Happy Second Birthday Mendham-Chester Patch!

It is hard to believe, looking back on it, that it has been two years since we flipped the switch and Mendham-Chester Patch sprang to life before our very monitors. But, as the grey hairs filling in atop my head attest, time is marching forward. 

I remember trying not to feel overwhelmed as the site took off and soon after I was bouncing around from meeting to meeting trying to get to know as many of you as possible. We slogged through the regional school district debacle which had tempers flaring and mayors meeting. We weathered the storm of the potential police merger in Chester and a series of traffic accidents on 206 and 24. Two of which involved school buses loaded with children. A local businessman took on his local government over signage and won, fires broke out, arrests were made and all the while countless good news and business stories peppered the daily newsletter that arrived to your inbox daily. 

And then of course, there was Hurricane Sandy. 

We became fast friends then, didn't we? Cold and in the dark and struggling for information and normalcy. I saw the best of Mendham and Chester and the worst of Mendham and Chester during those 11 days and I learned to love both sides. 

Last year saw more movement on the feasibility study to break up the regional school district, some more visioning work for Chester and more merger talk. But not for the Chester Police, this time involving the Mendhams. 

It is no secret that Patch underwent some changes in 2013 as well. Ultimately the redesign of the site and shuffling of editorial personnel, I believe, makes us stronger. By the time fall of 2013 had arrived I was burrowing into my new duties as the editor of Morristown Patch as well as Morris Township-Morris Plains Patch and Long Valley Patch editor Jason Koestenblatt had taken the reins of MC (and has done an excellent job). 

As much as I love my job and my current beat, I would be lying if I said I didn't miss running the site I launched. And that I didn't miss these communities I spent the better part of two years being immersed in. In short, I miss YOU guys. 

A strength of Patch is the interaction with the site, and we have always appreciated your feedback. We encourage you to continue to comment on articles, and to share your reactions, suggestions and questions, as Patch was designed to reflect our community. Ask yourself: 

Are you getting the most from your Mendham-Chester Patch?

• List your events on the Patch calendar.
• Announce your developments and milestones, such as weddings, births, graduations and promotions on our bulletin boards.
• Business owners and managers:  You can claim your Patch directory listings, and through that, add photos and promotional information, keeping the details about your offerings evergreen.
• Have you subscribed to the free Patch morning newsletter?
• Submit photos, game scores, event summaries and details about interesting neighbors or community leaders.
• Share your opinion through letters to the editor.
• Become a Patch blogger.

The start of this online community news site propelled several new concepts into our market, and changed local journalism in several ways. I hope we have met your news needs, facilitated connections, and surprised you along the way. I hope, in some small way, we have made your lives a little easier. A little better. 

I know it changed my life for the better. And in the end, that is a debt to contributors, photographers, readers, advertisers, bloggers, fellow business representatives, supporters and colleagues that I will never be able to repay. 

Happy Birthday, MC-Patch! I hope to see many more. 

So send some love to MC-Patch in the comments below! And send all the news that is fit to print to jason.koestenblatt@patch.com. And you can always drop me a line to say hi at russ.crespolini@patch.com.