NATCHEZ &8212; Artists, vendors and fun-seekers, residents and visitors gathered downtown Friday night to celebrate the first day of Art and Soul.

Bands played, barbeque was bought, and pottery, jewelry, stained glass, paintings and other pieces were on display and up for sale.

Cheryl Tipton, a Vidalia resident, said she always looks forward to Natchez activities. She said she especially enjoyed the crafts Friday night.

&8220;There are several artists from New Orleans I especially wanted to see,&8221; Tipton said.

One New Orleans artist was Debbie Kraemer, displaying her pottery. She said she hadn&8217;t been to Natchez in years, but she was glad for the opportunity this weekend.

&8220;One of my friends recently bought a house here and ran into someone who told her about the festival,&8221; Kraemer said. &8220;She thought it would be good for me to get in.&8221;

Natchez resident April Hargis said she attended the event last year and really enjoyed it.

&8220;I knew they were going to have another, so I told Mike to come,&8221; she said.

Mike Waite, a Meadville resident and co-worker of Hargis&8217;, said the arts festival was something to do on the weeakend.

&8220;I came out of boredom,&8221; Waite said, smiling. &8220;Where I live, there&8217;s nothing going on. This is fun.&8221;

Hargis also convinced Alvin and Amanda Wells to go to the event.

&8220;We just moved hear about a year ago,&8221; Alvin Wells said. &8220;We thought we&8217;d come out and see what it was about.&8221;

Two other Natchez residents displayed their pottery at one of the booths. Nathalie and Brad Harris, mother and son, spent two to three months preparing for Art and Soul.

&8220;It&8217;s a good thing we get along so well,&8221; Nathalie Harris said.

&8220;It might be a bit disastrous if we didn&8217;t,&8221; Brad added.

A few booths down, Loraine Griffin and Leon Hollins shared a booth, as well.

Griffin displayed original paintings. She started painting when she was 4 years old, she said, but didn&8217;t really start selling them to the public until recently.

&8220;It started off, I&8217;d do a portrait for a family member for their birthday or Christmas,&8221; Griffin said. &8220;When I moved here, I decided to sell my paintings.&8221;

Hollins, who specializes in murals, paintings and photography, shoots for the Associated Press. People, he said, were his favorite subject to photograph.

&8220;People surprise me,&8221; Hollins said. &8220;I was shooting a hostage situation, and just after it was over, these people are sitting calmly waiting for the bus.&8221;

Art and Soul will continue today from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with a juried art sale, tango dancing, a poetry reading and more.

The event is free to the public.