Can You Believe It? Bedford Patch is 2-Years Old Today!

Perhaps it's fitting that almost exactly two years after launching a Patch website in Bedford, we unveiled our new and innovative hyper-local platform this week.

And while things are looking exceedingly exciting for Patch's future both in Bedford and in New Hampshire – where we launched two new sites (in Milford and Londonderry) in 2012 – it's always fun to take a look back at how far we've come.

On June 30, 2011, when Bedford Patch was born into the cyber world, I had no idea how much I'd enjoy working with the people of Bedford and becoming an everyday part of the community.

To put things in perspective, Bedford Patch launched with a story about Bedford High School pitcher Joey Maher – who had just been drafted by the New York Yankees – and a Q&A interview with Police Chief David Bailey, who was retiring after a long and distinguished career at Bedford PD.

We also had a full video feature on Rick Santorum's visit to the Bedford Republican Committee's annual family summer BBQ.

The remainder of 2011 saw several big stories that proved both interesting and very sad.

Many more GOP candidates stumped in Bedford as they garnered votes for the 2012 first-in-the-nation New Hampshire Primary, including several stops by eventual Republican nominee Mitt Romney.

Late that summer, Bedford was hit by Tropical Storm Irene and then, of course, the town was blanketed by the historic Snowtober storm.

In early November, just a couple months after hiring John Bryfonski to replace Bailey as police chief, Bedford Town Manager Russ Marcoux died unexpectedly.

In 2012, The Bedford Town Council conducted two searches to find a replacement for Marcoux before selecting Jessie Levine for the position.

Superstorm Sandy unleashed some damage on Bedford in late October, and then - two days after Thanksgiving - a brutal home invasion at 7 Proclamation Court rocked the town, leaving homeowners Dr. Eduardo and Sonia Quesada bloodied and clinging to life and police searching for answers.

That news carried over into 2013, when - in an unrelated event - Sonia Quesada was found dead at her mother-in-law's Bedford home. A couple months later, a suspect was named in the original case.

Manchester Police Officer Stephen Coco also grabbed headlines earlier this year, when he was fired from his job of 17 years and then charged in an alleged hit-and-run that left two Bedford teenagers seriously injured.

Earlier this summer, the town held the grand opening celebration for the long-awaited Bedford Village Common and Market Basket opened off Route 114 to delight of thousands of Bedford residents.

As I noted above, it's been a crazy two years, and I've only provided the briefest of overviews.

In closing, I just want to say, thank you, Bedford. The last 24 months have proven more fun and exciting than I could have ever hoped, and I know the years ahead will bring more enjoyment as Bedford Patch continues to grow with the community.

And please, if I missed one of your favorite stories or regular features, don't be shy. Let me know what you've enjoyed most about Bedford Patch in the comment section below, and don't forget to follow us on our Facebook page, Twitter feed, and daily newsletter and breaking news alerts.