Last Thursday, the Lacombe Express marked two years in existence as a community newspaper.
In newspaper time, that’s 104 editions of the paper and around 364,000 printed copies distributed throughout the community.
In the two years we've been in existence, we've had the pleasure of covering many stories within Lacombe, Blackfalds and the surrounding area.
In our very first edition, we featured a variety of community-based stories such as a feature on a former child soldier, the still evolving C4 Initiative, the performance-based acrobatic group, the Acronaires and a colourful photo spread on the Lacombe Fashion Show. On the inaugural front page was a photo of our fearless volunteer firefighters fighting a grass fire along the railway tracks.
In our first anniversary edition, we again featured a variety of stories including a showcase on two Lacombe men who went to the Ukraine to provide medical assistance to those in need, a story on an award-winning kickboxing instructor as well as a story that delved into Blackfalds residents’ concerns on a new waste bylaw proposed by the Town. On the front page was a photo of a Canada goose, welcoming in the spring season.
Throughout the last two years, the Express has also covered many projects that have started out in infancy, sometimes just as a design concept, and are now full-fledged facilities, like the Town of Blackfalds’ premier recreation facility, the Abbey Centre. We covered the story from the first steps of construction, to the grand opening and now continue to cover all of the events and happenings that go on inside the public facility.
Last week, in our 52nd print edition, we featured stories on seniors’ fitness, the newly planned police facility in Lacombe, provincial education cuts, a photo spread on the Encore Art Sale and Celebration and of course, the upcoming provincial election.
Even though it’s two years later and our staff has seen some changes, both editions reflect the same clear stream of consciousness — we are connected to the area and continue to offer the community the latest in local news.
And this is where you come in readers.
We are always looking for new ways to improve and expand our paper, so we continue to encourage readers to submit letters, story ideas and photos to us.
We've enjoyed being part of the community, covering the issues you care about and are interested in. We would like to thank the community, all of the readers and advertisers for making this second year also a successful one.
We hope to mark many more to come.