NATCHEZ — The Natchez Business and Civic League is sponsoring kids to swim free at the community pool off of Liberty Road during a Back to School swim event Saturday.

“We will pay for the first 50 kids who arrive and those who’ve participated in the Adams County Sheriff’s Department summer youth camps and T-ball league, said Jimmy Ware, Natchez Adams County Recreation Commission chairman and civic league member. “We’ll have the volleyball net set back up in the pool so kids can play volleyball as well. … This is just our way of giving a little something back to the community.”

The end of summer celebration lasts from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday and includes free chips and hotdogs and a book giveaway while supplies last, event organizer Evelyn Hutchins said.

The first 50 children swim for free while all parents and additional children may join in for a fee of $5. Proper swimwear is required and a parent must accompany children under 12 years of age, Hutchins said.

Hutchins said she would also be visiting the pool herself dressed like a storybook character, Mickey Mouse, while the WTYJ 97.7 FM radio station broadcasts the event live.

“We purchased books from Ollies Bargain Outlet and will have one free book per child,” Hutchins said. “We have a variety of books for all ages, including fiction, non-fiction, chapter books and some educational books. … We thought this would be a fun event to have since school is starting back. We want our local children to understand the value of reading and start out right.”