A Smashing Success: a Thank You and a Recap

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Breezeway last Wednesday. Your support made Bob Dunning’s launch unforgettable. And if you missed it, here’s the recap.

I just want to thank everyone who was able to come to our launch party for thewaryone.com last Wednesday at the Breezeway at Thyme Square on E Street in Downtown Davis.

I'd also like to thank ABC 10 out of Sacramento for their great reporting of the event and Tom Philp of The Sacramento Bee for his beautiful piece about my 55 years at the local newspaper and my rebirth at Substack after the newspaper gave me my walking papers. (Tom won a Pulitzer, you know, but not for the piece about me.)

It was truly inspiring to see so many familiar and happy faces as we kick off this new venture in community journalism.

I'm absolutely thrilled to be able to continue writing my column uninterrupted, while also covering UC Davis athletics. You are the ones who have provided me with this opportunity.

It's strange what great and wonderous things we've never imagined lie just around the corner.

My Catechism teacher years ago told me that when God shuts a door, He always opens a window. All of you have helped open that window wide.

I am so grateful to all of you for your kindness, your encouragement and your support. It means the world to me.

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Did you miss the party?

Here’s the video of Bob addressing the hundreds who attended on May 15th, 2024.

Fresh from a colonoscopy on his last day at his previous job, Bob received a bill from his former employer on the same day. Talk about a thorough send-off.

Nothing caps off a farewell like one last "thank you" in the form of an invoice.

Check out these photos capturing the crowd’s energy and the helicopter circling overhead. We’re confident the aerial support was equally interested in our event and the nearby university encampment.

Crowds gathered, with Steve Boutin in the light blue shirt, who later gave a memorable toast to Bob. Even the camera crew couldn’t look away.

The helicopter circling overhead. Just another day when a launch party and a university protest share the spotlight.

Catch the ABC 10 piece on Bob and the article “What Happened to Bob Dunning” by Luke Cleary for more details on his journey.

And don’t miss the man behind Bob—literally—Brian Bolz, founder of Beehively and TechaBee, and the driving force behind the scenes.

The man behind Bob is the man behind Bob.

Want to know the how and why of the launch? Read Brian’s post, “Launch a Substack Bestseller Overnight: Here's How,” which he wrote after helping Wendy Weitzel launch her debut column for Comings & Goings on Friday, May 17, 2024. Be sure to check out Wendy’s final, revised, column too.

Lastly, if you missed the viral Facebook video from Shelley, here’s the essay she read that added the buzz to our launch.

Bob Dunning with the local fire department, because even heroes need a coffee break.

Thank you all for your incredible support. Together, we’re building something remarkable.