Brogan: Happy 10th to Patch

June 17th marks the tenth anniversary of the arrival of Concord Patch to our community. It forever changed the way in which we can get our news.

Patch made it possible for us to instantaneously get the latest news and to respond to situations happening around us. Even nicer was the fact that you could find all of this out from the comfort and convenience of your home by merely clicking on your computer.

It almost seemed as though Tony Schinella, the intrepid Editor, worked around the clock. If a fire or accident occurred in the middle of the night, Tony was on the scene getting all of the facts and reporting them to an increasingly enthusiastic readership. In the process, Tony and Concord Patch have been the recipient of numerous journalism awards.

Raised in Concord, Tony has an infectious enthusiasm for our city, for the people who live here and for what is going on. He also welcomes differing opinions and should he err, he's the first to admit that mistake and to correct it. With the exception of a brief hiatus, Tony has nurtured and built Patch into something that is an example of what reporting the news can and should be. Today he is Field Editor for Patch Media and shows no signs of slowing down.

During the past ten years, Patch has encouraged other voices to express their opinions as well as to share their stories. Some have become regular contributors in the process and the readers have been very vocal in expressing and sharing their thoughts. While I don't always agree with some of them, I love the freedom they feel in speaking out.

Because of the speed with which stories are reported, the readers' emotions are sometimes so powerful that they need the ability to immediately share their reactions.

I stumbled upon Patch in June of 2011. I was getting ready for a book presentation at Gibson's. My first book, Was That a Name I Dropped? was due to be released and I was hopeful of generating some local interest in my 536 page tome.

The Concord Monitor, a trusted and valuable part of our local history, didn't seem inclined to want to do a feature story about the launch. The Manchester Union Leader and Hippo Press were enthused about the book, but I wanted to also do something more local. Fortunately, while perusing the Internet, I stumbled upon something called Concord Patch. I was immediately hooked.

When I saw that Tony Schinella was the Editor, I became even more enthused. I had known Tony when he was Station Manager at Concord's venerable WKXL and knew that if he was involved, it was something worth checking out.

I had barely finished discussing my book before Tony said that he'd love to interview me about it. It was the beginning of a wonderful experience for me.

Because my book was filled with stories about our local history, Tony asked me whether I'd like to write an occasional blog for Patch, about Concord and I, without hesitation agreed. Today, more than 150 blogs later, I still feel the same enthusiasm when I sit down and start writing a blog for Concord Patch.

I still buy my Concord Monitor every morning when I visit Market Basket at 7 AM. I also set aside time to read the paper from front to back. However, even before leaving the house, I've clicked onto Patch to check out what else is going on in this city I call home.

Congratulations to Concord Patch and Tony on a remarkable ten years. I know it takes the work of many to make something work and continue to thrive and engender interest. To everyone who has gifted our community with this addition, as well as the readers, writers and those who speak their minds, thank you.