NATCHEZ &045; A dinner Saturday night on the grounds of Rosalie &045; owned, appropriately, by the Mississippi chapter of the DAR &045; was a time to celebrate the &uot;ta-da&uot; moment for the Natchez Trace Parkway.

&uot;This is a good day for history, a good day for the present and a good day for the future,&uot; Mayor Phillip West told those gathered under a tent on the lawn outside the antebellum house.

The dinner was also a time to thank all of those involved in the work it took to get the Natchez Trace Parkway’s last eight miles completed &045; and the work it took to celebrate the event.

&uot;This project is so wonderful for our community,&uot; said Larry L. &uot;Butch&uot; Brown, director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation and a former Natchez mayor.

&uot;To have this gateway into downtown is something that is truly unexpected. For many years we thought it would end in Washington.&uot;

Brown noted that a group of residents and officials got together in 1993 to find a way to bring the Natchez Trace into the city limits.

Bringing to the Wal-Mart parking lot was not quite what they had in mind, Brown quipped, so the landscaped terminus on Liberty Road was better.

Brown also recognized the team of city employees and department heads that has continued through several mayors to &uot;finish the Trace and bring it to its natural home.&uot;

Officials thanked the engineering and construction teams behind the project, Wilbur Smith and Hill Brothers, as well as all of the local, state and federal leaders who had a hand in the Trace work.

The Daughters of the American Revolution, who were instrumental in establishing the parkway in the first place, were recognized for their contribution.

Organizers of the ceremony and dinner were also recognized, including chairwoman Janet Sullivan.

Mary Peters, administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, noted that the Trace is an important part of tourism in the state &045; and in Natchez.

&uot;The Natchez Trace is a ‘comin’ back to’ place,&uot; Peters said, quoting from what her daughter used to say when their family traveled.

&uot;You have so much to celebrate here. Š We have an opportunity to turn southern Mississippi around. God gave us a great place in southern Mississippi, and the Natchez Trace Parkway has improved on that.&uot;

The dinner crowd was entertained by Dr. Lester Senter, who performed selections from a CD she developed to help celebrate the Natchez Trace Parkway.

The songs Senter selected came from hundreds of pieces of 19th century sheet music known as &uot;the Natchez Trace collection&uot; housed at the University of Texas in Austin.

The crowd was also entertained by some impromptu comments from state Rep. David Green, D-Gloster.

&uot;The Trace is one of the most beautiful routes in the world,&uot; Green said.

&uot;I’ve been on all seven continents Š and I’ve never seen any place more beautiful than the Natchez Trace, or southwest Mississippi for that matter.&uot;

Green teased the crowd with a joke about a man who decided to learn to the &uot;greatest magic trick in the world.&uot;

So the man set up a magic show and had someone from the audience hit him square on the head with a ball-peen hammer.

When the new magician finally woke up a year later in the hospital, he astounded his doctors.

&uot;Ta-da!&uot; were the first words from his mouth.

&uot;So ta-da! for the Trace,&uot; Green said to the crowd’s laughter.