It almost seemed as though Mother Nature herself played a part in planning the annual Vicksburg-Warren County Riverfest Arts and Crafts Show.

“With weather like this, I wouldn’t be surprised if we set a new attendance record today,” Richard O’Bannon, the organizer of the event, said as he gazed over the already hundreds of attendees at about 10 Saturday morning, two hours after vendors opened their stands. Skies were already sunny, and temperatures climbed slowly through the day to 78.

The 90 vendors, with such wares as bird feeders, bows, wooden guns, decorated mailboxes and ironworks, filled parts of Walnut, Crawford and South streets around City Hall.

The show also featured plants from Brazil, such as the one that James and Nancy Jernigan of Vicksburg bought from Dennis and Mary Kellogg, who own D&M Nursery in Bogue Chitto.

“There’s always just so many wonderful things here every year,” Nancy Jernigan said. “You never know what you’re going to find. That’s why we come every year.”

Dennis Kellogg said he, too, attends Vicksburg’s festival every year as a vendor. He said that he and his wife take their “very unusual plants” to shows all around Mississippi and Louisiana.

“But we always enjoy Vicksburg,” he said.

The best sellers, he said, were their bromilades and pitcher plants.

Also returning to Vicksburg were Mike and Judith Golden of Lake Village Ark., who, for the fourth time, brought their Band in my Hand purses. The purses, crafted by Mike Golden, are made of used vinyl records and their album covers.

“I basically wanted to make a purse that a man wasn’t ashamed of carrying when he has to go get it for his wife,” he said and laughed.

Golden, who has been making the purses for about eight years and has three patents on them, said his business has spread all over the country and he has even been selling the purses in Canada and Australia.

“But we still plan on heading back to Vicksburg,” he said. “We always enjoy it.”

Along with his purses that featured the Beatles, Elvis and Michael Jackson, Golden made sure his Rick Springfield collection was front and center for the day.

Springfield was the headliner for the two-day music and street festival. He appeared Saturday night along with the Swartz Brothers, Robert “The Duke” Tillman, Vickie Baker, Riverwind and Michael Anthony & The Groove.

Saturday night’s musical entertainment cranked up on two stages after a day of the arts and crafts festival, singing and downtown activities for children.