WILKES-BARRE — Last Monday, I attended the Times Leader’s “Best of the Best” reception at the Friedman JCC in Kingston that, in a word, was amazing.
It was, well, “the best.”
There were nearly 500 people in attendance — most of them were there to pick up their “Best of the Best” awards, enjoy some food and fun, and interact with their fellow recipients.
It was a gigantic schmoozfest, and I mean that in the best of ways.
Our publisher, Kerry Miscavage, and director of advertising, Diane McGee, put together a night to remember that really highlighted many of the outstanding businesses and people of our area.
McGee said this about the Best of the Best:
“The 2026 Best of the Best season was our biggest and most energetic celebration yet. Beginning in December and building momentum through the winter months, the community came together in extraordinary numbers — submitting and casting more than 250,000 nominations and votes to honor the people, businesses, and organizations that make our region shine.”
McGee said all that excitement culminated in a spectacular awards event at the Friedman JCC Center to celebrate the 2026 winners.
“The evening featured live music by Triple Fret, creating a warm, upbeat atmosphere as attendees mingled, connected, and shared in the joy of recognition,” McGee said. “Winners received their awards, posed for photos, and met fellow honorees from across the community.”
And here’s the best part of the Best of the Best.
”The energy at the event was unmistakable — part pride, part gratitude, and part celebration of everything our community accomplishes when people come together,” McGee said. “From first-time nominees to returning favorites, every winner represented the spirit of excellence that the Best of the Best awards are built to honor.”
It really was a spectacular event — an authentic celebration of our community and the people and businesses that make it great every day.
Thanks to everyone who voted, participated, sponsored, attended, and helped make this year’s event unforgettable.
This got me thinking about this newspaper, which has been publishing in this community for 118-plus years. That statement alone more than qualifies the Times Leader as the Best of the Best, and why the paper was chosen as the 2018 Legacy Business of the Year Award by the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce.
But as significant as those 118 years are, what defines the Times Leader’s legacy is what the newspaper has done in those 118 years.
The pages of the Times Leader have been filled through those 118 years with stories about community organizations with photos of check presentations and event announcements, and features about just about every one of them, and most have benefited from many more than one story.
It’s part of the mission of a community newspaper — to serve the community and to report on it to show the public all the good that goes on every day of every year of every decade. And in the Times Leader’s case — for 118-plus years.
And all those stories, news releases, features, photos, and more were placed in the pages of the Times Leader because of the newspaper’s belief that it is one of its core values to dedicate that space to the community served.
That’s what you build a legacy on.
And adding to all that, all of the people who have worked at the Times Leader in those 118 years. Add their personal involvement in the community, whether it be in athletic organizations, civic groups, social clubs, and more. It’s all part of working together to improve our community by being part of it. And not in a superficial way. By being involved in a way that is not merely participation, but rolling up one’s sleeves and pitching in to do the work necessary for the benefit of the organization, its participants, and all who benefit from them.
Again, that’s how you build a legacy.
And then there is what we do. A newspaper is charged with an immense responsibility — to bring its readers the news of the day every day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year — for 118-plus years.
Every day, the news is on your doorstep or on your electronic device. And it is not a minute-and-a-half soundbite — it is always an in-depth, comprehensive look at issues that confront us every day, and each offers the reader a fair and accurate look at all.
Local news is a priority, but state, national, and international news are reported as well, along with sports and lifestyles, government/politics, medical/health, food/cooking, financial/business, and job-seeking help, and it’s also a place to sell your stuff, or where to buy new stuff.
Newspapers are vital to the health and well-being of a community, and the Times Leader has been a major part of our community for 118-plus years.
It’s a legacy that really does deserve recognition.
With a newspaper that has been around for 118-plus years, there are thousands of examples of how it has served the community — and that is the key to its legacy.
The issues are there every day, and we are always there to cover them and to bring them to our readers. It’s our job, and we are committed to delivering the news 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
But it’s far more than a job — it’s a mission. Our readers depend on us to provide fair and comprehensive coverage of everything that happens in the community, good or bad.
It has also covered local sports — from local recreational leagues to high schools to colleges and professional teams like the Penguins and the RailRiders. It has chosen those all-conference teams and sponsored all-star games.
And it cares enough to place those photos of bake sales and quilt sales and benefit dinners honoring community icons.
This newspaper has been the paper of record in this community for those 118-plus years.
The legacy is the total package — you can say it’s the “Best of the Best.”