Walter Frazier is always trying to find new ways to draw a crowd to Grace Christian Counseling’s annual spring fundraiser. This time around, he said it was easier to go where the people already are.

Frazier’s organization has partnered with the Old Court House Museum to combine two of Vicksburg’s big spring events into one. The Key City Classic running event will be part of the Old Court House Museum’s Spring Flea Market on Saturday, April 26.

Both events will begin at 8 a.m. at the corner of Monroe and Grove streets in downtown Vicksburg.

“Instead of trying to make a crowd, let’s go to a crowd,” Frazier said. “I approached Jordan Rushing about connecting with the Old Court House flea market and he was ecstatic about it. He said this would be another way of bringing this back by expanding it.”

The Key City Classic features a 5- and 10-kilometer run, a 5K race walk, and a 1-mile children’s fun run.

The flea market includes more than 100 vendors selling local wares, crafts and collectibles. Vendors can reserve a flea market table for $60 by contacting Old Court House Museum director Jordan Rushing at 601-636-0741.

Frazier, who is Grace Christian Counseling’s executive director as well as the race director, said partnering with the flea market gives the Key City Classic a unique hook like Vicksburg’s other running events.

The postrace awards ceremony will be held on the grounds of the Old Court House Museum, and in addition to the running events and flea market a raffle will be held with four big prizes:

• A print from Vicksburg artist H.C. Porter

• Dinner for six, cooked by Vicksburg chef William Furlong at the location of the winner’s choice

• A commissioned painting by Vicksburg artist Seth Hudspeth

• A two-night stay at Duff Green Mansion

Raffle tickets are $10 each, and are sold for each individual prize and not as one entry for all prizes.

“The successful races in Vicksburg all have an attraction. The Run Thru History has the Military Park, the Over the River Run has the bridge. We’re looking for something that has that same attraction, and I think this is it,” Frazier said.

The Key City Classic is the latest evolution of a running event that is now in its 17th year. It started in 2009 as the Chill in the Hills and was held in January; moved to May in 2023 and was renamed the Chillin’ in the Hills; and is now the Key City Classic in late April.

The Chillin’ in the Hills included a small flea market as well, which Frazier said made moving the date up a few weeks and joining the Old Court House Museum’s larger and more established version a logical move.

“The May date falls at graduation and Mother’s Day. It’s a bad time. There’s only so many things you can do. And we had advertised at the flea market anyway and had our own, so why do both?” Frazier said. “At the end of the day, this is a fundraiser for Grace. We’re looking for the best way to garner attention and support for the counseling center.”

The entry fee for the Key City Classic is $25 for the run and walk, and $10 for the fun run. The 1-miler is limited to children ages 12 and under. Online registration is available through RaceRoster.com. The event is a fundraiser for Grace Christian Counseling, which provides low-cost mental health services in Vicksburg and surrounding areas.

“It’s really important to note that we continue to have inadequate or no health insurance for mental health coverage,” Frazier said. “These funds help supplement the high quality, professional services Grace Christian Counseling provides for its clients.”