The Wesson Chamber of Commerce will host its Founders’ Day celebration Friday and Saturday in honor of the town’s 152 years.

Co-Lin’s jazz band and the Freedom Quartet will perform in downtown Wesson at 6:15 p.m. on Friday. The Co-Lin Blue Wave Show Band Drumline will kick-off the celebration at 10 a.m. Saturday.

At 10:30 a.m. a Wesson Chamber of Commerce representative will crown the Founder’s Day queen during the welcome ceremony. The “Remember When” parade will begin at 11 a.m. led by the Wesson Garden Club and the grand marshals.

Afternoon entertainment will include the Mississippi Spirit competitive cheerleaders, the Co-Lin Sojourners, the Vibe Doctors and Natalie McKenzie. A hot dog eating contest will be held at 12:30 p.m.

The Chamber will host a tailgate starting at 4:30 p.m. at the Old Wesson School. The Co-Lin Classic Country Camellia Line Dancers and the Good Time Line Dancers will perform, along with a special appearance from Elvis. A fireworks show at 9 p.m. will wrap up the evening.

A flea market made up of booths from local vendors will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Wesson. Wesson Chamber of Commerce Secretary Melissa Meredith said there are still several booths open. Anyone interested in having a booth should contact the Chamber’s office.

Food will be available throughout the day for purchase. Los Lobos will be serving ribeye sandwiches and crawfish and Smokin’ Oaks BBQ & Steakhouse will have pulled pork sandwiches and pork skins during the old school activities.

Meredith said it is important to celebrate the founding of Wesson in order to educate the community on the town’s history.

“Wesson is rich in history,” Meredith said. “The town was founded in 1864. There are a lot of things that happened in Wesson that people don’t know about. The Founders’ Day celebration allows us to brag on our town. We had electric lights before big cities like Chicago because of the mills. This serves as a way for us to educate our children on all of the buildings and historical things around town.”

For more information about the Wesson Founders’ Day celebration, contact the Wesson Chamber of Commerce at 601-643-5000.