This summer there will be a free lecture series titled “1863: The Crucial Year.” The programs will last around an hour and a half and begin at 7:00 pm at the park’s Visitor Center. The concept of these programs is to illustrate that the Campaign and Siege of Vicksburg did not happen in a vacuum. There were campaigns occurring in each of the three main areas of operations in that summer of 1863 that were all inter-related and affected each other in execution and outcome. The second program, on Friday, June 20, will be presented by Ranger Will Wilson and will concentrate on the Campaigns for Vicksburg and Port Hudson. For more information call 601-636-0583 or visit www.nps.gov/vick.