To celebrate the dawn of a new millennium and the opportunities it brings The Messenger is releasing its annual Profile edition for the year 2000.

Looking at past contributions made in many areas of our community and looking ahead to the future is what Profile 2000 is all about.

According to Rick Reynolds, Messenger publisher, the edition is a showcase of the community, showing much of what it has to offer, what its history is and what its future holds.

"Profile 2000 is about the Pike County community," Reynolds said. "It offers a small glimpse look at where Pike County came from and where it is going. It illustrates some of the things we have to offer and many of the people who have helped build the community."

The section takes a look at various aspects of the community, exploring its agricultural base, its educational system, its diversity, business and industry, the numerous talented people who live here, the strong history of community service, health care and quality of life issues and historic Brundidge.

Though many issues were explored, Messenger managing editor Brian Blackley said he discovered quickly that only a small window could be built to offer a look at the community.

"There are 27,000 people in Pike County who all have numerous things going on in their lives," Blackley said. "The potential is there to do, literally, thousands of stories about Pike County’s people, ideas and culture. We have barely scratched the surface."

Featuring a look at generations of families who have remained involved in various professions and areas of service, Profile 2000 seeks to unite the past and present with the future in seeing the things that will shape Pike County in the coming years.

"There’s no doubt that one of Pike County’s most important and best attributes are its people’s sense of family, church, and community," Blackley said. "A quick look at the people here reveals their strong ties to one another through their schools, families and churches. There’s a lot of history here."

The commemorative edition appears inside today’s newspaper, and includes nearly 100 pages of information about the community that was gathered over several months.

"Putting together a project like this is hard work, but it’s rewarding when we realize that this section is a miniature history of Pike County," Blackley said.