Sometimes it can be easy to forget what a gem the Vicksburg National Military Park is to the Vicksburg community. For those who want to explore the history Vicksburg has to offer, this weekend will give them the perfect opportunity.

The park is hosting a Winter Open House from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Friday and Saturday at the Visitor Center, 3201 Clay St. During these hours, entry to the center where the museum and gift shop are located will be free and open to the public. Those wanting to tour the park can pay to do so.

“It’s going to be mostly a meet and greet pretty much,” Ranger Nikki Anderson said. “We want to encourage everyone to come out and say hi.”

The park staff and superintendent Bill Justice want to invite the community into the Visitor Center to have open dialogue about the park. Justice is new to the superintendent job and wants to get to know the people in the community better.

“We are just inviting people for the community to come by,” Justice said. “I’m going to be around so it’s an opportunity for people to meet me because I’m still relatively new to the park,” Justice said.

Anderson said rangers would be at the event to answer any historical questions guests might have. Guests are invited to experience the film shown at the center. Light refreshments will be served to guests.

“The plan is just to encourage people to come on by, and come and get some refreshments, and talk to the rangers, and talk to me, and ask any questions you’d like,” Justice said.

He said events like this are important for the community because the park belongs to the people of the community. This special event gives the park staff an opportunity to open the door to everyone.

“It is a national park, it belongs to all the people of the United States, but it is the community’s park as well,” Justice said. “You see that everyday as people walk and run and exercise in the park.”

Anderson said community is important to the park, and she said it’s important for the park to make and keep those relationships.

“Those ties are strong, and we should always make sure they are there,” Anderson said.

The VNMP open house usually happens yearly during Christmastime, but because December can be a hectic time of year, park staff chose to push the event until January.

“We actually done a Christmas Open House for several years, and we just moved it because of other things that were going on in the park,” Justice said.