It’s been a big year for local journalism.

In July, I attended the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors conference, where I accepted a Golden Dozen award for column-writing, and just a few weeks ago, I attended the Missouri Press Association conference and accepted more than 50 awards on mine and my staff’s behalf.

Last week, there were no awards, but it was a cherry of a day on top of a sundae of a year for professional leadership and education.

Let me go back. Two years ago, a couple of years removed from speaking on a panel at its annual convention, I was approached about joining the Ozark Press Association Board. I had never been on a board, but I thought if I were to get some experience in that realm, joining one adjacent to my current job would probably be a smart move.

After learning the ropes and getting more comfortable, last year I was surprised to be elected to an officer position — vice president.

Cool, I thought. I wonder what that entails. Truthfully, the vice doesn’t mean a ton extra, except that you move to president the following year, and you are charged with leading the planning meetings, and organizing and executing a day-long convention.

Whoa. This I had never done.

On Oct. 13, I was elated, proud and humbled to welcome more than 40 journalists and newspaper employees to the annual OPA convention, which I chose to host in our own backyard at Roaring River State Park.

I had never been so nervous in my life. I was so scatter-brained I forgot the president’s gavel on my desk at the office.

Banging that thing never gets old, and I only had a few more times to do it.

Luckily, my amazing wife delivered the gavel at lunch. Another great surprise, lunch was a meal Roaring River Concessions Owner Jim Rogers paid for, citing our partnership with the parks over the years and hoping to see us again in the future.

After shakily introducing the leaders in the room and thanking the individuals responsible for getting us together, I started the first session, the importance of editorials.

I talk plenty in this space about happenings in our communities, my family, my profession and the like. It’s one of the most potent tools a local newspaper has for stimulating conversations and shaping the progress we all hope to continue to make.

After that, we heard from Monett’s own Michael Scott Leach, who taught us all the things we can do with the DSLR cameras that get dropped in our laps without instructions. Scott volunteered his time to give a presentation that hopefully positively affects newspaper photos across the region.

We then had a sports photography seminar, an afternoon money-making brainstorm session, and our “Bright Ideas” session, which runs along the same lines.

By the day’s end, my presidency had ended too, and I passed the gavel on to Ron Schott, with the Wright County Journal.

I’m always proud of our efforts in these pages to bring you, our readers, the most accurate, informative, relevant and entertaining news possible. To see so many others with the same mindset in the same room as I was empowering, and to know that I played a significant role in putting it together was equally humbling.

We also got nothing but compliments on the meeting room, the meal and the program. The only hitch we had was we couldn’t get the HDMI cords to work on the new TV, so a PowerPoint presentation I had on photography techniques had to be emailed.

Still, I say it’s not a proper journalist convention without some type of technology hiccup.

This will likely be the last column I write for a while about these kinds of professional things, and I share them for a few reasons. One, I hope you have a window to see into our very public world and understand where our motives lie. Two, I hope you see the efforts we make day in and day out to make our publication better. And three, maybe I like to brag a little on the leadership roles we take in the region, state and beyond.

So one last time, hurrah for local journalism. We hope to keep delivering a product and the representation you deserve.

Kyle Troutman has served as the editor of the Cassville Democrat since 2014. In 2017, he was named William E. James/Missouri Outstanding Young Journalist for daily newspapers, and in 2022, he won a Golden Dozen Award from ISWINE. He may be reached at 417-847 2610 or ktroutman@cherryroad.com.