In March, Karen and Mark Packard became the owners of of Sterling Meetinghouse News. Sterling Meetinghouse News has been published for 21 years, and is mailed to every postal address in Sterling once a month free of charge, as well as being available in various businesses and municipal buildings in town. After running the paper for the past few months, they realized how important it is to have a local newspaper to support the community, its residents and businesses. Their strong ties to Princeton made them want to do the same for this community. Karen and Mark met in high school while working at Wachusett Mountain. Mark grew up in in Princeton and his parents, Bob and Kathy Packard, still live on Westminster Road, and are active in the community. Many people remember Mark from his childhood playing drums at the Prince of Peace Church. Karen and Mark spent countless hours playing tennis at the Princeton tennis courts, skiing at the mountain and hiking the various trails around town. Mark opened Sterling Greenery in 2001, and soon after Karen started her career in real estate. They have raised their family in Sterling for the past 17 years. Their son even followed in Mark’s footsteps attending Thomas Prince School and playing drums in the school band.
Redemption Rock News will be published once a month, and delivered free of charge to all households and businesses in Princeton. One of Karen and Mark’s priorities is to focus on positive, community-oriented news that you will only find in a local publication. The paper will welcome letters to the editor, local press releases and town updates, include listings and calendars for events in Princeton and surrounding towns, and report on local news. One of Mark’s favorite sections is “Hometown Heroes,” where we feature community members that have made a special contribution to the life and spirit of the town. We encourage you to submit information to our editor-in-chief Lex Thomas for any local heroes, events, press releases, or story ideas that you have. You can reach her anytime at editor@redemptionrocknews.com. Together with Lex, a group of dedicated writers, and art director Kimberly Morse, our goal is to give the Princeton community the news you want and need, focused on the town and its unique character and talented residents.
As owners of small businesses, Karen and Mark have always valued the small town newspaper as a way to reach their customers. They started advertising in Sterling Meetinghouse News in 2001. It has been a key factor in the success of both the greenery and Karen’s real estate career. It’s a great way for small, local businesses to do some inexpensive yet effective advertising that reaches the audience local businesses want and need to reach. We look forward to introducing you to some of the businesses in the area that you might not be familiar with.
In addition to benefiting local businesses, Karen and Mark believe it’s important to have a community newspaper to highlight events and stories that are unique to the town and important to its residents. Local heroes, school events, children being recognized for their achievements, and the people that shape our town are among the stories we’re looking forward to bringing to readers.