Interior designers Shannon Potts, left, and Tessie Harris string mirrored ornaments on the pink, silver and green tinsel trees in Art and Soul’s storefront Friday. (Jenny Sevcik The Vicksburg Post)

[11/29/03]A crisp wind and Christmas music filled downtown Washington Street Friday, setting the mood for shoppers and merchants getting into the holiday spirit in all-new surroundings.

Merchants were putting on the finishing touches to window displays and getting ready for a Christmas open house from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday when judges will pick the most festive store display in downtown’s first such contest.

Tessie Harris, an interior designer who works at Art and Soul of The South, 1300 Washington St., called their window display “fun and funky” and she put up tinsel trees with mirrored ornaments.

“I think we’re the different store on the block,” Harris said.

Across the street at Sashay, 1311 Washington St., ornamental deer played on cotton “snow” in a winter wonderland scene in the window. Further down the street at Fredrick’s, 1218 Washington St., a toy train circles under a white Christmas tree between children’s shoes.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” said Fredrick’s owner Norma Massey about setting up the display.

Merchants are competing for a free night for two at Duff Green Mansion and the title of being downtown Vicksburg’s best Christmas window display. The winner will be announced at a merchants’ after-hours get-together Sunday.

“Their window displays have always been pretty, but we wanted to see if we could reach that competitive nature and raise the bar,” said Main Street program director Rosalie Theobald.

Main Street will also be giving away a poinsettia to the first 100 customers who bring a receipt from a downtown shop dated Sunday for $25 or more to the Main Street office, 701 Clay St. Customers can also register for a drawing to give away 50 downtown dollars and for gifts under the Christmas tree donated by downtown businesses.

Barry Graham, vice chairman of the Main Street board of directors, said the contest and open house festivities are part of an effort to get people excited about downtown again.

“When I was a kid…people would go downtown just to see the window displays,” Graham said. “This is just a good opportunity to get people back downtown.”

The city administration has spent $2.6 million on reconstruction of downtown Washington Street, including new brick paving, landscaping and lighting. Another $5.6 million has been put aside for urban renewal in that area.

Theobald said that about 30 downtown merchants will be open between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. every Sunday until Christmas. The annual Christmas parade will also be at 11 a.m. Dec. 6.