A Hometown History Update
What we’re doing this Fall and beyond
Happy Labor Day! I hope you have been enjoying our summertime dispatches from the research desk of Hometown History. Our eighth and final installment of Hometown History Homework will be arriving next Wed, Sept 11th. But don’t worry, we have a ton of exciting things coming down the pipeline that we’re eager to share with you now. So read on!
Hometown History NJ is now an official 501c3 nonprofit.
The biggest (albeit most boring) thing to happen to us this summer was that Hometown History NJ became an official 501c3 nonprofit. Why a nonprofit? Well, nonprofit status allows us to apply directly for grants from local, state and federal entities to support our work. It also allows us to partner with other grant funded 501c3 organizations with a similar mission to ours. And most importantly, it allows us to keep making Hometown History podcasts without putting them behind a paywall. All our podcasts will be free to subscribe and free to listen to in perpetuity.
“But wait! I would gladly pay for your excellent podcasts!”
I’m glad you said that. Because even though Hometown History podcasts will be free, we still need your support to make it all possible. We’ve set up a beautiful website that describes our mission and our vision for Hometown History NJ. It’s also where we’ve set up our donation pages. Every donation you give to Hometown History NJ is tax deductible and supports the work we do. If you enjoyed Season 1 and are eager for us to get diving into Season 2, please consider making a donation via our new website or by using the QR code below.
Note: You will still be able to access Season 1 of Hometown History: Mendham via Substack, but our URL hometownhistorynj.com now directs to our nonprofit and donation webpage.
We are going LIVE!
Hometown History is going to be coming to you in person this fall! On September 26th from 7-8pm we’ll be hosting a Meet & Greet at Chapter One Books in Mendham. Join us for a Q&A about how Hometown History got started, the details on how we make such absurdly good podcasts, and behind the scenes stories and extras that you didn’t hear in our episodes.
Then on Sunday October 27th from 11-3pm we’ll be joining the Mendham Township Historic Preservation Committee in celebrating our town’s 275th anniversary. Come on out to Ralston Sports Field for an afternoon of food, fun and festivities of historic proportions.
You can now register for both events here. And stay tuned for more Hometown History live events coming soon.
Bonus Episode: The Tale of Troop 1
Yes, as if a new website, live events and boring government tax exempt status weren’t enough, we’re working on a BONUS Episode to Season 1. We heard you clamoring for more stories about Mendham, and this one is going to be very fun. Scouts honor! Keep an eagle eye out for more details about when the next episode of Hometown History will be appearing in inboxes this fall.
A final request for support:
Jokes aside, we’d like to sincerely appeal to you, our fans and listeners, for support. Back in October of 2023 Ryan and I came up with the germ of the idea for Hometown History. We spent eight months working on six episodes for residents and fans of history and of Mendham to enjoy. We have been so touched by your comments and messages cheering us on as we publish this work. We anxiously await getting started on Season 2 and we hope you’ll lend us your support so we can get to work as quickly as possible.
If you don’t plan on listening past Season 1, consider donating as a “Thank You” for the episodes you’ve already enjoyed. And if a donation isn’t possible for you right now, there are other ways to show your support. Consider giving us a follow on social media (@hometownhistorynj) or attending one of our live events. And you can always support us by recommending Season 1 to friends and family right here on Substack.
Thank you everyone for reading this update and for your continued support of Hometown History! We truly cannot express how grateful we are to you and how excited we are for the future of Hometown History NJ.
And don’t forget to check out our last Hometown History Homework next Wed, Sept 11th.
Till then!
Katie Feather & Ryan Ross