Final prep work was being completed Thursday for the Michael Johnson Football and Cheer Camp, which will take place Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Johnson, a Selma native who currently plays for the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals, will be back in his hometown this weekend for two events. Johnson and the MJ93 Foundation will host a Career Readiness Day Friday from 9 a.m. until noon at Wallace Community College Selma for eighth graders and the eighth annual Johnson football and cheer camp will be held Saturday and is for ages 7-17.

Thomasene Johnson, Michael’s mother and one of the organizers of the camp, said she was busy Thursday tying up any loose ends, but that all of the preparation was going smoothly.

“It’s a lot, but there’s so much joy in it,” Thomasene said. “It’s a lot of work, it is, but I just love the work.”

Nine schools and 738 students are expected to take part in career readiness day, which is aimed at helping eighth graders figure out what they want to do for a living.  Ellwood Christian, Tipton-Durant Middle, Cathedral Christian, R.B. Hudson, Martin Middle, Wilcox Central, Keith, Camden School of Arts and Maplesville are expected to attend Friday.

“We are happy about it because it’s a little bit different than what we did last year,” Thomasene said.

On Saturday, Thomasene is expecting around 300 children to take part in the football and cheer camp.  Boys ages 7-12 will take part from 9 a.m.-11 a.m., boys 13-17 will have camp from 1 p.m.-3 p.m., and girls will cheer from 9 a.m. to noon. The check-in time for morning group and for the girls is 8:30 a.m. The afternoon check-in time is at 12:30 p.m. The cost to register online is $20 per camper, but online registration ends Friday. On-site registration will also be available at the stadium Saturday. Registration on Saturday will cost $25.