Welcome to 2015—and, therefore, the start of the third year of the Coachella Valley Independent’s existence.
Regular readers of this space know that I used it last month to thank our readers, our employees, our contributors and our supporters. Well, forgive me for repeating myself a bit—because I have yet more thanks to give.
First, I want to thank the 39 business, organizations and individuals who opened their wallets to donate to the Independent’s first crowd-funding campaign. We did not meet the overly lofty goal we set for our Indiegogo-based effort, but we did raise a fantastic $3,246.
What are we going to do with that money? Well, we’ve already spent a good chunk of it: We just ordered 28 brand-new newspaper racks, which will help us increase and improve our circulation. That means more copies of the Independent getting into more people’s hands—and from our admittedly biased point of view, that’s a very good thing.
We’ll also use some of that money to fund a brand-new events-preview section, which we’ll be launching in our February issue. In other words, due to the generosity of our supporters, we’ll be able to shine an even brighter, more comprehensive light on the goings-on in the Coachella Valley.
Thank you, everyone. For a list of all our crowd-funding supporters, visit our “About” page.
Second, thanks to everyone who attended the party for our first-ever Best of Coachella Valley readers’ poll. Dozens of winners joined Independent readers and contributors at Twin Palms Bistro and Lounge on Wednesday, Dec. 3, to celebrate—and a great time was had by all.
The presence of rain—which moved the party, which had been slated for Twin Palms’ lovely patio, indoors—didn’t keep a whole bunch of people from getting their awards, sampling some of Twin Palms’ fantastic food (Gator! Gumbo! Mmmm!) and enjoying a cocktail or two. To view some pictures from the event, check out our Snapshot feature.
Now, it’s time to look forward: We’re kicking off our third year with one of our best print issues ever. It’s chock-full of great stuff, from Kevin Fitzgerald’s extensive piece on the east valley’s political machine, to Brian Blueskye’s fantastic preview of the first-ever El Gato Classic skateboarding event. Enjoy, and as always, feel free to drop me a line with questions, comments and suggestions.
Thank you for being part of the Independent family.