Photo Gallery: Chillin' in the Hills 5K - The Vicksburg Post

Photo Gallery: Chillin’ in the Hills 5K

Published 12:57 pm Saturday, May 13, 2023

1 of 27

Two stuffed snowmen, Gracie and Gracie 2, hang out on the porch at Martin's at Midtown during the Chillin' in the Hills 5K on Saturday. The snowmen are the mascots for the event. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Vera Ann Fedell (15) flashes a peace sign as she begins the Chillin' in the Hills 5K race walk Saturday morning in downtown Vicksburg. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Runners take off at the start of the Chillin' in the Hills 5K Saturday in downtown Vicksburg. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Bo Cannon climbs a tree during the Chillin' in the Hills 5K Saturday in downtown Vicksburg. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Race walkers begin the Chillin' in the Hills 5K Saturday morning in downtown Vicksburg. A total of 99 people participated and 131 registered for the 5K walk and run. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Johnny Reynolds stirs a pot of beans Saturday at the Chillin' in the Hills 5K. The Port City Kiwanis Club was serving hot dogs, beans and snacks to the runners and walkers participating in the event. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Luke Aucoin (995) begins the Chillin' in the Hills 5K run Saturday morning in downtown Vicksburg. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Debbie Haworth and her dog Paisley Park Peacock cross the finish line of the Chillin' in the Hills 5K race walk on Saturday. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Sage, left, and Paisley Park Peacock sniff each other at the Chillin' in the Hills 5K on Saturday. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Lynn Stuckey (987) high-fives Joseph Blackston as she crosses the finish line of the Chillin' in the Hills 5K run on Saturday. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

The Nettle family — from left, Caiya, Corey Jr., Cierra and Corey Nettle Sr. — sit at their vendor's booth at the Chillin' in the Hills 5K on Saturday. Their business, Caiya's Pecans, was one of about a dozen selling items at the Chillin' in the Hills flea market. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Sherrunda Adkins browses some handcrated jewelry from The Tinkerer's Shoppe of MS at the Chillin' in the Hills 5K on Saturday. About a dozen vendors set up booths at a flea market that accompanied the running race. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Lauren Cannon (802) poses for a photo with her husband Rob and their children Craig, Elsie, Annie and Bo after the Chillin' in the Hills 5K on Saturday. Lauren Cannon won the women's 5K run championship with a time of 24:33. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Lauren Cannon runs toward the finish line of the Chillin' in the Hills 5K run on Saturday. Cannon won the women's championship with a time of 24:33. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Jonathan Phillips, a 19-year-old Pearl native, won the Chillin' in the Hills overall 5K run championship with a time of 17:30. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Samuel Terrett (994) and Eric Mason race toward the finish line of the Chillin' in the Hills 5K run on Saturday, Mason edged Terrett for third place by four seconds. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Jonathan Phillips heads down the homestretch of the Chillin' in the Hills 5K run on Saturday. Phillips, a 19-year-old Pearl native, won the overall 5K run championship with a time of 17:30. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Kevin Winters heads toward the finish line and a fifth-place finish in the Chillin' in the Hills 5K run on Saturday. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Terri Frazier, left, gives a fist bump to Phillip Beasnett as they cross the finish line of the Chillin' in the Hills 5K race walk on Saturday. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Russell Carruth crosses the finish line of the Chillin in the Hills 1-mile children's fun run on Saturday. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Beck Ford crosses the finish line of the Chillin in the Hills 1-mile children's fun run on Saturday. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Charlie Minor carries some H.C. Porter artwork that he won as a door prize at the Chillin' in the Hills 5K on Saturday. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Shavonda Morrow and Jala Morrow pose for a photo at their vendor's booth during the Chillin' in the Hills 5K on Saturday. The Morrows' Smmooth Candle Company was one of about a dozen vendors selling items at a flea market that was part of the event. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Shavonda Morrow, left, sells candles to customers at her Smmooth Candle Company booth at the Chillin' in the Hills 5K on Saturday. About a dozen vendors set up booths at a flea market that accompanied the running race. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Joyce Beacham smiles after receiving the age group trophy she won at the Chillin' in the Hills 5K race walk on Saturday. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Artwork for sale is seen at the Chillin' in the Hills 5K flea market on Saturday. About a dozen vendors set up booths at a flea market that accompanied the running race. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

American flag artwork by Floyd Whitten's Whitten Made company was among the items for sale at the Chillin' in the Hills 5K flea market on Saturday. About a dozen vendors set up booths at the market that accompanied the running race. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

The Chillin’ in the Hills 5K running event celebrated its 15th anniversary on Saturday with a total overhaul.

The race, formerly known as the Chill in the Hills and held in January, got a new name and date as well as new trophies and a theme built around a summery vibe. Nearly 100 runners and walkers participated in the event, and dozens more of their family members waited behind in the parking lot at Martin’s at Midtown.

Runners and walkers received leis as they crossed the finish line as DJ played music. Two stuffed snowmen in Hawaiian shirts sat in rocking chairs on the porch at Martin’s at Midtown to oversee the awards ceremony.

A flea market was also added to the festivities. About a dozen vendors set up shop in the parking lot selling handmade jewelry, art, pecans, candles and more. The flea market was scheduled to go on well into the afternoon.

The race’s rebrand came after several years of bad winter weather squashed attendance. The Chillin’ in the Hills is a fundraiser for Grace Christian Counseling Center, which provides low-cost counseling services to people in the Vicksburg area. Walter Frazier, who is the director of Grace Christian Counseling Center, was pleased with the turnout and the event’s relaunch.

“When you have a bad event, people will stay away. When you have a good one they’ll want to come back. Hopefully this is a good start and a ramp to the future,” Frazier said.

MORE COVERAGE
• Complete Chillin’ in the Hills results
• Vicksburg’s Cannon, Pearl native Phillips winners at Chillin’ in the Hills

About Ernest Bowker

Ernest Bowker is The Vicksburg Post's sports editor. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post's sports staff since 1998, making him one of the longest-tenured reporters in the paper's 140-year history. The New Jersey native is a graduate of LSU. In his career, he has won more than 50 awards from the Mississippi Press Association and Associated Press for his coverage of local sports in Vicksburg.

More by Ernest