The Villager Newspaper
The Villager is published every Thursday and delivered on Fridays under policies established by the Club Board of Directors.
The Villager is the official and legal communication medium for The Villages. Its mission is to provide residents with timely information about activities, facilities and services at The Villages and to promote a sense of community by documenting and celebrating those common experiences that highlight life at The Villages.
Theresa Ostrander
General Manager
Elizabeth Park
AGM of Communications and Public Safety
Scott Hinrichs
Managing Editor, The Villager
Kory Tran
Associate Editor, The Villager Newspaper
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For additional information please contact:
The Villager is published weekly by
The Villages Golf and Country Club,
5000 Cribari Lane
San Jose, California 95135.
Copyright @ 2020. All rights reserved.
About the Villager
The Villager is distributed to all residents on Fridays. If you are experiencing problems with delivery, or you have missed your copy, please call 408-223-4655. Extra copies are available 24 hours a day at the newsstand at the entrance of Building B.
The offices of The Villager are located in Building B (next door to the Business Office in Building A, and across the parking lot from the tennis courts).
Villager office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Editorial office is closed daily for lunch from noon to 1 p.m. Office is closed weekends and on official holidays. Other duties may occasionally cause the staff to be away from the office. For matters of importance, please make an appointment to talk with the Managing Editor or other staff at 408-223-4655 or 408-223-4656.
For official Villages organizations and Board-recognized groups, The Villager is a vital communication link to The Villages community at large. Villages organizations may use it to help publicize their social events or organizational meetings.
It is the responsibility of our staff to see that your message is getting out, but it is also your responsibility to make sure your materials are properly prepared and submitted on time for processing. Please take note of the following requirements and guidelines for submitting editorial items.
Articles must be turned in by Thursday before 4:30 p.m. for publication in the following Thursday’s edition
If you anticipate a late-arriving article, please notify the Managing Editor
Sports copy is acceptable after deadline only with permission of the Managing Editor at 408-223-4655
(Notice of altered deadlines for holidays will be published in advance in The Villager.)
Submissions from Villages organizations must be properly labeled. Be sure the document header includes the following, legible information:
- The name of the club or organization.
- The date(s) of the issue(s) in which the article is to be published.
- The name of the writer (and whether a byline is required).
- The telephone number of the writer or other person who can answer any questions regarding the content of the article.
If you have questions or need assistance with logistical problems, you may call The Villager Managing Editor, Scott Hinrichs at 408-223-4655 or Associate Editor, Kory Tran at 408-754-1341.
You may hand in your articles personally at The Villager office in Building B or e-mail them to Associate Editor Kory Tran.
If the office is closed, there is an after-hours drop box at the front entrance to Building B, where articles may also be placed for pickup on the following business day.
You may also fax your articles to 408-274-2843.
Please send press releases or other editorial contributions to:
The Villager, c/o The Villages Golf & Country Club,
5000 Cribari Lane
San Jose, CA 95135
or bring materials in person to The Villager office. There is an after-hours drop box outside of Building B next to the front doors.
Please be informed that:
- The Villager does not accept announcements or classified advertising copy over the phone.
- Press releases from organizations outside the Villages will be used as filler on a space-available basis only and are subject to editing. Public service items will only be considered as filler items.
Unsolicited photos, illustrations or manuscripts of general interest to residents of The Villages community will be considered on an individual basis. Submitting an article doesn’t guarantee publication. The Villager will not print material that is defamatory, exclusively personal, biased, of a commercial nature or of no local interest. (Anonymous submissions will likely be rejected.)
Classified ad copy is due Monday by 4 p.m.
In Memoriam, Thank You or Bouquet listings will be printed according to deadline like any other article. Please note word limitations per each section.
In Memoriam items should include only the name of the deceased, date of birth and date of death. Memorial services held within the community may also be listed. The Community Resource Center in the Building B lobby has easy-to-fill-out In Memoriam forms.
Thank You notes are for those who have been recently helped or comforted during times of illness, accident or grief. A “Thank You” should be limited to a sentence or two, with a maximum of 50 words. Thank You items are to be issued by Villages residents.
Bouquets are kudos from only official Villages clubs or organizations to acknowledge outstanding contributions to a special event. Bouquet items have a limit of 60 words.
Individuals wishing to thank a particular party or group may submit an Above and Beyond item with a maximum of 60 words.
Opinions or comments are published in the Pulse column. Pulse letters submitted by residents are processed by the Communications Advisory Committee. Each letter submitted is reviewed to make sure it is in accordance with established guidelines outlined in The Villages Rules. All Pulse letters should relate to life in The Villages and be kept to 200 words or fewer. Letters should be legibly written or typed. Please check your facts. The Villager cannot be responsible for any inaccuracies or misstatements. All letters must include your signature, address, telephone number and word count. Letters may be emailed to Scott Hinrichs, submitted through the Pulse Letter Submission Form or brought to the Pulse mailbox in Administration Building B.
The Villager accepts letters for publication in complete or abridged form at the discretion of the Managing Editor and in accordance with the editorial policies and rules established by the Board of Directors. Don’t forget to include the author’s full name, address and phone number on all Pulse letters submitted. Letters are limited to one per weekly edition of The Villager.
Deadline: Classified ads are due in writing, by fax or via e-mail by 4 p.m. on Monday for the next Thursday’s paper. All copy must be submitted in person or e-mailed to Adrienne Reed, or faxed to The Villager fax machine at 408-274-2843.
For more information call 408-223-4657 or 408-754-1341. Classified ad payments are to be paid in advance by check or money order or charged to resident’s Villages’ accounts.
Placement of display ads, business card ads and scheduling of inserts should be arranged through the Display Advertising Representative at 408-223-4657. Camera-ready ads are due on Thursday, two weeks prior to publication. All inserts must be pre-printed and delivered to The Villager office in advance. A copy of the insert must be submitted in advance for content and specification screening.
The Villages Telephone Directory is an annual publication that is delivered to each of the Villages residents at the beginning of each year. To inquire about pricing for advertising in the Villages Directory, please contact Adrienne Reed at 408-223-4657 or by email.
To have an event listed in the Community Activities Calendar of Events, visit the Community Activities office in Building B, next door to The Villager office. The Community Activities Department is responsible for scheduling all special events so there will be no conflict of time or place of space reservations. The Community Activities office submits a weekly calendar to The Villager for publication.
Volunteer to write publicity for your organization. All committees are in need of someone to report special events, accomplishments and future plans. The Villager itself is always on the lookout for people with story or photo ideas. Please contact the Managing Editor at 408-223-4655 or 408-223-4656. Although we may not be able to use your ideas immediately, we do like to keep a backlog of ideas and contacts on file.
(More Villager information can be found each week under the Masthead on page 2.)