Community Corner

A Fond Farewell

Whitefish Bay Patch will shut down next week, but the memories we made will never be forgotten by this editor.

Three years ago, 15 local reporters took a gamble on a hyperlocal journalism project called Patch.

Now, as I sit here writing this, I am able to look back and realize that what we as a community helped build was much more than a news website. Together, with your help and support, we took a blank canvass and created a place where neighbors could connect with one another, share stories and build on the amazing sense of community that already exists here in Whitefish Bay.

Now for the sad news. 

Two months ago, Patch's parent company Aol informed all of the Milwaukee-area Patch editors that our sites will go dark on Oct. 15. Despite all of the page views, the community blogs and the submitted photos, we just weren't able to make a profit on the local level. 

This is a difficult way of saying goodbye, coming from one person to a community of 14,000.

First of all, I would like to thank all of you for buying into this great experiment in journalism and community life here in Whitefish Bay. I was genuinely humbled by the faith all of you had in me, and that you all welcomed me into your homes, classrooms and businesses with open arms.

The next chapter in my professional life remains unclear, but I would love to stay in touch with as many of you as possible. I feel like we all shared a special bond with each other over the last three years, and I consider all of you to be personal friends. Please keep in touch with me at jeffrumage@gmail.com.

Over the last couple months, I've had several people ask me, "What are we going to do without Patch?"

To me, Patch was an online representation of a community pride that always existed before I came on the scene. It's a special buzz that can be seen and felt in the schools, at local businesses and at all of the amazing Whitefish Bay Civic Foundation events like the Great Pumpkin Festival, the Fourth of July and the Sounds of Summer. 

The news about Patch doesn't change any of that.

I still believe that Whitefish Bay deserves its own online forum, where people can get all of the local information in one place – a place where people can find out about everything from school fundraisers to new business openings.

Despite everything we did, there are still so many great local stories that went untold. I hope to continue to hear them – even if I'm not the one telling them.

Thanks for the memories, Whitefish Bay. It's been a great ride.


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