Gambles win ‘Star’ contest

Published 1:18 pm Monday, April 7, 2014

Elayne and Charles Gamble, winners of the third annual Dancing with the Vicksburg Stars fundraiser, stand with their trophy in the Lady Luck Arena on Saturday. Seven groups competed in the event sponsored by the United Way of West Central Mississippi. (By Walter Frazier for The Vicksburg Post)

Being married for 36 years could have given Elayne and Charles Gamble a little edge as the couple danced away with the top prize at the third annual Vicksburg Dancing with the Stars.

The event, a fundraiser for the United Way of West Central Mississippi, was held at the Lady Luck Arena, Saturday night.

“Wow!” said Elayne Gamble. “We did it.”

Dressed in white and silver, the couple showed off fancy footwork with what Elayne Gamble called “old school moves with a few new moves” to “Never Too Much” by Luther Vandross.

“We probably practiced 10 or 15 times,” she said.

Voting for the competitors was available for $1 before the competition, and the winner was chosen from combining the pre-competition votes with votes earned during the dance-off Saturday.

“Tonight was even better than I expected,” said Kristen Meehan, the director of marketing and community relations with the local United Way chapter.

Meehan said she estimated the crowd at more than 500 people. An total of the funds raise by the event were not available Saturday night, she said.

The proceeds from the dance competition will go to help fund a the Leaders Encouraging Advancements in Reading or LEARN! Program.

The project is designed to put books into the hands of every third-grader in the county during the 2014-15 school year, Meehan said,

Elayne and Charles Gamble dance during the third annual Dancing with the Vicksburg Stars fundraiser Saturday night at Lady Luck Arena. Procedes from the event benefit the local chapter of the
United Way. (By Walter Frazier for The Vicksburg Post)

Seven groups competed in last night’s competition and included the winners, Harley Caldwell and her father-in-law, Bill Caldwell Sr., Annette Kirklin and Kacy Presley, Delores Coomes and Vic Goodwin, Brandon Lott, Crystal’s Hip Hop Dance Group, and Brianne Connelly and Anneka Pakvasa.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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