On Friday, Daily Leader employees could be found running through downtown Brookhaven searching for something old, something with a tail and a number of other unusual items.

If you saw them, they were likely in a hurry and frantic to find the next item on their list. They may have even asked a few of you to help them out. It was all part of a photo scavenger hunt we used as a team-building exercise to kick off our biggest project of the year.

In a few months, we will publish that project — Profile 2018. If you are not familiar with it, think of it like a community yearbook. It’s a publication that allows us to highlight all the wonderful and unique things in Brookhaven and Lincoln County.

A place as diverse as this is often connected in ways most people don’t realize. Part of our job at the newspaper is to connect people with the communities around them. A better-connected and informed public makes Brookhaven and Lincoln County stronger.

While no place is perfect, Lincoln County is a place where we have much in common — even if it is sometimes hard to see.  We are stronger together, and we occasionally need reminding of that.

With that in mind, we will publish Profile in February. Reporters, editors and advertising staff have already started work on the project. When we’re done, we will publish a comprehensive look at some of the area’s most unique characters and assets. We will also feature people who are often overlooked but deserve more of the spotlight.

Many of you will hear from us as we reach out to those interesting characters for stories and photos. Local businesses will also hear from us about advertising in the special edition.

For the next four months, Profile will take us down back roads, to out-of-the-way businesses and, eventually, into the homes of our readers.  That’s a responsibility we take seriously, and we are committed to delivering a product you can enjoy all year.

The annual edition is meant to be enjoyed — not in a single reading like the daily edition — but over days or weeks or even months.

We look forward to showing you the end product in February, and we’re confident you’ll look forward to Profile year after year.

Publisher Luke Horton can be reached at luke.horton@dailyleader.com.