Silly little sadness

It was a small town paper that won't leave much of a ripple going down, but it was ours.

I haven't lived in that town for 53 years, but some of my early poetry was published in it, as was my engagement and marriage and those of my siblings.

My late older brother was a reporter and photographer for the Herald, and once, in his dry droll manner, borrowed my horse, donned a Stetson, and rode the four miles into town to deliver his news a la Pony Express. He tied the reins to a parking meter.

It saddens me.

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bowman81 · M

The small town newspaper published in the village near my cabin is going the first of the year. The publisher/reporter/business manager husband and wife decided to retire and no one wants to buy the business. It is just a small weekly newspaper but it will be missed.
I feel your pain.

Heartlander · 80-89, M

Not silly ...

My local small town kept me connected to my hometown for 70 years.

My neighbor (I was ring bearer at her wedding) worked at the local newspaper's circulation and that hometown newspaper followed me to the far corners of the earth for years. It was like I never left. At some point it sold to the New York Times and became less of a home town newspaper, and even less of a hometown newspaper when the NYT merged it with the hometown newspaper of a neighboring city. At some point the NYT was losing enough money on its own and decided to sell my old home own newspaper to Gannett, but not before expanding the old hometown newspaper to a 4 county/parish newspaper.

DrWatson · 70-79, M

I understand. There used to be two local papers where I grew up, "Newsday" and "The Long Island Press." Our family subscribed to the latter. It went went out of business a few years after I moved away. There had been a few articles about me in it ("high school achievements" make it into local papers.) Even though I did not live there anymore, it did sadden me to know it was gone.

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Mamapolo2016 · F

@DrWatson You're a good sport!

DrWatson · 70-79, M

@Mamapolo2016 Without the injuries!

RedBaron · M

@DrWatson So was I. That’s why I wrote about sports and athletes instead of being one.

PoetryNEmotion · F

Certainly it is not silly sadness when a piece of history dies. Your heart will go on with its memories. Do you have yellowed clippings from it saved over the years, Mamap? Grizzly bear huggggggggggsssss.

Mamapolo2016 · F

@PoetryNEmotion Sadly, no. Never been much of a clippings person although now I wish I were. Somewhere I have a clipping of a photo of my brother standing next to my horse at the parking meter. Thank you, friend.

Heartlander · 80-89, M

@PoetryNEmotion

FWIW, there's an internet service called Newspapers.com that has a pretty extensive database of newspapers, including many weekly newspapers that were common and popular in many smaller communities. Tiny newspapers that have been out of print for years and many that reach back into the 19th century.

I was able to find my parents marriage announcement and birth announcements, etc. There are lots of time gaps, but overall plenty enough to give good snapshots of what our hometowns were like before we were born.

RedBaron · M

Many such outlets have moved online, but certainly not all.

Wiseacre · F

Sure, I can understand that!

bijouxbroussard · F

Amazing memories. I’m sorry it’s closing its doors. 🥺

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