Snowball Effect

by Sharry L. Whitney

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the interconnectedness of our community. I had a bit of time to ponder this while waiting for our January issue to be printed last month.

Though the “Shop Local” movement is nothing new, it’s been around so long now that I often take it for granted. That is until the blizzard of 2022 clobbered Buffalo. It was surreal hearing about the inundated city to our west, yet barely a dusting here in Clinton and a few inches around our region. But how did that affect us? Well, Mohawk Valley Living Magazine is now printed in Buffalo. Why would a business that promotes “shopping local” use a printer outside the area? About a year ago, our local printer informed us they could no longer produce our type of magazine. We were their last client to need that service. This brings me around to the local media. When our daily newspaper stopped printing its monthly glossy magazine insert, the cost for our printer to maintain a large, full-color printing press for just our magazine outweighed the need.

Though Mother Nature is not a business, she sometimes makes us realize how interconnected we are. For example, when there is no snow in December and January, our neighbors to the north suffer. No snow, no snowmobilers. No snowmobilers, no customers at local resorts, restaurants, and shops. The snow tourists and snow-loving locals buy gear, supplies, food, groceries, souvenirs, etc. Local snow-related businesses buy ads in local media. No business, no ads. No ads, fewer local media outlets. And that makes for fewer services that cater to local media. It’s a circle. Like farms and restaurants, lumberyards and homebuilders, printers and publishers.

And that is how a blizzard in Buffalo impacted our little business here in Clinton.

That reminds me, I have to renew my newspaper subscription! •

Riggie is roaming around and hiding in the advertising areas of the magazine. Next to him you’ll find a letter. Find all the Riggies and rearrange the letters to answer this riddle. Enter by the 15th of the month to be entered in a $100 shopping spree at one of our advertisers!

(Excluding media and banks) One entry per household per month. Mail to: Riggie’s Riddle, 30 Kellogg St., Clinton, NY 13323 or email: mohawkvalleyliving@hotmail.com

NOTE: Please enter Riggie’s Riddle and crossword puzzle in separate emails.

1 word, 15 letters

See the answer and winner to last month’s riddle on page 46!

Hazelnut and one of the kits