The annual Bridge Crossing Jubilee is here and the city is preparing for the sea of people expected to come to town.

I hope you guys are ready for all that comes with this year’s 46th anniversary.

Even though I have lived in Demopolis for the majority of my life, last year was the first time I had ever actually experienced the Bridge Crossing Jubilee.

No, it wasn’t a lack of caring that kept me away, but mostly a baseball schedule that tends to dominate the spring.

However, I’m glad I was finally given the chance to take in all that is Jubilee.

The crowds, the events and just the all-around atmosphere that Jubilee brings aren’t common for a city of Selma’s size.

What other city has seen as many presidential candidates and national leaders come through almost yearly to be a part of their biggest event?

And, it’s not just leaders from within the United States.

Last year, the Haitian Ambassador to the United States came to our small city on the heels of the earthquake that devastated his country.

It would be a waste of space giving the history you all already know, so I’m not going to worry about that portion, although it is extremely important through all of the fun to remember the somber reason we mark the annual Jubilee.

That’s what makes Sunday such an amazing experience.

More than 20,000 people, sometimes more, gather arm-in-arm to celebrate the victories of the foot soldiers of nearly a half-century ago now. It really is an amazing moment to see all of it come together and I am looking forward to this week’s events.

While there will be plenty of fun and somber events alike, it is the lessons we learned from that Bloody Sunday that should be the focus of this weekend.

If we don’t recognize the significance of that event, then we really are doing a disservice to those brave souls 46 years ago.