Newton, We Want You To Tell Your Story

NEWTON, MA — Well, hello there, Newton. Glad you stopped on by. It's me, your local Patch reporter. There's something on my mind, and I feel like a lot of you out there might agree with me so I'll get right to it:

Newton's got its own special thing going on. In fact, it's got a lot of its own special things going on. I'm only one reporter, but you? There are a lot of you. From The Lake to Newton Centre to the Highlands and you care deeply about this place. And I think you have a lot to say and a lot of expertise that could help the rest of the city.

Patch is the perfect spot for that information. Alongside reporting from yours truly that's focused on Newton, I want Newton to be represented in the best way it can be: with humor, transparency and pride. And who is more capable of delivering that than those who live here? Whether you just moved here or you've earned local knowledge after being here for years: I'm reaching out to the folks in the neighborhood to ask you to offer your local voice in the online "pages" of Patch.

The Newton Patch is looking for local contributors: from columnists to bloggers to photographers to people who know there's a local fundraiser happening and can pop it onto the calendar to share it with the rest of the community.

Wait, wait wait... it really is you we're looking for: If you love neighborhood history (have you seen the occasional column by the Newton Historical Society?) or have a take on businesses that come and go; if you run a company or frequent a coffee shop or hang out with the politicians at Johnny D's and say hi to people? or take meetings in the Panera? Then you belong on Patch.

You might even belong as Mayor of the Newton Patch.

What's a Patch Mayor in 2018, you say?

• A Patch Mayor is someone who uses Patch and our Facebook and Twitter pages to spread the word about about charity events, local celebrations, civic issues, weather, high school sports, new restaurants or businesses, and, well, what's going on.
• They spark and guide local conversations as the host of your Patch about what's happening nearby — be it a pipeline construction, potholes or lost pets.
• And they'll be published on Patch, reaching thousands of their neighbors and people nearby wondering what's happening around town.

So if you want to help your Newton neighbors connect with one another and can donate some time to helping them understand the neighborhood click here. I look forward to hearing from you - and seeing your posts on Patch.

Oh, hey.
Are you still there? Is "Mayor" not exactly your jam? No worries, we still want your local expertise - from those photos you took of the wildlife (ok, cute dogs at the dog parks or the early mornings at Crystal Lake) to your take on a school committee meeting - to inform and entertain the community. We're looking for columnists, contributors, and photographers to represent Newton in a way only you can.

Don't have an account yet? No problem: Click here to learn how to create a free account and post directly to Patch. Give it a whirl and let me know how it goes.

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I love it when you read to the very end.

Got more questions? Send me an email at jenna.fisher@Patch.com.

-Photo credit: Jenna Fisher/Patch