NATCHEZ &045; Chefs have recipes ready; cheerleaders are rehearsing routines; and karate kids have fine-tuned their kicks &045; a diverse lineup of activities among many more on tap for the Natchez Crepe Myrtle Festival on Friday and Saturday.

For Chef Lanny Brasher at Monmouth Plantation, a dessert competition provides an opportunity to join other Natchez chefs in showing off favorite sweets to be judged by a panel before being offered to guests at the Friday kickoff of the festival.

&uot;The official kickoff is at 7 p.m. at the community center,&uot; said volunteer Eric Glatzer. &uot;It will begin with the dessert contest in professional and nonprofessional divisions. Some restaurants, some church groups and some individuals are participating.&uot;

Plenty of time remains for more entries into the dessert competition, Glatzer said.

Anyone interested in finding out more about it or getting an entry form should call 601-304-0334, he said.

Desserts can be dropped off at the community center, corner of Franklin and Wall streets. Cooks do not have to be present for the contest.

The Friday event is $7 per person, including dessert tasting, wine served compliments of Old South Winery and a dance with music by Lil Poochie.

Saturday daytime activities, most of them at Memorial Park, corner of Main and Rankin streets, center on children, said volunteer Matilda Stephens. They are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

&uot;We call this ‘fun in the fall.’ It’s a festival for children,&uot; said Stephens, director of operations of the Boys and Girls Club of the Miss-Lou. &uot;The idea is to get a cross-section of the community to come downtown, children and their parents. There is no entry fee, but a couple of the games may cost a dollar.&uot;

The list of activities keeps growing, Stephens said. &uot;I just got a call on Friday from someone in the Junior Auxiliary to see if they could do their photos and fingerprinting of children as part of the event.&uot;

Representatives from Grand Village of the Natchez Indians will be on hand to teach Indian games and dances. Historic Jefferson College envoys will bring materials for children to use to make Christmas ornaments for the annual holiday program at the site.

Parent centers will bring information on how parents can get materials to help their children with school work. Families First will help children to make Christmas cards to send to members of the 155th National Guard Infantry Brigade.

AJFC will sponsor crafts for very young children. The Natchez Recreation Department will join Stephens in creating a six-hole putt-putt golf course.

Exhibitions will include a cheerleading contest and a karate demonstration by students of Master Kenny Rogers.

&uot;We have 10 different schools taking part in the cheerleader contest,&uot; Glatzer said. &uot;Part of the contest will be selecting an all-star cheerleading squad.&uot;

Stephens said anyone interested in joining the Saturday event to add activities for children should call her at 601-597-7485 or 601-304-5548. &uot;We will take new people all the way up to Friday afternoon,&uot; she said.

At 5:30 p.m. Saturday, a street dance begins with music by Maggie Brown. &uot;She will be playing on Main Street between Pearl and Commerce,&uot; Glatzer said. &uot;The Eola Hotel and the Convention and Visitors Bureau are sponsors.&uot;

Other events during the two-day festival will include planting a crepe myrtle tree and presenting the first Crepe Myrtle Festival award for civic achievement.

T-shirts, with design by Carol Ferdinand, will be on sale for $13 each, sizes large and extra large.