The popular summer Wednesday Burg Nights appear to be an easy thing to pull off. They come across as flawless to the public, apart from weather issues. But a recent discussion with Vicksburg Village Manager Jim Mallery and Department of Public Works (DPW) Director Jimmy Meyers would indicate otherwise. “Preparations for Burg Nights get underway before the end of shift on Tuesday afternoon,” Meyers said. “The barricades, games, and trash receptacles are all loaded into DPW vehicles before the guys go home. First thing on Wednesday morning, those barricades and vehicles are moved to where they’ll be needed.”
Mallery said, “Police deploy the barricades and close the roads at 1 p.m. After the traffic clears the streets, the stages are brought in and assembled, the trash receptacles are placed, the games and tables are set up. We added 35 new heavy-duty weather-resistant tables, three of which provide wheelchair accessibility. Next, the food vendors arrive along with any booths and kid activities featured for that particular event.”
While the setup begins the night before, the work of signing up bands and vendors is completed months in advance. According to Mallery, “Bands are signed by January 15, the popular children’s activities by February 15, and the food trucks are lined up by March.” Popular bands are invited to return but the goal is to bring in more new bands than returns. In the summer of 2025 eight of the bands were repeats, while 10 of the bands were new performers.
While a compilation of statistics is not yet available for the 2025 season, the season is described by most as another tremendous success. Mallery points to increased crowd size, more bike traffic, businesses showing increased sales during the event and repeat out-of-town town patrons outside of Burg Day events. Todd Glenn, owner of Jaspare’s Pizza in Vicksburg, said, “Burg Nights increase business in our restaurant by 40 to 60% over a normal Wednesday night. The crowd leans considerably toward visitors over our regular customers.” Glenn also believes the benefits extend beyond the business of the evening, “Visitors see all the improvements made in our community and our downtown, Visitors see our new businesses, our upgraded parks, and our infrastructure improvements. And the fact that all the games and kids’ activities are without cost shows our commitment to our family-friendly community. All those things make Vicksburg a very attractive place.”
Meyers said, “While the whole DPW crew is involved in the setup, two crew members stay on duty during the event. They volunteer for the shifts and are paid overtime.” Mallery pointed out, “When the event is over, tables are moved off the street and the streets are reopened to traffic. First thing in the morning the trash containers are removed, and the downtown is cleaned up before the next business day gets underway.” Two makeup dates are scheduled into the Burg Day schedule each year, and in each of the summers to date, those dates have been used. Mallery said, “The reason it looks so easy is the care and dedication of the village staff. It’s because of them that all the things that need to work, do.”
