Make your guests feel "special." That's what my mother always said. Make them feel welcome.

Be warm. Be friendly. SMILE and say hello.

Throw in a little conversation when the time is right. Be as considerate and scintillating as possible.

Make them comfortable, make them feel at home and be considerate of their needs.

Offer them a little refreshment.

Make sure THEY get the most comfy chair in the house.

And, for goodness sakes, make sure they know where they can freshen up.

Mom's simple rules for taking care of guests at home should also apply to guests in our town, first of all because it's the right thing to do.

And if that's not reason enough, remember that our visitors help local businesses generate close to 65% of our town tax revenues. It's SMART to be nice.

Some of mom's rules are, of course, easy to apply to guests of the town. Others are more difficult.

Take parking, for example. Perhaps those of us who park our cars all day should park them a little further away. Save the more "comfy" spaces for our visitors.

A place to freshen up is a little more challenging, and a visitor's only hope is a friendly business owner or if the time is right the "Pink Box" Visitor Center on N. Madison Street.

Indeed, there is only one public restroom in downtown Middleburg and it is only open between 11 am and 3 pm.

Perhaps we should make parking and that other "P" word priorities.