Growing up in a small, rural, agricultural community in Southwest Wisconsin in the 80’s and 90’s, our local weekly newspaper was our primary source of communication. There was so much to learn about the people and places in our small town. As an itty-bitty kid in our neck of the woods, you were cool if your name was in the paper. You were FAMOUS if your picture was in the paper! Like wayyy cooler than Miles Davis (insert Billy Madison reference, if you are around my age).
Now, at my age, despite many of our addictions and obsessions to our cool devices and the internet at our fingertips, I still think there is an element of infatuation many of us have with a printed newspaper. There is a charming, reminiscent, yet hopeful and exciting feeling when we get our hands on a fresh newspaper. Our fingertips may be tired from texting but they are never too tired to flip the pages to explore the people and places in our small town.
As much as I love and support the convenience of online communication to enhance our connections to support our small OurFESTUS area (hence my creation of MyFESTUS.com), I firmly believe in, and support, a printed newspaper medium to communicate with the masses.
Why?
I support learning.
I support the brave and courageous local entrepreneurs and business owners.
I support the people who cultivate the positive and safe culture that we have created within our community.
I support the journalists and the storytellers who are able to articulate this kind of energy into our world.
I support the entire team who works to create, publish, and deliver relevant and timely newspapers to our homes.
I believe this is an incredible service and value to all of us, and I love that it is offered at no cost to our local readers.
I support our local newspaper publication, the Leader.
Now, respectfully, the Leader is asking for our community support.
This is a non-paid endorsement, inviting you to join me in supporting the Leader, as you support local learning, local journalism, and the positive and safe culture we are all creating within our small town.
Please click on the links below learn more about how you can help support the Leader, and why it makes a difference for our next generation.
As always, your thoughts and ideas are welcome in the comments on social media.
Your courage to share invites others to connect, and supports the energy we are cultivating within OurFESTUS community.
P.S. At the end of February, I was pumped to be featured in the “Celebrating Women in Business” section of the Leader. It was such a delight to work with the kind Kayla Rhineberger and the gifted graphic design team to get everything set up. Kayla offered to have extra copies at the front desk of the Leader for me to pick up. My son was ecstatic to join me to learn where the kind and gifted people, behind the paper, work.
We were both so impressed! It just happened to be National Oreo Day when we went in. My lucky little man was invited to go behind the front desk to pick out, and bag up, a variety of different Oreo flavors to eat and take home! He had the biggest cookie-covered smile.
When we got in the car, his eyes grew just as big as his chocolate smile when he lit up to see my face, and name, in the paper. This small town farm girl, now mama, feels pretty darn cool AND famous to be in our local newspaper! His reaction reinforced how much this medium is needed for future generations. May we all collaborate to ensure our youth can be just as reminiscent and hopefully excited to learn from a printed newspaper, as many of us are.
P.P.S. While I can’t guarantee the kind and gifted the Leader team will always have cookies to serve, I can guarantee they will bring a smile to your face if you pay them a visit. If you have not stopped into the Leader office lately, or ever, they are located near the Festus Post Office at 503 N. 2nd Street in Festus, Missouri. It is a pretty cool place, filled with equally cool and famous people.
Shout out to Marie Stelling who was featured next to me in the paper. She intentionally supports all generations:
Shout out to Peggy Scott who works at the Leader, and is the President of a local organization, also making a difference for our next generation:
