The final issue of The Tributary I mean Happenings
I moved to Montana in December 1990 and knew exactly twp people, my husband and Audrey Hall. One night while Audrey was having dinner at our house with us Jeffrey, my husband, suggested that I start a newspaper similar to one that was being published in Los Angeles. I didn't have a job or anything better to do so I set my sights on starting an arts and entertainment paper that concentrated on the arts, featuring their work on a bi-weekly basis. A few days later I met Eve Art at some meeting and told her about my plans. She had the perfect person to be the editor, her daughter Jackie. (As I imagine you can tell I can get things going but I am not a writer and barely bother to reread what I write never mind know anything about editing someone elses writing.) Audrey, Jackie and I started Happenings dada and our first issue was distributed in February of 1991.
Audrey did the design work, Jackie edited and I sold ads. At that time it consisted of actually cutting and pasting the various parts and pieces of the newspaper onto the sheets that the Enterprise gave us in order to run it through their press. I vividly remember working over an old window pane with a light underneath it so we could align all of the pieces properly. Jackie was the editor which is a difficult job in a small town. Not only did she have to contact writers, she had to make sure everything was turned in on time and then had to edit the work. I remember discussions with her about writers being upset because she edited their piece. She painstakingly went over stories and made changes she thought were necessary while maintaining the writers voice. (Jackie and Audrey knew everyone in town which was wonderful and difficult at the same time.) My job was to sell advertisements and make sure that the paper ran in the black, no matter how small the profit. Jackie, Audrey and I worked for pennies an hour to get the publication out on time. It was a project that inspired us and hopefully others that contributed to it within our community.
Well known writers, artists and photographers contributed to the paper as well as unknown ones that we thought were interesting in one way or another. I had forgotten some of the people that were involved in the paper and remembered when I looked back at some of the first issues that I kept. evidently my brother supported it with some scarce cash at the beginning. (I hope I paid him back, I think I did....hmmmm) Businesses in Bozeman, Livingston and Pray supported the project from the beginning. I remember walking into the Country Bookshelf and telling Jane of this idea I had and she immediately agreed to advertise in the magazine. Eve and Mike Art, from Chico Hot Springs, agreed to advertise with us. They would take full page ads out in order to support our project and they have continued to support the publication all the way through the last issue. I picked up an issue not long ago and saw their add running and was touched by the way they and others continued to contribute to something I started and that they continue to think is important enough to be a part of. Here is a list of some of the businesses and organizations that advertised in one of the first issues: Cactus Records, John Bozeman's Bistro, Sack's of Bozeman, Spanish Peaks Brewery, Old Main Gallery and Framing, The Bridaham Collection, The Baxter, It's Greek to Me, Colombo's Pizza, The Last Wind-up, Kinko's, etc.
Some of the contributors were friends and strangers including Karen O'Connor, Tina Munday, Dan Kaveney, Paul Trout, Noelle Sullivan, Loretta Domaszewski, Lynn Donaldson, Bill Brown, "Amy Nash", Merideth Thompson, Susan Mason, Susan James, Gatz Hjortsberg, Michelle Dietrich, Christie the Wordsmith, Sean Devine, and so many more that I can't think of right now.
I had heard news that the Tributary was folding several weeks ago and was struck by it yesterday when I saw the final issue on the stand. I started it and then sold it two weeks before our first daughter was born in August 1993. I took my money and bought a great leather couch which is now starting to show signs of its age. One of the seats is ripped but it has served our family for 15 years and during those years Happenings transformed into the Tributary and was run by various owners including Mimi Kiser, Carter Walker, and Janie Osborne. The Tributary has reached over a million readers over the years and is a magazine that existed solely because of the generosity of the people who live here.
Audrey did the design work, Jackie edited and I sold ads. At that time it consisted of actually cutting and pasting the various parts and pieces of the newspaper onto the sheets that the Enterprise gave us in order to run it through their press. I vividly remember working over an old window pane with a light underneath it so we could align all of the pieces properly. Jackie was the editor which is a difficult job in a small town. Not only did she have to contact writers, she had to make sure everything was turned in on time and then had to edit the work. I remember discussions with her about writers being upset because she edited their piece. She painstakingly went over stories and made changes she thought were necessary while maintaining the writers voice. (Jackie and Audrey knew everyone in town which was wonderful and difficult at the same time.) My job was to sell advertisements and make sure that the paper ran in the black, no matter how small the profit. Jackie, Audrey and I worked for pennies an hour to get the publication out on time. It was a project that inspired us and hopefully others that contributed to it within our community.
Well known writers, artists and photographers contributed to the paper as well as unknown ones that we thought were interesting in one way or another. I had forgotten some of the people that were involved in the paper and remembered when I looked back at some of the first issues that I kept. evidently my brother supported it with some scarce cash at the beginning. (I hope I paid him back, I think I did....hmmmm) Businesses in Bozeman, Livingston and Pray supported the project from the beginning. I remember walking into the Country Bookshelf and telling Jane of this idea I had and she immediately agreed to advertise in the magazine. Eve and Mike Art, from Chico Hot Springs, agreed to advertise with us. They would take full page ads out in order to support our project and they have continued to support the publication all the way through the last issue. I picked up an issue not long ago and saw their add running and was touched by the way they and others continued to contribute to something I started and that they continue to think is important enough to be a part of. Here is a list of some of the businesses and organizations that advertised in one of the first issues: Cactus Records, John Bozeman's Bistro, Sack's of Bozeman, Spanish Peaks Brewery, Old Main Gallery and Framing, The Bridaham Collection, The Baxter, It's Greek to Me, Colombo's Pizza, The Last Wind-up, Kinko's, etc.
Some of the contributors were friends and strangers including Karen O'Connor, Tina Munday, Dan Kaveney, Paul Trout, Noelle Sullivan, Loretta Domaszewski, Lynn Donaldson, Bill Brown, "Amy Nash", Merideth Thompson, Susan Mason, Susan James, Gatz Hjortsberg, Michelle Dietrich, Christie the Wordsmith, Sean Devine, and so many more that I can't think of right now.
I had heard news that the Tributary was folding several weeks ago and was struck by it yesterday when I saw the final issue on the stand. I started it and then sold it two weeks before our first daughter was born in August 1993. I took my money and bought a great leather couch which is now starting to show signs of its age. One of the seats is ripped but it has served our family for 15 years and during those years Happenings transformed into the Tributary and was run by various owners including Mimi Kiser, Carter Walker, and Janie Osborne. The Tributary has reached over a million readers over the years and is a magazine that existed solely because of the generosity of the people who live here.
posted by Melanie Nashan, Nashan Photographers at 2:35 AM
0 comments
