Locally Grown: on sabbatical starting Aug. 1

The Locally Grown Triumvirate, on sabbatical
Starting Sunday, August 1, we’re shutting down Locally Grown for a month or so. This includes the blog, the membership sideblog, the comments, and the radio show/podcast. The site will remain up with this blog post ‘sticky’ at the top.

I need to launch a new project for my own business but I can’t seem to get it done when I take 2-3 hours/day having so much fun with Locally Grown.  I mean that seriously. I love LoGroNo and am often humbled by the fact that it attracts a tribe of 8-9,000 people each month with hundreds of comments.

Ross and Tracy are swamped with their work and other civic duties, so it seemed like a good time to take a break.  When we return, we hope to have a fresh perspective on what else we’d like to do with the site. We’d like your ideas, too.

In the meantime, the civic blogosphere in Northfield has plenty of places for y’all to contribute and engage. First and foremost is Northfield.org because anyone can submit a blog post there.  I think they have a guideline that the blog post itself can’t be an opinion piece but the attached comment thread can be.  So for example, anyone could submit a blog post such as “Council candidates appear at forum… Let’s discuss it here.”

If you’ve become a member of Locally Grown, thank you, thank you, thank you.  We’ll extend your membership an additional two months.  If you’d prefer to cancel it, Contact me. Between now and Sunday, you can still submit a blog post.

If you’d like to be alerted when we return, be sure to subscribe to the blog via RSS feed or email; alternately, follow us on Twitter.

Got questions or comments? Attach them here before Sunday.

21 Comments

  1. Ah, you will be missed! But I imagine we will still see you all around town until you resume. Thanks for all the work you put into it. Hope to see you for Oldies Sing-Along Night at Butler’s on Aug. 27 with Marc Reigel. Get out your white go-go boots, Robbie!

    July 29, 2010
  2. Griff Wigley said:

    Thanks, Susan. I’ll definitely be around town, probably even taking photos of community events like the Vintage Band Festival.

    July 29, 2010
  3. Jane McWilliams said:

    Couldn’t you wait until I get back to town? HOW will I know what is going on and what people are thinking there in River City while I am here in the Maine woods?

    Best wishes to the three of you and thanks, Griff, for directing folks to northfield.org. We’ll do our best to accomodate folks.

    July 29, 2010
  4. Kathie Galotti said:

    I will miss you and the lively discussions, too! But, knowing how much time you put into this project, I don’t blame you a bit. Hurry back if you can!

    July 29, 2010
  5. I think everyone ought to send Griff $25 just because. You all sure expect a lot from everyone and think that emailing a thank you is enough. Send what cash amount you can and don’t expect anything else for it.

    July 29, 2010
  6. Hey Griff, thanks for all your help with my membership posts. I do appreciate the time you took to fix the things I couldn’t figure out! We will miss LoGroNo at Prairie’s Edge Humane Society as we discovered not too long ago that 35% of our hits on our website originate from yours! We will definitely be looking for your return in a few months. Thanks again! (Would you like a cat?)

    July 29, 2010
  7. Kathie Galotti said:

    How about we each send Griff a cat? Nothing says thank you in a warmer or more fuzzy way…..

    July 29, 2010
  8. Sounds good to me! We have several to pick from at the Prairie’s Edge Humane Society. What color would you like Griff?

    July 29, 2010
  9. Robbie Wigley said:

    Huhhhhh thanks you guys… but I think I’ll chime in here… since 2 of our 4 kids are allergic to cats. We know, we tried a few times. How bout if I loan you Griff and he can come pet the cats at Prairie’s Edge ;D You can even get him to change a litter box or two.

    July 29, 2010
  10. Hi Robbie! How about a dog, rabbit or guinee pig instead? We have those too.

    July 30, 2010
  11. Sandy, I said Cash, not Cats! The best way to adopt cats and dogs is to go to the people wherever they are and let them see the animals in person.

    July 30, 2010
  12. Sandy, I said send Griff some Cash, not Cats! The best way to adopt cats and dogs is to go to the people wherever they are and let them see the animals in person.
    And the best way to show someone how much you appreciate the efforts you have enjoyed is to pay them and pay them well with cash, checks, etc.

    July 30, 2010
  13. Bright, I was replying to Kathie’s post and it was a joke with Griff. (I do not seriously intend on sending him a cat) But thank you for pointing out that the best way to adopt cats and dogs is to visit the shelter and animal personally. I am employed by the Prairie’s Edge Humane Society and in order for someone to adopt an animal they need to come to the shelter, make sure the animal is a good match for them and they also need to fill out an adoption application and agreement. If anyone is looking to adopt a cat, we have many currently available and are reducing prices this weekend in order to help find homes for these animals. We are holding what we are calling “Kitty Mania”. All kittens under the age of 4 months can be adopted at a price of 2 for $200. Normal adoption fee is $145 each. All cats over the age of 4 months can be adopted for $50 each. Normal adoption fee ranges from $65 to $145. All of our animals are spayed or neutered, up to date on their vaccinations and healthy. With your adoption you will receive a bag of Science Diet food, one month of free ShelterCare health insurance for your pet, a one year membership with Prairie’s Edge Humane Society and a free wellness checkup for your new pet with participating veterinary clinics. “Kitty Mania” will run thru Saturday. So if you have been thinking about getting a cat, now is a great time to do so. And please remember that the best way to control pet overpopulation is to spay and neuter your pets!

    July 30, 2010
  14. Oh and also Bright, just so you know, we did show Griff how much we appreciate him and Locally Grown, by sending him a check in order to become a member when they first began to solicit members. Thanks for pointing out that is a great way to appreciate what people do for you!

    July 30, 2010
  15. Sandy, I was sort of joking around too, because of the similarity between the words cash and cat and also I didn’t want people to get distracted by your cause right now. And, you’re not fooling anyone, you’d send him a cat if you could and he and Robbie would.
    And that’s okay, too! Next time I’m putting in the smiley face. 🙂 (I wonder if there is an emoticon for animal lover.)

    July 30, 2010
  16. Jane Moline said:

    Griff: I think you should leave on comments and see if we all go to piecse or if we can control ourselves while you are gone.

    July 30, 2010
  17. William Siemers said:

    Good idea Jane.

    July 30, 2010
  18. Griff Wigley said:

    Jane/William,

    I’m pretty sure I’ve trained you both to behave 😉 but I’d have a hard time during the sabbatical not paying attention to see if that was actually the case.

    I think the more places in Northfield where vibrant civic discussions happen, the better off we all are. So I really encourage you to give Northfield.org a try. If it doesn’t work out, then we’ll be ready for the pent up demand, making for a wild September when we return.

    July 30, 2010
  19. Griff Wigley said:

    This is comment #35,085 made on the last of 2,976 blog posts, with 187 podcast episodes tossed in for good measure. Now shut down for August.

    The LoGroNo office at GBM is vacant. But you can follow Ross, Tracy, and I on our other blogs and Twitter:

    Our LG Tweetwall captures all our tweets but you can also follow us individually: @tracydavis @rosscurrier @griff_wigley

    Ross: NDDC blog

    Tracy: Chair, Northfield Planning Commission (a/k/a the Zoning Czarina) blog

    Griff: Wigley and Associates blog

    Now get out there and have some fun!

    LoGroNo office at GBM  Play!

    August 1, 2010

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