MODERN DAD | By Jon Show
August 8. If you’ll humor me, I’d like to take a month off from Modern Dad to share some exciting news in case you flipped past page two. I’m talking about you, mom.
My parents moved here 26 years ago. Ten years ago, The Mother of Dragons, Future Man, the Blonde Bomber and I followed them from Charlotte because we fell in love with the lake, the schools, splash pads, Carolina Cones and everything else about Cornelius.
Shortly after we moved I was lucky enough that Dave Yochum, the owner and founder of Cornelius Today, read something I wrote in a Charlotte publication about spending a weekend at the lake, and he asked me to write a monthly column in these pages.
This column marks the 103rd iteration of Modern Dad.
Born in a small town
I’m a big believer in community. I grew up in small towns and was raised by parents who grew up in small towns.
I volunteer as a commissioner on our Cornelius Parks & Rec board because I love our parks and I’ve spent countless hours on our fields and playgrounds, and at our town events.
I’ve volunteered as a youth sports coach for hundreds of kids, and I’ve helped support our town’s annual Big Day at the Lake event – founded by Dave and his wife, Tracy – to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Metrolina.
I also joined my HOA board, which remains the worst decision I have ever made in my life. And I’ve made some questionable ones.
I’m sharing all of this to let you know that as of last month I am the new owner and editor of Cornelius Today.
Attitude of Gratitude
First of all, there isn’t room in these pages to express enough gratitude to Dave and Tracy, who founded this media company 23 years ago and are ardent supporters of the Cornelius community.
The Yochums are remaining in Cornelius. When he’s not on his bike or paddleboard I expect you’ll see Dave in these pages from time to time when the occasional story piques his interest.
Jason Benevides, who does an amazing job with design and advertising production, will continue to serve as our creative director.
My first job at the age of 12 was delivering a community newspaper after school, when such things like afternoon newspapers, and newspapers in general, still thrived.
I majored in commercial printing at Clemson, learning how to design publications and run the massive printing presses that cranked out things like newspapers.
My first job out of college was in a printing plant. My second job was as a reporter and editor for a sports publication in Charlotte. My third, and most recent job over the last 15 years, was in public and community relations.
I share all of that because Cornelius Today is my Act IV, and I feel like my entire career has led to this point.
Fit to print
I know the news industry is a tough business and the decline of major market dailies has been well-documented.
As a result, those metro newspapers and TV stations have extremely limited resources when it comes to covering surrounding towns, unless someone locks a dog in a car or the lake has an algae bloom.
That’s where we come in.
Cornelius Today also serves our 34,000-plus residents on a daily basis, keeping them informed on civic issues, events, real estate development and road construction.
Cornelius Today serves our hundreds of local businesses, highlighting new openings, real estate transactions, chamber updates and more.
We hold regular networking breakfasts with amazing guests who share their thoughts on all kinds of topics. You should check one out; it’s a great room of community-minded people.
Our daily newsletters are a must read for anyone looking not to panic when the nuclear siren goes off each month. We also keep you informed on things to do around town and, my personal favorite, the police arrest log.
And there’s a bunch of stuff that we don’t do that we’re going to look to add in the future.
High school sports coverage. Restaurant spotlights. And fishing reports.
Yes, fishing reports. My slanted media bias begins, and ends, with fishing. As for politics? Zero. My own wife has no idea who I’ve voted for over the last 20 years of marriage.
But we also want to hear from you. This is your community and this is Cornelius Today – which makes it your news source. What would you love to know more about? Whatwould you like us to cover more often?
Future, Man
The Yochums have created an incredible asset for our community and it has been extremely well-supported by our readers and advertisers. I truly hope that will continue under new stewardship.
To that end I hope you can join us at our monthly Newsmaker Breakfast on August 14th (details on page 11, mom) as we celebrate Dave and Tracy’s contribution to Cornelius and my attempt not to mess it up.
With any luck, and your support, Cornelius Today will be around for another two decades so I can hand it off to someone else to keep the next generation informed about when the West Catawba widening project is expected to begin.
Who buys a newspaper in 2025? This guy.
Let’s go.
Jon Show lives in Robbins Park with his wife, who he calls “The Mother of Dragons.” Their 16-year-old son is “Future Man” and their 13-year-old daughter is “The Blonde Bomber.” Their dog is actually named Lightning.
