The annual Bowie Knife Show will bring antiques collectors and knife enthusiasts to the place where it all started.

Just a few miles from where Jim Bowie became famous, Bowie Outfitters owner Mike Worley hosts the annual antique weapons show at the Natchez Convention Center Saturday, Aug. 16.

Worley started the event with the late Logan Sewell as a way to bring history buffs together to share a bit of Natchez history.

“It’s become an event that everybody looks forward to, because there’s something for everybody,” Worley said. “I like to tell people there’s a lot of historical knowledge if they like that because we have things from the Civil War and pre-Civil War period, but there’s also just a number of antiques and other history lessons.”

Having a show for antique knives and guns near the site of Jim Bowie’s infamous sandbar brawl only made sense, Worley said.

Reports of the 1827 fight — in which two men were killed and four men, including Bowie, were wounded — led to a rise in popularity for the large-style knife Bowie used during the altercation.

The first show was at Bowie’s Tavern, and in subsequent years it has been hosted at the Natchez Convention Center.

“Everyone enjoys coming back to where it all began and hearing about what happened,” Worley said. “It all happened right here, and I think the dealers and people coming get really excited about that and all the history in Natchez.”

Only one other show of this kind exists, and Worley said it — The Antique Bowie Knife Show — moves from city to city on a yearly basis, but Natchez has a permanent spot on the circuit.

Worley said nearly 90 dealer tables have already been booked for the upcoming show, which is an increase from the last several years.

“We usually have about 70 tables during the show, but I think the economy is getting better and people are wanting to get involved in things like this more,” Worley said. “I think more people are starting to hear about the show through the dealers and just word of mouth, and it’s starting to get bigger each year.

“We have more dealers this year than ever before.”

Worley said he enjoys seeing the diverse crowds of dealers and participants who gather for the annual show.

“We do get a lot of people from the South, but really they come from all over,” Worley said. “We’ll have dealers from Colorado all the way to California come out.”

The main rule for the dealers participating, Worley said, is that no modern weapons are allowed in the show.

The show is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 16.

Admission is $5.