Play ball!

With these words, adrenaline begins to flow — and not just for the batter, the pitcher and the catcher.

Fans in the stands get just as excited as the baseball players do.

Evidence abounds that baseball is a very popular sport in the South, but so are football, basketball, fishing and hunting — rounding out the big five.

Add tennis, golf, horse racing, harness racing, car racing, swimming, snorkeling, boating, sailing, kayaking, rafting, diving, skiing, surfing, racquetball, volleyball, softball, soccer, wrestling, boxing, running, jogging, walking, climbing, hurdling, cycling, shooting, archery, pool, billiards, snooker, bowling, ping pong, badminton, shuffleboard and more, and anyone can see that people in the South adore sports of all kinds.

Thus, choosing the theme of the 22nd annual Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration was an easy task. It is “Fields of Dreams: Sports in the South.”

Note the “s” on the word “fields.” Many kinds of sports played on many kinds of fields will be explored through programs ranging from the historical Natchez Indians’ stickball to the modern-day competitive wheelchair tennis.

The award-winning NLCC will take place Feb. 24-27, with outstanding programs by some of the country’s most respected historians, authors and scholars.

Enhancing the lecture series are four films, including documentaries and commercial works, discussion sessions, writing workshops, book signings, social events, award ceremonies, special meals, the unveiling of a new portrait of Natchez’s own celebrated author, Richard Wright, and a concert of sports-related music by the Alcorn State University Concert Band.

You can check out the full agenda by visiting www.colin.edu/nlcc.

All this can’t take place without plenty of help.

Plan now to attend the inaugural meeting of Friends of the 2011 NLCC. This meeting will be at 11 a.m., Monday at Copiah-Lincoln Community College, 11 Co-Lin Circle, Natchez. The group does not have dues. Everyone is invited to join, and we need your help!

At the meeting, the agenda for 2011 will be discussed. A list of duties will be distributed, and you can choose what appeals to you.

Already, dozens of volunteers have begun working on committees ranging from Continuing Education Units for teachers to the conference’s custom bookshop, from the Chocolate Milk Café’s young student writing project to a gala benefit party at The Towers mansion.

The NLCC was founded in 1990 by Copiah-Lincoln and is now sponsored by Co-Lin, Natchez National Historical Park, Mississippi Department of Archives and History and Mississippi Public Broadcasting.

Co-chairmen with me are Kathleen Jenkins of NNHP, Jim Barnett of MDAH and Ryanne Duffie Saucier of MPB.

Thanks to the help of many in the Miss-Lou, for the past 21 years the NLCC has provided an annual enriching, world-class conference. We need you to make the 22nd NLCC another huge success.

For more information or to volunteer, e-mail me at Carolyn.Smith@colin.edu or call me at 601-446-1208 or toll-free, 866-296-NLCC (6522).

Join in the fun, and help us stage yet another high quality, educational event for our community.

See you at the friends meeting, 11 a.m., Monday at Co-Lin Natchez.

Carolyn Vance Smith is the founder and co-chairman of the Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration.