All writers in Op Ed are here to inform and acknowledge issues of importance to our communities, however these writings represent the views and opinions of the authors and not necessarily of The Advertiser. 

The 82^nd annual National newspaper week is a recognition of the service of newspapers and their employees throughout the United States and Canada and is sponsored by Newspaper Association Managers.

This year, National Newspaper Week got overlooked by the Advertiser, in the rush of things, and a wonderful Letter to the Editor came this past week to remind us of what a newspaper is all about. The week of October 2-8 was the time to hold this observance. Apologies to our readership for pushing aside the event, and many thanks to the author of the letter– one may read below as a Letter to the Editor — for bringing into focus the meaning of a newspaper, at least to one family.

This letter from the community, which speaks to our newspaper in very special terms, came last Tuesday as we went to press.  Here we share it with our readers.

Letter to the Editor

Grateful for the Edgefield Advertiser

Moving from the southwest to Edgefield, S.C., last year was quite an adventure, to say the least. I sold my home in Northern Utah, put my world into a storage unit, then bought an old ’31 RV and trekked me and my two adult daughters to this little blip on the map.  We had no friends or family here to speak of, no idea of anything other than what I could glean from Google, and one of the ways we prepared ourselves was by keeping expectations low and elbows greased.

With that, since we’d always subscribed to a local newspaper, we gave a kind of martyr’s sigh at the offering here for Edgefield; no dailies or big Sunday bundles with striking headlines, sophisticated commentaries, or comics and glossy ads with coupons. “Ah, small town life,” we told each other, “that’s okay.”  It didn’t take long to realize how little we actually cared for those things as we discovered the richness of The Edgefield Advertiser. With national and international news blasted nonstop online, we look forward now to settling into the local happenings and folks presented each week in our tidy newspaper.  We especially enjoy the spunky intelligence of Blaney Pridgen (oh my gosh, the Alien invitations article – so great) and Robert Scott; they’re an absolute joy to read.  Dr. Dwella Nelson is a real asset as well, and we’ve never seen a newspaper that allowed the kind of sound Biblical commentary and encouragement that we get from Sigrid Fowler each week.  So many things to be grateful for since we’ve moved here; beautiful town, kind people, and a perfect local newspaper – well, perfect for us.

Thank you, Edgefield.

Natalie Ginger

PS: No more piled-high stacks of unread, bulky newspapers is really nice, too.