Santa Cruz Mountain Bulletin Turns 10 Years Old

By Wendy Sigmund

That first issue, The Boulder Creek Bulletin, was a bit of a mess, I have to admit. I didn’t have an editor, or even another writer! So it was a mess, for sure. I remember, vividly, picking up the first run and passing the paper out around town. I brought a stack into Johnnies and asked if there was a place I could leave them. The amazing and wonderful lady behind the counter told me “put them on the counter for all to see!” I was so proud to do that, yet nervous for the reaction…. and still am today for every volume I drop off.

It was a dark January night and I was sitting around a fire pit with some friends. I had a huge dilemma; I was a single mom with two small boys to care for. My youngest had just been diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes. I had to quit my job because the commute was too much. I just couldn’t drive so far away from my 5-year-old as we learned how to deal with managing his diagnosis. I needed a job, but couldn’t commute “over the hill”. Remembering back to January 2012? The economy was not great, especially not for my situation. I could not find a job that fit my situation. My only option was to make one. I spent a month considering all possible businesses to start here, in the little town that I grew attached to.

There was a night with friends where it came into focus. As I was staring into the flames I said to my friend, “I wish there was a community newspaper where I could work.” Then it came to me, I can start one. I studied journalism in college, worked on a couple small papers in my life, and had an idea. I knew I could do it and I was going to try. I used my rent check to pay for the first printing. A few Boulder Creek small business owners were so excited to have a community paper, they took a chance and paid for an ad in advance. They did not even know me, much less my background, or what I could do. Thank you Richard- of Richard’s Tree Service- for the first ad. You didn’t know what I could do, and honestly, neither did I. By the time I got home, I had three emails from people who saw the initial paper. One amazing lady, Deb Longly, wanted to be the editor. The next thing I know is Boulder Creek Hardware wanted an ad. Then, of course, there was a person that pointed out all my typos and helped me along the way- without that person the paper would not have become what it is today.

A couple of months later, Bree Karpavage contacted me. She said she wanted to get her hands on the paper and make it beautiful. Which she did. Dennis Gobet contacted me and became my mentor, as well as a valued columnist. He had run several papers in his life and wanted to help. We would not have been successful without his knowledge. We grew fast, and I realized it was no longer just a Boulder Creek paper. The name was changed to “The Santa Cruz Mountain Bulletin.” Candi and Josh came onboard with Mr. Astrology, Steve Pokemon loved to make people upset with his controversy. Oh… what times we had putting those issues together!

Then one day I got an extraordinary call from Al Wasserman. He wanted to debate something that I had printed. We met for coffee and had a wonderful lively debate. By the end he would be coming on board as our political columnist. Only later did I learn of his famous life marching with Rev. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. He put us on the map. We printed his column until the time he passed away, and we miss him still.

So many amazing characters and friends have come into my life because of the Santa Cruz Mountain Bulletin. We have covered so many topics in the last 10 years. Lisa Robinson, the curator of the SLV Museum, always has some wonderful tidbits from our past. “Tips for Teens” by Marnie DeFosset has helped so many teens and parents. “Healthy is Wealthy” by Chandala Snow-Shiva was an informative column. Marcie Klein with “Healthy Tidbits” too! I’m blessed with knowing, and having a relationship with, a great core of advertisers- like MaryBeth McLaughlin and Justin at the Pizza and Pub.

We have had challenges. That’s for sure. One person, that I trusted, flat out stole the website that was built for the paper. One of the past editors left and started a competing publication, and that’s great- at least as long as honesty is still a virtue in the small town news business. But none of it matters. The work matters. The paper matters. This community matters. It has been a pleasure to serve, to the best of my ability. Thank you all so much for your support.

Here is to the next 10 years.