The folks who created and produce the hot TV series “The Vampire Diaries” are back in town filming. We welcome them back. The filming of “The Diaries” has brought in millions of dollars in real revenue in the form of taxes and support of local merchants.

Is there some inconvenience because of their filming? Of course there, is but that inconvenience means we can remain more economically sound when other communities are struggling. 

It’s reminiscent of a lesson learned years ago in a small western town. In that town, the main product was a large well-known meat slaughter house. The smell at times from the plant seemed overwhelming to a newcomer. And that newcomer complained about the smell at every opportunity.

One day after a meeting, one of the older leaders of the community asked the newcomer for a moment of his time. As they sat on a park bench, he asked the newcomer to take a deep breath and to tell him what he smelled. The newcomer immediately exclaimed that it smelled awful. The old timer than took a deep breath, got a contented smile on his face and told the newcomer that what he smelled was money.

Lesson learned.

We owe a special thanks to the creators and producers of “The Vampire Diaries.” Their vision in picking our fair city to be the mythical community of Mystic Falls, Va., has been a blessing during our down economic times. Every minute we might spend being inconvenienced is a minute that is keeping our taxes low and many business operating.