a busy Christmas period.
The Christmas Day morning fire came 24 hours after the pub had also been set alight on Christmas Eve.
Officers are yet to charge anyone with the offence.
A Uttoxeter school became the first in town to become an academy as plans for others to follow suit gathered pace.
Tynsel Parkes First School became Tynsel Parkes CE Primary Academy after joining the Staffordshire University Multi-Academy Trust (SUAT).
This meant it became the first state school in town to be run by an education trust rather than Staffordshire County Council.
Principal Theresa Walters said the school would benefit from the "economies of scale" and "support" offered by becoming a SUAT school.
A Uttoxeter stylist was dubbed "unlucky Al" when violent gales saw a gigantic tree blow down and smash into his beloved 4x4.
The damage was sustained just weeks after his barber's shop, in Church Street, was raided and vandalised by thugs.
The winds were so severe they downed a power lines around town and left 600 homes in Uttoxeter and Doveridge without electricity.
Another bizarre incident saw a trampoline fly over Diane Whiteoak's High Road house and smash into her car.
FEBRUARY
One of the top bands in the UK announced they were coming to play in Uttoxeter in an almost-unbelievable coup.
Uttoxeter Racecourse managed to get the indie heroes to sign on the dotted line to play a show in May 2017.
Music fans had previously been treated to performances by UB40 and Human League at the Wood Lane course's annual live music race days.
And they were champing at the bit in a clamour for tickets that would see the show become another sell-out.
The two men who were working to bring a new micro-pub to Uttoxeter refused to be put off by their new premises being vandalised just weeks before they opened.
The Horse and Dove was all set to bring some amazing independent brews to town when vandals put the Market Place building's window through.
But joint owner Paul Blick said: "It certainly hasn't put us off the place. In fact, we really like it. It's such a unique town and has a really traditional, historic feel to it."
JCB announced an estimated 350 new jobs would be created after a £41 million investment in a ground-breaking new engine.
The Rocester-based digger giant rolled its new JCB430 DieselMax engine off the production line for the first time.
A total of 50 jobs had already been created at the JCB Power Systems plant, in Foston, which is the company's engine production hub.
Group director for Engines Alan Tolley said: "It's a huge inverstment in terms of our machines and value to customers, as well as being of huge value to the local economy."
MARCH
More than 450 cannabis plants were seized after police raided a barn in Nobut Road, Leight.
Inside officers found six rooms being used to grow the Class B drug and 473 plants were seized.
Cultivation and production equipment were also taken by Staffordshire Police, whose officers said the plants would be destroyed.
Two men were "helping police with their inquiries", according to a Staffordshire Police spokesman.
A top cop revealed as few as five officers were patrolling the whole of East Staffordshire during night shifs.
Chief inspector Rob Neeson told town councillors between five and seven officers patrolled on week nights and up to 14 worked Friday night shifts.
He said: "We've got dog patrols and neighbouring resources that can come in if there's a demand, but they don't have primary responsibility for East Staffordshire.
"Although those numbers are relatively small, it's proportionate for the amount of staff we have available to us and there are always staff elsewhere in the county to firm things up if needed."
An Oscar-winning actor surprised Uttoxeter shoppers when he paid a fleeting visit to a town supermarket.
Theory of Everything star Eddie Redmayne was spotted at Waitrose, in Trinity Road.
The 35-year-old star made a donation to Canine Partners, which was hosting a collection at the store.
The charity's Rob Pepper said: "Eddie was in and out in a flash."
A Uttoxeter farmer said he would have to pay thousands in disposal fees after fly-tippers dumped a mountain of rubbish on his land.
Two lorry loads of pulped waste were dumped on a farmer's drive off Derby Road.
The land owner, who asked not to be named, said it would cost him £10,000 to get the waste cleared.
Former town, borough and county councillor Kathy Shaw said: "It's so unfair that it's now left to the farmer to dispose of tonnes and tonnes of waste because it's been left on his land."
APRIL
A historic day saw the launch of the Uttoxeter area's first ever academy trust as three prominent schools signed up.
