Those who frequent local restaurants may find the air a bit cleaner Nov. 17.

The credit will go to the Lawrence County QUIT (Quitting the Use and Initiation of Tobacco) Coalition, which asked 67 restaurants in Lawrence County to participate in Smoke-Free Restaurant Day.

For the whole of the 17th, the following restaurants will be smoke free: Wendy's of Coal Grove, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Rax, Rallo's, Pizza Hut and Wendy's of Ironton and Kentucky Fried Chicken, Melvin's Snak Shak and Track Side Pizza, all located in South Point.

Smoke-Free Restaurant Day is a part of The American Cancer Society's Great American Smoke Out, which is now in its 29th year.

Maxine Lewis, a spokesperson for the Lawrence County Health Department, hopes that restaurants without smoking will make it easier for locals to get through that first 24-hour period without a cigarette.

&#8220We want to help people with their effort to quit smoking by offering a smoke-free place to eat,” Lewis said. &#8220Even if it is only for one day.”

Although Lawrence County has no ordinances against smoking, Lewis said that, to her surprise and pleasure, there are currently 24 restaurants in the county that are non-smoking everyday. Lewis said that the event also allows restaurants who might be considering the switch to test out being smoke free.

&#8220We want to give restaurants that are not smoke free the opportunity to see how their patrons respond to being smoke free for one day,” Lewis said. &#8220One of the things we're giving to the restaurants that are participating is a survey that allows the patron to tell how they felt about their experience and how they feel about restaurants being smoke-free.”

All this information may be useful soon, as Lewis said that a plan for a smoke-free Ohio is currently in the works.

&#8220It is something that the state of Ohio is working towards, there is a move to make Ohio smoke-free,” Lewis said. &#8220There's going to hopefully be an issue on the 2006 ballot to have a state law banning smoking, if they can get the signatures.”