How many of you have ever wondered where the Boothbay Register (and Wiscasset Newspaper) comes from? That's what I thought.
Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't come from Arthur's delivery truck, or the Hannaford or Circle K, or one of the many local shops. It is printed at the Alliance Press in Brunswick, Maine. And I know, because I went there and met the people who print it. This week's photo is proof of my visit, super sleuth that I am.
Over the years, many from the Register office have couriered material to press, which was not always Alliance. David McKown, Bill Harris, Mary Brewer, to name a few, have all delivered and picked up both the original to be printed pages and the finished product. Back in the days of manual cut and paste preparation, many were conscripted delivery people.
Today, all the prep is done electronically. The paper is laid out at the office on Townsend Avenue by skilled folk who “fit it all together.” It is then sent “over the wire” to Alliance Press prepress and another set of skilled hands.
I have some personal contact with Alliance Press from years gone by. Reade Brower, who owns the press and many other publishing entities in Maine and beyond, started his own “door to door” publishing project right here in the Midcoast. In the early ’80s, Reade took on the revival of a small regional publication called “The Sunshine Guide.” It was similar in format to the Chamber of Commerce Region Guide, selling ads and offering visitor information. Reade, at that time, didn't have much. He needed photos of products, area scenery and help with contacts. I remember what a tailspin Ed Hutchins, then owner of “The Hutch,” created for Reade. Ultimately he talked Ed into running ads for his properties. A major coup for Reade at the time. I was pleased to help.
The Alliance Press space is vast, as you can see, but it is a well oiled machine of dedicated and skilled craftspeople. They make things happen on deadlines that would produce ulcers for most of us.
So the next time you pick up “the Register,” you will know where it comes from and who helps to make it happen. Thanks for our Alliance!