What a year it’s been. Like many small businesses, the second year of the pandemic posed a unique set of challenges for My Buckhannon. Local news thrives on “being there” – at community events, at festivals, at celebrations, at meetings, at the town watering hole (shooting the proverbial ‘stuff’).

So, like many of you, we’re looking forward to the New Year and the hope of renewal it brings.

Having said that, we’re proud of our accomplishments in 2021. My Buckhannon stories reached more than 800,000 readers. Your stories, really. We just tell them.

We grew our team. We expanded our coverage. We fine-tuned our website. We launched weekly giveaways. And we never stopped fighting to bring you the local news that matters.

Local sports

This fall, we welcomed veteran sportswriter Duane Carpenter to the My Buckhanon team, and with his addition came daily local sports coverage. Buckhannon-Upshur student-athletes work so hard year-round, and we’re thrilled to finally be giving them the exposure they deserve. Look for that to flourish in 2022, with regular features like the Hank Ellis All-Stars, our Game of the Week and athlete profiles.

MyBucks 2.0

Little nervous about this one, not gonna lie. I’ve always wanted to develop a fun, quirky way to encourage people not only to visit the My Buckhannon website, but also to highlight many other great parts of our community. Technologically, though, it’s tough for a small business like ours. But here we go — as of January 1, we have tentatively launched the revamped MyBucks Community Rewards program to make using My Buckhannon more interactive and enjoyable. With the new program, you will complete challenges, earn ranks and claim special rewards throughout a series of ‘seasons’ each year. Stay tuned for more information soon!

Telling your stories

A theme for My Buckhannon in 2022 is to tell even more of the stories that matter to you. Upshur County is a small community, but there are so many unique stories we can’t wait to write about. Know of something we don’t? Please reach out and let us know! Personal connections make all the difference, and we look forward to talking to you.

A truly local digital destination

Expanding our online store, adding local business listings, posting help wanted ads, featuring more photos in our high-resolution galleries – these are all ways we look forward to growing My Buckhannon into an essential digital destination for residents, visitors, businesses and anyone who needs information about our charming little community.

Finally, I just want to say a big, super huge thank you to all our readers. I’m a Buckhannon native, and what I see every day fills my heart with joy. YOU are what makes running this business worth it. If you’re not a My Buckhannon member already, please consider joining us.

Happy New Year,
Brian Bergstrom
Owner & Publisher
My Buckhannon