The events of the Vicksburg National Military Park during Memorial Day weekend have become a Barry family tradition and one we look forward to every year.

The outdoor performance of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra was spectacular.

Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park and Campaign director Bess Averett said the biggest anticipated event is the concert by the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra on the lawn in front of the Park Visitor Center.

She was right as nearly 1,000 people packed the lawn to watch the free concert in beautiful weather.

A special pre-show concert featured local musicians from the Church of Holy Trinity Conservatory of Fine Arts Student Orchestra.

The friends group partnered with Four Seasons of the Arts, Vicksburg National Military Park to sponsor the concert on the hallowed ground. This was the third year the MSO has performed during the Memorial Day weekend.

At some point the annual event becomes tradition. There are old traditions and there are new traditions.

Mirriam-Webster dictionary defines tradition as: a way of thinking, behaving, or doing something that has been used by the people in a particular group, family, society, etc., for a long time.

Does three consecutive years constitute a long time?

In the Barry household, three years of doing the same thing makes it a new tradition.

When my wife and I married we talked about the things our families did that were unique to them. We wanted to continue to make those same memories for our son, but in a new way.

Every year we go to the Old Court House Museum lawn to watch the Fourth of July fireworks show, we visit the Living History demonstrations at the VNMP during the summer, we go to nearly every parade downtown and we trek to the park’s visitor center to hear the symphony perform during the Memorial Day weekend.

Vicksburg is full of traditions both old and new.

As for next Memorial Day weekend, we sure hope the Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park and Campaign and Four Seasons of the Arts, Vicksburg National Military Park continue the tradition they started. If they do, we’ll see you in 2016.