Vicksburg was full of action this week as the Red Carpet City hosted the Miss Mississippi Pageant. The 59^th annual event was held at the Vicksburg Convention Center, and Miss Dixie Laura Lee Lewis was crowned the winner.

“It feels surreal,” Lewis said, after winning the title.

“God was on the stage tonight, and he was carrying me through. I am just so blessed and honored to represent Mississippi. What a great state to represent,” she said.

Lewis will go on to compete in the 2017 Miss America Pageant, which will be held in September.

“We are going to Miss America. We are going to Atlantic City and bring home the Miss America crown. It is time to bring it home; back to where it belongs, so it is my mission to not only represent Mississippi well at Miss America, but to make an impact on our nation by telling people they’re valued and loved in a time when we really need it most,” Lewis said.

Miss Turtle Creek Anne Elizabeth Buys, who is a Vicksburg resident was named first runner-up. She is the daughter of Mark and Judy Buys.

More happenings in Vicksburg include:

• The Vicksburg National Military Park hosted the Texas Camel Corps, which is a re-enactment organization that teaches people about the use of camels by the U.S. Army in the 19th Century. Two camels were on hand at the Old Superintendent’s Quarters inside the park Sunday.

During the 1850’s, the U.S. Army’s experimented with the use camels instead of horses in the southwest to fight American Indians. The program, which was pushed by then-Secretary of War Jefferson Davis, was later disbanded and most of the camels set loose to roam wild.

• Locally owned Billy’s Original Foods, a spin-off of Billy’s Italian Restaurant and manufacturer of artisan, ready-to-eat frozen Italian meals and deli products, just sent its first shipment to Kroger distributors, officially launching the company a little over a year after its start.

• 10 South Rooftop Bar and Grill was awarded the Outstanding New Development Project Award at the Mississippi Main Street Association’s 27th Annual awards luncheon.

“It has taken off beyond my wildest dreams,” said Jay Parmegiani, the restaurant’s co-owner who along with partner Tim Cantwell dreamed up the food destination three years ago. “The award not only highlights 10 South, which is cool for us, but it puts the focus on the entire downtown, and we’re absolutely focused on historic downtown Vicksburg. We want to see it get back to what it used to be many many years ago.”