NATCHEZ — A rainy but exciting weekend lies in store for the Natchez area.

Thursday and Friday may bring thunderstorms, with 50-percent and 80-percent chances of rain, respectively. Temperatures should be in the 70s.

Saturday and Sunday should bring clear skies and temperatures in the mid-60s.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Join the Krewe of Killarney for the 26th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Lineup on Main Street begins at 5:30 p.m. today.

Parade-goers can follow St. Patrick down Main Street starting at Memorial Park near St. Mary Basilica to the gazebo bandstand on the bluff, where St. Patrick will ceremonially drive the “snakes” into the river.

Ladies Civil War Academy

The academy is a weekend-long event training female Civil War re-enactors how to perform the duties women would have been performing in that time period. Many of the women from the academy then go on to take part in large-scale Civil War reenactments.

The event begins Friday afternoon and ends Sunday after lunch. Pre-registration is required. Call Robin Person at 601-442-2901.

Spring Pilgrimage

Until April 5, two-dozen antebellum mansions will open their doors to visitors for the annual Spring Pilgrimage. Tour guides are costumed family, friends and descendants of the original owners.

Tickets for pilgrimage house tours can be purchased at the Natchez Visitor Reception Center or at shopnatchezpilgrimage.com.

Southern Road to Freedom

A musical tribute to the African-American experience in Natchez by the award-winning Holy Family choir will be offered 8 p.m. Thursday and Saturday at Holy Family Catholic Church.

Additional show times will be Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays until April 3. Tickets are $15.

Armstrong Library Book Sale

The library will host a book sale from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday. Hardbacks, paperbacks, large print and more will be priced from 25 cents to $1. All proceeds benefit the library.

Catholic Heritage Walking Tour

Tours begin at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, beginning with an introduction at the Family Life Center on Main Street and moving to the grounds of St. Mary Minor Basilica. The tours are under one hour and are free.  At the conclusion of the tour, each person will be given a brochure to continue on their own to additional pilgrimage sites.

Tours will be held every Saturday until April 2.

Southern Exposure

The comedy play will be showing 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at Natchez Little Theatre.

“Southern Exposure” tells the story of Penelope, an owner of an antebellum house in Natchez, and the hilarious troubles that befall her during a Pilgrimage event in the 1950s.

Show times are at 7:30 p.m. each Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday evenings during Spring Pilgrimage and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 3.

Historic Natchez Tableaux

A stage production honoring important points in Natchez history will show from 8 to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Natchez City Auditorium.

The show will also be offered each Friday and Saturday until April 3. Regular tickets are $15 for adults and $7 for children, and president’s box tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for children.

Natchez Powwow

A two-day Southern Plains-style Powwow featuring contemporary American Indian music and dance will be held all day Saturday and Sunday at the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians.

Highlights of the event include intertribal dancing, gourd dancing, native foods and art.

Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children aged 12 and under.