There is a party in town on Aug. 26, and the celebration is long overdue.

The Copiah-Lincoln Community College Alumni Association is co-sponsoring a business after hours function to help launch the first Co-Lin Natchez Area Chapter of the association.

Since 1972, Co-Lin Natchez has been educating thousands of area students, and our community is way overdue to come together and support the campus.

Although I attended Co-Lin Wesson on a baseball scholarship, I attended the Natchez campus and graduated from that campus.

Thus, I have come to appreciate the Natchez campus and all it does for the Miss-Lou. That’s why I joined the steering committee for the Natchez Area Chapter, and why I gladly accepted the honor of being its first president.

Co-Lin Natchez graduates Andrew Calvit and Glenda Wilson have joined me as vice president and secretary.

We have nearly two dozen other Co-Lin graduates and supporters on our committee as well.

That is why we decided to have a party to launch the chapter, because the Natchez campus deserves a celebration.

Our gathering is from 5:30 to 7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 26, upstairs at Biscuits and Blues.

We will have food and a cash bar. No, we will not be asking for money, only for names and information from people who want to be part of this exciting group.

The event is co-sponsored by Concordia Bank & Trust, United Mississippi Bank, the Natchez-Adams Chamber of Commerce, The Co-Lin Foundation and Biscuits and Blues.

Who can join the Natchez chapter? It’s easy: Co-Lin graduates like me; anyone who attended Co-Lin, even only one class; and individuals who simply want to help the campus.

We have seen and heard about the state’s cuts to community college allocations, including Co-Lin.

But our chapter intends to be far more than a fundraising body. We plan to support the campus in many other ways, such as scholarships, contacts with local and state decision makers, fun events and more.

So please join us on Aug. 26, and help celebrate this terrific institution.

See you upstairs at Biscuits and Blues!

Brian Fisher is president of the Natchez Area Chapter of the Co-Lin Alumni Association.