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Let me be the one to formally invite you to the Pleasanton Weekly’s 25th Anniversary Party, which is being held downtown Aug. 29 during the final Concert in the Park of 2025.
We’ve been promoting the special event for several weeks now, but a personal touch feels in order too – because we want to see you there.
The evening promises to be a celebration of community and local journalism, and what better setting than one of Pleasanton’s summer pastimes in the newly redesigned Lions Wayside Park (which turned out pretty nicely, I must say, particularly considering the financial and logistical factors at play for the city with this project).
It will be an opportunity for you to meet with our editorial team and organizational leadership, and for us to thank you for your support over the years and encourage it into the future.
“A lot has changed since I joined the staff of the Pleasanton Weekly,” said Gina Channell Wilcox, who has been publisher of the Weekly and president of our entire East Bay Division since 2006. “When the newspaper launched in 2000, almost every household in the two Pleasanton ZIP codes received a copy in their mailbox on Friday. With the economic downturn of 2008, the pandemic and ‘big tech’ changing the business model, unfortunately that is no longer the reality.”
“What has not and will not change is our commitment to providing quality journalism,” she added. “We will continue to explain complex issues and the effects on residents, daylight what would otherwise go unreported and ask the uncomfortable questions to hold the powerful accountable.”
That shared mindset motivates our team every day. Not just in Pleasanton, but across the Tri-Valley for DanvilleSanRamon and Livermore Vine and across the Bay for our four sister publications on the Peninsula.
We are one big journalism family (actually, one small but dedicated journalism family) committed to upholding our reputation as the go-to source for local community news in each of our coverage areas.
That’s why I’m excited to show off Pleasanton to our colleagues, families and friends – and hoping you’ll show out to that same end.
With our conversion from a for-profit news business to a nonprofit journalism foundation at the beginning of 2024, it’s more important than ever to immerse ourselves in our communities. Our brands are nothing without their readers, donors, advertisers and news sources.
The Weekly’s success only rises as high as Pleasanton’s support takes us.
That and the talent of the people on our staff, who pour their professional heart and soul into every article, every photograph, every ad design, every promotional campaign and every newspaper day in and day out.
Take the chance to interact with everyone on our team, not just our three Tri-Valley reporters, our editor, Gina and myself whose work you know well, but our admin associate and sales reps from the East Bay and our foundation CEO, chief technology officer, marketing team, page designers, business department and more from our Peninsula headquarters.
I’ve invited everyone from our organization out to Pleasanton for the occasion because they’re all important parts of our engine. Likewise, I hope as many of our San Ramon Valley, Livermore and Dublin readers and supporters make it out to our party.
We can’t do what we do without you.
“As a nonprofit, we look to those who ultimately benefit from our work – our readers – to support us financially. I ask everyone who has found value in our work at any point in our 25 years to contribute. Here’s to the next 25!” Gina aptly put it.
Check out our 25th Anniversary webpage to learn more about becoming a Legacy Donor and look back over Memorable Covers, Staff and Reader Memories, past Take Us Alongs and more.
And get ready for a great evening of celebration on the 29th. Our group will be in the park starting at 6 p.m.; come chat with us, grab a copy of that Friday’s paper, snap photos in our Take Us Along booth and snag some swag.
The music begins at 7 p.m. with The RPM Band playing danceable rock until 8:30 p.m. Remember the concert series by the Pleasanton Downtown Association is free and grass seating is first-come, first-served. Many people bring their own picnics to eat or order takeout from a downtown restaurant.
See you there.
Editor’s note: Jeremy Walsh is the associate publisher and editorial director for the Embarcadero Media Foundation’s East Bay Division. His “What a Week” column is a recurring feature in the Pleasanton Weekly, Livermore Vine and DanvilleSanRamon.com.
