A Silver Celebration
After 25 Years, Frederick Magazine Looks Back ... and Ahead

By Guy Fletcher
Photography by Erick Gibson

It was July of 1985. The Michael J. Fox smash hit “Back to the Future” opened in theaters, introducing the words “flux capacitor” to the American lexicon; New Hampshire schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe was named to the crew of the ill-fated space shuttle Challenger; and in Philadelphia and London, music fans flocked to the “Live Aid” concerts to raise money and awareness for famine relief in Ethiopia.

Meanwhile, in Frederick County, a new publication entered the scene. Called Diversions, the new magazine - packaged in a format that was a smallish 5 ½ by 8 inches - was innovative as one of the region’s first monthly publications. The premiere issue, the brainchild of native Michiganders Tom and Debbie Gorsline, hit the streets as a free publication, offering restaurant reviews, stories about local destinations and day trips, and information about shopping and the local real estate scene.

The first edition, all of 24 pages, started with the Gorslines establishing their new product’s vision: “Greetings. We are pleased to introduce the first issue of Diversions, a monthly publication serving Frederick County. Our main criteria for the magazine will be to feature stories on Frederick County’s people and places, past and present, and to highlight the county’s restaurants and businesses.”

Twenty-five years later, that vision remains largely unchanged. Frederick Magazine - as Diversions became known in 1990 - is a 96-page, full-sized, full-color periodical that reaches tens of thousands of people each month. Most of the readers live in the region, but many county expatriates, snowbirds and others subscribe from such diverse locales as Miami, Fla., Scottsdale, Ariz., and Dallas, Texas. Closer to home, Frederick Magazine has established itself as a local institution.

“It’s amazing to see how this has grown through the years,” says Shawn Dewees, the magazine’s co-publisher. “Frederick Magazine is now as much a part of the community as Carroll Creek and the Weinberg Center. People tell us all the time how much they enjoy the magazine, and we appreciate that.”

Smart Growth
The original business plan for Diversions was for the magazine to be distributed at no charge. This helped grow readership, but the digest-sized magazine also created limitations in design and layout. March of 1990 changed that with the first edition named Frederick Magazine. The new magazine was bigger and glossier, providing broader creative freedom for photographers and graphic artists. That issue was also the first to feature the historical column “A Look Back,” which still appears in the magazine to this day.

The Road Ahead
The past year has been one of continued growth for Frederick Magazine and its parent company, Diversions Publications Inc. Last summer the company expanded its diverse business interests by partnering with Montgomery Life, a lifestyle magazine that serves Montgomery County, and with 270inc, a new business-to-business bimonthly that serves Frederick and Montgomery counties’ growing commercial corridor.

Meanwhile, Frederick Magazine itself continues to adjust to the times by constantly tweaking and changing its content. Today’s magazine bears no resemblance to the smaller, black-and-white Diversions that ran in 1985. But the same spirit remains - a celebration of Frederick County through its culture, dining, the arts, history and, most importantly, its people.

“For 25 years, Frederick Magazine has reflected the spirit of a vibrant, prosperous, diverse community,” says co-publisher Joseph Silovich. “Our goal is to do the same for the next 25 years, and beyond.”

...

Don't get Frederick Magazine? Subscribe today!