It was early Saturday afternoon at the Natchez Community Center, and already about 6,000 people had attended the third annual Food, Home and Health Show.

Crowds made their way past the booths of more than 50 companies displaying the latest in food products, cooking utensils and related products – and left with bags full of coupons and freebies.

And everyone who tasted the samples of ice cream treats, bite-sized pizzas, quiche and and variety of other foods had their favorites.

&uot;The President’s Choice meatballs were really good,&uot; said Kristi Wilson of Jackson, a Natchez native who stopped by the show while visiting her hometown. &uot;But we tried a little bit of everything.&uot;

&uot;The Tombstone pizza – oh, and the Blue Bunny ice cream, chocolate and vanilla,&uot; said Felicia Earnest of Natchez, who was still sampling more food while she spoke of her favorites.

This weekend, about 15,000 people are expected to attend the show, which will continue from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today.

The crowds were bigger and the booth traffic steadier at this year’s show than last year’s, said Barry Loy of Supermarket Operations, which is sponsoring the show with 95 Country and The Natchez Democrat.

&uot;It’s an opportunity for consumers to sample the new product lines that are being offered this year,&uot;&160;Loy said.

And those operating booths at the show said they were pleased with this year’s attendance.

This is the first year The Pampered Chef, a company that holds shows of cooking utensils and products in people’s homes, has had a booth at the festival.

But Brenda Roberts, a Pampered Chef independent sales director based in Vidalia, said she was pleased with crowds that were &uot;pretty steady&uot; on Saturday.

&uot;And a lot of them are showing interest in having shows,&uot; Roberts said.

&uot;There’s been a lot of interest this year,&uot; said Tommy Cowsar, vice president of operations for Belle Rose, La.-based Comet Crawfish Technology.

Cowsar helped man the Dutch Ann Foods booth at the show Saturday, handing out samples of his company’s newest product, a quiche mix called Quiche Me Quick.

Children 6 and under get in free to the show when accompanied by a parent. Children 16 and under must be accompanied by a parent at all times.