Features(Archives)
Five Years of YMM
For five years the pages of Your McMurray Magazine have come alive with the stories of the people, places, and things of our beautiful region. We have been blessed with the talents, skills and passions of writers and photographers dedicated to telling these stories, and advertisers and supporters who passionately back our vision.
But all of this would be for naught, if not for you, our readers. When our team works on each issue of the magazine, you are who we are thinking about. The issues that matter to you; the stories that impact you; the sense of pride and excitement that you deserve to feel about your home...these are the reasons we work so concertedly to deliver Your McMurray Magazine to you.
A Brief History of Your McMurray Magazine
- Balsom Communications incorporated in June 2012 and at the same time “Your McMurray Magazine” was trade named and promotions began to enlist help for the inaugural edition.
- First edition of Your McMurray Magazine launched November 2012 and there were four editions in Volume One.
- In Volume Two we moved to a bi-monthly format with six regular editions throughout the year, starting in December 2013.
- The Happy Holiday Guide was launched in 2013 and has now seen five issues published annually in the fall.
- Our annual Home and Garden Guide was next to be added in Spring 2014.
- Volume 3 (December 2014) was when we switched from a graphic cover to a photographic one, although the cover of 3.1 was artwork from the Newsmakers of the Year feature, so the first true photographic cover was 3.2 (February 2015).
- After the devastating wildfire that swept through the city in May 2016, Your McMurray Magazine published a Special 2016 Wildfire Commemorative Edition to tell the story of the event that changed each and everyone’s lives and pay tribute to those who gave so much.
- A second special edition followed in 2017 with the publication of Wildfire: One Year Later, taking a look back over the year since the disaster as the community came together to rebuild.
- The first annual Food and Entertainment Guide (in partnership with Fort McMurray Tourism) launched in July 2017.
So much to look forward to with the launch of a new annual special edition with the brand-new “YMM Parent” brand launching in summer 2018!
On behalf of the team at Your McMurray Magazine, it is our honour to thank you, our readers, for your support over the years. We are so excited as we look to the future. Here’s to many more years of creating a magazine for everyone who lives, works, and plays here.
Thank you to all of our local contributors over the past five years. We couldn’t have done it without you!
Natalie Abriel
Chris Acaso
Cindy Amerongen
Joanne Angel
Tyran Ault
Hilary Banks
Jessica Barry
Michael Beamish
Jason Beck
Nicole Benson
Dawn Booth*
Alanna Bottrell
Dave Boutilier
Eden Boutilier
Mindy Brar
Jeff Brown
Denise Brunsdon
Sue Chaffey
Vanessa Cheeseman
Carol Christian*
Buffy Close
Brandon Cooper
Patrick Dardis
Erin Dolanksy
Ann Dort-MacLean
Lauren Elliott
Cait Evans
Maggie Farrington
Michelle Farrow
Kim Farwell
Denise Francisco
Hanna Fridhed
Brenna Fynes
Mardi Getty
Travis Grant
Greg Halinda
Adam Hardiman
Kyle Harrietha
Holly Hashimi
Nolan Haukeness
Jasmin Herold
Rob Hickey
Janene Hickman
Denise Hildebrand
Monica Hill
Anthony Hoffman
Samra Ilyas
Rachel Ivey
Michael Jesso*
Arianna Johnson
Mike Jones
Brad Karp
Ben Kennett
Jennifer Kennett
Tyler King
Rick Kirschner
Ashley Kowalewski
Ashley Laurenson
Dan Lines
Tom MacIsaac
Amanda Main
Kiran Malik-Khan*
Kimberley Matchem
Nancy Mattes
Jesse Meyer
Carol Morrissey Hopkins
Diana Moser
Danielle Murgatroyd
Verna Murphy*
Emma Murray
Jerry Neville
Anna Noble
Misty Oakes
Paula Ogonoski
Curtis J. Phillips
Robbie Picard
Justin Pyl
Steve Reeve
Alan Roberts
Amelia Schofield
Steph Seidel
Justin Shaw
Diane Shuldt-Zundel
Dawn Sidoroff
Tim Slootman
Wendy Solbak
Kizzie Sutton
Paul Swanson
Lana Sweeney
Heidi Taves
Shelley Termuende
Heather Thomas
Lindsay Thomas
Mary Thomas
Russell Thomas*
Kevin Thornton
Toddske
Jon Tupper
Jessica Weber
Chris Wells
Theresa Wells
Loriley White
Scott Wilson
Terri Windover
Darren Yee
*A special thank-you to these contributors who have been with the magazine since the very beginning and have continued to be regular contributors over the past five years.
