Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Natchez is about a week from one of its biggest weekends ever.

Hank Williams Jr. headlines a weekend of entertainment here on Sunday, July 4. Williams will perform on the magnificent Natchez bluff, which will be followed by a dazzling fireworks show, set off from the middle of the Mississippi River.

Devin Heath, executive director of Visit Natchez, said this week more than 5,000 tickets to Williams’ concert have already been sold and producers of the concert, Ardenland, expect to sell thousands more in advance of the concert and at the gate.

On Saturday, hundreds are expected to participate in or view the annual Flotilla on Lake St. John and the fireworks show that follows it. It will be a wonderful time to celebrate our nation’s independence. As important, it will be a wonderful time to showcase Natchez to the many thousands of people who will travel to the Miss-Lou from out of town.

“With all these visitors arriving, there will be a plethora of eating, shopping and touring around our wonderful city all weekend,” Heath said.

Heath and his staff are working to make certain our visitors get to experience Natchez at its best. He’s asking our city’s restaurants, shops and tourist attractions to be open and welcoming to visitors, particularly on Sunday, July 4, before the concert, and on Monday, July 5, before everyone leaves town.

Heath is asking that all businesses who plan to be open on those dates to share that information with Visit Natchez at info@visitnatchez.org. Visit Natchez is creating a page on its website to provide information about what businesses will be open, hours of business on those days and any specials and discounting pricing they offer. That information will also be available on NatchezDemocrat.com and will be shared on the The Natchez Democrat’s Facebook page.

As always, please go out of your way to be kind and helpful to our guests from out of town. Exercise patience when we see them having issues with traveling on our one-way downtown streets. Greet them and let them know we are happy they are visiting us in Natchez.

It’s an honor to be able to share Natchez with visitors. Let’s treat them in such a way they will be anxious to return.

And let’s plan now to have a great Independence Day weekend in the Miss-Lou.