Selma has been chock full of tourists since the beginning of March.

For a town of 20,000 the number of large events filling the spring events calendar was quite surprising.

March began started off strong with the 149th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. The number of visitors within the city limits boosted Selma population by at least 10,000.

The anniversary seems to be a memorable experience each year. The 149th anniversary doesn’t seem to be the biggest or best Bridge Crossing Jubilee, but as my first, the sea of people walking across the Edmund Pettus Bridge is forever etched into my memory.

Next came pilgrimmage. Selma residents showed off their historic homes and businesses.

In terms of attendance, pilgrimmage fell behind Bloody Sunday, but Selma’s history spans multiple centuries and remembering each aspect of our city’s heritage is important.

Next came The Battle of Selma, which came close to the Bridge Crossing Jubilee when you think about the total number of people that traveled through Riverside Park during the four-day period.

It was my first time ever seeing a civil war re-enactment and certainly an experience to remember. Watching re-enactors battle was a visually stimulating experience. Though, honestly the burning cabin that capped off the weekend made for better pictures.

More than just watching the battle, talking to the re-enactors gave me an appreciation for the work that the men and women put into re-enactments.

The re-enactors speak as if he or she is really living in 1865, even when speaking to each other.

Perhaps some think of it was an adult version of war, but the care, equipment and learning process are far from child’s game. It’s rare, but re-enactors can be injured on the battlefield.

During the same weekend as the Battle of Selma, NFL player and Dallas County native Michael Johnson held his annual camp at Memorial Stadium.

Last, but certainly not least, the Alabama High School Athletic Association held its 1A to 3A track meet. Dozens of schools from around the state traveled to Selma.

At times, Memorial Stadium was packed to capacity, with fans and athletes surrounding the grassy infield.

I’ll be interested to see how the tens of thousands of tourists in the past few months translate into tax dollars. With so many people coming to our area, it’s hard to imagine the city would see a decrease in tax revenue.

Usually summer is a season to look forward to. It comes with warmer weather and lazy days.

But with so much going on in Selma this Spring, I’ll miss the flurry of activity once summer rolls around.