The Hardwick Gazette: Final Call

In a posting earlier this month, we shared with our membership that Ross Connelly, publisher of the Hardwick Gazette, put the paper up for sale through an essay contest this year.   The contest received national press coverage, including a poignant article in The New York Times earlier this month (https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/26/us/want-to-own-a-newspaper-a-vermont-contest-has-trouble-finding-takers.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0).

The contest needed a minimum number of entrants for it to be a viable solution for Mr. Connelly to hand over the reins of his paper, but unfortunately, it has still not met that minimum.

The contest deadline has been extended one final time to October 10, so if you are interested, you can still submit your essay.

Mr. Connelly has also started a Kickstarter campaign to make the contest viable, with a target of raising $100,000 by October 10.

The Hardwick Gazette is our area’s major weekly source of news and information about local government, sporting events, schools, and more. It would be a serious loss to both our year-round and summer communities were it to shutter its doors.

“These are people who just want to see the Gazette endure,” Connelly says [of participants to date on the paper’s Kickstarter page]. “They recognize the value of the independent voice — socially, culturally and politically. It’s a sentiment being felt broadly, even internationally. “

Perhaps you understand the critical importance of the small town press. Or perhaps you are simply a community member who values the Gazette and its contributions to our corner of Vermont.

The Kickstarter campaign ends October 10. The link is below. Don’t wait. Help save the Gazette today.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1192030243/save-the-hardwick-gazette