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Writing for The Sentinel again is a bit like catching up with an old friend. Which begs the question, did I ever leave?
Well, yes and no. Since I left Mifflin County for other opportunities in 1999, I have continued to write for these pages periodically as a correspondent, which means if there's a story to write and I can elect to accept the assignment that's being offered to me. Or not.
I work full-time in property management as the manager of a 180-unit apartment community in the Main Line section of Philadelphia, just outside of King of Prussia. I've worked in that field for five years now. It's hard to find two jobs that mesh well, but these two do.
Over the summer when I was asked to write in great length about the revitalization of downtown Lewistown, it got my creative juices flowing and I pitched the idea to Publisher Ruth Eddy and former Interim Managing Editor Jeff Fishbein of writing part-time from afar.
That's right. All the stories with my byline are written from the confines of my home in Lansdowne, Delaware County (between the King of Prussia Mall and Philadelphia Airport).
It's a quaint town that I've lived in for more than 20 years. I bought a house here because it offered the lowest mortgage rates to first-time home buyers.
I soon discovered that it offered much more than that. Lansdowne's downtown is filled with mom-and-pop shops, which struggle to stay in business, and there's the Lansdowne Theater that has had a renovation project in the works, much like the Embassy. It was completed not too long ago.
Due to the advent of technology, I'm able to unearth stories by trolling social media and websites. Readers have also e-mailed me ideas and suggestions as well.
It's been a pleasure re-connecting with people that I've written about now for decades. And it brings me back home to the Juniata Valley, albeit virtually.
So, I will continue to write stories on a regular basis as well as serve as the Sunday Night Editor, publishing Monday's paper from the same confines. Certainly, none of these things were possible back in the '90s when I was working full-time at The Sentinel.
The Internet was this new-fangled invention and filing stories out of the office when I covered a sporting event was difficult due to the available technology at the time. (Think Atari graphics on an Xbox gaming system.)
You won't find my desk in Lewistown or likely find me at events, but I'm only a call, text or e-mail away. Many readers tell me they didn't realize I reported that way, which is a good thing.
I've been doing this job in different capacities for a very long time. It was my first job out of college when I moved back to Mifflin County in 1991. I had planned to go to grad school at Penn State, until I was hired as a temporary graphic artist for a few months. I stuck around scrounging for work. My first managing editor, the late Brad Siddons, finally asked me, 'What are you doing here?' after finding me loitering for a few weeks.
He offered me my first news assignment. I don't remember what it was, but I have been diving into each story the same way ever since. Writing about the people of the Juniata Valley is my passion. I've been doing it for a very long time, and I'm excited about what the future will bring. It feels good to be home.
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Greg Williams is a reporter and Sunday Night Editor for The Sentinel. A Mifflin County native, he has been writing for The Sentinel since 1991.