Mariemont Town Crier: Our Story
Who We Are
The Mariemont Town Crier is an independent, resident-run publication in the community of Mariemont, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati. Considered “The Voice of the Village of Mariemont,” the Crier is published eight times a year — September through December and February through May — and is hand-delivered the first full weekend of those months by resident junior couriers to nearly 2,000 household and business doorsteps in the community. Copies are free and extras are available at the Mariemont branch of the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library and at Mariemont area businesses.
How It All Started
Mariemont’s first official community publication, the Mariemont Messenger, debuted on March 19, 1926 and was run by
the Mariemont Company (MC). The editor was insurance agent Warren E. Leavitt. It was printed by the Mariemont Printery in a temporary building on Wooster Pike, across from the Mariemont Inn (see image, below). George Feld, Jr. was the proprietor, and typesetting was done by William G. Smith in his shop adjoining the Printery.
It was free and delivered weekly to residents as an 8 ½ in. x 11 in. four-pager filled with “authoritative” MC news as well as
“chatty news about out-of-town guests, bridge parties, and automobile accidents.” Robert S. Fagley, realtor for the Mariemont Company, took over when Warren Leavitt fell ill in 1931, and in 1932 Warren W. Parks, MC resident engineer, became editor.
While the first few years saw a deficit of $5,000, according to MC minutes, by 1931 the cost of production equaled the revenue from advertising, and in 1932 there was a profit of $15. The cost to produce back then was $33 per week. The Mariemont Messenger was delivered to around 1,200 households in Mariemont, the not-yet-incorporated Indianview and Homewood, Madison Place, and Fairfax. By 1939, there were 52 issues between four and eight pages, distribution increased to include Plainville, and once again advertising was about equal to printing and distribution costs.
On January 1, 1941, full operational responsibility was turned over to the Mariemont Printery, and Parks continued as
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“How It All Started” (from previous page)
editor until 1943. At some point during the late 1930s/early 1940s, the Mariemont Messenger became The Messenger, covering a broader area that also included Terrace Park and Indian Hill. For a period during WWII, publication was suspended until it was revived by James Newton in January 1946. After 10 weeks as editor, he sold the publication to Jerald B. Fortney, a former newspaperman who had just returned from five years in the army. Oak Street resident Ben Geygan served as editor under Newton for many years, until Ralph Clyburn took over as editor in 1960 and ’61. Pat Masten, the publication’s first female editor, came on board through 1970, and then Marian Kinsolving became managing editor. The service area increased yet again, and around 1968 it was rebranded the E. Hamilton County Messenger. It was eventually incorporated into the Community Press collection of regional newspapers in the early 1980s.
The Town Crier Emerges
Mariemont residents felt the need for a publication written specifically for Mariemont, and in October 1975, the Mariemont Town Crier published its first issue, under the umbrella of the now-dis-
banded Mariemont Village Assembly. The first issue was just four pages long and was put together by resident co-editors Marty Bartlett and Ellen Brooks. It was supported by residents and patrons who donated a small fee per year ($5/family in 1975) to offset the cost of printing and delivery. Local businesses continued to support through advertising.
Through the years, it has grown to 2428 pages per issue, distributed eight times a year, and filled with information about Mariemont organizations, residents, events, history, Village government news, local businesses, and more. The Crier is still produced and distributed today by volunteer residents who write, photograph, manage layout and editing, and oversee production and distribution. Residents who contribute any amount, to help with printing and distribution costs, are noted in a special section called the “Crier Club.” The Mariemont Town Crier continues to welcome support from area business advertisers.
Our Stewards
The first co-editors in 1975, under the oversight of the Mariemont Village Assembly, were Marty Bartlett and Ellen Brooks (October 1975—February 1976).
Will Caldwell replaced Ellen Brooks as co-editor with Marty Bartlett in March 1976, and both ran the publication until December 1979.
In February 1980, Ann Eberle became editor, and in March, Kathy Huyvaert joined as assistant editor.
There was a pause in production from December 1980 through May 1981 due to funding difficulty.
Production resumed in June 1981 under the leadership of co-editors Katie Norris, Laurie Bustle, Brit Killinger, and Janet Zack. By September 1981, Brit had moved on, and Katie, Laurie and Janet continued through April 1982.
In May 1982, Katie Norris and Janet Zack were co-editors with a new editorial assistant, Winnie Miller, through October 1982.
Starting in November 1982, Janet Zack became the sole editor and continued through September 1987.
Andrew Pate took over as co-editor with his wife Marsha Pate for a couple of months,
and the rest of the 1987-88 season was handled by Business & Advertising Manager Jane Malcolm
In September 1988, Editor Margaret Breagy and Assistant Editors Becky Bechtel and Cindy Beren were at the helm.
By September 1989, Becky Bechtel became editor, serving through May 1991, during which time she updated the publication’s look and logo, and created an editorial board, consisting of past editors Margaret Breagy and Janet Zack.
