A college student I met in Louisville recently said she visited in Russellville this winter.

"There's nothing to do there," the Louisville native said. "How do you all stand it? I ended up having to watch video tapes all weekend of my boyfriend and his brother playing baseball. How boring is that?"

The following weekend a regional newspaper carried a barb-filled travelogue of two staffers trying to find something to do in Logan County on a Saturday. Except for Lake Malone at Shady Cliff and the Colonial Inn, they had little positive to say about the Land of Logan once you get past Shakertown and Auburn.

For those of us hoping that their goal was just to ridicule anything not in and of Warren County, the same twosome wrote a positive article about Simpson County last weekend.

For a variety of reasons, including a scarcity of retail outlets and entertainment venues plus many of our historic buildings not being open for public viewing, those deeply desired tourist dollars are scarce.

Yet there are things to do here if you know when and where to find them. And lots of us have found them in recent months.

We at the N-D&L have witnessed large crowds at the traditional venues such as the Adairville Strawberry Festival, the Logan County Fair, the Guions' Fourth of July Parade, and Auburn's big three- the Logan County Bluegrass Jam, the Antique Tractor and Small Engine Show, and the Car Cruise-In.

The Flying Fish Festival in Russellville and the Purple Martin Festival in Lewisburg continue to grow and progress.

Two new events this month have drawn big numbers and rave reviews. The Fourth of July fireworks extravaganza presented to the community by Crossroads the Church at Logan was on the same plane as professional presentations in much larger cities. July Jive, an evening of fun and music orchestrated by Russellville Parks and Recreation, found countless people strolling to and from downtown, dancing or tapping their fingers and feet to the music.

Lasting images: 1) Car enthusiasts sitting in the magnificent shade of Auburn's McCutchen-Coke Park telling stories and sharing a lazy summer afternoon while being surrounded by vintage automobiles and 2) Downtown Russellville being alive once again on a Saturday evening- returning to decades long ago when what is now Carrico Park Square being the focal point of the county.

Adding to the mix are all the events going on at the Red River Fish and Game Habitat led tirelessly by the creative Dick Dickerson, and the meticulously planned and beautifully executed Logan County Garden Club Tour of Gardens in Auburn.

We've also learned how to prolong out shopping trips while visiting with old friends at the new Wal-Mart SuperCenter which is, in effect, our shopping mall.

We look for opportunities to be with others while worshiping and doing good deeds, such as at VBS, revivals and charitable fund raisers.

We go to cattle shows and farmers' markets, commencements and funerals.

Football games will become social events in the next few weeks.

We are a people with something to do pretty often.

Unfortunately, it just doesn't translate well to people who pay occasional or unplanned visits. That's something we need to work on.