The hot lunch ticket for fall Fridays can be found at the Southern Cultural Heritage Center.

At noon Friday, the courtyard at the Heritage Center bustled with a live band and a catered lunch as the ninth annual Classics in the Courtyard kicked off Friday.

“This is something we offer to the community to highlight Vicksburg music talent and the flavors of Vicksburg,” Stacey Massey, executive director of the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation, said. “It’s really a lunch hour thing. It’s unique to be able to listen to a concert (during your lunch break).”

Some come just to listen, some come to listen and eat, Massey said, estimating that around 150 people normally attend.

“We’re going to be over that (number) today,” she said. “We have that many people that reserved for lunch but we have some people that come and just listen to the music. It’s supposed to be quick where people can come in, get their food, sit down and the band will start playing.”

Classics in the Courtyard will run through Nov. 4 and feature a variety of catered food and classic music genres from blues to pop. Each band, Massey said, is either from Vicksburg or has a connection to the Red Carpet City.

“They have had ties here,” she said. “This event in particular highlights Vicksburg.”

Though this is only Massey’s third Classics, she said the weather has held out for the past three years and Friday again kept the tradition.

“The weather has been unbelievable. I’m scared to say it,” she said, noting the dates are set in mid-October because the weather cools off. “It brings in the fall,” she said.

Linda Parker, who is a member of the Foundation’s board of directors and has been attending since Classics in the Courtyard began, said the event is a great lunch for a break from work and to get the kids out of the house.

“All of them are excellent,” she said. “The music is always great. It’s a variety. We have a good group that normally comes every week. It’s almost like a picnic because the children can run around and make noise, and I’ve never seen it irritate anyone,” she said.

The musical entertainment is free and lunch is $10 each week, Massey said. Reservations are required for lunch and must be made by 5 p.m. on the Thursday before the event, which is sponsored by a grant from Entergy Mississippi.

“Hopefully we will have another four great weekS this year,” she said.

The remaining Classics in the Courtyard include:

• Friday, Oct. 21 – Americana, Celtic and Folk   Performed by “Full Circle” with Nicholas & Julia Blake.  Lunch provided by Billy’s Italian Restaurant

• Friday, Oct. 28 – Classics Blues, Rock, Pop and Originals   Performed by Patrick Smith Band. Lunch provided by KJ’s River Town Grille.

• Friday, Nov. 4 – Classic Pop and Country   Performed by Maria Signa & Ralph Miller. Lunch provided by Goldie’s Express.