Last week’s announcement that the Miss-Lou Relay for Life will be moving from the Vidalia riverfront to a new location simply seems a bit sad.

Yes, concerns over safety at this year’s event warrant a change, and moving may be the best option, but messing with such a popular event is risky.

Next year, Relay will be at the site of the new Vidalia recreation complex, close to Walmart, and farther from the river.

The site will be good enough to host the all-night American Cancer Society event; we don’t doubt that.

But moving the event away from the river — the center of our community — doesn’t seem right.

Relay, for years, has been the best example of regionalism in the Miss-Lou. Residents, businesses and leaders from Natchez and Vidalia come together for one night of fun for the cause.

But will moving the event deeper into Vidalia, further from Natchez, change that?

We hope not.

Natchez residents who will have to drive just a bit farther must continue to stake a claim in this community event. Without participation from both sides of the river, Relay simply won’t be the great success it has been in recent years.

We trust that organizers have made the right decision, considering all factors, and we encourage residents to follow right along, making the new site just as much fun as the old one.