The Weekender Magazine started as a quarterly lifestyles page in the local weekly newspaper, The Advertiser. In May of 2001, staff from a group of area weekly newspapers joined together to publish the first 16-page tab-style magazine. It was inserted in the partnering newspapers, expanding readership and aiding in reaching more potential customers for its advertising sponsors. It was all black and white newspaper print with features covering 'Places to go, People to see, and Things to do. 

When the company owning The Advertiser was sold to a neighbor radio station in 2002, Kathy and Mike Barnett obtained the print rights to The Weekender and continued the magazine under the present ownership of Barnett PRO. The first color magazine style publication was issued in the Spring of 2003. The response was overwhelming and a subscription campaign was soon underway. The publishers immediately saw the need of expanding to bi-monthly distribution and then monthly distribution before the year was up.

Several format changes later, the present all-color, glossy format was introduced for the Festival/Fair Preview issue in Aug. of 2007. Still distributed FREE to our subscribers, the world-wide web has enabled The Weekender to reach other areas besides Ohio with online 3D page-flip versions. Surveys have shown more and more readers are looking online to find the type of information The Weekender Magazine provides.

In the summer of 2010, Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri issues were added to the roster. More states are on the drawing board right now!