On the heels of welcoming a new column to the LCN roster a few weeks ago, we are now sadly bidding another adieu.
“On the Pond” writer Matthew Hanly announced this week’s column would be his last. In his 96 columns conveying the goings-on in and around Biscay Pond, Matthew brought humor and heart to our pages over the last two-plus years. He has a noble reason for hanging up the pen, which you can read about on this page, and hopes to pass the torch to another writer.
We do hope someone takes him up on it.
The importance of local correspondents, like Matthew, Lori Crook, John Henderson, Marilyn Beane, and more, cannot be overstated. While our editorial staff prides itself on covering a large swath of Lincoln County, it is columnists who are reporting on the ground level, digging into stories and events that we wouldn’t be able to cover even with a dozen full-time employees.
A search through our archives proves correspondents have served as a cornerstone for The Lincoln County News’ century-plus history. The Aug. 2, 1923 edition contained write-ups for Alna, Bremen, Bristol, Damariscotta Mills, Edgecomb, Jefferson, Nobleboro, Sheepscot, Somerville, South Bristol, Twin Villages, Waldoboro, and Wiscasset, each chronicling the day-to-day happenings in detail.
While we doubt anyone outside of gossip mongers cares about who “motored home in (a) new car,” some of these missives contain notable items, like the USS Zizania appearing in Wiscasset harbor or the purchasing of the mill house in North Newcastle.
We’ve gotten a handful of calls about scaffolding surrounding a house in Damariscotta Mills recently. While this isn’t something our news staff might have the bandwidth for in a given week, we can all but guarantee a local correspondent would know what is happening!
We hope these traditional columns see a resurgence in the future. If you have even a passing interest in learning about becoming a local correspondent, please email us at editor@lcnme.com.
