The Chamber of Commerce hosted a meeting with local business owners last week to better prepare them for the influx of visitors city officials expect to roll into town in the next few months, as well as review the way things went at the recent state track meet.

Suggestions were made (make “Welcome to Selma” signs, make sure restaurants are properly staffed, etc.), but more importantly, talk of Selma becoming more of a tourist destination and host of statewide events was had.

City leaders, with Mayor George Evans leading the push, are urging residents to take initiative and clean up their streets and surrounding areas in an attempt to restore the beauty of Selma; a beauty that is sometimes hidden.

But as I left that meeting, I felt as motivated as ever to do my part to help Selma reach its maximum potential.

How many Alabama towns have a history as rich as ours? How many cities have rivers running through the heart of their downtown areas? With only a little work, we can be great.

I interviewed the Rev. Jerry Light Sr., a fan of all things Atlanta like myself, this week for a feature to run on Saturday’s Faith and Family page, and during our interview we talked about similarities between Atlanta and Selma. Shockingly enough, the two cities are more alike than some would expect.

Selma’s downtown can become a booming area; we just need to encourage businesses to settle into the vacant buildings lining Water Avenue and Broad Street, especially. If that happens, a trickledown effect will surely ensue. Think about it.

If more businesses move into the city, more people will go out. If more people go out, more businesses will want to move in. The more businesses that move in, the more visitors the city will get. The more visitors that come, the more money we get.

This is no small task, I’ll give you that. But we’ve already got a leg up on the competition. Selma’s history and location would attract visitors. We have a beautiful downtown area, and there’s something about this city — I can’t tell you what it is, but there’s something — that makes Selma a desirable place to be.

And once things take a turn for the better, we can really prosper. Take Savannah, for example. Savannah has beautiful old homes, like those that line the streets in Selma’s Old Town district, and they milk them for all they’re worth (horse-drawn carriage rides, walking trails, etc.) Why can’t we do that?

So as we get set to welcome a countless number of conferences and events, especially the Cabela’s fishing tournament, to our town, show our visitors that you’re glad they’re here. If you do, I guarantee you they won’t want to leave.

We’re closer to greatness than you might expect.