Certain towns have certain responsibilities.

Residents of Washington, D.C., know they may be called on to take a photo of a tourist in front of a monument.

Those who live in Maui understand the importance of throwing on a grass skirt and a lei.

And in Madison, Wisc., the locals know how to point to best cheese shop in town.

In Natchez, we have our hoop skirts and Confederate swords, but sometimes our responsibilities are less dramatic.

As a tourism town, Natchez has to be ready for the tourist 365 days a year.

All our visitors don’t come during the two annual pilgrimages, instead they sprinkle their presence and their dollars in our town year round.

But if the downtown businesses are shut down for the weekend or the holiday, that money won’t leave its warm pocket and Natchez will have missed an opportunity.

This year the Natchez Downtown Development Association and 17 local businesses have seized a patriotic opportunity.

Several downtown shops, restaurants and bars will be open today, while the rest of the country kicks back in the easy chair.

The employees will lose their holiday, and the owners are taking a gamble. They are betting on business.

Tourists will surely patronize the shops, but that may not be enough to make the holiday opening profitable.

The rest is our responsibility.

Locals need to eat and shop downtown today. It’s an investment in local businesses and an investment in tourism. And it’s our responsibility.