Whew! Are you tired yet? We are.

October is a busy month in the Miss-Lou, and the halfway point is a good time to stop, breathe and reflect on the great things happening in our community.

-Children played at Cathedral’s annual fall festival Saturday, while a few miles over and down kayakers battled their way through tough headwinds in the Phatwater Kayak Race. Both events have become important to our community for different reasons, but events weren’t the only good headlines this week.

-The Vidalia alumna chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Food Bank of Central Louisiana have teamed up to provide several hot meals to Ferriday children.

An after-school program with tutoring included provides snack and an evening meal to students who may not otherwise get a hearty plate at home. These three groups are addressing an obvious need in our area and going straight to the heart of the matter — the children. We commend them for their idea and their follow through.

-Cathedral School students became a bit more well-rounded this year with the introduction of a choral music program. Alvin Shelby — a wonderful musician and important face in our community — is heading up the class that includes the computer whizzes, the football players and everyone in between.

-Denbury Resources — an oil company — has begun work on a facility on U.S. 84 that will not only provided jobs to our area, but will work with Rentech to utilize resources and make money. The company uses carbon dioxide to flood oil out of the ground. We are happy to have the business in town.

Now, as balloon race nears ever closer, exhale your deep breath and brace yourself for another great — but busy — week in the Miss-Lou.