HOT PURSUIT

It’s my favorite time of the year as the county fairs kick into action. And this year we have something especially exciting to share with fairgoers in Steele County.

How ironic that the Steele County Times has something in common with the Steele County Free Fair. They’re both considered Minnesota’s best.

While the Steele County Free Fair has been considered the largest and best for decades, being the best for the Steele County Times just came along in January when the paper was named Minnesota’s best weekly newspaper.

Let me assure you that winning this honor comes as no easy task. We won 24 other awards to help us achieve the top honor in being selected as the best newspaper. While dailies can also win a similar award, no other newspaper in Steele County has ever accomplished this recognition.

We have a 4-foot trophy inscribed with our name along with many other newspapers that have won the award since the early-1980s. We will be showcasing the trophy in our booth in the Four Seasons Centre at next week’s fair. We invite you to come by our booth to see this amazing accomplishment. Heck, we’ll even let you take a picture with the big trophy so you can brag to others how you are a part of Minnesota’s best newspaper.

Maybe you can even share something with us what you like (or don’t like) about our newspaper. Perhaps you have a story idea that you’d like to see in the newspaper. You may even want to take advantage of our dynamite offer to share a subscription with another family member or friend.

We value your feedback. This is a community newspaper where it isn’t just about those of us who are responsible for putting it all together.

I have said this before, but it bears worth repeating. Readers play an important part in our success, and that’s why I want others to share in the excitement of the newspaper winning such a prestigious honor.

Over the past five years, our circulation has skyrocketed by 60%. I challenge you to find another newspaper in this state, and perhaps even the country, that can make such a claim.

It all points to how local journalism matters. We know how much readers want local news and are willing to support a team committed to providing journalistic excellence.

While winning awards is great, the most rewarding part for me is hearing feedback from our readers. It warms my heart when people react to our work, both good and bad.

We truly have something special going for Steele County residents. Dan Deml, who oversees the fair as president, has shared with me how the fair is the envy of other fairs around the state because of the extensive media coverage it receives locally. Many have told him how they are lucky to get their local newspaper to cover the fair with a story or two and maybe a couple of photos.

To me that speaks volumes of both organizations—the fair and the newspaper—and the special relationship we enjoy.

This week there is a 56-page special section inserted into the paper. And, two weeks from now, we’ll have a multi-page section devoted to fair coverage.

The fair is one of the reasons why we have such a strong newspaper. For me, it’s all about the partnerships we forge with others in the community. Whether you are a long-time reader or a fairly new reader, we love our readers.

And please let’s share our love with you next week at the fair by having you go in hot pursuit of enjoying Minnesota’s best fair and best newspaper. My only regret, I don’t have the trophy on a stick. But, hey at least we have fans on a stick.