Clinton residents Rick Anderson and his wife Merrie were relaxing in the shade of a white oak at the Vicksburg National Military Park; it was just after 5 p.m. and people were slowly making their way to the park and finding a choice spot out of the sun.

“This is our first time here,” he said. “It’s an excellent opportunity to be with friends, enjoy the music and take advantage of the great weather. Who could ask for more?”

The Andersons and about 1,000 other people from Vicksburg, Warren County and neighboring counties gathered at the park for the fourth edition of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra’s Pops Concert to commemorate Memorial Day Weekend Saturday evening.

The Andersons were in Vicksburg Saturday for another reason — their friend, television personality Walt Grayson, was presenting a narrative on the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. Grayson was master of ceremonies for the inaugural event on 2013.

The concert was held under sunny skies with warm temperatures tempered by a slight breeze, and the orchestra provided a selection of music from classical to popular, like the theme from the “Andy Griffith Show,” “Spiderman” and “Star Wars,” before finishing with “God Bless America” and the John Philip Sousa march, “Stars and Stripes Forever.”

“I was worried about the weather,” said Bess Averett, executive director of Friends of VNMP and Campaign, one of the concert’s co-sponsors. “It turned out great, and when the sun goes down, we should see a great sunset.”

Averett said she was surprised to see a large number of people from outside Vicksburg attending.

“I was just talking with a man from Jackson who heard about the concert,” she said.

Jane and Paul Harty from Gluckstadt were among those visitors.

“We saw it in AAA and decided to come down,” she said.

Nearby, Jason Carter and his family from Clinton had spread a blanket and were enjoying sandwiches as they listened to the music.

“We’ve been coming here for two years,” he said. “The symphony puts on a great show, and we have friends who play in the symphony. We thought this would be a great way to enjoy the music and have a picnic.”

John George and his wife Carol, from Vicksburg, were at their first concert.

“We were at Lake Fest (on Eagle Lake) earlier and came straight here,” he said. “We thought we would see the sights and spend time with friends as well.”