Gov. Haley Barbour will be the keynote speaker at the Vicksburg Main Street Program’s annual meeting Wednesday night at the B.B. Club.

If you go

The B.B. Club, 721 Clay St., will host the Vicksburg Main Street Program’s annual meeting Wednesday with keynote speaker Gov. Haley Barbour. Social hour, with a cash bar, begins at 5:30 p.m. Barbour’s address, dinner and the meeting begin at 6. Cost is $10, seating is limited and reservations can be made by calling Kim Hopkins at 601-634-4527. The meeting is open to all Main Street members, but nonmembers can join by paying a minimum membership fee of $25.

“We have had some very prominent speakers in the past, but this is by far our most prominent,” said Harry Sharp, Main Street Program Board of Directors chairman. “Gov. Barbour is nationally renowned as a phenomenal leader, and I think it’s just fantastic that he’s agreed to take some time out of his busy schedule to speak at our annual meeting.” 

Sharp and Barbour attended the University of Mississippi together in the late 1960s and, along with a handful of others, formed the first ever Young Republicans Club at any university in the state, Sharp said.

The Vicksburg Main Street Program is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and has about 200 members. Three of the program’s founders — Nancy Bell, Ronnie Bounds and Jerry Hall — serve on its board of directors. Kim Hopkins is the program’s director, having been installed in January after serving in an interim position since October. Health issues were cited when 10-year director Rosalie Theobald stepped down last year.

Sharp said the annual meeting will give members a recap of the program’s developments over the past year and provide a glimpse into its short- and long-term goals. He said he has left the topic of Barbour’s address up to the governor, who is expected to speak around 6:15.

“In the coming year, we are really going to focus on two things: we’re going to try to expand the Main Street district to I-20 on Washington and Clay streets, and we also want to work toward making Vicksburg more business-friendly,” said Sharp.

Businesses in the Vicksburg Main Street Program Taxing District support the program by paying an additional 5.05 mills in property tax. Sharp said expanding the district would not affect residents’ taxes and would allow for further development of small businesses in the city.

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Contact Steve Sanoski at ssanoski@vicksburgpost.com.