For the second time since 1911, the Sons of Confederate Veterans annual convention will be held in Statesboro, as history buffs gather Friday for the two-day event.

The convention was last held in Statesboro in 2003, Ogeechee Rifles Camp 941 member Mike Mull said.

The convention will be held at the Holiday Inn. Registration will be from 3-6 p.m. Friday, with a social to follow for Sons of Confederate Veterans members only.

On Saturday, a prayer breakfast will begin at 6:30 a.m., with the meal served at 7 a.m., with Rev. Herman White, the chaplain of Sons of Confederate Veterans' North Carolina division, speaking, he said.

A business session will follow, and after a lunch break, business will continue until an executive council meeting. At 6:30 p.m., the Confederate Ball and Banquet will be held, with many Sons of Confederate Veterans members and their wives dressing in period attire, including ball gowns and Confederate uniforms, Mull said.

Vendors will be on-site and while business meetings and social events are reserved for Sons of Confederate Veterans members and families, the public is welcome to browse vendor booths, he said.

Sons of Confederate Veterans is "about history, honor and heritage" as well as education and preservation, Mull said.

The Ogeechee Rifles Camp 941 has 50 members, and meets every third Thursday of the month at RJ's Steakery.

Members "must be male, at least 12 years old and 16 to vote, and document kinship to a Confederate veteran who honorably served in the War of Northern Aggression," he said.

Membership information will be available at the convention, or from any Sons of Confederate Veterans member, he said. For further information, contact Mull at (912) 764-2822 or Mike Sorrell at (912) 587-2309.

Holli Deal Bragg may be reached at (912) 489-9414.