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Weekend won first place for Best Entertainment/Lifestyle Section in its class, which includes non-daily newspapers with a circulation between 8,001 and 16,000. Editor Dana Gavin also won second place in the Best Arts & Entertainment Writing Feature category for her preview of Joe Gilford's play, "Finks," performed at Vassar College's Powerhouse Theatre in the summer of 2008.
The core Weekend team includes editorial director Kate Goldsmith, editor of specialty publications Dana Gavin, and art director Nicole DeLawder. The three attribute the paper's success at least partially to their chemistry as a group. Collective brainstorming and weekly meetings have helped generate the ideas that keep the paper fresh and interesting. "It's just a really good synergy," said Goldsmith.
Although the full-time team works tirelessly on their product, they acknowledge that Weekend would not be an award winning publication without community involvement. Residents submit photos, columns, art, and letters that lend a distinct local voice to the paper.
The Hudson Valley is prime turf for a publication focused on arts and entertainment. "I love this area," said Gavin. Having grown up in New Orleans, she appreciates the cultural richness locally. "There's something about living near a river," she said. "I lived in a land-locked city for several years and my soul festered. I think you have to live either at the delta of a river or in the fertile valley of a river."
Gavin, who double majored in dance and English at Southern Methodist University, fell easily into writing about the arts. "I danced for a while, then I got old," she commented. "I've always wanted to write and writing about dance just seemed natural." After working in Houston, Texas for a time, she moved to the Hudson Valley and became a writer for Weekend.
Gavin has had the opportunity to cover numerous types of performances during her year at the paper. Her award winning feature on "Finks" was inspired by her interview with the playwright, Joe Gilford. "I just thought he was the most amazing writer," said Gavin.
The play tells the story of Gilford's own parents, who were embroiled in the McCarthy trials of the early 1950s. She hopes that whatever Goldsmith saw in the article that inspired her to enter it in the SNA contest reflected Gavin's genuine appreciation of the artist and his work. "I had such love for this guy and this story," she said sincerely.
The ultimate goal of an article is to get people to attend the event, said Goldsmith, who won an identical writing award last year for her article "Tunes With Teeth." The enthusiasm of both the writer and subject, however, can certainly influence the effectiveness of a piece. Goldsmith, for example, claims to get a lot of positive feedback when she writes about music. "I got to the Town Crier and someone will tell me, 'you're the reason I came to see this band.'"
A musician herself, Goldsmith is able to incorporate her own appreciation of the subject. So many artists, she said, have such a passion for what they do. "I feel it's my job to let people understand that," she said.
The Weekend team is dedicated to serving its readers, and is constantly working to improve its product. Goldsmith praised DeLawder's accomplishments as the paper's designer, noting the eye-catching and increasingly uniform layout that she has established. "She's tried to make it more interesting," said Goldsmith.
Gavin insisted that their first place award for Best Entertainment/Lifestyle section was due largely to DeLawder's skillfully designed front pages.
"You do judge a book by its cover," said Gavin. Like most people, she is drawn to attractive design. "I have the attention span of a gnat. If something has a crummy cover, I'm not going to pick it up, no matter what genius is inside."
The editorial staff also wisely keeps an eye trained on what lies ahead for media, specifically print media. Taconic Weekend made its electronic debut recently on the networking Web site, Facebook. The staff views the Internet as an additional way for the paper to serve its readership.
"It's complimentary content," said Goldsmith. The Facebook profile does not contain full articles, but it allows the editors to post photos and daily happenings and provides a venue for reader feedback. Aside from columns and letters to the editor, the paper gets minimal written input. "We've gotten legitimate readership feedback (on the Web site)," said Gavin. "It's easier for people to just type and click."
The three staff members agreed that one of the most rewarding things about working on a small team is learning about all aspects of newspaper publication. Goldsmith started out at Taconic Press as a subscriptions assistant and got involved in Weekend as a contributing writer. She worked her way up through different positions to become editorial director.
DeLawder, whose background is in graphic design, often contributes articles for Weekend. She's also helped the others to sharpen their Photoshop skills.
"You can't be a one trick pony anymore," declared Gavin. "You can't be just a writer."
The employees also relish the creative freedom that comes with the job. "You can't put a price tag on having an editor trust you. I can explore what I want to explore," said Gavin.
This is the third time in recent years that Weekend has won Best Entertainment/Lifestyle Section. In 2008, the SNA reports that it received an "extraordinary number of entries in a total of 36 categories." Journalism Department faculty at Loyola College in Chicago judged this year's contest. Weekend was judged based on three consecutive issues submitted from the summer of 2008, a booming time in entertainment.
The creators surmise that one of the many reasons the paper resonates with its audience is their ability to remain objective. "We pull our egos off the table," said Goldsmith. They analyze the publication from a reader's perspective, and they look at other publications in order to figure out what works and what doesn't. "We're all very open and we work very hard," said Goldsmith. "We're always looking to serve our readers."
