NATCHEZ — On Thursday, Let’s Go Walking Mississippi will have a community walk in Natchez beginning at 9 a.m.

The walk will last two hours, or as long as you care to walk, and the first 300 participants will receive a free pedometer and a health information packet.

The walk is sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi, a mutual insurance company that is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and committed to a healthier Mississippi.

The event is open to the public and is part of a program created by Governor and Mrs. Haley Barbour to encourage Mississippians to lead healthier lives.

The walk will begin at the gazebo on the Natchez Bluff at Broadway Street, where walkers will simply encircle and area designated for the walk within a 500-yard area around the bluff. Businesses are also encouraged to give employees a little time to participate in the walk, although no one is required to walk the entire two hours.

Mayor Phillip West and other city officials will be on hand to kick off the walk, and Blue Cross is providing plenty of drinking water for participants.

Please make plans to be a part of this significant event for Natchez and it doesn’t matter whether you’re young or old, folks of all ages are encouraged to take part in Let’s Go Walking Mississippi.

You just have to be able to put one foot in front of the other to help make this happen.