Christmas Around the World 2008

This year’s Natchez DDA Christmas theme is “Christmas Around the World”. Participants are planning their floats, store windows, class projects and company parties around this theme to share what Christmas is like for children in Italy, Greece, Spain, or so many other interesting places. What a great project for students to research the ways our neighbors celebrate Christmas.

First Friday Weekend in December begins Friday night, December 5th, with the lighting of the Christmas tree, artist exhibitions, and downtown caroling. The weekend continues on Saturday with shopping specials, children’s activities, and the biggest Christmas Parade Downtown Natchez has ever seen!

December is filled with many new and unique events and volunteers are needed to make the season special for our community. Contact Carrie Lambert at the Natchez DDA office.

Natchez DDA is also seeking sponsors of Christmas floats - just like last year - so that DDA is able to continue working with Commercial Christmas Specialties to assemble decorations for the fabulous floats. Decorations for last year’s floats were $1,000 – broken up into 2 payments of $500 – one last year and one this year. Commercial Christmas will customize designs to fit businesses and budgets. Sponsor banners will be displayed on floats. After the parade, decorations will be removed to the bluff where they will be displayed for viewing by the public until right after New Years--giving the sponsors of the floats free advertisement for about a month. Decorations will be stored for future use. Once the cost of a decoration is paid in full by the sponsor, the sponsor will own the decoration.

Contact Carrie Lambert at (601) 442-2929 for more information about sponsoring (or sharing sponsorship) a float.

Marketing Natchez

Advertising funds created by the hotel occupancy assessment used to market Natchez through media favored by the Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB). CVB targets major markets within driving distance of Natchez---Dallas, Atlanta, Nashville, New Orleans, Little Rock, Birmingham, and Houston. Promotional materials are sent to tour operators, tour bus companies, and meeting planners. CVB is taking advantage of the many technological tools available to and used by travelers when planning their trips via the Internet. A goal is to produce video material to be used on web sites like You Tube, Face Book, and My Space, that can then be downloaded onto personal electronic devices, and used as a walking tour tool upon arrival in Natchez. Funds will be monitored and administered by the Natchez Tourism Marketing Advisory Committee, a committee of 3 members from the lodging industry, 2 members from the restaurant/food & beverage industry, 1 member from Natchez Pilgrimage Tours, 1 member from the business community at large to be recommended by the Natchez Chamber of Commerce, 1 member from the casino currently established and doing business in the City of Natchez (with subsequent members representing any additional casino which may be established in the City of Natchez in the future), 1 member from the Natchez Association for the Preservation of Afro-American Culture (NAPAC), 1 member from the Natchez Historic Foundation, and 1 member from the Natchez Business and Civic League. There shall only be 1 representative from a corporate or ownership relationship which may cross multiple sectors of the tourism industry. The parameters for the formation the Natchez Tourism Marketing Advisory Committee have been set forth by the Mississippi State Legislature. The marketing plan will be revised on a regular basis.

Parking Downtown

In an effort to save prime parking spaces for customers of downtown businesses, Parking Committee Chair Bill Furlow and member Marty Seibert visited with most of the businesses on Main Street between Commerce and Pearl, inviting them to have their employees park in the Britton & Koontz Bank (B&K) lot. B&K through its bank president, Kevin Smith, generously offered downtown business owners and employees the use of the southeast side of its lot (by St. Mary’s Basilica and Philip Carby’s law office). The reception overall was positive and all are encouraged to keep up the effort!

Charlie Speed, president of Regions Bank, also offered the use of his bank’s parking lot for downtown employees who work closer to the corner of Pearl and Franklin streets. Bill and Charlie will soon make the rounds of businesses on that side of town.

There is also a public parking lot near South Wall Street.