NATCHEZ &8212; Selling nuts and bolts wasn&8217;t something Pat Guerico admits she ever wanted to do.

So when her father opened a Western Auto store in Vidalia in 1957, she began working in tourism.

Wednesday, the Louisiana State Welcome center in Vidalia held a reception celebrating 40 years of tourism. Over 30 of those years were under the supervision of Guerico.

&8220;To me it&8217;s making people happy and helping them to enjoy the best travel experience possible,&8221; Guerico said. &8220;I like to find out who they are, where they are going and what they&8217;re interested in.&8221;

Tourism in Vidalia has seen many changes, starting at the beginning of the buildings existence in 1966. The construction of the building didn&8217;t come easy for a number of reasons.

&8220;When we started planning the senator at the time fought and got us $15,000 to build this building. Of course, that wasn&8217;t enough to cover any other expenses,&8221; said Will Mangham, who was in the office of tourism when the office was built. &8220;So we operated out of a petty cash box to keep it open because it serves such a wonderful purpose.&8221;

Visitor centers at the time were built on interstates and not highways, creating another obstacle, Mangham said.

&8220;There wasn&8217;t a law against building centers on the highway, but there was a policy,&8221; Mangham said. &8220;Local elected leaders got this built when no others were being built on the highway.&8221;

The celebration including refreshments and brief speeches from those involved over the years, offered thanks to all involved in keeping the center open.

&8220;I&8217;ve seen some wonderful changes in 40 years including more cooperation between the tourism entities,&8221; Guerico said. &8220;Cooperation in the Miss-Lou area has also helped to bring the people of Natchez and this side of the river together.&8221;

Roses were handed out to people in attendance of the celebration that had a hand in the progress of the center. Guerico Vidalia Mayor Hyram Copeland, and current center supervisor Zelma Murray were among the few receiving roses.

&8220;Today has been wonderful, and the people have been so nice,&8221; Murray said. &8220;This center has worked with the community so well for 40 years, and the community has given us everything.&8221;

The cycle of helping people and receiving help from the community are the things that Guerico&8217;s father, L.P. Sledge, instilled in her from the beginning. Sledge served as a politician, tourism worker and business owner, among other things, seeming to instill his love for life and people in his daughter.

&8220;I&8217;ve had an interesting life. I used to have a desk and a telephone right over there&8221; Sledge said pointing to the side of the small room. &8220;I&8217;ve gotten to meet a lot of people and got to see a whole lot through travel.&8221;

The tourism center will soon be relocated to the Vidalia River Front closing the doors to the 40-year existence.