Happy Birthday, Herald!

If you go over each edition of the Morrisons Cove Herald with a fine-tooth comb, you might have noticed on last week’s front page, our volume went from 138 to 139 and our edition number went back down to one. This means that the 138th year of the Herald is done. Published first on April 9, 1885, the Herald celebrated its birthday on Easter Sunday.

There is too much to say on the history of the Herald, and I feel unqualified to embark on such a telling. But I have to say a little something on my favorite little paper.

Our recent history is likely known to many readers: owned by power couple Karen and Allan Bassler, run by a rag-tag team of seven employees, housed in the Morrisons Cove Memorial Park building, published every Thursday. Coincidentally, one year ago in our April 14, 2022, edition (Vol. 138, No. 2; note that this edition is Vol. 139, No. 2), we announced our big move. Of course, I was front and center for the recent history. When looking further back, I am fortunate to have many experts to consult: publishers, editors, owners of past. I also have Lugene, right here in the office.

Our Circulation Manager Lugene Shelly spends a lot of time in the archives. When people have questions about Heralds of the past, I always say I will consult our resident archivist. Lugene often brings fun tidbits down to the office to share with us. I frequently wish we could bring back the “Ms. Baughman visited Ms. Shelly’s home” front-page news of the early to mid-1900s; the editorials where editors complained that they could not have turkey for Thanksgiving because they were “too poor, by reason of the fact that so many of his subscribers do not pay for their paper”; the brilliant ads that took up half a page. I settle for reprinting my favorites when I get the chance.

An exceptionally popular part of our paper is the Years Ago section on the Editorial page. It is no secret that history is important to the Cove, and newspaper archives are one of the best reflections of what was happening all those years ago. They are sometimes amusing or poetic, but my favorite recollections are the ones that spark memories for readers. When a reader remembers an event and sends in their thoughts or photos, I am so grateful that the Herald’s history was able to inspire that correspondence.

Overall, that is my favorite thing that the Herald has to offer: community communication. Whether it’s a compliment or a complaint, hearing from those in the community is what the Herald is all about. “Spokesman of the Cove since 1885” the front page says, and it’s of utmost importance to the Herald staff that it continues to be the spokesman.

And a happy anniversary!

It just so happens that my anniversary at the Herald is less than a week after its birthday. April 15 marks two years of my editorship at the paper.

You will find, if you talk to me slightly too long, that I reference or quote TV shows and movies as much as I can. One of my favorite TV shows is “Gilmore Girls,” and I have to present some GG wisdom right now.

At the end of the third season of the show, Lorelai purchases an inn, the historic Dragonfly Inn. As she embarks on her first big project — demolishing the decaying porch ­— she looks up at the inn and says, “This place had a long history before us, has a long future after us. I keep thinking it’s a part of our lives, but, really, it’s the reverse. For a little while ... I don’t know. It’s like we’re a part of its life.”

While there’s a lot I would like to say about the Herald, my incredible coworkers, the opportunities I’ve been given, the joy I have felt in this role and more, this year I want to focus on the fact that I have been lucky enough to share two years of the Herald’s 139-year journey.