A town is defined by its residents, and here in Stoughton we have some of the best—volunteers, philanthropists, officials, students, parents and business owners who make this town great.

Likewise, a website, or any news publication, is only as strong as its readers. Sure, dollars and cents play a significant role, and so do writers and editors, but this is a people-driven business, and without people, there’s no business.

Without you, the readers, there is no Stoughton Patch.

And, so, as your editor, as we celebrate the first anniversary of our launch, I owe you a big thank you.

Stoughton Patch hit the web a year ago on December 13, 2010.

At the time we said we would be a “one-stop hub for all things Stoughton;” a site that would “provide you with up-to-the-minute news on a day-to-day basis;” a site that would “spotlight you—the people of this town that make Stoughton a vibrant community.”

A year into this venture, we’re on the right track.

As someone who grew up here and went through the Stoughton school system, covering this town on a day-to-day basis has been an absolute pleasure.

There are a lot of great things that happen in this town, and a lot of worthy people that deserve recognition, and this website has made an effort to cover these events and these groups and individuals.

From school events to peewee sports, to high school sports, to graduations to fundraisers to concerts to plays to meetings to elections to police, fire and government happenings, and everything in between, we’ve been there keeping you up-to-date and informed.

We try, when possible, to step outside of the box and offer you unique content, be it a video workout tutorial or covering every Stoughton High football game this season with a live blog.

The support the community has shown for the site has been incredible. It makes the long days (and nights and weekends) well worth it.

A lot of people will say to me in amazement “you’re everywhere.”

But I don’t do it alone.

You, the readers, have contributed time and time again with pictures, comments and submissions to the site.

I owe a tremendous thank you to two well-known individuals in town who have been with this site from day one, and who have provided me with an unquantifiable amount of support—Christine Iacobucci, who started as a parenting columnist, but has since taken on the role of a jack-of-all-trades writer, and Mark Snyder, who writes the popular About Town column, and keeps readers informed and enlightened on all things Stoughton on a day-to-day basis.

Additionally, Ryan Lanigan and Eric Shulman have helped to provide some of the best local sports coverage around.

Candace Hall and David Allen Lambert have made numerous contributions. Candace tells a story like no one else can and David continues to bring Stoughton history to life. Chris D’Arpino keeps the pet community informed with his weekly “Animal House” columns. Evan Schneider has helped this website with countless film projects. Lorraine Emanuel kept the website’s calendar up and running for our first nine months.    

I also have to thank my boss, Mike Hardman, a regional editor at Patch (and a Stoughton resident) and the other local Patch editors, as well as Stoughton Patch’s ad manager Brian Hemmert, the contributors and the bloggers for all of their hard work.

Year One of Stoughton Patch has been an exciting period of growth. Can’t wait to start Year Two.

Thank You.

--- Jeffrey Pickette

Stoughton Patch editor