Mardi Gras is fast approaching and Vicksburg Main Street Program Executive Director Kim Hopkins said the city is ready to celebrate in style with the 22nd annual Mardi Gras parade in downtown Vicksburg.

Hopkins announced Wednesday that Nick Anderson, Vicksburg native and grandson to Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs Jr., would serve as King of Mardi Gras.

Anderson recently completed his college football career at Tulane and will enter the 2023 NFL Draft. He was named to the Phil Steele Preseason All-America team in 2022. On Jan. 3, 2023, Tulane defeated Southern California in the Cotton Bowl and finished the season ranked No. 9 in the country.

“We are thrilled to have Nick Anderson come and participate in the Mardi Gras Parade. He’s the next hometown hero. I can already see it,” Hopkins said.

Local restaurateur and past Vicksburg Warren School Board District 5 Trustee Sally Bullard will serve as Queen. Hopkins said Bullard is “already a hometown hero.”

“Sally truly is someone that has given her all and then some for this community,” she said.

Bullard served as a school board trustee for 12 years, ending her term in November 2022 as vice president. Bullard has served the community as a public servant and is the owner of a small business, Main Street Market Café.

“The restaurant is a huge asset to our downtown community,” Hopkins said. “It is certainly one of the local and tourist favorite places to gather for a meal. You get the mom-and-pop feel as well as fresh, local cuisine.”

Bullard can be found shopping at the local farmers’ market on any given weekend it is open in preparation for the restaurant’s upcoming menu that week.

“It makes a difference to our community when you have someone like Sally. She’s one of those building blocks that helps set the foundation but then continues building,” Hopkins said.

The parade will feature festive floats, marching bands and more. All schools, bands, businesses, non-profits and civic organizations are invited to participate.

“People come from all over just for this colorful annual event that lights up Washington Street with bright colors, beads, and a sense of playfulness,” Hopkins said.

For more information or to ask about entering your Krewe in the parade, email kimh@vicksburg.org.