A beautification effort is underway in the city. The effort is part of the process to market the city. Mayor George Flaggs Jr. has an idea to turn the city into a premier tourist destination.

This week the Mayor and Board of Aldermen announced a “Clean Up Vicksburg Day” to be held May 17. South Ward Alderman Willis Thompson said the citywide cleanup “coincides with the overall effort to keep Vicksburg beautiful.”

“We talk a whole lot about marketing this city, and I think it’s impossible to do that without beautification,” he said. “It has to be a top priority, and this is a great start, and we’re going to continue doing it and I ask the public to help us keep Vicksburg beautiful.”

Virginia is for lovers, California dispels myths about their residents in TV commercials and Mississippi has a “Believe It” campaign. What does Vicksburg have? We have “The key to the South” but that desperately needs updating to better reflect the direction that our community is heading. It was Abraham Lincoln that gave us the key moniker and that was 150 years ago.

Those commercials and advertisements you see about Virginia and California make us want to go there, and we’ve been there. As former residents of both states we know that they are putting their best foot forward. They have created a BRAND that draws interest and invites you to explore the possibilities. That’s an ad for something or somewhere.

Mississippi’s “Believe It” campaign attempts to let the world know that there are all kinds of success stories here. That’s all fine and dandy but the key to advertising is to portray something in a positive light. The “Believe It” slogan leaves room for skepticism even though it is punctuated with an exclamation point. “Virginia is for Lovers” doesn’t have a question mark at the end of it.

Vicksburg is steeped in history but not stuck in it, like some of our neighbors to the south. We have a rich cultural tradition and a bright future. We represent Mississippi on U.S. quarters circulated around the globe.

We have a great tourist draw in the Vicksburg National Military Park, downtown Washington Street, several museums and more on the way and one of the greatest natural wonders of the world flowing down the west side.

It’s time we realize the full potential of our community and find a way to share that with the world. Vicksburg’s time is now and it’s time to step out of the shadows and share our wonderful city by the river.