Events celebrating the season continued this week with Santa arriving at the Vicksburg Convention Center Saturday for the 14th annual Breakfast with Santa. The event, which is a fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House, included a magician, tables where children could make ornaments, color a souvenir page, make reindeer heads from a pinecone and pipe cleaners, get a “tattoo” or write letters to Santa and a drawing for gift bags of toys valued at $1,000.

On Sunday, The Vicksburg Orchestral Society and the Mississippi Girlchoir presented “A Christmas to Remember,” at the Southern Cultural Heritage Center. The event included a variety of Christmas selections including the “Hallelujah Chorus” by Handel. Kristy Brumfield, the director of the choir also performed during the evening. Sunday’s performance was a joint effort by the VOS and the SCHF.

The eight days of Hanukkah continued this week as the Jewish community celebrated the holiday story of the Maccabees burning one day’s worth of oil over eight nights. Local residents Lesley Silver and her husband Daniel Boone said the holiday is a time friends getting together and celebrating being together. Each year, the couple hosts a large meal at their home where they fry much of their meal to represent the use of oil. On the menu are potato latkes, sour cream, applesauce, pot roast or brisket and a beignet-like fried dough, all made from scratch.

The Confederate Christmas Ball was held Saturday night at the Old Court House Museum. The event is an historical re-enactment of the Balfour Ball that Mrs. Balfour held at her home to honor the defenders of Vicksburg.

On Friday and Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, Hawkins United Methodist Church presented the “Christmas Post” at the church’s Abundant Life Center as a gift to the community. This was the sixth year Hawkins has offered the production, which is a story of hope and true meaning of Christmas.

Other events this week included:

4The City of Vicksburg received two grants totaling $79,000 for work on two walking trails at Halls Ferry Park and Porter’s Chapel Park. The Board of Mayor and Aldermen Thursday approved agreements with My Brother’s Keeper Inc., a private, nonprofit organization, with a mission to reduce health problems throughout the U.S. and promote healthy living and the use of accessible public facilities.

4Warren Central routed Greenville 7-0 in boys’ soccer, Friday night. Nick Wright scored two goals in the first four minutes, and Hunt Holdiness had two goals and an assist for the Vikings, while Sean Dixon had a goal and an assist. John Austin Burris scored on a penalty kick in the second half, and Theodor Stang had an unassisted goal in the first half.