Ahh, the Dundalk Eagle. In my opinion, the most entertaining read out there. I no longer have a subscription myself but I have been known to take my parents copy from time to time, after they read it cover to cover. Ok, every week. I can't help it. To open up a piece of my beloved hometown and find out not only which of my high school classmates have gotten married but also which have been arrested. It's the who's who of the Dirty D. You open the pages and see the 4th Grade class of Grange Elementary raised $12 for needy families and your heart melts. Or maybe there is a feature about some rare baseball card that was purchased from the North Point Flea Market aka The Dirt Mall. Those are the feel good stories that make me think of my childhood. Seriously, the 4th of July edition with the pictures of the parade and Heritage Fair are truly entertaining. It's a small town feel in the shadow of the big city. Some people show pride in Dundalk, some secretly do and others don't even have pride in themselves. I fall in that second category. I grew up in West Inverness and graduated from Patapsco High School. I couldn't wait to get out of Dundalk and the way people from other areas made me feel about my Dundalkness, accelerated that urge to leave. I didn't get far. As I currently live neither in Dundalk nor Canton/Highlandtown, what is my neighborhood? You see, I live near that awful restaurant, Jimmy's Seafood (LOL) so I technically live in the city, but my Dundalk is my hometown.
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That sums up the average native Dundalkian and their relationship to the Eagle. It's complicated! We read it because we love it. The articles are written to the audience's level, not intelligence, but experience. There isn't a bunch of stock market news or the latest iPhone review. What you will find is a feel good story about a local barber celebrating 40 years in business or recent graduate earning military honors overseas. Will this paper survive? Absolutely!! It's written by Dundalk, for Dundalk and it provides its readers with a weekly friend to catch up with. It's an intimate relationship that many wouldn't give up for the world. Also, for only $0.50 per issue, the price is still right. All kidding aside, this paper provides a service that no other media can, a local view of a town that most of Maryland could care less about. Let me tell you, the many subscribers that look forward to Thursdays care.
PS. Guess who has two thumbs and who's Mom was a Mystery Beauty back in the day...this guy!
I haven't really read many issues of The Dundalk Eagle, but I agree with you on what it will survive. It's an original newspaper. Sure, it doesn't give us much news about stuff going on in MD, but we can get that anywhere. We can't find out about Dundalk anywhere.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you. I haven't really read The Eagle like that either, however being a Dundalk native and seeing whats going on in your neighborhood is pretty cool. I even catch myself picking up The Guide on occasion. It's not soooo home-towney, but I still know what you mean.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that it is the most entertaining out there. And what you say pretty much sums it up, you read it to see whats going on in our little town "The Dirty D." I mean we can't find out about people we went to school with getting arrested for nonsense on the news.. right?
ReplyDeleteHey Mike, that is the best thing about small local pqpers. Finding out who was dumb enough to get arrested and who was even dumber and got married.(hahaha).T%here is something about a paper geared to your specific spot...I wish Hampen had one.
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