NATCHEZ — After 15 years, the annual Minorville Jubilee is still going strong.

The celebration is aimed at bringing together residents of Minor Street and the surrounding neighborhood.

Music blasted from front yards at intervals along the street, songs competing with each other.

Lloyd Crockett, who lives near the end of the street, fried fish with friends and family Saturday afternoon.

“I didn’t realize it had been that long (15 years),” said Crockett, who joins in the celebration every year

The jubilee is a chance for the entire neighborhood to take a break and enjoy the summer, he said.

“They block off the streets so kids are free to play,” Crockett said as children on bicycles and all-terrain vehicles rode carefree down the street.

The street and neighborhood serve as a kind of community of its own, he said.

“People have lived in the same houses for years,” he said. “We all grew up together and went to school together.”

The celebration has really stuck, Jubilee Chairman Burnett Bridgewater said.

“Fifteen years — I couldn’t fathom it (when it started),” Bridgewater said. “We are still progressing, and the community is progressing.

“(The jubilee) has grown every year. Imagine, children from 1 to 15 that have grown up with it.”

Indeed, some at the festival had never known a year without the jubilee.

Caylin Tucker, 15, and Latasha Woods, 14, took a break to visit with friends in front of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church.

“We’re just out here having a good time,” Tucker said. “It’s a place to have fun and stay out of trouble.”

Woods agreed.

“It’s something fun to do,” she said.

Jasmine Anderson, 17, comes to the jubilee every year, too, she said.

“My favorite part is the music and the food,” Anderson said. “You get to see all your old friends and get together. And it’s a chance to have fun before you go back to school.”

This year, candidates for the upcoming county elections had a chance to speak during the gospel hour.

A few stayed into the afternoon to visit and shake hands.

“It shows you support the community,” said Leroy Sessions, District 3 supervisor candidate.

“It shows people, ‘I’m here, I’m part of the community, and I want to participate in the community.’”

One of his opponents in the race, Britt Gibson, said it was a chance to talk to people.

“It gives people a chance to see you out and talk to you and give you their concerns,” Gibson said.