Celebrating 20 Years!

With this issue, Milford Living is elated to mark the magazine’s 20th anniversary. For two decades, Milford Living has been invited into the homes of Milford’s readers, sharing stories about the people of Milford for the people of Milford. The magazine has been a labor of love, dedicated above all to celebrating this unique and vibrant community. At this wonderful milestone, the creators of Milford Living are humbled by the support the magazine has enjoyed and remain committed to bringing their readers the best that Milford has to offer.

That mission began some 20 years ago with Suzanne Cahill, a publishing industry veteran and Milford resident, who felt that the community engagement and enthusiasm she saw on display in Milford was going sorely unnoticed. “I thought about ways I could improve that,” says Cahill. “Kind of naturally from there I said, ‘Well, I’ll start a magazine.’ Milford Living was born.”

Cahill found that others shared her zeal, and her idea was met with an immediate response. Production designer Ryan Swanson helped her create a layout for the future publication. Armed with a prototype, Suzanne posted an ad online seeking prospective contributors. Ann McGuire, a magazine writer and fellow Milford transplant, answered. The two met for the first time at Café Atlantique and built the roadmap for the types of stories the magazine would tell. McGuire is still with Milford Living, serving as the magazine’s editorial director.

Milford Living offered a chance to “spotlight all of the hidden talents and abilities of the people of the city,” says McGuire. “We wanted to highlight the good work being done in the community. We have always made sure to look at the city from a positive perspective, to focus on the bright spots.”

From there, Suzanne paid a visit to Nell Moll at the Milford Chamber of Commerce.

“She introduced me to a number of lifelong residents, and from there I was able to glean some historical information that I needed to absorb, knowing that the identity of the magazine had to come from that place. A place of civic pride, responsibility, respect, and wonder,” says Cahill. Moll introduced Cahill to local photographer Mary Hegarty Neschke, who would go on to shoot many of the magazine’s covers in the early years. “Soon, we took up shop at 162 Bridgeport Avenue, and Susan Carroll Dwyer joined us, and brought with her a new level of wit, organization, and historical context to the publication,” says Cahill. “Susan now serves as our associate publisher. As we began to grow in pages and subscribers, I needed some help with sales.

Luckily I ran into advertising veteran Joy Haines on a trip to the post office!

Our core team has weathered some growing pains, but we did it together.”

It is the efforts of local creatives and supporters that have allowed Milford Living to thrive these 20 years. In the beginning, the fledgling publication faced the inevitable financial hurdles facing any new enterprise, but support never wavered. “The first five years were tough,” says Cahill, “But the community took to it right away.” Cahill credits the letters she receives from readers with keeping her going.

“We built up a robust subscription following by attending events, knocking on doors, fairs, festivals, and taking the time to meet people in the community. When you see those subscription cards about town, be sure to fill one out,” reminds Cahill. Local institutions and business owners were quick to offer their financial support, and many continue to sponsor the magazine to this day. Engagement with the community is what keeps the magazine alive. Cahill says, “Our editorial today is shaped by the comments and suggestions we receive from our readers.”

The pages of Milford Living have featured everyone from musicians and artists to Joan Sapitowicz Allen, a beauty queen who represented Milford at the 1954 Miss USA competition. Everyone from entrepreneurs, teachers, firefighters, fishermen, police officers, and business owners, to the fine people at the city’s wastewater treatment plant, have been spotlighted. Milford

Living has consistently sought to engage with people from every corner of the community. “We’re always looking for more history,” says McGuire, who recalls staging a 1950’s themed BBQ photoshoot and reporting on a Cold War-era nuclear alert system on Milford’s Zion Hill.

“The work continues to be an adventure,” says Susan Carroll Dwyer. “Milford Living has afforded me access to incredible people, places, and more. I have played with tiger cubs, rode in the pilot house of the Port Jeff Ferry, and gone curling…it’s much harder than it looks. I’ve climbed into the clock towers at City Hall and The First Church: the history and the views were remarkable,” Carroll Dwyer recounts. “Memorable stories about giant pumpkins, horseshoe crabs, UFO sightings, glass blowing, checking out super cool classic cars, and spotlighting garage bands from back in the day achieving long-deserved notoriety has been a blast. Our annual Kite Fly has been fun event with kites aloft and spirits high.” In fact, Carroll Dwyer continues, “I look forward to each new experience. Every time the latest issue arrives from the printer it is still a thrill.”

Longtime contributor Cindy Papish Gerber has been all over town on behalf of Milford Living.

“I’ve received VIP tours at Milford’s Senior Center, an aeronautics facility, Fire Headquarters Station 1, and climbed aboard the Milford Marine Unit vessel. I also got to sample pizza from some neighborhood establishments. Tough gig, but somebody had to do it,” says Gerber. When asked for her favorite Milford Living pieces, Cindy echoes the thanks felt by all at the magazine. Her favorite stories are “those that allowed me to explore the depth of Milford’s history and articles that allowed me to meet so many wonderful people. It’s been extremely gratifying to get to know them and receive heartfelt thanks for sharing their personal stories.”

Twenty years on and Milford Living is proud to still be going strong. The magazine has recently moved into new offices downtown and boasts more reportage and photography than ever before. Gerber notes that “the magazine has forged a huge connection for readers to the place they fondly remember or presently call home. It’s become an essential part of the Milford community… and beyond.” It is a place where people can go and be proud of their city. That, says Cahill, is “why we do the magazine; to give residents something they can always be proud of and where page by page readers know that the Little City with the Big Heart will always be cherished.”

—Tadhg Hannon