This past weekend, the Nelsonville Music Festival marked its 15th anniversary, featuring performances from The Breeders, Tyler Childers, Death Cab for Cutie and Mavis Staples.

The event has come a long way since its beginnings as a two-day festival in Nelsonville square, and has expanded to four days of music at southern Ohio’s Hocking College.

Conceived by the owners of local venue Stuart’s Opera House as a way to bring what their venue offered to the public, it has drawn a large number of national acts as it has grown and drawn thousands to Nelsonville.

It is a testament to the crew at Stuart’s that it has become such a phenomenon.

Meanwhile, here in Lawrence County, organizers are gearing up for the inaugural Ohio River Revival music festival on June 29 on the Ironton riverfront.

The festivities are scheduled to run all day and bring several regional bands to perform for crowds, all free of charge.

We hope that everyone in our area will consider coming out to hear some live music, sample the food and vendors and enjoy the chance to have a positive community environment.

As Nelsonville has shown, arts and entertainment can be a major draw for small towns and we hope the Ohio River Revival has a strong future as a regional showcase for music. And our area has no shortage of talent.

This is a chance for something special to also happen for Ironton and we encourage all to support its launch.