VIDALIA &8212; Casy Gilbert, of 501 Gregory St., is a Renaissance man of sorts.

He plays guitar in a band, called Section 8, he &8220;does a little bit of everything&8221; at the Natchez Little Theatre and he runs a pecan-shelling business with his father, Elmer, in a little building behind his house.

Handmade signs that say things like, &8220;Buy crack sell pecans,&8221; will lead you right to the Gilbert business.

&8220;Customers bring their pecans to us and we crack &8216;em. That&8217;s what we do,&8221; Gilbert said.

&8220;People from as far away as Texas and Alabama come to buy shelled pecans from us.&8221;

In the little building out back, where all the work takes place, there are two big, red shelling machines.

&8220;Sometimes we have these machines running all day long. The holiday season, especially, is pretty big. During this time of year, all I do is crack pecans. People like to send them as presents, cook with them. (Business) slows down a lot after Christmas,&8221; Gilbert said.

Gilbert said October through January is a busy time, and February and March are slower because pecans don&8217;t grow in those months.

He said that during a slower season, he shells about 100,000 pounds of pecans.

Three years ago was the busiest season he&8217;s seen so far, when he shelled about 700,000 pounds.

Gilbert said he enjoys working with his dad, who started the business as a profitable hobby after he retired.

&8220;He&8217;s a cool boss,&8221; he said.

The Gilberts shell pecans from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.