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NATCHEZ — Between 500 and 600 Mississippi firefighters and fire chiefs will descend upon Natchez on May 29 and stay through June 2 for the 87th annual Mississippi Firefighters and Fire Chiefs Conference.

Also, 100 vendors will join them at the Natchez Convention Center.

Most will be arriving on Tuesday of next week, said Ryan Richardson, event coordinator at the Natchez Convention Center.

“They will be arriving slowly on Tuesday and Wednesday as we set up the convention center and parking lot with fire trucks and emergency vehicles. The vendor show will begin on Thursday at 1 p.m.,” Richardson said.

The conference will begin Friday morning and will end on Saturday evening.

“There will be a Bluff party event on Friday evening with live music, and the firefighter rodeo will be Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m., which is open to anyone who would like to watch. It’s definitely something to see,” she said. “All of their meals will be taken care of by the conference. However, you will see them all around downtown, as they have booked out all hotels and some B&Bs.”

The conference itself is not open to the public, but the firefighter rodeo on Saturday is open to all.

“This is a huge economic impact to our community and I would like for everyone to welcome them again to Natchez,” Richardson said.