Avid readers of The Columbian-Progress or casual purveyors of our publication will not want to miss Thursday’s edition for a number of reasons.
At the end of every October, we produce what we call a “mass mailer edition,” which means that the newspaper gets mailed to every single mailbox in Marion County on top of our regular subscribers. I’m sure for some people that could care less that it’s an annoyance, but we save some of our best content for that issue and this edition will certainly be special.
First off, the mass mailer will contain the 2020-2021 phone book. While you may be able to find just about every business’ number online, it’s pretty helpful to have all the numbers in one place. Plus it’s nice to be able to have the numbers of friends and community members you may need to reach out to. There have been several articles I wouldn’t have been able to write without the use of our phone book because it has helped me reach out to members of the public I wouldn’t have been able to find otherwise. It’s still useful in today’s technology-crazed world.
But what is most exciting about the upcoming edition are the various feature articles that will be in it. I don’t want to give too much away, but I can offer some hints.
There will be features on new local artists, the best-decorated yard in Marion County, a statue sculptor, a woman who delivers supplies to the elderly and a teenager who has started their own successful podcast. But that’s not all that will be included.
With the general election right around the corner, we will have previews of the upcoming presidential and senate races, plus a breakdown of Initiative 65, which covers medical marijuana in Mississippi. There will also be a sample ballot so people will be prepared what to look for when they do go to vote, and we will have a breakdown of the crime stats in Columbia.
Plus, Managing Editor Susan Amundson will get you up to date on exactly what the downtown Christmas celebration is going to look like this year. There have been a lot of questions about it with the pandemic still hanging over our heads, but I promise you that you won’t want to miss it.
On the sports side, we will have our usual football coverage, detailing the latest Columbia High School, West Marion, East Marion and Columbia games. There will be a column explaining the potential playoff scenarios for the three public schools as they enter the last week of the regular season; Columbia Academy’s fate will have been decided Friday night. There will also be a behind-the-scenes look into one of Marion County’s homegrown professional athletes.
If you’re over the constant doom-and-gloom of 2020, from the constant coronavirus coverage, the seemingly never-ending scandals surrounding the presidential election and wildfires to murder hornets, riots and protests, then this edition of the paper will be a breath of fresh air to you. Let’s be honest; we all could use some fresh air in 2020.
For those of you who have received our mass mailer edition in your mailbox before and have simply thrown it away, I encourage you not to toss this one into the trash. There won’t be a better paper that will keep you informed while introducing you to some unique people and things in our community. I’m usually not one to self promote, but I’m honestly too excited about this edition not to do it.
Joshua Campbell is sports editor of The Columbian-Progress. Reach him via email at joshuacampbell@columbianprogress.com or call (601) 736-2611.
