NATCHEZ — For 153 years, Miss-Lou communities have marched together on Memorial Day to commemorate their fallen military heroes.

The Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade is one of the longest running traditions of its kind in the nation, said parade committee chair, Robert Gardner, dating back to 1867 when participants celebrated Memorial Day by crossing the Mississippi River by ferryboat, walking to the top of Silver Street and marching to the Natchez National Cemetery.

After the first bridge between Natchez and Vidalia was built in the 1940s, the parade marchers walked across the bridge to the cemetery, Gardner said, but were unable to do so last year due to construction on the bridge.

“I used to be one of the participants in the parade as one of the band members,” Gardner said. “Hundreds of the people come home each year for this event and people look forward to it. When some people don’t come home for Thanksgiving or Christmas, they will be here for the Memorial Day Parade.”

Gardner said the parade is scheduled to line up at the corner of North Magnolia and Alabama streets in Vidalia at 8 a.m. Monday.

Following a prayer service, marchers will start moving at 8:30 a.m. and will cross the Mississippi River Bridge on foot before stopping to take a 30-minute break at the Natchez Visitor Reception Center and then continue to its destination, Natchez National Cemetery, where a Memorial Day program is scheduled for 11:30 a.m.

The group of marchers typically grows as it passes through Vidalia and Natchez, Gardner said, adding anyone who can walk is welcome to jump in while others can observe from the sidelines. 

“We have a variety of sponsorships from local businesses and political officials who make this event possible,” Gardner said. “We appreciate all of the sponsors who make sure this event is continued. … We want to encourage everyone to come out and to keep our tradition alive.”