Editor's Notebook: Patch Celebrates its 100th Site Launch

A century ago, Montclair residents were reveling in the possibilities of the future. Montclair State University — then known as the New Jersey State Normal School — was only two years old. Anderson Park had just turned five. The Van Vleck House was still six years away from being built. One hundred Patches ago, Hip Chic was still on Bellevue Avenue. Anthropologie was still in the planning stages. And Rand School was still on North Fullerton and Renaissance School was still on Munn Street. What a difference a hundred makes.

With the launch of the Morristown site, Patch achieves the 100 mark today. And we, too, are looking forward to the future. The first Patch sites, South Orange, Maplewood, and Millburn, launched together in February of 2009. Cotton Delo, then editor of South Orange Patch, looked back at the journey. She recalled attending Seton Hall's University Dayand standing behind a table decorated with a homemade sign and logo.

Eighteen months and 97 Patches later, sites stretch from east to west, and north to south. There are Patch sites in 10 states, from California to Virginia. Locally, Patch sites thrive in West Orange, Livingston, the Caldwells, with more county coverage to come. 

I began cultivating my own Patch of land — as I like to think of it — on June 30, 2010, with a first story about the Top 10 Montclair Residents The Spies Should Have Befriended. There's nothing like launching a Web site two days after one of the biggest news stories of the year breaks — the uncovering of Russian spies in Montclair.

Soon we were publishing insightful articles by Montclair high school students. We were covering the Township's financial bind and the effects of budget cuts on area schools. We launched columns on interior decorating, shopping, and restaurant reviews — with yet another new column called "View from the Middle" set to launch, appropriately, on Wednesday, August 18. We started a highly popular segment called My Block that runs every Friday. Indeed, we are seeking to find the best block in Montclair!

Although we launched in the sluggish summer, the last several weeks have not been without their exciting moments. We've given you a sneak peek of the new Charles H. Bullock School. We were the first to report the name of the shooter in the DeFarra "Dean" Gaymon tragedy.

As Patch moves forward into triple digits, I'm confident that our local sites will continue to tell the stories, past and present, that matter to this community. From budget meetings to block parties, from capital expenses to concerts in the park, we'll be there.

I'm especially thankful for the dozens of writers, photographers, and videographers who have been sharing their talents and ideas with me and the community. I'm further grateful to the readers who are giving Patch a chance. This fall, stop by and introduce yourself. Patch will be at both the Parents Who Rock fundraising event and the Upper Montclair Sidewalk Sale the weekend of September 11.

Always, always you can email me with story ideas and suggestions at Shelley@patch.com. If I'm doing something wrong, I want to hear that too. Again, I thank you, times 100.