In just more than a week, the busiest seven days of the year in Vicksburg will be upon us.

Miss Mississippi week 2018 kicks off Saturday, June 16, and the week full of events will culminate the following Saturday with the crowning of the new Miss Mississippi.

This marks the 61st time the pageant will be held in Vicksburg and the lead up to it is already going full steam ahead. Like many businesses throughout Warren County, pageant week is one of the busiest weeks of the year here at The Vicksburg Post and this past week, we have had multiple meetings planning our coverage and getting ready.

Other businesses have also started getting ready for a week that sees a couple thousand of extra people come to town to support the contestants and each of the princesses and princes who are part of their entourage.

The florists and gift shops have it down to a well-oiled machine at this point and they have been working for months to get ready. The Convention Center staff has started preparing and they will begin setting up the stage, lights and everything else that goes into the pageant next week.

The pageant is big business for Vicksburg and downtown seems poised to capitalize on it better than anytime in recent years. New restaurants have opened in the past year including Cottonwood, Jacques and Roca, and Margaritaville is slated to open the Monday of pageant week and be in prime position to capitalize on the influx of visitors.

Last year was my first experience with pageants and that week is full speed ahead, pedal to the medal here at The Post. They are long days, especially Wednesday through Saturday, as we attend and cover the competition before coming back to the office and put the paper together to go out for the next morning.

Despite the long days — usually 12 plus hours and not going home until after midnight — and four nights sitting in a cramped chair at the convention center watching the pageant, Miss Miss week was one of my favorite weeks in Vicksburg last year.

The best of The Post is on full display that week as we use everything at our disposal to bring the pageant to our readers from the print edition to our website and Facebook. This year, we have a few new additions to the coverage we have been discussing and are excited to share throughout the week of the pageant.

We hope you enjoy the week and are looking forward to covering it for you. 

  Brandon O’Connor is a staff writer for The Vicksburg Post. You may reach him at brandon.oconnor@vicksburgpost.com.