NATCHEZ — Women gathered in the Natchez Convention Center Friday to practice the magic of turning bits of paper into time capsules.

Natchez played host to its Third Annual Scrappin’ on the River scrapbook convention this week, bringing in roughly 200 visitors, coordinator Pam Frank said.

“I’ve got people coming in from as far away as west Texas and Miami,” Frank said.

For women, scrapbooking is the equivalent of going to the hunting camp, she said. It gives them a chance to be creative and socialize.

A few men trickle in with their wives sometimes, she said, but they don’t often stay long.

“The majority of men walk by, see a roomful of women and run the other direction,” she joked.

But it’s more than just fun, Frank said. Scrapbooking might be fun, but it can have a lasting affect.

“People don’t understand that it’s drawing from the past and present for future generations,” she said.

But Natchez’s conference stands out from others, she said.

“It’s what we’re known for — our hospitality,” she said.

Frank’s cousin, Michelle Donovan, drove from Birmingham to help set up the show. But the days between setup and teardown was vacation time, she said.

“I have three kids — 5, 8, and 2,” Donovan said. “This is my time.”

The 5-year-old, Ashleigh, joined her mother in crafting.

With pink sparkles covering her face, she grinned as she declared her favorite part as “glitter.”

A few tables over, another mother-daughter duo was creating books of memories.

This was the first scrapbook convention for Theresa Williams, of Brookhaven, and Talita Ruble, from Magnolia.

“I started when I was 10,” Ruble said. “My babysitter started me on it 14 years ago.”

Ruble got her mother involved almost by accident, she said.

“I was making a scrapbook for my parent’s 25th anniversary, kind of stealing pictures to use,” she said. “I had to ask for help.”