ST. ALBANS — The best photo albums record family history, evoke old memories and restore lost faces.
Even in the age of camera phones and the cloud, photo albums are still pulled from shelves around holidays and anniversaries. Your clothes and hairstyle will be laughed at, and your family vacations and birthday parties will be remembered.
That's what the Messenger publishes each year, the Franklin County Business Community Supplement, which for the region is a photo album showcasing the people and businesses that make up the community's family tree.
This supplement has now been in existence for two generations and will reach its 42nd edition in May of this year. Over the past 40 years, perhaps the majority of her 23,000 households in Franklin County have been affected.
Emerson Lin, former editor and co-publisher of the Messenger, said, “Sometimes in every house someone has been in the picture or knows someone who is in the picture.'' This has become a very vibrant Franklin County employment album. ”
Lynn started the Franklin County Business Community Supplement 40 years ago because he saw the need to showcase the energy, creativity and commerce that fuels Franklin County's economy.
The first edition was published in 1983 and immediately received a very positive response. Readers enjoy seeing photos of their friends and the businesses they frequent. This supplement became the Messenger's crown jewel, and other newspapers across the state picked it up for their own communities.
Jim O'Rourke purchased the Messenger in 2018, continuing the tradition of publishing a supplement to the Franklin County business community. In 2020, the format changed from newspaper to the high-quality, all-color magazine format that our readers now see.
“This is a very unique product and it's like an annual event on Messenger,” O'Rourke said. “The opportunity to recognize local businesses and their employees throughout Franklin County is truly special and has been very memorable for 42 years.”
In 2024, this addendum is still relevant, even though it's easy to search for your business on Google or Yelp. Because there's something special about holding this album in both hands.
