It almost feels like Christmas Eve with a house full of grandchildren in Butler today.

No, Santa Claus isn’t coming to town this weekend, but the 45th president of the United States is.

Of course because the trip is an election campaign visit, the glamour is tarnished by politics and especially because this campaign is the ugliest ever.

But looking past that, how great is it to have the POTUS in our county?

If a sitting president ever visited here before this, we are unaware of the visit.

JFK campaigned here in 1960 before he won election.

This is a day to long be remembered, and people will tell their children and grandchildren about the day the POTUS found his way to Butler County.

It won’t matter to the story what the results of next Tuesday will have been.

Whether Donald Trump is reelected or defeated by Joe Biden is a small part of this historic day.

We expect as large a turn-out as security will allow and what the short time to prepare affords people.

Most will be avid supporters of the president, but there will be protesters as well, as there should be.

We won’t expect violence or even any extreme negativity from Butler County residents who oppose his reelection.

Hopefully the national news coverage will highlight that the crowd was peaceful and respectful.

Hopefully the crowd will do its best to practice social distancing and the use of face masks.

Butler County is in the spotlight, and we should be appreciative of this moment.

Maybe Butler County can become a regular stop for both parties in future campaigns.

For this day in history, we say: “Welcome, Mr. President” to our great hometown of Butler County, Pa.

— RV