Chronicle Editorial

Fired up about 4-H

     Oct. 5-11 marks National 4-H Week here in America. 4-H clubs from sea to shining sea are celebrating with community-wide events and membership drives, and it’s certainly a wonderful sight to see our youth excited about such a worthwhile organization.

     4-H isn’t just about farming anymore. It teaches adolescents invaluable lessons about leadership, responsibility and respect that run deeper than agriculture. 4-H is a breath of fresh air in today’s day and age, and it’s important to acknowledge the significant role it plays in molding some of tomorrow’s leaders. It teaches kids the value of hard work and pays dividends as they mature and grow after they leave the organization.

     Local 4-H clubs also spearhead various betterment projects throughout the year that directly benefit our community and the people that live here. Whether it’s raking elderly residents’ yards in the fall or giving a fresh coat of paint to an old sign, it all helps. We appreciate their efforts and thank them for making things look just a little bit nicer.

     Please thank our local 4-H leaders and members this week for their hard work and dedication. Contact the Franklin County ISU Extension Office right away if you’re interested in joining this great organization, because you surely won’t regret it.

Your hometown newspaper

                National Newspaper Week runs from Oct. 5-11, and though there may not be any tickertape parades or huge parties, it’s important to acknowledge the vital role newspapers play in communities both big and small across the country.

     Hometown newspapers like your Hampton Chronicle provide a weekly bulletin board of local news, sports, opinion and other community events tailor-fitted to the interests of readers like you. Week in and week out, we try to create a great product with coverage you can rely on. Whether it’s a game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter or coverage of local government, we strive to be your No. 1 source for community news both big and small.

     Small town newspapers are the keepers of history in rural communities like Franklin County. Our archives go way back into the late 1800s, and they’re accessible to anyone who wants to look up an obituary or research a big event from our past. You can read about a huge fire that destroyed part of Main Street or learn about the construction of Beeds Lake—there are literally thousands of stories to choose from. We were there to cover them all in the past and we plan to be there in the future.

     There’s been a lot of speculation in recent years about the viability of print media. Much of the attention focuses on large daily publications, but naysayers often fail to highlight the very personal relationships between smaller newspapers and their readers. We’re right here with you to celebrate births, anniversaries, graduations and community milestones. We shop at your stores, go to your church and cheer on our local athletes with you. These things help build a bond between communities and their local newspapers, but we still have a job to do when difficult events happen. We stick it out through the think and thin just like the readers that make it all possible.

     National Newspaper Week gives us the opportunity to reflect on the importance of community journalism and its role in the 21st Century. We cover the events that matter to you most, and we appreciate the continued support from both readers and advertisers. It’s a relationship that depends on mutual trust and strong bonds that have grown over time. We’re happy to have been with you all these years, and we look forward to serving you well into the future.

     Thanks for reading the Hampton Chronicle—your hometown newspaper for more than 100 years.