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In good hands EDITOR
BIDS A BITTERSWEET FAREWELL
FRESH BAKED GOODNESS
MARK CHAPMAN BAND
COME BY LAND OR BY AIR
Crazy Redhead’s Bakery and Cafe is a homemade hit
Making its mark on Music City
Hangar Kafe caters to pilots and the public
A magazine dedicated to Southwest Missourians AUGUST 2013
AUGUST 2013
CONNECTION MAGAZINE | 1
editor s not ’ c ConneCtion Has Been an integRaL PaRt of my creative life since december 2009 when we first introduced the magazine to the southwest Missouri community. now 45 issues later, I find myself faced with the difficult task of composing my final editor’s note. By the time you read this, i will be living in steamboat springs, Colorado, serving as editor of the steamboat Pilot & today newspaper. our move to Colorado came quickly and ahead of schedule, but the opportunity was one we felt we had to pursue. the decision to leave is bittersweet and saying goodbye to Connection is one of the hardest parts of our departure.
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My career in publishing now spans almost three decades, and the launch of Connection is definitely a high point on my journalistic journey. From the very beginning, readers have loved this magazine, and it was thrilling for me to watch as each community in our target publication area of Barry and Lawrence counties quickly claimed it as their own. the support we receive from advertisers, from contributors, from readers and from the interesting people and places we feature in our pages each month is truly phenomenal. Because Connection is free, i want to thank our advertisers who see value in the magazine and make its publication possible. in particular, i am indebted to those businesses who bought into our vision from the very beginning and have never missed a month of advertising in the magazine. these businesses include: Barry electric, Community national Bank, Dr. Carolyn Hunter, DMD, Fohn Funeral Home, Freedom Bank, First State Bank, Mocha Jo’s, Race Brothers, security Bank, the southwest area Career Center (now scott Regional technology Center), The Trunk and Tomblin’s Jewelry and gifts. Cox Monett Hospital, who graces our back cover each month, was actually the very first advertiser to jump on board the Connection band wagon. i remember talking to Janell Patton about our idea for Connection during coffee at Mocha Jo’s. She loved the concept and immediately signed on to take our premier advertising spot without even seeing a mock-up of the magazine. Her belief in what we were attempting to create gave me the confidence to forge ahead, and by
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committing her advertising dollars in a year’s contract, she helped green light our first issue. in just six weeks time, we were able to get our first issue of Connection on the streets, and we have watched the magazine grow into a publication that people can’t wait to get their hands on each month. Connection has become so popular that we usually run out of magazines within a week and a half of their initial distribution. The magazine’s rock star status can be attributed to the communities we cover. the pages of Connection are filled with interesting and intriguing stories that we discover right here at home. it seems as if almost every resident of Barry and Lawrence county has a story to tell, and our readers have done a great job of helping me uncover these hidden gems. i have been blessed with a very talented magazine staff of photographers and writers who have a knack for bringing stories alive with their words and images. Producing a monthly magazine is a team effort, and Connection has always been a collaborative effort. early on, i was lucky enough to forge a creative partnership with graphic artist Veronica zucca, who serves as Connection’s art director. Connection was born from our shared creative vision, and it has been a joy to work side by side with such a gifted artist. Veronica is the one who makes Connection’s pages come alive each month, and she deserves a lion’s share of the credit for Connection’s success. as i look ahead, i see a bright future for this magazine. thanks to the support of my boss, Ron Kemp, i was given the opportunity to hand pick my successor, and i am pleased to announce that sherry tucker will be taking over as
editor of Connection beginning with the september issue of the magazine. sherry is an accomplished writer, and she shares my passion for this magazine. i have full confidence in Sherry’s abilities, and I expect Connection to continue on without a hitch. Change is inevitable and sometimes a little unnerving, but in the case of anything creative, change can bring about the opportunity for new life and growth. sherry will introduce herself when she crafts her first editor’s note for the september issue, but i wanted to be the first to welcome her to her new position with the magazine. she has been a contributor for the past few months and has shown herself to be an adept wordsmith. as a Barry County native, sherry is very familiar with our lovely corner of the state and will continue the tradition of uncovering interesting stories to tell in the pages of the magazine. she also adheres to the same high standards
like P.S. If any of you would is to stay in touch, my email . lschlichtman@gmail.com
for quality we have always attempted to showcase in Connection. i am leaving my beloved magazine in good hands, and with Veronica’s continued involvement, the magazine can only get better and better. With tears in my eyes, i bid farewell and thank you for accepting Connection with such open arms from the very beginning. over the past three years and eight months, i have shared a little of myself in this editor’s note, viewing this page of the magazine as a conversation with my readers, and I’ve truly treasured the dialogue it’s sparked. This magazine has opened my eyes to all that southwest Missouri has to offer, and like I’ve described it before, Connection is like a love letter to the area you call home. as i head off to a new adventure, a piece of my heart stays behind. Blessings and best wishes to each of you, and keep connecting with this wonderful magazine we’ve all grown to love.
Lisa schlichtman
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