It was an economic boom for Vicksburg this weekend as contestants from the Miss Mississippi Pageant and Miss Mississippi’s Outstanding Teen Pageant gathered together for their respective orientations.

Events for the 44 Miss Mississippi Pageant contestants and 25 Miss Mississippi’s Outstanding Teen Pageant included dance rehearsals, fittings and photo shoots.

The purpose of the orientation weekend is to prepare the contestants for their respective competitions, Miss Mississippi Pageant executive director David Blackledge said.

“We want them to be informed. We want the parents to be informed. And we want the local directors to all be informed,” Blackledge said. “We want them to know what their responsibilities are and what they are going to have to do in order to be a contestant.”

In addition to the 69 contestants, the Petite Magnolia Princesses and the Magnolia princes and princesses were in town.

More than 150 children will be serving as royalty alongside each contestant.

On Saturday night at the Hinds Community College Auditorium the Petite Magnolia Princesses were crowned. The Miss Mississippi’s Outstanding Teen Pageant will be held April 29 and 30 at the Vicksburg Auditorium, 901 Monroe St. and the Miss Mississippi Pageant will run from June 21 through 24 with the reigning Miss America Savvy Shields taking part in the pageant’s final two nights.

More positives this week for Vicksburg:

• Five women, Loretta Dudley, Carla Jones, Ola Johnson, Mozell Guy and Bernice Murphy comprise the staff at the Warren County Children’s Shelter and collectively have 112 years experience helping abused and neglected children who come to the shelter for their safety; some staying as long as 45 days.

“They bring those kids back to life is what they do,” said shelter director Cindy McCarley. “You see them come alive again; we see them giggle and see them smile. See them just being a kid.”