This past weekend saw the first-ever collaboration of the Ironmaster Days and Vesuvius Furnace Festival in Lawrence County.

And so far, so good.

Organizers say the furnace festival, which was held in Pedro, was a huge success and the event drew even more people than they had anticipated.

The furnace festival was funded by a grant received by the Ohio University Southern Nature Center at the lake. The Ironmaster Days — held downtown — was sponsored by the Ironton Business Association.

Both events were meant to focus on the history of Lawrence County and draw attention to the county’s heritage.

Ironmaster Days did so by having historian Richard Pawling present his ironmaster interpretation. And the Vesuvius Furnace Festival did so in a two-character play about John Campbell, the founder of Ironton.

We hope that the city and county will do everything they can not only to continue these events every year, but also improve on them.

It’s not enough to just have an event and expect people to come. A lot of hard work, marketing and dedication must be put into these events to make them something we — and those who travel from out of the county — can truly be proud of.

It’s also imperative that the citizens support these events by attending them and patronizing them as much as possible.

Even though we may lack the tourist attractions and money of the larger metropolitan areas in the state, the county continues to pump out entertainment during these long, hot months to keep Lawrence Countians entertained and keep tourists coming to the area.

The Lawrence County Fair will be coming up soon and, just as with these events, we need to show the county that we stand behind it and will support these events year in and year out.

And in return, all we ask is that the organizers do what they can to make these events the best they can.