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Our Opinion We thought Thomasville Mayor Sheldon Day and other city leaders there pulled quite a rabbit out of the hat last year when they hosted a Rural Supplier Conference that drew national contractors like Boeing and other governmental contractors as well as governmental agencies like NASA and the U.S. Army along with appearances by Gov. Bob Riley, U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions and Congressmen Jo Bonner and Artur Davis. That first-ever conference drew a lot of attention and put Thomasville on the map. We thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime event. But Thomasville officials pulled another rabbit out of the hat this year, again drawing big name contractors and governmental agencies. Remarkably, Gov. Riley, Sen. Sessions and Congressman Bonner were back too. Congressman Davis would have been there but was speaking to a national group somewhere and couldn't make it. We're not sure the conference has landed any jobs for Thomasville or the area-although native Clarke Countian Richard Pugh, now of California, says he wants to locate a $3 million plastics plant there because of the enthusasim he saw at last year's conference. The publicity from the conference has been positive and is just one more of the things that is keeping the spotlight on Thomasville and the region. Thomasville was featured in this month's Business Alabama magazine and that, too, gives the city positive exposure that could never be bought. (See the recap on Page 1B.) And, like the supplier conference, the city recently made a repeat performance of hosting the Dixie Pre Majors World Series, drawing players, parents and fans from states from across the southeastern United States. The tournament was good for the city in that it brought dollars to town but it was also good because of the positive publicity it generated. Thomasville is the darling of smalltown Alabama right now and much of that is because of the hardwork that a lot of people are doing to keep it there. Mayor Sheldon Day, Economic Developer Debra Fox and others are to be credited but so is everyone in the city who is singing the same song off the same page out of the same song book, all in the same key. Thomasvillians are truly working together to promote their city. They are to be congratulated.
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