Randy York became editor in September 1991 and stewarded the paper for 17 seasons through May 2008, with the help of editorial board members and past editors Janet Zack and Marty Bartlett. Randy and his staff initiated the “Town Crier Club” with levels for contributions, continued to publish council minutes (because, at the time, there was no other avenue to relay that information to residents), and printed inserts with coupons several times to help drive business in the Village. The major focus during this period was to support organizations that support the Village. He also published a couple of April Fools issues and made the cover more impactful with more photos and December/ Christmas issues that included color.
Claire Kupferle took the reins in September 2008. She led the paper through the
FIFTY YEARS OF THE TOWN CRIER
end of the 2016-17 publishing season, with David Zack initially handling layout, and she continued the use of an editorial board for a few years. She worked with a resident volunteer to create a new logo and added it to the existing masthead. Matt Weinland took over layout duties in 2014 and began uploading published issues to Issuu, a digital reading and archiving platform. In 2016,
Claire and the Town Crier team spearheaded and produced a keepsake color magazine to commemorate Mariemont’s 75th Anniversary of incorporation.
In September 2017, Claire passed the baton to Suzy and Matt Weinland, with Suzy serving as editor and Matt handling advertising and layout. Their son Zachary Weinland took over layout in 2023. During
their stewardship, the Weinlands changed printers, creating a higher-quality output; expanded advertising to Mariemont-adjacent businesses; added the publication to Facebook; digitized and made searchable all past issues of the Crier (with help from Zachary, MPF Archivist Linda Bartlett, and MHS student Trevor Mart); and for the 50th year, they partnered with resident Tom Gilmore
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FIFTY YEARS OF THE TOWN CRIER
to refresh the logo, masthead, and fonts. They are currently working on creating a website.
Throughout the years there were many, many residents who contributed endless amounts of time, energy and passion to share Village news with their neighbors. As there are too many to list here, we would like to say “hats off” to each and every person who kept the Crier alive and moving forward.
Our Namesake
The name Mariemont Town Crier was chosen to correspond with the Village’s official and historical town crier. Our town crier is one of many who hold this title in North America, and our Village is helping to keep this venerable tradition alive with the help of Bob Keyes, who succeeded the late Hank Kleinfeldt in 2013 as Mariemont’s official town crier. Mariemont’s town crier has in the past been appointed during Town
Meeting. He opened the meeting and was considered an officer. Today, he leads the Memorial Day Parade, reads proclamations at special award ceremonies and other functions within the Village, and dons the uniform (not costume!) to speak to groups about his position.
Andy Anderson was appointed as our first town crier to call the first Town Meeting to order in 1941. He served as crier from
1941-43. After Andy, the list of Mariemont criers included: Floyd Miller (1943-45), HS Ebersole (1947-49), BG Fleming (1949-51), Maurice LeBosquet (1951-53), Jac Applegate (1953-55), Robert (Bob) Taylor (195561), Ralph Smith (1961-1995), Hank Kleinfeldt (1996-2013), and Robert (Bob) Keyes (2013-present).
The first criers date back to biblical times and were advance men, sent into towns and villages by merchants to announce the next day’s sale of cattle, slaves, or imported goods. Once towns became more developed and the merchants remained as permanent fixtures, the role of the town crier evolved.
Towns and villages hired criers to call out the news of the day and keep the citi-
zens informed. Along with the lamplighter and night watchman, the town criers were an important part of daily life, particularly in England. With a call of “Hear Ye! Hear Ye!” these “men of good voice” would draw people together to hear proclamations, edicts, laws, news of plague, victories in exotic lands, births, and deaths.
Much of the credit for Mariemont’s current version of the town crier goes to Ralph Smith, who was appointed to this Village tradition in 1961. The official wording used on proclamations and the authentic uniform he wears were researched and selected by Ralph after extensive study. The uniform is based on the look of a country squire. The front-page article of the June 1977 Mariemont Town Crier delved into Ralph’s background and some fun information
about the costume:
“…With some help from a friend, Pat Baker, a costume renter, he devised his own apparel. As he had time, he researched costuming and came up with the more colorful creation of today, sewn to design by a local seamstress. A bright blue vest was
added, plus a collar on the coat during the [nation’s] Bicentennial celebration. …The bell he inherited was a wisp of a thing and he wanted authenticity. As a result, this bell he rings now was a gift from the I.T. Verdin Company and cast in Belgium…On a visit to Williamsburg, the mayor asked him to wear his costume around the village. The blacksmith saw him and said, ‘I’ll make you a real pair of buckles like those of Colonial days.’”
When Ralph was ready to retire as Mariemont’s town crier, Hank Kleinfeldt was selected at the 1996 Town Meeting to take over the signature uniform, bell, and scroll. During his tenure, Hank made people laugh and even competed in a national town crier contest, but decided the honor and fun of being Mariemont’s crier was enough. Upon retiring, Hank shared with his replacement, Bob Keyes, that having gloves with grip was extremely important, because during a Memorial Day parade one year, he went to swing his bell and it flew from his gloved hand, hitting a color guard in the shin!
Information and photos for this article courtesy of Mariemont Preservation Foundation, E. Hamilton County Messenger, and Mariemont Town Crier archives.