NATCHEZ — Celebrations of the great outdoors are set to get the weekend off to a wild start, while other events are scheduled to pay homage to America’s military.

Friday is expected to be cloudy with a chance of a thunderstorm, and temperatures are projected to reach a high of 87 degrees and a low of 65 degrees. Things should be drier on Saturday, but may remain a little cloudy with temperatures reaching a high of 79 and a low of 51.

Skies are forecast to be partly sunny on Sunday with a high temperature of 78 degrees and a low of 52 degrees.

Highland Wildlife Expo

Highland Baptist Church’s Wildlife Expo will be at the Vidalia Conference and Convention Center Thursday evening.

Starting at 6 p.m., organizers say visitors will have more than 30 booths to browse, featuring goods including leatherworks, antique guns and taxidermy.

Later in the evening, speakers including game wardens from Mississippi and Louisiana will take to the stage.

Admission to the expo, as well as food and drink, is free.

Friday night football

Friday, Natchez High School will go up against Warren Central. Trinity Episcopal Day School will face Riverfield Academy in an away game while Cathedral will go head to head with Brookhaven Academy at home.

Adams County Christian School will play Wilkinson County Christian Academy in a home game.

For the Louisiana teams, Delta Charter will play Cedar Creek at home while Ferriday and Vidalia high schools will be out of town. Ferriday will go against Block and Vidalia will face Delhi.

All games start at 7 p.m.

Vidalia Garden Club memorial

dedication

The Vidalia Garden Club will dedicate the newly bricked memorial area in front of the Blue Star Memorial Highway marker this Friday.

Besides acting as a dedication, the ceremony will also honor military veterans on the anniversary of Sept. 11.

The dedication is open to the public and is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. at 1401 Carter St. with parking available at Array Operating on Murray Drive.

St. Catherine Creek Backwater Bird Blitz

The St. Catherine Creek National Wildlife Refuge will host tours so visitors can hear from experts about the refuge’s birds Saturday. Louisiana Audubon Society Director of Bird Conservation Erik Johnson will be among the speakers.

“The tour is going to encompass what we call impoundments, which are shallow water ponds, where we as a refuge manage the water levels for the birds,” said Nick Wirwa, wildlife biologist at the refuge.

Wirwa said approximately 250 bird species have been observed at the refuge, coming to the area for food sources left behind by the Mississippi River’s receding waters.

Free tours will be from 7 to 10 a.m., and will start at the refuge’s headquarters on 21 Pintail Lane, Natchez.

To reserve a spot on the tour, call 601-442-6696 by Friday. Wirwa said extra spots may be available on Saturday.

Second Saturday

For music lovers, local band “The Jazzers” will be playing on Main and Commerce streets from 6 to 8 p.m. as part of the monthly Second Saturday events in downtown Natchez.

Stores and galleries will be open late, allowing shoppers to peruse the best of what the downtown area has to offer.