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With the Jefferson County Fair wrapping up its 153rd season this weekend, it's time to look ahead to some interesting things that are on the horizon.
If you have children or are involved in education, the third week in August means it's time to go back to school. If you're a football fan, it means that the return of high school football is, in Ohio, right around the corner. And, if you are interested in local government, the end of the county fair always has stood as the unofficial start of the election season.
While the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris has been active a high level for some time, you can be sure that the races that affect us most directly will start to heat up in the next few weeks.
In Jefferson County, there are just three contested races that will involve local offices. They are, however, key positions -- two of the three county commissioner seats and the clerk of courts post. There is no incumbent running for the Jan. 2 seat on the board of commissioners. Republican Ron "Jake" Kleineke of Richmond and Democrat Charles Newburn of Bloomingdale are running for the seat that came open when longtime incumbent Republican Dave Maple decided to not seek re-election.
Incumbent Republican Tony Morelli of Wintersville, meanwhile, is being challenged by Democrat Tom Mazzaferro of Bloomingdale for the Jan. 3 seat.
And, in the clerk of courts race, incumbent Republican Andrew Plesich of Steubenville is being challenged by Democrat Candy Newburn of Bloomingdale. She is the wife of Charles Newburn, who is running for commissioner.
Candidates in the remainder of the county posts that will appear on the ballot will be unopposed, but there still will be plenty to vote on, including state senate, where Republican Brian Chavez of Marietta, who was appointed to the 30th District seat late last year when Frank Hoagland retired, will face Democrat Iva Faber of Athens.
And, if it seems like you have seen the race in 6th Congressional District seat not too long ago, you would be right: Republican Michael Rulli of Salem, who defeated Democrat Michael Kripchak of Youngstown in a June special election for the seat that had been held by longtime Republican incumbent Bill Johnson, will face off against Kripchak once again for a full term in the House of Representatives.
Everyone in Ohio, meanwhile, will get to vote in the race for U.S. Senate, in which incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown is facing a strong challenge from Republican Bernie Moreno. That race likely will play a pivotal role in which party controls the Senate.
That will be important, of course, because we're also selecting our next president on Nov. 5.
There will be plenty of issues on ballots around Jefferson County. According to the board of elections, 25 issues will appear on ballots, which means it is likely that almost everyone in the county will get to vote on at least one.
Those will range from a 0.5-mill, 10-year replacement levy that will help to provide funding for mental health, alcohol and drug addiction support provided by the Jefferson County Prevention and Recovery Board to a local option permit that will allow Sunday sales of beer, wine and mixed drinks at Schubes Paradise in the Hills in Glen Robbins.
On the West Virginia side of the Ohio River, there really won't be a lot of choices for voters to make on the local level. In Brooke County incumbent Commissioner A.J. Thomas will face Darin Pizer. Current Sheriff Richard Beatty, meanwhile, is being challenged by former Sheriff Richard Ferguson.
And in Hancock County, the only contested race will be for sheriff, where incumbent Scott Gittings is facing a challenge from Dezso Polgar.
Weirton residents will have a lot to decide -- every seat for City Council, as well as the mayor's post, will be up for grabs.
In the races for the House of Delegates, District 2 will see incumbent Mark Zatezalo facing a challenge from Olivia Dowler, and in District 3, incumbent Jimmy Willis is being challenged by David Cantrell.
There's a contested battle for the U.S. House -- Republican Riley Moore is facing off against Democrat Steven Wendelin. There's a Senate seat up for grabs, with Republican Jim Justice, who is completing his run as governor, facing off against Democrat Glenn Elliott, the former Wheeling mayor and Libertarian candidate David Moran.
Candidates and those who support -- or oppose --various issues, will be busy during the next 10 weeks or so, but that doesn't take any of the responsibility away from area residents to make sure they are ready to vote. In Ohio, the deadline to register will be Oct. 7. In West Virginia, the deadline to register will be Oct. 15.
Early voting in Ohio will begin on Oct. 8, while in West Virginia, it will begin on Oct. 23.
Those dates seem like they are a long way off, but they are really much closer than we might think. That's why it's important to make sure your voter registration is up to date. And, if you are not yet registered to vote, make sure you get that accomplished now.
And, if you can't wait for the high school football season to start, you will want to make sure to get a copy of High School Football 24 -- it's our annual football edition, and it will be included with Wednesday's newspapers.
(Gallabrese, a resident of Steubenville, is executive editor of the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times)