In January, 2015, Bronna Zlochiver edited and sent out the first issue of Vernon’s digital newsletter, the Vernon Community News. For a little over two years, it was sent out in PDF form as an email attachment. Beginning in April 2017, Martin Langeveld assumed the editorship, and the format changed from PDF to email newsletter, as it is now.
 
So, we’re marking the fifth anniversary of the Vernon Community News! But this was not Vernon’s first news resource. At a recent visit to the library, we compiled the following history of printed newspapers and newsletters focused on Vernon, in chronological order. (There may have been additional publications or issues not in the library’s collection.)
 
The Post Rider — Published in Vernon weekly for 10 weeks in 1960 by Robert H. McAnney. This paper covered Vernon as well as Northfield, Guilford, Bernardston, and Gill, as a for-profit enterprise. (10 issues are mentioned in Vol 1 No 1 of Vernon Voices. The Library has the first 5 issues)
 
Vernon Voices — Community Newspaper for Vernon, Vermont. Published beginning in January, 1985, with Thomas and Paula McClure, editors. The library has 12 issues, Jan.-December 1985.,
 
The Link — Official Newsletter for the town of Vernon, Vermont — Published quarterly from July, 1992 through December, 1992, with Samiha N. Northup, editor, and Irene Miller, assistant editor. It was mailed free to all residents.

Name This New Vernon Newspaper — This was the name of the first two issues of the next incarnation of Vernon news, published monthly by the Town Office beginning November, 1994. The editors were Martha Miller and Raymond Timney. It was mailed free to all residents. Readers were asked to suggest a name for the paper. Beginning in January 1995, it was renamed The New Vernon Newspaper. The name was suggested by Ellen McNary. The name changed again in January 1996, to simply The Vernon Paper. By this time it was up to 26 pages of stapled 8.5 x 11 sheets, stapled and mailed to all residents.
 
The Vernon Paper continued until at least April, 2011, and had a number of different editors plus volunteers who typed, collated, stapled, and mailed. The library has all issues in spiral bindings through October 2008 plus October 2009-Sept. 2010 (bound in a notebook), and loose numbers from 2009 (just September); 2010 (October, November, December) and 2011 (January through April). (If anyone has additional issues, the library would be glad to have them!)
 
This was the end of printed news for Vernon, but as noted above, the digital Vernon Community News picked up the slack beginning in January 2015, and has published monthly without fail since then. There have also been quite a few mid-month “extras” when warranted by events. The newsletter is currently emailed, free, to 517 subscribers.
 
The Vernon Community News is published in conjunction with the unofficial town website, VernonVermont.org, and the Vernon Facebook group. Editors/administrators/moderators of all three of these digital platforms are Martin Langeveld, Deb Berryere, and Tim Arsenault. Additional volunteers are welcome!

To subscribe, just sign up using the form in the left-hand column on this page.