V105.5 Christmas Caroling Contest goes virtual this year

Published 3:34 pm Tuesday, November 29, 2022

: The Jingle Belles perform in the finals of the V105.5 annual Christmas Caroling Contest Saturday evening at the Vicksburg Convention Center Saturday. The group competed in Division 3 and won the Adult Division. (Courtland Wells/The Vicksburg Post)

While the V105.5 Christmas Caroling Contest will not be held live this year, the show will go on.

In lieu of the live performance from vocalists and choral groups, WVBG 105.5 FM and 1490 AM owner Mark Jones said, competitors have been submitting their performances via email, and Wednesday at 5 p.m. marks the deadline for submissions.

What has not changed, however, are the thousands of dollars that will be awarded, with first-place winners taking home a cool grand.

Jones said the reason to forgo the live performance this year was due to COVID-19 concerns.

“I don’t like doing it this way, but things have changed with COVID,” he said, adding that when the date of the competition was being decided — back in August — there were still some concerns about the virus.

As of Tuesday, Jones said he was not certain how many divisions would be included in the competition. He said it would depend on the submissions that are still coming in.

Judging will take place on Dec. 6, and judges will be coming out of the Madison-Jackson area.

“They will not be locals,” Jones said.

Once the winners have been chosen, Jones said, they will be notified that same day.

And as in years past, all performances will be broadcast from the radio station during the holiday season. Jones said he would also air winning performances from previous years.

For those interested in competing, email submission forms and music to christmas@v105.com and remember, Jones said, the deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesday.

The changes in the caroling contest, while different, will present some advantage to performers, Jones said. This year’s competition will truly be a “music contest,” he said.

“The advantage of this competition — it’s always supposed to have been a music contest — but sometimes when you get contestants on stage, appearance gets involved in it, which has nothing to do with music. So, in the past, some have felt they needed to have an entertaining act, but this time it is all going to be judged on music. That’s all we’ve got. So, it’s going to be a more pure contest,” Jones said.

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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