The last few weeks of May are always hectic as our community says goodbye to our graduates and congratulations to many seniors for their great successes.

Ferriday, Vidalia, Monterey and Huntington have had commencement ceremonies. The Natchez schools will begin graduating this week.

This exciting time isn’t the end of anything though; it’s simply the beginning of everything for hundreds of area graduates. To them we say congratulations and good luck.

To the valedictorians and salutatorians in the area, your hard work has paid off to this point, but the work must continue. You are our community’s best and brightest and our future lies in your hands.

But the seniors aren’t the only folks in the area making great headlines. Let’s review a few other good things that happened last week.

4 The Big Yam Potatoes Fiddle Contest drew music lovers Saturday from all over. This event has been a great addition to the weekend lineup in the Miss-Lou.

4 The Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce Tourism Council honored dozens of local tourism workers who make visitors to our town feel special. These individuals — from gas station clerks to B&B owners — are crucial to Natchez, and we are glad they’ve received needed recognition.

4 Twelve Natchez High School seniors completed the requirements to be named a Mississippi Scholar. The students took rigorous coursework and excelled at it. Keep up the great work, students.

As we begin to say goodbye to the Natchez seniors this week, we know the slow days of summer are just around the bend. Let’s enjoy these great moments that are sure to come this week.