ASHLAND — Over the past year, I’ve gone on hundreds of little adventures while chasing stories for Ashland Source.
I flew in a hot air balloon and a Vietnam-era helicopter.
I covered a national rock music festival.
I followed the Ashland University women’s basketball team to St. Joseph and Dallas.
I stood just a few feet away from roaring monster trucks at the county fair.
I watched the Ashland fire division burn down a fake house.
I followed the Amish as they made their way through court.
But now it’s time for a new adventure; June 1 was my last day at Ashland Source as a Report for America Corps Member as I depart to explore new opportunities in journalism.
I’ve written so many stories that I realized I’d forgotten about some of them when I went back through my articles for this farewell column.
But here are a few I definitely won’t forget.
I won’t forget the re-opening of the Schine’s Theatre as “The Ashland,” when I could feel the community’s excitement and joy in the air.
I won’t forget when I searched for Bigfoot (unsuccessfully) in September during Bigfoot Basecamp Weekend at Pleasant Hill Lake Park.
I won’t forget driving around the county in my second week at Ashland Source, taking pictures of the widespread damage a derecho caused last June.
I won’t forget meeting with four Ukrainian AU students who fled their country after the Russian invasion and their stories of tragedy and triumph.
There are certainly plenty of others I won’t forget, but I know you all would probably rather be doing something else than reading a reporter reminiscing.
This is a special town with special people. When I first took the job, I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting myself into.
I was a native of southern Ohio, and my only experience with living in a rural community was Athens, Ohio, a college town that feels more like a bustling city than a rural place.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Ashland defied the common stereotype of rural decay. It had a bustling downtown, employers flocking to the area and new developments everywhere.
I discovered the city’s people have an uncommon kindness and generosity. Charities and non-profits are thriving, buoyed by a community that wants to give back.
It’s hard to say goodbye. But you’ll be in good hands without me.
My colleague Dillon Carr will still be out there every day, reporting on Ashland. And in July, a new Report for America corps member, Mariah Thomas, will take over my role.
I couldn’t have gone on any of these adventures without your support of Ashland Source. In a time when many local news outlets are dying, you’re here every day, reading the stories we work so hard on.
I would encourage you to keep reading, even though the pain of not seeing my bald head at the bottom of stories may be too much to bear.
I suppose it’s just about time for me to get on with goodbye.
So, farewell, Ashland. Keep doing what you do best, and remember what Charles Dickens once said: “The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.”
