Did anyone else notice that Natchez seemed to be a little bit brighter, a little bit more alive on Tuesday?

It was almost as if the area around the Natchez Convention Center started blooming a bit more as each bus unloaded.

Approximately 1,000 green thumbs — and the 500 people on which they’re attached — arrived for this week’s Southern Region Master Gardener Conference. Participants are coming from 15 states across the South.

If our local, Adams County Master Gardeners are any indication of the kind of people these guests are, we should consider barricading the roads to prevent them from leaving.

The Adams County Master Gardeners are a group of can-do, get-things-done people.

Not only are they among the most active community groups in our area, but their influence seems to grow and expand daily.

From sprucing up downtown through several projects to now filling up the city’s convention center — and likely several hotels, too — the Master Gardeners are great folks. We’re lucky to have them in our community.

The unselfish lot even figured out a way to make their convention a community event by creating a free garden expo from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and Thursday at the Natchez Community Center.

We’re so glad they’re in town; we hope each enjoys his or her stay; and we hope they’ll consider moving here — seriously.