The Messenger’s annual Franklin County Business Community supplement is like a photo album that captures the essence of family history, bringing back old memories and faces we’ve lost. In today’s digital age, photo albums may seem outdated, but they still hold a special place in our hearts. On holidays and anniversaries, these albums are pulled from the shelf, and memories of family vacations and birthday parties flood back.
The supplement has been around for two full generations and is celebrating its 42nd edition this May. Over the past four decades, it has likely been seen by the majority of Franklin County’s 23,000 households. Former Messenger editor and co-publisher Emerson Lynn saw a need to showcase the energy, creativity, and commerce that fuel the Franklin County economy. This led to the creation of the Franklin County Business Community supplement 40 years ago.
When the first edition was published in 1983, readers were immediately captivated by seeing pictures of their friends and the businesses they frequented. The supplement became the Messenger’s premier product and was even adopted by other newspapers in the state for their communities. Jim O’Rourke purchased the Messenger in 2018 and continued the tradition of publishing the supplement. In 2020, O’Rourke changed its format to a high-quality all-color magazine format.
Despite being able to quickly search for businesses on platforms like Google or Yelp today, there is still something special about holding this album in your hands and flipping through its pages to see who makes up Franklin County’s community family tree. O’Rourke emphasized that recognizing local businesses and their employees throughout Franklin County after 42 years is truly impressive.
In conclusion, while photo albums may seem outdated in today’s digital age, they still hold a special place in our hearts as they chronicle our family history and bring back old memories. The same can be said about The Messenger’s annual Franklin County Business Community supplement which has been around for two full generations celebrating its 42nd edition this May. Its ability to recognize local businesses and their employees throughout Franklin County after all these years makes it truly special.
