Part of the Sam's Club parking lot in Burlington will be transformed into a midway of activities for a few hours on Sept. 24.

There will be even be the requisite big tent as the third annual Project Pride will be held from 4-8:30 p.m. that day

"It was started three years ago as a way to showcase what public agencies did and the new and good things in Lawrence County," Project Pride Committee Chairman Bruce Thornton said.

The committee this year decided to move the event to the Sam's Club lot to take advantage of the steady stream of customers coming in and out of the store.

"We decided to have it there and have it out of doors because we wanted people to know about it," Thornton said. "We wanted to have it in a high foot traffic area and for people to be able to walk over and see what's going on."

Representatives from the public agencies will be available to talk to people about their organizations.

This year, there will be a patriotic kickoff to the event. Thornton said the area's emergency services workers will be honored.

The Proctorville Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars will provide the color guard and a gunnery salute and the Boy Scout Troop 106 will lead the Pledge of Allegiance and the Ironton High School Show Choir will sing the National Anthem.

Later in the evening, officials with several area entities will speak briefly. Among them will be: Dr. Dan Evans, dean of Ohio University Southern; Steve Dodgion, superintendent of Collins Career Center; Bob Walters, Liebert plant manager;

Bill Lindsay, Duke Energy plant manager; Robert Maher, chief executive officer of Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital; and Pat Januszkiewicz, of Three Gables Surgical Center.

In addition, Thornton said OLBH will have its mobile clinic available for blood pressure screenings, and the DuPont-Sunoco Community Advisory Panel will have its shelter-in-place video on display.

Public agencies taking part in Project Pride include the Lawrence County Department of Jobs and Families Services, Community Action Organization, The Greater Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce, Lawrence Economic Development Corporation,

Conventions and Visitor's Bureau, Procurement Outreach Center, The Point industrial park, Ohio University Southern and Collins Career Center. Teresa Moore/The Ironton Tribune