Keep Vicksburg-Warren Beautiful program gets new director

Published 8:27 pm Friday, May 23, 2025

: Callie Eldridge

The Keep Vicksburg-Warren Beautiful program has hired a new local director, Callie Eldridge. It was announced during Thursday’s Vicksburg Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (VCVB) meeting.

For the past year, Vicksburg Main Street, VCVB and the City of Vicksburg have been working in conjunction to transition the Keep Vicksburg-Warren Beautiful Program into a new era. Main Street and the VCVB are now joining together to co-chair the program with Eldridge at the helm.

“We are excited to collaborate and work together to make Vicksburg look great, and we are so happy to have someone in place to help make this a reality,” VCVB Executive Director Laura Beth Strickland said. “When visitors come into our city, we want them to have a great first impression, so beautification is very important to us.”

Kim Hopkins, who serves as the executive director of the Vicksburg Main Street Program, said she too is excited to have the Keep Vicksburg-Warren Beautiful Program return.

“Many of the Keep America Beautiful Programs fall right in line with our Main Street mission,” Hopkins said. “So, this is a great fit for us. The opportunities to enhance our downtown district through these programs through working together is very exciting.”

Strickland said VCVB and Vicksburg Main Street will be following the model and guidelines for the Keep America Beautiful standards of litter prevention, beautification, recycling, education and involvement to keep good standing credentials with both Keep America Beautiful and Keep Mississippi Beautiful, both of which require an annual report to be filed.

Strickland said the Director position is a part-time contract position, which pays hourly wages.

“The city of Vicksburg is pleased to have this program revamped under these two organizations,” Mayor George Flaggs Jr. said. “These two organizations will be a great fit for carrying out the mission of Keep Vicksburg Beautiful, and I have confidence that they will do a great job working with our city departments and volunteers to carry out the mission of the organization.”

Editor’s note: This article was updated on May 29 with information about how the Director is compensated.

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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