The hookers are coming to town! Rug hookers, that is. Traveling to Natchez from Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi and Tennessee, they will join the 61 South Hookers of Natchez for a four-day hook-in on April 24-28.

The group will work under the direction of master hooker Lisanne Miller, director of the Caraway Rug School and owner of W. Cushing and Co. Located in Wells, Maine, Lisanne travels across the country to teach private lessons. Her rugs have been featured in a variety of publications. She was nominated by Martha Stewart Living for her work and her company as a “Made in America” craft/company.

Rug hooking is an ancient craft, dating to the 5th century in Egypt. Brought to the early settlers in America, hooking quickly became a national folk art. Practicing the early adage, “Use it up,, wear it out, make it do, or do without,” the colonists recycled pieces of wool to hook floor and bed coverings to decorate their homes.

The 61 South Hookers — Eleanor Ernst, Meg Hazlip, Nathalie Harris, Annette Holder, Ann Paradise, Claudia Stephens and Ann Tillman — are welcoming the visitors with gracious southern hospitality by hosting lunches and dinners in their homes. Community-minded, they are actively promoting Natchez as an annual venue for rug-hooking events.

The group will have morning and afternoon sessions at 508 Franklin St. in downtown Natchez. Sporting their specially designed pink tee shirts, the local hookers can easily be identified

On Thursday afternoon from 1 until 3:30 p.m., you are cordially invited to see demonstrations and a display of locally hooked items at 507 Franklin St., local headquarters.

Perhaps you will be enticed to become a hooker!

Mary Eidt, Natchez resident, is a friend of the 61 South Hookers.