In addition to those who shop in Vicksburg’s historic downtown, many call downtown home, often living above shops or in refurbished buildings turned into apartments or lofts.

Daryl Hollingsworth, Vicksburg Main Street chairman, estimated approximately 400 apartments are located in the Red Carpet City’s downtown district, and Nov. 12 and 13 about a dozen of those apartments will be open for touring.

On those two days in mid-November from 1 to 4 p.m., Vicksburg Main Street will hold its Lofts of Vicksburg fundraiser, one of the largest along with Bricks and Spokes.

The event is back by public demand.

“We have new apartments and lofts downtown that people want to see, and we’ve actually had phone calls the years we haven’t done it and people coming in from out of town asking if we had it scheduled,” Kim Hopkins, executive director of the main street program, said.

The fundraiser, which benefits main street programing, began in 2011 and was last held in 2014, Hopkins said.

“It ended up being bigger than what we even expected last time,” she said. “We had people from Madison, Louisiana, surrounding Mississippi areas and even Alabama. We had several people from out of town.”

And even for those who attended the last event, Hopkins said, more apartments have been built in the last two years.

“The tour will give participants an exclusive look inside some of downtown Vicksburg’s most treasured buildings, displaying upscale, downhome living spaces unique to Vicksburg’s downtown area,” according to a Vicksburg Main Street press release. “The tour gives participants the rare opportunity to explore private living spaces with property owners and learn the history behind these one-of-a-kind spaces.”

The Lofts at First National Bank, Sears Quarters, The Valley, the Courtyard Lofts and other private apartments will be included on the tour, Hopkins noted.

“We’re still growing. It should be a fun couple of days,” she said.

During the event, many of the owners will show their own apartments but a few will be shown by volunteers, Hopkins said.

“We’ll have volunteers on the corners to give people directions,” she said, noting most — but not all — of the stops would be along Washington Street. “We will also have signs out in front of each apartment to say it’s on the tour.”

Tickets for the event are $15 for one day and $20 for both days, and pre-ordering a ticket is preferred, Hopkins said.

Tickets may be purchased at the Vicksburg Main Street Program office in the City Hall Annex; Walnut Hills, 1214 Adams Street; Keystone Antique Furnishings, 1106 Washington St; the Chamber of Commerce, 2020 Mission 66; or online at squareup.com/store/vicksburg-main-street-program.

“It’s such a huge event to put on and it takes so many volunteers, so it really pulls a lot of people in the community to help out,” she said. “We always want events to be bigger than what they have been in the past. We always want to grow.”

For more information on the tour or to volunteer to help with event logistics, call 601-634-4527.