Goodbye and Thank You, Herndon

Dear Herndon,

Wednesday will be my last day at Patch. It has been a fantastic journey that began when I took my first job out of college at the Herndon Observer. After the Observer closed, I began working for Patch in July of 2010, and launched the site a few months later, on September 16. 

I'm sad to be leaving Herndon — this community is a great one — but I'm excited to move on to a new opportunity. Just because I'm leaving doesn't mean Herndon Patch is going anywhere. To reach Patch's editors, you can still write to Herndon@Patch.com. 

I wanted to say thank you. Many thank yous, really. Thank you to the town and its staff, the Herndon Town Council, Herndon's schools and principals, the local businesses, and the many community organizations that make Herndon the unique community it is. 

Additionally, I wanted to say a huge thank you to the readers of Patch. Without you, Herndon Patch wouldn't be the online community gathering place it is. Thank you so much for contributing, for the news tips, for the comments, the discussions and for the encouragement. 

You'll still be seeing me around Herndon, even if my day job isn't here anymore. I'll be at Friday Night Live all summer with my hula hoops — yes, I'm the hula hoop girl. I'll be at Herndon Festival, the Labor Day Festival and all those other events that make Herndon "Herndon." I'll still be teaching hoopdance classes at the Herndon Community Center. 

Herndon is a fantastic town. It's a friendly place. It sticks together to support its businesses, its youth and its teams. It's a town that honors its history and protects its quality of life. And somehow amidst the sprawl of the Washington, DC region, it remains a small town, where you run into neighbors and friends at the local gathering spots. I love that.

So once more, thank you. It has been an absolute honor to be at the helm of Herndon Patch and be a part of this wonderful town. 

Sincerely,
Leslie Perales Loges

[Beyond Patch, you can reach Leslie at Leslie@TillyWhirls.com.]