(12/14/03)Dreary, wet weather didn’t stop Rebecca Terrell from driving more than 200 miles to spend a night dancing at the annual Confederate Christmas Ball, but the rain put the brakes on others’ holiday plans.

As a teen, Terrell, now 33, worked at the Balfour Home as a tour guide and was present for the first re-enactment ball some 20 years ago.

She wore the same dress she did when she was 16, and it had been made for that ball.

“The last Balfour Ball I attended was in 1986, so it’s a thrill to be here,” said Terrell, who now lives in Memphis.

More than 100 people filled the decorated upstairs courtroom at the Old Court House Museum-Eva W. Davis Memorial as patrons, some dressed in period attire, danced the night away.

Formerly the Balfour Ball, the festive event was at the Balfour House on Crawford Street. Last year, the owners of the former tour home closed the business.

Yet members of the Vicksburg and Warren County Historical Society, which sponsors the ball, continued the tradition. They moved the re-enactment of the 1862 Christmas Eve party at the home of Dr. and Mrs. William T. Balfour to the museum. As in years past, they act out the party and the interruption by a courier who brought the news that Union forces were spotted coming down the Mississippi River.

“This fund raiser allows us the opportunity to keep a Vicksburg tradition alive and raise money to keep the architectural crown jewel of Vicksburg in operation,” said Lillie Lovette, who served on the steering committee for the ball. “We try to make a grand display of Southern hospitality for our local citizens and our out-of-state visitors.”

Proceeds from the $25 tickets benefited the Old Court House Museum.

The weather didn’t stop the party-goers but, the light drizzle that hovered over Vicksburg on and off throughout the day and night prevented Scouts from illuminating neighborhoods across Vicksburg.

But the groups of Boy and Girl Scouts hope to light up the areas tonight.

Glenwood Circle, Chambers, Baum, Cherry and Drummond streets will be lighted by Boy Scout troops, while Girl Scouts will illuminate Oak Park, Indiana Avenue and Mill Creek off Lee Road, weather permitting.

Today’s forecast by the National Weather Service calls for mostly cloudy skies with highs in the 50s.