Editor's Notebook: Patch Celebrates its 100th Site Launch
Brookfield Patch turns six months old and welcomes the 100th Patch, Morristown, NJ, into the fold.
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Tuesday marks two important milestones in Patch history: the six-month anniversary of the launch of our own Brookfield Patch and the launch of our 100th site in Morristown, NJ. To commemorate the latter, Patchers are out in their towns today, giving back to the communities that have supported us in our goal to deliver original, hyper-local content. To celebrate six months in Brookfield, we're cleaning up the trails at Old Bridge Sanctuary, with help from Brookfield Patch and Patch editorial staff, the Brookfield Parks and Recreation Department and volunteers from the community.
In my short time here in Brookfield, I've found the most plentiful well of stories has come from highlighting volunteers in the community. Whether cleaning up local lakes or helping with the Gulf oil spill; fostering literacy among children or environmental awareness; renovating the homes of neighbors in need or building homes for strangers thousands of miles away, that charitable spirit is abundant in town and shouldn't be taken for granted.
Over the last six months, we've covered the passage of the 2010-2011 budget; the split-decision on the Brookfield Reinvestment Program referendum; broke news of an alleged embezzlement scandal in the Police Dispatchers Union; saw the end of construction of the municipal water lines and the difficulties of settling the tab; the closing of the Brookfield Craft Center and their plans to reopen; and a nightmarish accident with a happy ending. We arrived on scene at the completion of the Super 7 bypass and have followed the continued debate over the future of Four Corners while the businesses wait for any sort of stimulus.
We followed our high school athletes as they made it to the state championships in hockey, swimming, basketball, softball, boys and girls lacrosse, track and field, tennis and golf. Check back this fall for our continued coverage, with video highlights from the games and weekly photo albums showcasing our talented youngsters.
We also checked in with the artistic community, with profiles of local artists, actors and musicians, young and old, and coverage of theater performances, from elementary school plays to the professionals at the Brookfield Theatre for the Arts (TBTA). And we displayed Brookfield's talents: dancing, twirling, drawing, making music, shooting movies, taking photographs or just plain showing off.
We looked at interesting local businesses, some just starting out in the area and others with roots in the community going back generations, and continue to watch the Town Center District (TCD) take shape.
But most importantly, since day one we've given Brookfielders a 24/7 portal to their town, with a multi-media and interactive experience that allows the reader to join in the discussion and help us create a living history of our town.
Patch itself began as an idea in February 2008, with the goal of bringing hyper-local news content to communities across the nation. The first launches in Maplewood, South Orange and Millburn-Short Hills, NJ, in February 2009, were followed by an explosion of sites across the Tri-State area. Since that time, Patch has spread to nine states, publishing over 55,000 original articles of local interest on both coasts. With the backing of AOL (which acquired the company in June 2009), Patch is on track to continue this rapid expansion, with plans to launch sites in communities all across Connecticut and the nation in the coming year.
