Before the first Miss Mississippi delegate steps foot in Vicksburg for the competition, a group of women has already begun preparing for their arrival.

The Miss Mississippi hostesses have gathered for instructions on their duties and charted out the plan of how to carry them through. These duties during the week of the competition will include transporting delegates to and from all their scheduled events, preparing snacks for them and doing just about everything a mom would do, hostess chairman Mary Beth Grogan White said.

When the first Miss Mississippi Pageant was held in Vicksburg in 1958, the Vicksburg Junior Chamber of Commerce or Jaycees were the first to hold the contract for the Miss Mississippi Competition. And it was their wives, the Jaycettes, who volunteered their time as Miss Mississippi hostesses.

There is no longer a Jaycee or Jaycette program in Vicksburg, therefore hostesses are comprised of local women interested in volunteering with the Miss Mississippi Corporation — the entity that now holds the contract for the Miss Mississippi Competition.

This year, the Miss Mississippi hostesses will be at the service of 38 delegates for whom they will chaperone and chauffeur to rehearsals. They will also get them to autograph signings, the Rotary Club meeting and most importantly, to the Vicksburg Convention Center, where the competition will take place.

Hostesses for the 2023 Miss Mississippi Competition are:

Hostess Director: Mary Beth Grogan-White

Hostess Assistant Director: Jeanine Hanks

Hostesses: Lynn Baker; Marla Bonelli; Carole Campbell; Cissy Carter; Michelle Coccaro; Lori Fagan; Lana Fuller; Lynn Swett Gerhardt; Torri Ghrigsby; Amy Jackson; Dinnie Johnston; Karla McHan; Marlene McLaurin; Rhonda Minor; Cyndee Nash; Stephanie Stirgus; Johnna Riddick and Laura Winkler

Floaters: Nancy Ballard; Nancy Bell; Carol Duncan; Madge Finney; Billye Jones; Ann Morris and Carole Simpson

The 2023 Miss Mississippi Competition will kick off at 7 p.m. Monday, June 4 with the Miss Mississippi parade held along Washington Street. Preliminary competitions will get underway beginning at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 7 and run through June 9. The final night of the competition will begin at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 10. All competitions are at the Vicksburg Convention Center, 1600 Dr. Briggs Hopson Blvd. For information on becoming a Miss Mississippi hostess or for tickets to the competition, call 601-638-6746 or visit www.miss-mississippi.com.