From the moment I started managing the WV Daily News, Hinton News and the Virginian Review in Covington, the top reoccurring question I’ve received from readers has been: “How can you help rebuild Main Street?”
Ask any old-timer, and they will dreamily gush about the by-gone bustling, thriving main streets like Covington, Ronceverte, Hinton, Rainelle, Lewisburg, and White Sulphur Springs. But as we know, when the Interstate replaced train transportation, and the mega stores moved in and shopping malls moved us out, it gutted our precious community epicenters.
Actually, I’ve been musing on this issue for a long time, but from a completely different angle that just recently came full circle. Cognition of this varmint started in 2017 precisely, when I uprooted our family from the San Francisco Bay Area and relocated them back to Lewisburg. We wanted to be closer to our kinfolk. What in the tarnation were we thinking?!
That first year was like being a goat’s butt in a pepper patch. California winter warm sunny days out in nature were replaced with endless dreary browns and severe cabin fever. Where is the mega supply of cultural dining and entertainment?
But then a funny thing happened when I took off my big city britches. Blood pressure returned to normal. Road Rage wasn’t a thing. Sirens, trains and traffic noise didn’t keep us tossing and turning into the night. Okay maybe small-town living is not so bad after all. The locals are friendly, nights are blissfully quiet, and we actually know our neighbors.
And after a spell, a much bigger realization started appearing in my hayloft. Many cities in California don’t have a clearly identifiable Main Street, where there is a town center (like a green space) complete with lots of shops and people meandering between them. California towns seem to merge into one another, with the town center being thinly disguised as a strip or mega mall, and every destination requires a car. And when my wife and I did bump into a little town that had a thriving town center, we relished it like kids in a booming strawberry patch.
What we’ve come to realize is simple. The void that had been nagging in us while living in California is now being filled with a ‘sense of place and belonging’ by residing in a small town, complete with a proper, thriving “Main Street.” And if the pandemic only brings us one good thing, it has shown us the power and possibility of remote working. Being able to combine one’s career opportunities with a high-quality lifestyle in the location of your choosing, is, well… priceless. This, in my opinion is fantastic news for West Virginia.
So back to the problem of how newspapers can help Main Street. Firstly, we’ve put a couple of things into motion. One is to reignite the grand, old newspapers that once graced these small towns. There’s awesome power in having a local newspaper to give a town a sense of newsworthiness, recognition, and its people a common sense of place and belonging. White Sulphur Springs and the WSS Star is our first experiment, followed up with many others as you’ve seen in our newspapers. Btw, Ronceverte Times (last seen in 1916) is coming back very soon!
Secondly, our area is an extremely attractive place to live and visit, especially since the pandemic. In May, we are launching a new publication called DayTripper Virginias Magazine, which will focus on lifestyle, events and adventure in the region. Its specific purpose is founded in economic development for our local shops and businesses and will attract folks within a day’s drive of the area. We’ll be publishing around 30,000 copies across WV and VA, so be on the lookout! There’s a couple of good surprises in there you don’t want to miss.
Kudos this week for “those who make the world just a little better” goes to the awesome folks at The Greenbrier Humane Society. They’ve been serving the area since 1965 with spay/neuter programs, adoptions and services that highly benefits our community. My first pup “Daisy” came from there in 1970. The West Virginia Daily News just kicked off our annual donation drive to help them receive much-needed supplies. So if you see them please thank them for their service. Heck go big and drop by a donation.
Until next week, I’d love to hear your Main Street ideas and hints on good folks doing awesome things for our community. I can be reached at drnews@wvdn.com.