Picknalls First School, Windsor Park Middle School and Thomas Alleyne's High School became founder members of Uttoxeter Learning Trust.
The move meant the schools would be run by a board of trustees and no longer be governed by Staffordshire County Council.
Trust bosses said the new legal partnership would see them share strategy, training and teaching staff.
Fallen soldiers whose names were missing from Uttoxeter's war memorial were finally set to be honoured for their bravery.
Alan and Gillian Talbot, authors of Uttoxeter's Lost Generation 1914-18, had been working for a decade to chronicle the untold stories of the heroes who gave their lives in the First World War.
Their research found more than 40 names of soldiers from the Uttoxeter area were missing from the Market Place memorial.
And JCB agreed to fund three new bronze plaques so the soldiers' names could be added a century after the Great War.
Fierce flames and thick plumes of black smoke forced a family to evacuate their home when two cars were reduced to charred shells in a suspected arson attack.
Nearby cars and homes were covered in ash after the vehicles "exploded" just before 6am in a residents' car park off Heron Drive, Uttoxeter.
Paul Gregory, whose Chaffinch Drive home was just metres from the parking area, rushed outside as their fence went up in flames.
Mr Gregory and his family were forced to leave cat Felix inside as they hurriedly abandoned their home - but thankfully he was unharmed.
MAY
Uttoxeter's football community was in mourning after the tragic death of a respected 44-year-old former player and coach.
Rocester FC legend Karl Payne died after collapsing while raising charity cash during the 110-mile Dougie Mac Bike Ride.
Tributes flooded in from fellow-players and peers from Uttoxeter Cycling Club, of which Karl was a member.
As well as representing the Romans, Karl played for a host of teams in the area, including Burton Albion.
Motorist were set to be hit in the pocket after the cost of permits in a town centre car park rocketed 259 per cent.
Parking chiefs approved plans to charge £575 for annual passes to park at Trinity Road and the Maltings.
This was a rise from £160 for Trinity Road and £350 for the Maltings, with changes brought in for short-term parking across town too.
A two-hour stay would still cost £1, the cost of a three-hour stay would double to £3 and any longer stay would be priced at £5.
The biggest musical act yet to perform in Uttoxeter attracted thousands to the town's racecourse for a sold-out Live Music Raceday.
Kaiser Chiefs performed a string of their biggest hits to delight a massive crowd on a festival-style outdoor stage.
Among the numbers they played were Every Day I Love you Less and Less, Modern Way and number one smash hit Ruby.
The crowd went wild when they performed anthemic indie-punk classic I Predict a Riot.
JUNE
Talking to the Queen was "not unlike chatting to a friend", a talented teenage equestrian revealed.
India Edwards had the honour of meeting Her Majesty after riding for her at Eland Lodge Equestrian Centre.
The 15-year-old and her beloved mare Jenga showed off their talents, jumping a tricky course of 90cm fences.
The Queen visited the centre, just outside Draycott in the Clay, as part of her visit to the Duchy of Lancaster's Needwood estate.
MP Andrew Griffiths was embarking on his third successive terms in Westminster after winning Uttoxeter's seat at the general election.
Mr Griffiths received 28,936 votes as Uxonians backed the Conservative, who had been in office since 2010, with a 10,000 majority.
He said: "I love being the MP for Burton and Uttoxeter. To have another five years representing these great towns is a real honour and a privilege.
"What's been rewarding in this election campaign is having the chance to meet so many people we have helped over the years."
Hooded raiders targeted the family home of Uttoxeter's Olympic swimming champion Adam Peaty - but they were scared off by his loyal dogs.
A neighbour spotted four "lads" trying to enter the Peatys' Byrds Lane house, with one trying the door handle, but sprinted off when dogs Bella and Monty started barking.
Peaty's mum, Caroline, paid tribute to the tight-knit community on her street after neighbour Brian Lander reported the break-in attempt.
She said: "It's normally quite a safe street and we have a good community spirit and look out for one another."