On Friday, students from St. Joseph Catholic School worked to clean up downtown Ironton.

Coupled with the repainting project done by Third and Center for the crosswalks in front of the Rotary Fountain, they helped to improve the look of the area in advance of the city’s biggest week of the year.

We are less than two weeks away from the 154th Ironton-Lawrence County Memorial Day Parade and all of the accompanying events that come with it, from Navy Night to the Woodland Cemetery ceremony to the fireworks show.

The parade regularly brings thousands to downtown Ironton, serving, not just as a tradition for locals, but as a homecoming for many who have moved away and a destination for those from out of town.

We commend all of those who have been working to beautify the city in advance of these visitors and we encourage everyone to further their work and do their part to help make a great impression on our expected guests.