Dear Editor,

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Vicksburg Foundation for Historic Preservation, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our generous sponsors and volunteers for making the 10th Annual Carnaval de Mardi Gras Gumbo Cook-off a tremendous success. Special thanks to our sponsors: Riverwalk Casino, Visit Mississippi, International Paper, Capital City Beverage, the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation, Newbreak Communications, Delta Bank, Trustmark National Bank, McDonald’s, Super Junior, The Liquor Store, Ameristar Casino, Slippin Slidin Water Slides, Waste Management, Martin’s at Midtown, 601 Sports, McAlister’s and Macarons by AK. We would also like to thank our great Cajun Gumbo Cook-off teams. The competition was stiff and the gumbo was delicious. We sincerely appreciate the difficult task that our gumbo judges had and we thank them for their time and expertise. This year we welcomed a separate set of judges who determined the best-decorated booth and most spirited. As always, thanks go to Legal Tender for providing the great party music. Special thanks to Stacey Mahoney for designing our 10th Annual t-shirt. We still have some for sale at the Coca-Cola Museum, Frederick’s and the SCHF. 

Events such as this take a tremendous number of volunteer hours before, during and after the event. We are particularly grateful for the leadership of our Carnaval de Mardi Gras committee members who put their hearts and souls into this event every year: Margaret Thames, Stacey Mahoney, Tammy Allen, Katelyn Polk, Casey Combs and Janis Koestler. We would also like to thank those who volunteered during the day of the event and the necessary cleanup afterward: Ronnie Bounds, Lenore Barkley, Minor Ferris, Barbara Hill, Abby Grant, Kathleen Staebell, Sam Wiest, Jenny Bottemiller, Drew Bottemiller, Catherine Hadaway, Kevin Mahoney, Zack Cox, Nicholas Allen, Taylor Halloran, Sandy Vickers, Peyton Rouse, Hawkins Halloway, Reed Lambert, Thomas Richardson, Jason Allen, Reid Bond, Kathryn and Jonathan Chaney, Zack Cox, Mike Calnan, Kassie Jones, John and Lisa Martin and their crew of beer pourers and the hard-working group of young people from Americorps. We would also like to thank the City of Vicksburg, the Vicksburg Post, the Vicksburg Police Department, the Warren County Sheriff’s Department and the Vicksburg Fire Department for their support. 

 Once again, thank you to all those who participated in making this not only a great celebration of Mardi Gras, but a great fundraiser for the Foundation, in its effort to identify, preserve, protect and interpret Vicksburg’s unique architectural heritage. We look forward to the 11th anniversary of the Gumbo Cookoff- Mardi Gras 2023. 

Sincerely,

Nancy H. Bell

Executive Director 

Vicksburg Foundation for Historic Preservation