Mercury 1 year from its centennial: Local newspaper’s longevity uncommon for independently-owned businesses

In August of 2018, 1 year away, the Mercury will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in Tofield. The Mercury was Tofield’s third newspaper in the early 1900s, and the one that obviously lasted. Not bad for a business recruited into Tofield by the business people of Tofield back in 1918.

The Mercury has a number of promotions planned leading up to the very first publication date, just over a year away. We’d like to invite former staff and former owners to the Mercury Centennial Celebration so please remind us if you or someone you know once worked at the Mercury.

We’re proud of the history of this newspaper, independently owned for nearly a century now.

“A successful community newspaper, despite being owned by several business people over the years, usually feels like it is community owned,” said present day owner Kerry Anderson. “Readers feel a part of it. The newspaper is a part of their upbringing. It catalogs in chronological order the events that shape the history of their towns.”

The first newspaper in Tofield was actually The Standard, according to the Provincial Archives’ reference book “Newspapers, Publishers and Editors in Alberta” from the 19th Century until 1982.

For more see the Aug. 1/17 Mercury