Editor’s note: The following story contained incorrect information regarding work being done by the National Park Service on the Fort Rosalie unit of Natchez National Historical Park. We regret the error and are happy to set the record straight.

By Nita McCanm

The Natchez Democrat

NATCHEZ — Local leaders said the contacts they made in Washington, D.C. last week should prove invaluable for Natchez in the coming months.

Those who made the trip included Mayor Butch Brown and Kathleen Jenkins, superintendent of the Natchez National Historic Park.

Kevin Kirby, director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Jennifer Ogden Combs, Natchez Tricentennial director, also made the trip.

“The trip was very productive,” Combs said. “We got a positive reaction.”

Jenkins added that the delegation “worked well as a team” in Washington.

One highlight of the trip was meeting with National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis, Brown said.

“He seemed very interested in our presentation … about Natchez’s Tricentennial next year and the events surrounding it,” Brown said.

Jenkins said she and others met with Jarvis and gave a presentation regarding work on the Fort Rosalie unit of the Natchez National Historical Park, located along Canal Street north of the Natchez Visitor Center.

A grand opening of the site will be hosted Aug. 3, 2016 in connection to the city’s Tricentennial.

While in Washington, the Natchez delegation met with Jerry Abramson, White House liaison to state and local governments, and Mississippi’s congressmen and senators, among others.

The Natchez group also met with Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and with a delegation from Spain, Brown said.

“We had a pretty tight schedule,” he added.

The next step is to contact officials in France about the possibility of them attending Natchez’s Tricentennial events next year.

“Hopefully, officials from both Spain and France will be able to participate,” Jenkins said.

“We’re excited about the possibility of them attending the grand opening of the Rosalie grounds ceremony,” she added.

Detailed expense reports from the trip were not available prior to press time.

But Brown stated that he cut his trip expenses to the bone wherever possible, such as staying with a friend in Washington rather than staying at a hotel.

“And the contacts we made while we were there will bring millions of dollars to the city,” Brown said. “I did what I’ve always done, building on relationships (with leaders in Washington).”

The Natchez Convention and Visitors Bureau’s budget is separate from the city’s budget, Brown said.

He added that the Tricentennial Commission raised money locally to fund Combs’ expenses on the trip.

Kirby could not be reached for comment.