My husband and I moved away from our hometown over 30 years ago but we continue to subscribe to our hometown's newspaper. Mind you, the town does not have a population much over a thousand people but it continues to faithfully print and distribute a weekly paper. My husband and I are like vultures on carrion when the paper arrives each Thursday and may the best bird win rights to the first read through.
The paper has all the sections one would expect in a small town paper. The front page is dedicated to the news of the town such as school board elections, businesses changing hands and local celebrations. The inner pages include letter(s) to the editor, sports updates of local teams, pictures of school happenings, library news and classified ads. The last page is reserved for obituaries and a column written by the current editor.
One of our favorite sections is called "News from our Files". It reprints a few news items from decades gone by, beginning in 1908. Yes, our hometown has a longstanding tradition of printing newspapers for its constituents. My favorite decades are the oldest ones. I don't recognize the names but I am fascinated with what was in the news and even more intrigued by the interesting language often used to describe events. One example came from July, 1908: "Hail last Saturday evening caused considerable damage to crops northwest of town. The storm also put a quietus on the circus, which was being presented in town that night." Another news item from one hundred years ago noted that a teacher from a local country school was leaving "due to some unpleasantness." News items from the 30's and 40's give me a window into the Great Depression and the war years. Local young men made the news for leaving home, for returning home and sadly, for never seeing their hometown again.
Along the way, I have learned a couple of lessons from my hometown paper about the folks who live there.
1) They support each other. Almost weekly, there are fundraisers for individuals and groups. Sometimes, they are for someone who needs help with medical bills. Sometimes, they are for churches raising funds for designated causes. And, periodically, the town tackles a really big project such as a new swimming pool. The town is fiscally conservative with a small taxpaying base so building a new pool is not done without a lot of sweat, time and fundraising dinners. The monies for the pool were secured and the children are not only enjoying a beautiful new pool but they also have their own swim team. As someone who took swimming lessons in the local leech-infested lake, I wholeheartedly endorse pools for kids.
2) The residents in my hometown take pride in their community. It is not unusual to see a front page op-ed piece encouraging others to shop locally. There are many photographs highlighting the latest school play or the winning run in a wild baseball game at the local ballpark. The beautiful new city park is often featured with events for outdoor family activities. The Memorial Day program is published with an emphasis on honoring those who served our country.
It is no secret that many newspapers are going the way of the passenger pigeon. But, I believe in the tenacity of small town papers and their readers. They are less likely to believe that social media will be their only source of information and most of the faces and places in the paper are recognized by almost every resident in town.
My subscription money for my hometown paper is money well spent.
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