Loose Leaf Notes

On June 1^st Wanda Combs, the editor/manager of our local weekly newspaper, The Floyd Press, is retiring.  I’ve been working as a stringer for the paper under her tutelage for more than a decade and am deeply grateful for her experience, encouragement and guidance over the years. 

In 2006 she took a chance on me. After retiring from Wall Residences, providing services for a person with disabilities in our home for nine years, I began spending more time writing and blogging.  I had some experience writing commentaries for news outlets and writing articles for the Museletter, our local  homespun monthly newsletter. I went to her office and asked her if I could run things by her from time to time for possible publication.  She was open to it, and I sold the first piece I brought to her.

We originally thought I might submit something once a month, but it turned out to be much more than that.  My blog category sidebar of reprinted Floyd Press stories contains more than 400 Floyd Press stories. Some of those were for the magazine inserts that the paper’s publishing company/owners (BH Media Group) put out. 

Over the years, I’ve covered everything from a WWE wrestling match fundraiser and Tractor Fun Run to a Climate Action Eco-Fair, John Meyer and Dave Matthews concert at Virginia Tech and a cowgirl caravan. I’ve covered parades, graduations, 4^th of July fireworks,  memorial tributes, music events and artist’s profiles.  Some of my regular beats have been local theater events, the annual Blue Mountain School Mardi Gras, Floydfest and Floyd Yoga Jam.

In-depth insert features that I wrote with Wanda at the  helm include A Flourishing of the Arts in Floyd (2008), The Restaurants of Floyd County: Something for Every Taste (2011), Floyd’s Growing Music Scene (2017), Founder Brings What He Loves to Floydfest (2017), Floyd- New Pioneers, Artists & the Next Generation (2018) and Discover Floyd (2109). 

I expect to continue as a contracted stringer for the paper and have heard that Wanda will likely contribute in that capacity as well.  Working with her has been a pleasure. Our relationship has had an ease that has built my confidence and skills as a writer. She’s going to be hard to replace.

Note: Look for a full feature on Wanda’s 40+ years at The Floyd Press in this week’s paper.  The photo above was taken at her retirement party.  I don’t know who took it, a lot were snapping and this one turned up on Facebook.  It includes people who work for the paper, past and present. Wanda is front and center.  That’s me second from the right and in front of my friend reporter Doug Thompson. Since I don’t work at the office, I don’t know or remember the names of the rest of the crew, and some are missing from the shot.