May 14, 2024 | 3:24 PM
File photo of the Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade.
Courtesy of William Terrell/The Bluff City Post
(Click on image to enlarge.)
NATCHEZ, Miss. — Everything is on track for the
158th Annual Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade, according to Laura Ann Jackson, who
chairs the Committee for the Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade. She said the
long-running event will be a memorable experience for local residents and
visitors.
“This event is an important part of Natchez and Vidalia
history,” Jackson said. “It’s part of our heritage. It’s our way of honoring
our military service members, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice
in defense of our country.”
The parade will take place on Monday, May 27. It is known for having long lines of participants – sometimes in the hundreds — marching from Vidalia, across the Natchez-Vidalia Bridge, and to the Natchez National Cemetery at 41 Cemetery Road, where a ceremony is held. The site for the ceremony is on the west side of the cemetery overlooking the river front.
File photo of ceremony at the Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade.
Courtesy of James Theres
(Click on image to enlarge.)
“This year, we’re going strong and we’re going to have special guests from out of town that include a church group from Chicago,” Jackson said.
Jackson noted this year’s guests will include filmmaker
James Theres, the executive producer and director of the film, “The 30th of
May” (2016). Theres described the film as the “amazing, untold story of an
African American Memorial Day tradition in the Deep South that dates back to
the end of the Civil Ward.”
“I look forward to coming back to Natchez and
participating in the 30th of May celebration, one of the longest-running,
consecutive Memorial Day observances in the country,” said Theres. “It’s a
tradition like no other dating back to the end of the civil war.”
Williams Terrell, publisher and editor of The Bluff City
Post, has covered the parade for more than 30 years. He said it is an event
that “you just have to see.”
“People come from everywhere,” he said. “Some come all
the way from Seattle, Washington, to walk over that bridge. That is really
something to see and experience.”
This year, Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten and the
Rev. Louis Banks, pastor of Union Baptist Church, Vidalia, will serve as grand
marshals. Banks is also a member of the American Legion Post 590 in Vidalia,
said Jackson.
The ceremony
The ceremony at the cemetery will start at 11 a.m. and will last for one hour. Jackson will serve as the master of ceremonies. The program will feature retired Army Sgt. Linda McClure of Alexandria as the guest speaker. She will be introduced by her husband, retired Army Lt. Col. Jeff McClure.
File photo of marching band at the Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade.
Courtesy of James Theres
(Click on image to enlarge.)
The Natchez High School AF JROTC will present the colors, followed by Nolan Cubie, who will lead the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. Charlotte Taylor, the assistant director of the Mississippi National Cemetery Complex at Natchez, will give the Welcome.
The program will include solo performances by Mayor Dan
Gibson and 2019 Cathedral High School graduate Damira McGruder. Jackson said
McGruder is a pre-med biology student at the University of Southern Mississippi
in Hattiesburg, where she plans to graduate this year.
A Memorial Day Band musical solo will be presented by
Caymond Riley of the Elnora Riley Group in Vidalia.
“The late Ms. Elnora Riley had been part of this program
since I was a child,” said Jackson. “She was a member of the Women’s Relief
Corps.”
“Taps” will be performed by Master Sgt. Wilbert
Washington, director of the AF JROTC. Taylor will give the Closing Remarks.
Parade route
Jackson outlined the parade route as follows:
The lineup will begin at 8 a.m. at Zion Baptist Church at 601 Magnolia Street in Vidalia. At 9 a.m., the parade will start at the foot of the Louisiana side of the bridge. It will proceed across the bridge to the Natchez Visitor Center at 640 S. Canal St., where the participants will stop for a 30-minute break.
File photo of the Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade.
Courtesy of William Terrell/The Bluff City Post
(Click on image to enlarge.)
Shuttles will be available at the Visitor Center and cemetery.
From the Visitor Center, the participants will proceed
north on Canal to Franklin Street. At Franklin, they will move along to Pearl
Street and from Pearl to Oak Street. From Oak, they will proceed to Maple
Street and then travel north to Cemetery Road.
Committee members working with Jackson to organize the
procession include Douglas McCallister, Dorothy Sanders, Renard Chatman, and
Nathaniel Williams.
For more information, call Laura Ann Jackson at
601-446-9052.
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