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Back in 1993, I was just out of college and working for the Times Leader when I was “temporarily” assigned to design the ads for a new publication that was about to be launched, named the Weekender.
Now, it is 13 years later and I have been involved, in some way, in the production of every issue of the Weekender that has hit the streets.
To be sure, anyone who has ever worked for a newspaper, even a weekly one, knows that it is not a 9-to-5 job. It requires long days, late nights, missed plans, skipped vacations.
But, for me, one look at the finished product – a copy of the latest Weekender every Wednesday morning – makes all of the work worthwhile.
In its 13 years, the Weekender has become the source for arts and entertainment news in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and I think I can say that you haven’t seen anything yet.
For those who complain that there is nothing to do in our area, one glance through the 88 (or 96) pages of the Weekender each week will prove them wrong.
Each issue of the Weekender is filled with great stories about upcoming concerts, plays, the CD release of a great local band, what’s going on at all the local colleges and universities, or what new clubs, restaurants or businesses are opening in our region.
There is something for everyone in the Weekender: movie times and reviews for the film buffs, places to show off your car, motorcycle or tattoo, not to mention a new Model and Man of the week every Wednesday.
But the Weekender also does more than just write about what’s going on in local arts and entertainment: whether it’s a charity event, the summer deck series, a night out at a local bar, or the Model of the Year Party and last week’s Fashion, Fetish & Fantasy Ball, my co-workers and I are out, usually every night, somewhere in the community, giving back some of the great support that readers and businesses have shown us over the years.
The Weekender is style. The Weekender is theatre. The Weekender is music. The Weekender is arts and entertainment in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and I’m proud to say that I have been involved with every one of the more than 650 issues of the Weekender that have been produced so far … and hope that I will be involved in the many, many more issues still to come.
Look around and I’m sure you’ll agree that Northeastern Pennsylvania is a much more diverse community than we were 13 years ago, and I’m sure that as the Weekender continues to evolve and grow, we will find ways to make sure that all of the art and entertainment of all the various segments of our community are represented in our pages.
How do I know that?
Because it’s what the Weekender does, what it’s done for the past 13 years and what it does better than anyone else.
So, happy birthday Weekender. I’m proud to have been here to see you grow these past 13 years, and look forward to what’s to come.
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