The future of Natchez depends heavily upon one’s perspective of its present.

We strongly believe Natchez’s proverbial glass is half full and that the city has a great potential to create a unique economy much like the process of making stone soup.

In fact, we believe that glass, along with some help from other people who see the “half full” side of Natchez, can make a wonderfully delicious future.

Just like the old folk story about stone soup in which a traveler begins boiling a stone in a pot of water before beginning to convince curious passersby to help him add a few ingredients, Natchez is very much the same way.

We have the vessel, we have the water and we have a number of great ingredients here.

What Natchez needs is a little bit of gumption, a scoop of togetherness and a cup or two of leadership to see the area truly flourish again.

Tonight at 5:30 p.m., a framework for the city’s future will be presented in a free, open-to-the-public event.

A Natchez Downtown Master Plan will be presented after months and months of work.

At first glance the 174-page document may look intimidating, but that’s no reason to discount what it contains.

The creators, funded by the local private sector, have put much thought and vision into how Natchez may be planned for a better future.

Many of the opportunities the plan offers as suggestions can and should be done to improve the city for residents and visitors alike.

Making that happen, just like making soup out of water and a stone, will take a little time and ingenuity.

But it will be worth it when completed. We hope you will attend tonight’s meeting and become part of the solution to improving Natchez for tomorrow.