Despite the threat from then-Hurricane Francine, crowds poured into Vicksburg Wednesday for the beginning of this week’s three-day Destination Downtown event.

After being selected as this year’s host city in 2023, Vicksburg Main Street Executive Director Kim Hopkins said work began a year out to plan and execute this week’s lineup of events.

The party began Wednesday and wraps up today, and includes the Mississippi Main Street Association, Main Street Arkansas and Louisiana Main Street. Destination Downtown has been held annually for more than 20 years. The conference rotates among Main Street communities in all three participating states.

Despite the less-than-ideal weather conditions, a crowd of visitors still turned out Wednesday at Catfish Row Museum for a culinary demonstration by Mississippi Chef Nick Wallace.

“We had a really good group,” Catfish Row Executive Director Linda Fondren said Wednesday. 

In addition to the culinary arts presentation, participants in Wednesday’s events also took part in a number of workshops, as well as an opening reception at the Vicksburg Convention Center, complete with bluegrass music, food and tours of the nearby Thad Cochran Mississippi Center of Innovation and Technology (MCity).