Between holiday shopping and socializing and the football playoff games at Troy State University, more out of towners than usual are finding their ways to Troy.

Along with the much welcomed dollars they spend at area businesses comes traffic. We appreciate the additional revenue these December happenings are adding to the local economy and remind Pike County residents to be on their best behavior. We want to put our best foot forward to these visitors and show them our Trojan pride.

There are several ways everyone here can work together to accomplish this goal.

Whenever you are out and about in your cars, be patient with others. Remember that many motorists you will see are not familiar with Troy.

Be courteous to other drivers by using turn signals and obeying other traffic laws. And don’t yell or make gestures to drivers who make mistakes. They may not know exactly where they are going, and vulgarities will not assist them in getting there.

Keep your yard picked up and don’t throw trash from your car. This will keep our community nice and clean for everyone.

When you are shopping or doing anything else in town, be conscious of the possibility of additional traffic and allow extra time to get where you are going. Realize you can do enough to make the holiday season merry, but don’t try to do too much at once.

Last but not least, extend Trojan hospitality to everyone.