By the time most of you read these words, the Vice Presidential Debate will be history, the national and world media gone and Longwood University and the town of Farmville will be in the midst of cleaning up.

As we write these words, preparations for Tuesday’s debate are still ongoing. Longwood is putting the finishing touches on both the Debate (Willett) Hall and the Media (Health & Fitness) Center. The town of Farmville is going around making sure everything is ready for the expected thousands of visitors coming in for the big day.

We congratulate Farmville and Longwood for doing an amazing job in these last weeks and days. Those of us fortunate enough to visit the Debate Hall and Media Center early were amazed at the transformations. The presentation of these buildings is only exceeded by the functionality built into the designs for the debate and the media.

We are proud of businesses, other groups and citizens who have caught the excitement by redressing their shops, hosting events and spreading Farmville fun wherever they go. Saturday’s All-American Downtown Celebration drew a lot of people to High Bridge Trail plaza on Main Street. Longwood’s VP Jubilee Kick-off Sunday night brought back hundreds of students to Stubbs Mall on campus. Both were fun, joyful events for residents, visitors and students alike.

We’ll say more Friday, after everything is truly over. Meanwhile, we can all be proud of Farmville, Longwood, partnerships, businesses and many, many individuals for making Debate Day a reality.