For one week in July, the Lawrence County Fairgrounds in Proctorville becomes the focal point for fun and entertainment for thousands of people.

But the work it takes to put the whole thing together is basically a year-round job.

Fair board members have been hard at work for months trying to get everything in order to upgrade the facilities. The goal was to give some of the buildings a much-needed facelift, add a few features and address some infrastructure deficiencies.

With about a month to go before show time, the fair board gets an “A.”

The group has done a tremendous job and should be commended for their efforts to make the fair and the fairgrounds a key asset for the entire county.

They have added a free-standing barn for rabbits and put a new roof on the 4-H exhibit building. The group has also improved the walkways and accessibility of the entire fairgrounds.

But they aren’t done. In fact, the board is just getting started.

The volunteer group has begun fundraising efforts to replace the livestock barn and arena, a project that will take several years for completion.

A recent fundraiser was the second-annual spaghetti dinner in honor of the late Doug Clark, the long-time fair board president who passed away in 2009.

Clark would have been proud of the work going on and the community should be too.