Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade returns May 25 with historic marker unveiling

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — This year’s Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade, set for Monday, May 25, will include an unveiling ceremony for a Mississippi state historical marker commemorating the parade, according to Laura Jackson, chair of the Natchez parade committee, and Sheila Trust Gardner, chair of the Vidalia parade committee.

The parade, which has roots in the African American community, dates to the late 1800s and is one of the oldest Memorial Day traditions in the country. It was previously known as the “30th of May Parade.”

Sgt. Anita R. Washington Jackson of the U.S. Army National Guard will serve as the Vidalia grand marshal, and Mayor Dan M. Gibson will serve as the Natchez grand marshal.

The unveiling ceremony will be held at 9:30 a.m. at 639 S. Canal St., in front of the Holiday Inn Express. The program will feature presentations by Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager at Visit Natchez; Mayor Dan M. Gibson; Robert Gardner, Vidalia alderman for District 2; and Annette Sharp, general manager of the Holiday Inn Express.

The unveiling will be followed by an 11 a.m. ceremony at Natchez National Cemetery. The guest speaker will be Glenn R. Powers, deputy under secretary for Field Programs and Cemetery Operations at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.

Lineup for the parade will begin at 7:30 a.m. at Zion Baptist Church, located at 601 Magnolia St. in Vidalia. From there, the procession will travel to the foot of the Louisiana side of the bridge, cross into Natchez, and continue to the Natchez Visitor Center at 640 S. Canal St. Shuttle service will be available at the Visitor Center and the cemetery.

From the Visitor Center, participants will proceed north on Canal Street to Franklin Street, continue to Pearl Street, then travel from Pearl to Oak Street before proceeding to Maple Street and continuing north to Cemetery Road.