Happy 25th Anniversary Independent!
– By Lily Ofcarcik –
A tiny, cramped office subleased from a friend, a borrowed computer, and a young four-man staff, with the drive to create a new publication. That is how I remember the Independent in the very early days in 1996. Fun, frantic, and fiercely energetic, they were launching a newspaper that would fill a giant void in St. George, focusing on music, art, entertainment, and eventually, the great outdoor playground of Southern Utah.
The first name for the infant newspaper was The Revolution, later changed to The Independent. And the headline of that first edition “Bored Stupid,” was not a surprising banner. At the time, there were no musical events for teens, no dances, just private parties and driving out to Gunlock Reservoir with friends and listening to taped tunes in their car, if they were fortunate enough to have some wheels.
Josh Warburton and his compadres feeling this lack of connection with the arts and music world, literally willed this publication into being with technical savvy, hard work, long hours, and an incredibly low budget. Each did his share of reporting, opining, selling advertising, laying out the ads and the pages, sending it monthly to press and then distributing stacks of newspapers to all their racks located throughout the county and beyond. Eventually, the founding members whittled down to two then one, and Josh, with a little help from friends and family, kept it going.
Over the years, the Independent grew and attracted more writers and readers. Its articles covered local theater productions, movie and music reviews, local politics, community events, restaurant recommendations, local business news, health and fitness items, and local outdoor recreation. It added a Calendar of Events, where it listed local musical performances, art showings and community gatherings, such as the Ironman challenge and St. George Marathon. When a new venue came to Southern Utah, The Indie highlighted its productions and helped to promote it. Many musicals plays and performances at Tuacahn Center for the Arts in Ivins have been spotlighted in full color in the Independent. Another venue the Indie has encouraged the public to visit is the Center for the Arts at Kayenta, where audiences enjoy eclectic theater pieces, and talented musicians, as well as its beautiful art galleries and a yearly art fest. When the Electric Theater was renovated and started welcoming audiences again, the Indie was there, helping to promote live productions, film series, and music classes.
Annual events such as DOCUTAH (the annual documentary film festival), the St. George Art Festival, and the monthly Downtown St. George first Friday Street Fest (March through December) have been staples of Independent reviewing and promoting for many years. Also, the theatrical and musical performances held at Dixie State University are always a part of Indie’s reporting.
More recently, The Independent has added coverage of broader areas in Southern Utah, treating readers to information on state and national parks, on popular Zion National Park hikes, and the beautiful town of Springdale news. In addition, readers can find reporting on events and great places to visit in the amazing red rock area of Kanab to the southeast, home of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, and several yearly events.
Through the Covid-19 struggles, many venues were barred from holding concerts and plays, and restaurants closed. Advertising for these areas down, the publication took a big hit, yet it persevered. The Independent published articles about outdoor activities still possible in Southern Utah. The visitors at the parks increased noticeably. Now that the vaccine is starting to take hold, venues are opening again, and people want to go out and enjoy music, art, and theater in person and The Indie will continue to showcase all these events.
Amid good times and hard times, through COVID and in good health, The Independent is still with us, and still free and found on steel racks displaying its logo all around Washington, Iron, and Kane County. Also, readers can check out its great website at suindependent.com, updated daily.
Cheers to you, Independent. Thanks for all the memories.
From my heart, Mama Lily
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