Port Gibson’s Main Street Program will celebrate the town’s heritage with an 18th festival that will feature a new twist this year.

If you go

The 18th annual Port Gibson Main Street Heritage Festival will be from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. next Saturday, March 27, downtown, on Market Street. Admission is free, but items will be for sale. Call 601-437-4500. Also, the 5K Dilla Dash will begin at 8. For more, visit.

For the first time, the organization is participating in “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day,” which encourages people to volunteer in their community in exchange for a free pass to a Disney park.

“We would love to have people volunteer,” said Cathi Dodgen of Port Gibson’s Main Street Program.

She estimates the festival, set for March 27, next Saturday, would need around 300 volunteers to man vendor stations or pick up trash. Those who help out Saturday can visit www.disneyparks.com to get a park voucher.

Another new activity is the High School Step Show, created to attract teens. Cash prizes will be awarded to first-, second- and third-place winners.

“We try to make this a family-fun event,” Dodgen said. “It’s hard to find something for the teenagers.”

The festival will kick off at 8 a.m. with the 5K Dilla Dash, a Mississippi Track Club Grand Prix event. T-shirts will be given to each participant, and prizes will be awarded to winners. The race will begin at Georgia’s at the Depot Restaurant, 1202 Market St., and will end at the water department on the south end of Market Street. Visit www.mstrackclub.com for more information and registration.

Meanwhile, Market Street will be filled with vendors from across the Southeast peddling children’s items, birdhouses and plants, as well as artwork from the Mississippi Craftsman’s Guild.

The children’s area will be filled with jumps, games and animals. During the second annual Little Miss Heritage Festival, girls ages 5 to 10 will compete for savings bonds.

Live entertainment by three R&B groups — MS Jody, Floyd Taylor and The Homemade Jamz Blues Band — will take the stage in the afternoon.

Also, the Port Gibson Lions Club will host a poker run. Cost is $10 per hand, and cars are invited to participate.

“We encourage people to come down,” Dodgen said. “Everything will be a draw to town. It’s a beautiful town.”

Contact Manivanh Chanprasith at mchan@vicksburgpost.com