It’s festival time again in Floyd County, with the Jenny Wiley Pioneer Festival currently underway in Prestonsburg, and Martin’s Red, White and Blue Day event on tap for next week.

Each year, these festivals are a welcome break from everyday life and give each of us a chance to reconnect with old friends and have a little fun with our families.

But these festivals are also vitally important as fundraisers for area churches, nonprofits and various other civic agencies. That is why we hope that while you’re celebrating with your community, you will also give back to it by making a conscious effort to make sure a little of the money you spend goes to help a good cause.

Now, we’re not saying that you need to avoid the private booths altogether. If your favorite festival treat is only available from one of the itinerant vendors, by all means get it, but then take a few extra steps and a little extra time to buy a side-dish or a drink to wash it down from one of the many nearby booths raising money for local endeavors.

Just a little extra effort is all it takes to make sure our local festivals are truly successful in the most important sense. By making sure to give back to those who give so much throughout the year, we will be helping our community and, ultimately, ourselves when those dollars remain in Floyd County to lend aid to those who need it.