Tribune editorial staff

They key to success is playing to your strengths. Just ask any great football coach.

If you have the Heisman Trophy winning running back, you probably aren't going to rely heavily on your passing attack on the day of the big game.

A smart coach is going to make sure the quarterback puts the ball in the hands of the running back.

The same logic can be applied to cities, villages, communities and counties.

What's the biggest, most well known event in Lawrence County? We'll give you a couple of hints. It rolls through town on Monday, as it has done for more than 135 years. And it brings people together from all over Lawrence County, the Tri-State and the country.

Of course we are referring to the Ironton-Lawrence County Memorial Day Parade.

It is indeed one of the biggest "strengths" our area has. So let's play to it.

Imagine, if you will, what would happen if every one in the county focused on making the parade weekend truly a destination event.

What kind of boost would it be to the economy if we ramped up our promotion efforts and truly marketed the parade. Doing so could reap fantastic benefits for the city and county.

And, despite what some folks might say, playing to our strengths would not take away from the dignity and honor behind the parade. In fact, it could show the world how much Ironton and Lawrence County loves American and honors those who fought to protect it.

How incredible would it be if we could get all of the organizations and groups to step out of the "box" of their own history and move more of their annual events to Memorial Day weekend? From car shows to art shows, from hot dogs to creme brulee, the possibilities of working together to increase the parade's impact are endless.

The only thing lacking is the gumption to make the changes in our game plan. It's simple: Play to your strengths.