Crowning achievements.

The Miss Mississippi pageant, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in Vicksburg this year, has come a long way from its beginnings in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Conflicting records credit a young lady from north Mississippi as well as a young lady from Pascagoula as the first Miss Mississippi, according to long-time pageant producer and supporter Pat Hopson.

When Pat and her husband Dr. Briggs Hopson moved to Vicksburg in 1967, they became involved in the pageant. Dr. Hopson is chairman of the board for the Miss Mississippi Corporation, and Pat, vice chairman of the board, served first as a hostess, then as a state traveling companion, and later as a producer. She now refers to herself as the "silent producer."

"I still do the planning and arranging, and I know every inch of the pageant, but I think as long as your name isn't on the program as 'producer,' you don't have to take all the responsibility," she explained.

Even though Pat has seen two Miss Americas and consistent top-ten showings from Mississippi since she began working with the pageant, her favorite part of the pageant is not just the success. "It's a giant family reunion, both in Mississippi and at the Miss America pageant--the more years you're involved, the more people you know, and the more fun you have at the pageant," she said.

Jackson native and reigning Miss Midsouth Catherine Carter echoed Pat's sentiments. "There's a real family atmosphere," she said. "I feel more well-rounded having been a part of the pageant." The twenty-two year old enters the pageant this year for her third time.

There's family atmosphere for loyal pageant goers, too. Vicksburg native Melanie Hallberg Fields and her mother, Mary Hallberg, are avid fans of the pageant and parade and have attended both events, as well as the preliminaries, each summer for years.

Melanie, who now lives in Jackson, has only missed one year of the pageant events since her first trip at age 5. Mary, who went to the pageant for the first time in 1973, went with friends for several years until her mother-in-law became interested and started buying tickets for the family.

"We looked forward to going together and planned summer vacations around the dates of the pageant," Mary recalled.

This year's pageant begins with preliminaries at 8 p.m. on July 10, 11, and 12. The Miss Mississippi parade starts at 7 p.m. on July 13, and the pageant culminates with the televised final night at 8 p.m. on July 14.

For details on the Miss Mississippi pageant, see www.missmississippipageant.com or call 601/638-6746. For more information about the Miss Mississippi parade, call 601/634-4527.