Two Natchezians resurrecting a music festival that hasn’t happened in decades hope it will showcase music rooted deep in Natchez’s history.

Local musicians Brandon McCranie and Lance Harris, director of the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians, are organizing Music at the Mounds, a festival that happened many years ago at the Grand Village.

The one-day festival on Oct. 25 will feature folk, bluegrass, blues, Americana music.

McCranie said the idea for bringing back the festival came out of a desire to host a music festival for the Natchez Tricentennial in 2016.

“Music at the Mounds hadn’t been done in several years, and I got enough positive feedback that I thought, ‘You know, we could do it this year,’” McCranie said.

The process of organizing the festival began approximately eight months ago. As a fellow musician, McCranie said it was easy to reach out to other musicians to participate in the festival.

“The bands were booked the first week of planning,” he said. “Everything else was basically ready to go in about two months.

The festival will include performances from locals Ben Lewis and Jon Borum, as well McCranie’s band, Mojo Mudd.

The festival will also feature:

4Mississippi native Cary Hudson, the lead singer, guitarist and main songwriter of the alternative country/Southern rock band Blue Mountain.

4Scott Chism and the Better Half, a bluegrass, Americana and folk duo from Mississippi.

4Oh, Jeremiah, the Americana musical stylings of singer/songwriter Jeremiah Stricklin of Hattiesburg.

4New Orleans bluesman Brint Anderson, a Natchez native who has backed artists including Dr. John, Art Neville, George Porter Jr., John Lee Hooker and Albert King.

Putting together a music festival for Natchez has been a dream of McCranie’s for a long time, he said.

“I used to talk about it in high school, how fun it would be to put on a music festival,” he said. “When you put together an event and it’s a success, that’s so rewarding.”

The festival is not a money-making venture, McCranie said.

“It’s not something we’re trying to make money off of; I am just tired of hearing people saying there’s nothing fun to do in Natchez,” he said.

McCranie said he believes locals sometimes take for granted the access they have to live, local music.

“We’re known for our big houses, but we also have a serious music history here … and I think that has gotten lost,” he said. “You can go out at any time and hear live music in four or five different places. You don’t have that everywhere, and I think people can take it for granted.”

Harris said he believes Music at the Mounds will showcase Natchez’s deep music history.

“I think you could certainly make the case that America’s music was born in this part of the world, and I think that has natural ties to what we’re doing with Music at the Mounds,” he said.

In addition to music, the festival will highlight food from local restaurants, McCranie said.

Dishes will include doughnuts, tamales, soups and other food from The Donut Shop, Uptown Grocery, Natchez Coffee Company and Spice Thyme Catering, among other local food vendors.

The festival will also feature arts and crafts for sale from local artists.

Admission to the festival is $5.

Lawn chairs and blankets are encouraged. Coolers are prohibited.

Arts and crafts vendors are still needed. To sign up for a booth, contact Harris at 601-446-6502.