Bank of Holly Springs

Fielder’s Choice

Profile – team effort

Since I’ve been sitting in this seat, this week marks The South Reporter’s 17th Profile Edition.

The first was in 2002, my first full year as editor.

Some of the people featured that year included Elouise Nabors, Hugh Hollowell, Arleva Bumpas, Annie Jamison, Faye Sanders, Ronnie Jones and Naylond Hayes.

There were more that year, and lots more in the following years.

And then there were a couple of years that we combed the county for 24 hours of photos. My good friend Ronnie Day, who passed away in January, was my valuable assistant in those fun endeavors.

The planning process for the annual Profile Edition is pretty much year-round.

We keep a running list of story/photo ideas. Plus, we get calls and e-mails and texts throughout the year suggesting possible feature stories.

It’s difficult for us to get to them all. But we will give it our best shot – either for the Profile Edition or a regular newspaper.

We’re not sure all the stories we wrote this year will make it in this edition. If not, we will get them in a later edition.

A small staff produces your community newspaper on a weekly basis. So naturally, as the Profile Edition approaches each year, the small staff works even harder. It’s a big production for our crew.

This year’s edition is 20 extra pages, combined with our regular A and B sections of The South Reporter. Plus, the same staff produces the Pigeon Roost News on a weekly basis, too.

We really start focusing on the Profile Edition after Christmas and New Year’s – finalizing stories and photos.

Then about mid-January we start selling advertising. The Profile Edition would not be possible without the outstanding support of our advertisers. We are very, very thankful for all who advertise in and support their community newspaper, not just in the Profile Edition but on a weekly basis.

To benefit the advertisers even more, extra copies of the Profile Edition are delivered to offices of the Holly Springs and Byhalia Main Street Chambers, the Marshall County Industrial Development Authority and the Holly Springs Tourism and Recreation Bureau for dis­tri­bution throughout the year.

Production of the Profile Edition is definitely a team effort – with every member of the staff contributing. That includes the writing, the photography, the selling of advertising, the layout and design of the ads and the pages, the proofreading, the back-shop preparation and the delivery.

Plus, we have non-staff members who pitch in to help us, too, particularly with the writing and photography.

I’m always hesitant about naming names. You know who you are, and we appreciate you – our staff members and our other contributors.

Here’s hoping you enjoy this year’s Profile Edition.

It includes features on folks you probably know. If not, you can certainly get to know them through their stories.

Holly Springs South Reporter

P.O. Box 278
Holly Springs, MS 38635
PH: (662) 252-4261
FAX: (662) 252-3388
www.southreporter.com