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 11th 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, Bally’s Casino, Curb Appeals Real Estate, Vicksburg Video, Delta Bank, Trustmark National Bank, Waterview Casino, Slipin Slidin Water Slides, Waste Management, Martin’s at Midtown, McDonald’s, Super Junior, The Liquor Store, Ameristar Casino and Gumbo Pot.

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 great party music.

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, with special thanks to Stacey Mahoney for chairing the event.

Thank you to our other members including Jai Reaves, Tammy Allen, and Margaret Thames. 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, Abby Grant, Annette Kirklin, Jenny Bottemiller, Drew Bottemiller, JR Reaves, Jim Brothers, Reed Lambert, Thomas Richardson, Mike Calnan, Cindy Veazey, Eric Fowler, Hope King, Sheri Little, Brynn Morgan, Fritz Valerio, Alan “Smokey” Kelly, Linda Parker, Lisa Hill, Norma Massey, Rachelle Androwski, James Androwski, Zoe Androwski, Karen Biedenharn, Herman Biedenharn, Jeff Merritt, 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 Office and the Vicksburg Fire Department for its overwhelming support this year and every year.

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 12th anniversary of the Gumbo Cook-off — Mardi Gras 2024.

Sincerely,
Nancy H. Bell
Executive Director Vicksburg Foundation for Historic Preservation