RiverFest will bring music, community fun and unique shopping to Vicksburg, but one of the biggest draws of the weekend will be in the sporting events that hope to bring some good-natured competition and family fun to the festival.

The RiverFest softball tournament will start at 8 a.m. Saturday morning and ends at 2:15 p.m.

“We have more than 10 girls fast pitch teams, and I think we have six men’s teams and four women’s teams,” RiverFest volunteer Ashley Hoeft said.

“I think it’s just a good way for families to come out and be active, be outside and do something in the community.”

Hoeft said she thought the softball tournament meshed well with the rest of the events at RiverFest.

“I think it gets families out, it gets them involved. Once they’re out of the house, they’re able to kind of go out and do other things, besides that one thing they had planned,” Hoeft said.

Hoeft recognized the importance of the tournament in promoting a strong community base in Vicksburg, but also highlighted that it could bring in people from outside the city as well.

In between games and after the conclusion of the tournament, the players can check out everything RiverFest has to offer.

Each team that registered even received up to 15 armbands for RiverFest, so they can enjoy the musical acts that night as well.

There will be prizes for the winners and T-shirts will be available.

In addition to the softball game, some competitors will also take to the water and compete in the Bluz Cruz. The 22-mile paddling race that goes down the Mississippi River and up the Yazoo Diversion Canal will start at the Madison Parish Port in Tallulah at 9 a.m. and end at the Vicksburg riverfront

With the rain that the river has seen this spring, the water level is expected to be higher than normal for the event.

Co-race director Wayne Pratt said the race has encountered this problem before and was confident that the race would still run smoothly.

“It does create some challenges for this year, I believe, with the sea wall being closed,” Pratt said.

“In year’s past we haven’t had that problem. We may have to port some boats at the edge of the sea wall, into the parking lot of the train museum, which is a little of a challenge for us.”

In order to register, head to www.bluzcruz.com or stop by Martin’s at Midtown from 2-7 p.m. today to register in person.

The sign-up fees are $65 per person, or $135 if you want to ride in one of Quapaw Canoe Company’s two large canoes at the race.