January 19, 2007 Chautauqua

From the Editor's Computer

They say, times flies when you’re having fun and it must be true. Or else time flies when you’re stressed to the max!

It is hard to believe, but this is truly the 5th Anniversary issue of The Chautauqua. Five years ago, if I had had the ability to see into the future to today, I’m not entirely sure if I would have taken on this task. Or, if I had, I doubt I would have been quite so cavalier in my acceptance of this mantle bestowed upon me.

The main reason I took on the task of running The Chautauqua five years ago was because I had just finished a contract job in Lacombe, I had not been accepted to the Master of Library Science degree program and I figured I was really at loose ends with only the Alix Library job. While I was looking forward to lots of free reading time, I was a teensy-tiny bit worried about spending many of my days just twiddling my thumbs, and I was much, much too young for that.

As they say, life is what happens when you make other plans and no truer words were ever spoken. I prepared to make my mark on the newspaper world and life happened. First, I found out that I was accepted to the MLS program after all and I scrambled to produce my first issue of The Chautauqua at the same time as I was scrambling to register for my first online course (ever!) and order my textbooks. The studies have been wonderful but there have been times when I seriously wondered why I inflicted such a load on myself. However, the final destination is in sight as I wrap up my formal studying career.

My family was also going through a rough and stressful time during the early years of The Chautauqua. Again I occasionally wondered if perhaps I’d taken on too much. Everyone has a breaking point and many a time I thought I was there, only to discover I’m made of much sterner stuff than I thought as I continued to plug away.

The last 5 years have been a learning experience in more ways than one as old technologies died mid-paper preparation and new technologies emerged. A few times I had to figure out the new method of transferring my creations to the Red Deer Advocate for printing. Printing problems cropped up a time or two (or 6!) and led to some creative problem solving as we tried to figure out how to get a newspaper out to me so that I could get it out to you. In the five years, while I was late delivering on rare occasions, there has been a paper every week that there should have been one.

All in all, I have to say that my decision five years ago to undertake this great creative endeavour was one of the best decisions I ever made in my life...Here’s to the next 5 years!!!

Beth

Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13LtT6QWTiSk7GCSpnQD8nnl6GK17fXTN/view?usp=sharing

To contact The Chautauqua, email: thechautauqua@gmail.com.