What? Is this this going to be some sort of sports blog, or something?

Hardly.

But in this week's paper, we listed the girls' qualifiers from the region at the District 3 Championships in Shippensburg this weekend. The boys' qualifiers were not released as of press time and I wanted to let everyone know who has qualified ...

Listed will be the event, the athlete's seed, and the name.

110m hurdles: (20) Jeremy Barr (Sr., Sch. Valley). 100m: (22) Giuliano Caloiero (Fr., SV), (25) Josh McNeil (So., SV). 1600m: (4) Tyler Riegel (So., Tulp.), (8) Jason Hartman (Sr., SV). 440m: (13) Anthony Care (So., Tulp.). 4x100m: (13) Schuylkill Valley. 200m: (19) Derek Gaul (Fr., SV), (24) G. Caloiero (Fr., SV). 3200: (3) T. Riegel (So., Tulp.), (11) J. Hartman (Sr., SV), (17) Kyle Wagonseller (Sr., SV). 4x400m: (14) Schuylkill Valley. High Jump: (10) Cameron Pierson (Sr., Tulp.). Pole Vault: (1) C. Pierson (Sr., Tulp.), (2) Dresdan Gordon (Jr., Tulp.), (6) Jas. Hebbert (Jr., Tulp.). Long jump: (10) Derek Gaul (Fr., SV). Shot put: (1) Massimo Caloiero (Jr., SV).

It appears the first day of the Track and Field Championships will be quite soggy and some of the events have already been moved indoors.

The Hamburg Community-Wide Yard Sale

I just put together this photo slideshow of the Hamburg Yard Sale this past Saturday. I tried my best to get there at 7 a.m. when all the die-hards allegedly scoop up the bargains. I didn't see too much which caught my eye, but must admit my senses were a bit distracted not only from trying to get these pictures and a story for the paper, but also from the scent of barbecued chicken coming from Journeys Cafe, where the church was holding a Kaufmann's chicken fund raiser.

Check out this slideshow I put together last night ...

Edition No. 2 hits stands today

This is only my second paper "put to bed" as editor at the Item. I still haven't even put any personal effects in my office as it's been busy-busy-busy since Day One, or Minute 45, to be exact.
I had a great time this past Saturday gallivanting, as my mother says, about Hamburg and Shoemakersville.
I was in town to cover the Stamp Out Hunger food drive organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers. It's always good to see communities working together for a common cause, even if they didn't have to do anything more than leave a bag of non-perishable grocery items on their door step.
When I was in Shoemakersville, I met the Postmaster ... a Saint Clair native, who's been in charge of the mail for almost two decades.
"It's always good to see a Schuylk in foreign lands," I told him. He agreed.
I'm from Pottsville, and still live there, though with the price of gas, the move South on 61 is inevitable. A little note about Schuylks, once we get out of our native county, we seem to attract fellow "foreigners" as we consider ourselves past the border. If I ever have the chance to speak to you anywhere about town, I've been told I don't have the Coal Region accent, but can do an impression of people from any one of the ethnic regions of my native county.
This issue, you'll soon read, is really focused on community news, both municipal legislative content and some "around town" features. You'll also realize over time, I take the value of a small town very seriously, and I believe the disbanding of many small towns is what's leading to the downfall of our current economy.
Part of the role of the newspaper and the media is to engage its local readership in community events and news. You can only get the whole story by getting out in town. And though I just told you I consider myself a Berks foreigner, I am actively pursuing my native status ... and have the notebooks, and at some time in the future, the Carpal Tunnel, to prove it.
I love working the old-fashioned news beats, but always am looking for the real story, and what people can do to take action or participate. If we all fail to interact as a community, we're bound to become very self-centered individuals, and the definition of society (already altered), will have to be rewritten, like Page 5 did yesterday.

As always, consider my Inbox your personal dumping grounds for Community Information, good news about your neighbors, your thoughts on an issue in town (be it in Hamburg, Shoey, Perry Township, where ever). Tell me what you like about the paper, what you don't like and what you think we could do to make it better. That includes our Web site, BerksMontNews.com, and this blog, too.
Please consider, when sending photos destined for publication, ensure they are saved at 200 dpi. If you don't know what that is, ask a computer-savvy friend how you can check that on your computer. If you don't know anyone, then you can ask me and we'll get the picture in the paper.
Send it all to: jsophy@berksmontnews.com

Happy reading!

As promised ...

This is presumably the first blog entry done under the auspices of The Hamburg Item.
I am Joshua Sophy, the editor at the newspaper since Wednesday, April 30. I want this blog to serve as addendum, if you will, to the print version of the newspaper. I will do my best to provide a run-down of events throughout the week as they happen.
Of course, using the mighty tech that is the Web, we'll be able to bring you the news of Hamburg like never before.
It's been said print journalism is on the way out, and all people get their news from the Internet anymore. While a lot of people do get their news on the Web, they're all still reading something.
It is my intention to make the printed version of The Hamburg Area Item as enjoyable and engaging a read, week after week. I think everything is a story, and since they limit me to no more than two dozen pages a week, the savviest of papers can use the Web to bring its readers more news, in a more engaging and interactive format.
Consider your Hamburg Item connected. Feel free to send emails, share photos, videos, audio ... anything, with us. If you're a budding artist, this is the place to get your music or voice heard, your art seen or your writing read.