By April Garon

The Natchez Democrat

NATCHEZ —Immerse yourself in Native American history, relax to the sounds of the saxophone or give a vital resource this weekend in the Miss-Lou.

Unpredictable summer weather will move in this weekend, with highs predicted to stay in the 90s. Afternoon showers and thunderstorms are forecasted for Saturday and Sunday.

Grand Village of the Natchez Indians Archaeology Presentation

Brad R. Lieb will present an illustrated talk titled, “Great Discoveries in Chickasaw Archaeology, 1935 to 2012,”
at the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians.

Lieb will focus on recent archeological investigations in Tupelo related to the Chickasaw tribe. The audience will learn about the Battle of Ackia site and other battlegrounds.

“At Ackia, there was a battle between the French and the Chickasaw, which the Chickasaw won,” Grand Village Director Jim Barnett said. “The Chickasaw were never defeated in battle. They never went to battle with the United States but were forced out from the Mississippi area through political removal.”

Barnett said the Chickasaw Indians had strong connections with the Natchez Indians.

“Brad has written a lot about the connection between the two tribes,” Barnett said.

The presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m. today in the museum auditorium. Admission is free, and seating is limited. For more information, call 601-446-6502.

Concordia Parish Library’s “Summer Night with Rhythm and Blues” and Summer Reading Program

Concordia Parish Library is presenting a free concert tonight in association with Concordia Bank in Vidalia.

The performance features musicians Rod Payne with Zelia Smith and Maurice Johnson.

“They will perform a wide variety of music; it’s a great way to relax on a summer night,” Library Director Amanda Taylor said.  “We will have lots of toe-tapping music.”

The line-up includes rhythm and blues, jazz and gospel.

The concert starts at 7 p.m. at Concordia Bank’s lobby in Vidalia and is free and open to the public.

Concordia Library is also continuing their summer reading club program today. The program will be every Thursday until July 18.

Today’s theme for the program is gardening.

“We will have seeds to plant in small pots and read stories about gardening,” Taylor said.

The program’s pre-school class meets at 9:30 a.m., elementary at 10:15 a.m. and teen at 11 a.m. at the Ferriday Library.

For more information, call 318-757-3550.

Natchez Community Hospital Blood Drive

Mississippi Blood Services will be at Natchez Regional Medical Center hosting a community blood drive from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. today. Donors will be registered in a giveaway for a new Jeep Wrangler donated by Howard Wilson Chrysler Jeep Dodge. For more information, call 1-888-902-5663.