On Tuesday, it was announced that U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., will be coming to Selma.

Obama, one of the candidates for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States, will speak at the 11 a.m. service at Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church on March 4.

He is making the campaign stop in Selma as part of the commemoration of the march to Montgomery held in 1965.

State Sen. Hank Sanders, D-Selma, said it is the second biggest event next to President Clinton’s visit in 2000.

The appearance of someone who is as high-profile as Obama should prove to be a shot in the arm for Selma, Dallas County and the state, Sanders said.

The Bridge Crossing Jubilee will be held March 2-4, with

events culminating in the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Sunday afternoon.

We will no doubt play host to hundreds, if not thousands, of visitors from across the state and the country.

This is an excellent opportunity to showcase our city, making a good impression on these tourists, who hopefully will spend their money in our local shops, restaurants and motels, and return to Selma as well.

We have a lot of work to do to spruce up and get ready, but if we work together, there’s no reason we can’t be prepared to give our visitors a Southern welcome.