Another year has quickly escaped our community, as well at the first complete decade of Y2K. Many of us are still recovering from the rushed holiday season, both personally and professionally. As we do so, as a staff we have decided to share a few of our most memorable moments with our readers.
We at the Oakdale Leader look forward to continuing to serve you in the coming year of 2011 and appreciate our readers continued commitment to their hometown paper. Here’s wishing you all a Happy New Year and memorable 2011.
It's hard to pick just one moment from 2010. I've had a very blessed year (and life). My nephew was born in December 2009 and he has made every moment spent with him memorable. Watching him grow and discover new things brings my whole family joy.
The weeks during the baseball post-season and World Series really stick out to me. Just like the rest of Northern California, our office was abuzz with Giants fever. Between newbie baseball fans to the life long Giants fan we had a great time reliving each game the next day. By the time the parade came about we were all Giants fans at heart! We’re already looking forward to next season. And since I am a die-hard 49er fan, I am looking to 2011 for some great football memories. Here’s hoping!
Jennifer Marek
General Manager
This year’s most memorable moment was, by far, the 2010 MLB Baseball season. Since I am a Giants fan, this season brought many more good times for me…it gave my dad and I some bonding time over yelling at the TV, some competition between the boyfriend and I, since he’s a Red Sox fan and I can’t forget being able to share all the ups and downs, including the Giants winning the World Series, with all the girls in the office. It was full of laughs and let me tell you, us girls really knew our stuff!
Annie Lemmons
Front Desk/ Advertising Coordinator
The past year has held a number of memorable moments for me, speaking on a personal and professional level. It is truly amazing how much we are able to pack in to one year of life and I am so grateful for every moment I lived in 2010.
Professionally and personally speaking my two worlds collided during the 2010 summer when I volunteered to help with the Oakdale Community Theatre Production of “Annie.” During its production season, I covered it quite extensively in the Living Section of our paper. What made this event memorable, aside from others (professionally speaking), was the community excitement we were treated to here at the Leader office.
During the ticket sale process our General Manager Jennifer Marek, as well as Office Manager Debbie Dobbins allowed the group to leave tickets for sale at the Front Desk of our office. School had just returned to session and the stress of the high school office could be slightly alleviated by our offer to help.
I must admit, aside from my introduction of our office to Relay for Life 10 years ago, the simple act of selling these tickets made me proud.
At the time that Jennifer and Debbie agreed to my proposition, we had no idea how well the play was going to be received by the community. As word got out and the buzz was created the Oakdale Leader office, well, it went a special kind of crazy. The phones rang off the hook. Community members inquiring about ticket availability. How many left? Could we hold them? What nights were sold out?
Our receptionists/ad coordinators graciously helped each caller, customer as best they could. Each of these special ladies giggled and laughed their way through the chaos. This after all was not their job, really, yet they embraced it graciously and the community appreciated them for it.
At its peak, we all joked that life would be boring around the office once the play was over. We recognized that the Wall Street/ Stock exchange feeling we had experienced for the better part of two weeks, would make every day work seem mundane when it returned.
I guess this is what I love about our community paper. We sincerely want to be everyone’s go to place. Be it for breaking news, entertaining stories or just simply to pick up tickets to a sold out show.
It’s a great feeling to be proud of your work—both professionally and personally.
Teresa Hammond
Circulation Manager/ Staff Reporter
My most memorable moment of 2010 was marrying my husband. Saying our wedding vows and exchanging rings in front of family and close friends came with a wide range of emotions. Our guests, my husband and I were laughing one minute and crying the next, then laughing again. It was an emotional rollercoaster, but all very happy.
Dawn M. Henley
Staff Reporter
I had to think long and hard on what was my “most memorable moment” of last year. After a lengthy reflection I kept coming back to the milestones of my children. I had many blessings but when the accolades fade, the memories that bring a smile to my face are the ones filled with the kids. Our oldest son Sebastian went to New York with his drama class and I had to hold back tears of pride and joy being able to send him on such a memorable journey; our youngest child, our only daughter, started kindergarten, closing the chapter on her toddler years and ushering in her school career; our middle son hit the 6 feet 2 inch height mark and spent the year becoming an athlete to watch in the future. As for me, I attended my 20-year high school reunion, which enabled me to rediscover friendships that I’d once held dear; and I booked my first official “paid” speaking engagement within the writing community. In all, there were many shining moments and I count myself blessed to have experienced them with my loved ones. Here’s hoping 2011 is filled with many more opportunities to live, laugh and love with abandon.
Kim Van Meter
Staff Reporter
Professionally speaking, my most memorable moment of 2010 had to be the Escalon Cougars winning the state football title on a rain-soaked field in Southern California. It was an early Christmas present, Dec. 18, and one that a number of people were able to share in, either attending the game or watching on TV. It was wonderful to be part of such an amazing, successful, memorable season of high school football.
Personally speaking, watching my daughter walk across the stage to get her eighth grade diploma — again in pouring rain — was another memorable event, one that proved how fast time really does go by …
Marg Jackson
Managing Editor
