Frankfort Patch Readers: Thanks For 8 Great Years

FRANKFORT, IL — As the editor who helped launch Frankfort Patch on Nov. 12, 2010, I had the second-best vantage point as the village's hyperlocal news site debuted. The best views, of course, belonged to the readers who were checking out those first stories and who continue to visit the site nearly eight years later.

So consider this a thank you for sticking with Frankfort Patch. In those early days, we covered the village's inaugural Bluegrass Festival on the Green, as well as a long-standing, post-parade water balloon fight at the Frankfort Fall Festival. We also saw the closing of Frankfort-based Gas City — not to mention the moving of its iconic cow to Mokena — and the opening of Mariano's Fresh Market at LaGrange Road and Route 30.

Recently, readers have been able to catch live videos of downtown protests — March for Our Lives in March and Families Belong Together in June — and Lincoln-Way East High School's first home game since winning the state title in 2017.

Although I haven't always been the Frankfort Patch editor, Patch has always been a part of my life during that time. It's been in my blood, and that's clearly been the case for readers, too. In August, Frankfort Patch saw 52,198 visitors land on the site, and the calendar saw 15,613 views.

Here's a look at some of the most popular stories published this past summer.

1. Trail's Edge, Formerly Smokey Barque, Plans Grand Reopening: Besides the new name, some of the changes to the downtown Frankfort restaurant include added menu items and an on-site brewery. (May 8)
2. Healthy Nation Holds Grand Opening For New Frankfort Cafe: The prepared meal service expands its business to give customers a dine-in, ready-to-eat option. (May 8)
3. Create New K-12 School District, Reopen LW North: D161 Parents: A proposal by a group of Summit Hill parents wants to reorganize the school system to benefit taxpayers and students. (May 11)
4. Raffy's Candy Store: 5 Things To Know About New Frankfort Shop: The New Lenox business recently opened a 2nd location in downtown Frankfort. Here's what you need to know about it. (May 29)
5. Woman Wants To Find 'Spider-Man' Who Returned Lost Wallet: The Frankfort Square resident's wallet was returned with a note signed by a well-known wall-crawler. Now she wants to thank her hero. (June 12)
6. Vandals Spray Paint Mailboxes, Cars In Frankfort Square: One resident is reviewing security camera footage of the incident, which happened late Friday or early Saturday. (July 16)
7. $1.275M Frankfort Mansion Built With Bricks From Chicago Streets: With its Irish pub-style bar and 20-seat dining room, this Butternut Creek Woods home is ideal for entertaining. (July 9)
8. Frankfort Fall Fest 2018: Listen To This Year's Musical Acts (VIDEOS): Find who's playing when and on what stage during the village's annual event. (Aug. 28)
9. More Vehicle Break-Ins: Power Tools, Tool Bags Stolen (MAP): The items were taken the same day but from separate vehicles miles apart in Frankfort, according to the Will Co. Sheriff's Office. (Aug. 27)
10. Ex-LW D210 Supt. Lawrence Wyllie Gets New Date For Fraud Trial: The school district hired a Naperville financial consultant to look into restructuring ballooning debt payments. (Sept. 4)

Obviously, readers come to Frankfort Patch to keep informed about the village they live in. But it's residents like Tom Fetherling that keep an editor like myself working at Patch, even if their stories don't end up on the site.

For more than three decades, Tom ran Frankfort Meats and Deli in the Trolley Barn, and I would use his expertise as a butcher for stories on how to prepare tender, tasty ribs for Frankfort's amateur cook-off or the secret to delicious corned beef for St. Patrick's Day. He was hesitant to offer his advice at first — mostly out of modesty — but he eventually warmed up to the idea, and he was a natural on camera.

WATCH: Tom Fetherling, former owner of Frankfort Meats and Deli in the Trolley Barn, gives his corned beef tips for St. Patrick's Day.

In 2013, Tom suffered a stroke, and unfortunately, he was forced to close his shop because of his health. He and his wife, Pam, held a final day of business in June of that year so that their loyal customers could properly send them off.

I stopped by to wish Tom well and tell him that I was going to miss getting all that free cooking advice that I hid behind the flimsy facade of doing my job. He firmly clasped my hand then and took me aside.

"When you would call up and want to do an article, I would tell Pam, 'We can stay open a few more months'," he said, and I looked over to his wife, who nodded to confirm his claim. "I knew if you did one of your stories, we'd have people in here, and we'd be in business a little longer."

It's been five years, and I'm still speechless from that exchange. In fact, I'll still be speechless in another five years. And in another five years after that, too. Who needs a Pulitzer Prize when Tom's kind words and sincerity mean so much more?

The Editor

Got a news tip or a story idea? Contact Frankfort Patch editor Joe Vince at joe.vince@patch.com or at frankfort@patch.com. Find out more about Joe by reading his career bio.

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Photo by Joe Vince | Patch