Heavy rains earlier in the week did not completely spoil the 29^th edition of RiverFest. More than 2,000 people turned out Saturday, for the event, which included musicians, the RiverFest Arts and Crafts Festival, and the second annual Rhythm Run.

“I always enjoy coming to RiverFest,” said Susan Daniels, who was with her son Cody. “I was worried it was going to rain again like last night, but I think we’ll be OK. I never miss RiverFest. We should rock tonight.”

The Alcorn State University’s 36th annual Jazz Festival was also held Saturday.

“We are the only jazz festival like this in the region,” professor of music at Alcorn and Jazz Festival director David Miller said.

“We do strictly jazz.”

Held at the Vicksburg Convention Center, band students from colleges, universities and high schools participated in a seminar presented by master musician, Branford Marsalis.

“The seminar is the key to the festival. The purpose is to encourage the kids to listen to jazz. The music kids listen to today has no substance,” Miller said.

“We want to get them interested.”

More in Vicksburg this week included:

• The Southern Heritage Air Foundation of Tallulah, La. received a $25,000 award to help further their mission of helping wounded veterans. The award money came from Isle of Capri Casino’s Community Aces Challenge, a challenge between 123 nonprofit organizations, Isle’s president and chief executive officer, Virginia McDowell said. There were about 69,000 total votes, and of those votes, SHAF claimed approximately 6,000.

“We had people voting for us all over Europe and the U.S.,” SHAF President Patty Mekus said.

• Through Sunday, the Vicksburg National Military Park, along with 127 other national parks across the country will be waiving all entrance fees as part of National Park week.

The VNMP was established in 1889 to commemorate one of the most decisive battles of the American Civil War, the campaign, siege and defense of Vicksburg. The VNMP park has 1,325 historic monuments and markers, 20 miles of reconstructed trenches and earthworks, a 16-mile tour road, an antebellum home, 144 emplaced cannon, the restored Union gunboat-USS Cairo and the resting ground for the remains of 17,000 Civil War Union soldiers.