The month-long Autumn Trails extravaganza in Winnsboro finished up with a number of events including the Antique Car Rally on Saturday, October 25th. Festivities started with the Grand Entry Parade in the morning and concluded with an Awards Banquet that evening.

People lined Main Street for an hour prior to the start of the parade and weren't disappointed when the cars finally chugged down the street. Some were just to be admired for the perfection of restoration, while others evoked a laugh or two.

The stores in downtown added to the festival atmosphere with sales and specials all day, and area churches set up to sell hot dogs, sausages and drinks to a hungry, thirsty crowd. Everyone was glad that the early morning threat of rain dissipated as the day got into full swing.

Several organizations had displays set up at the Depot to let folks know what they do. Tom and Barbara Gasper represented the VFW from District 12, promoting the Flag Disposal Service to be held Nov. 1 at 11:00 A.M. at the VFW post on highway 37. "We hope people will come whether they have a flag to dispose of or not," Tom said. "It's a very patriotic and moving ceremony and those that have never seen one might find it interesting."

A large number of people from the Community Church's Easter Pageant were at the Depot that morning, as well. Dressed in festive costumes depicting Biblical times, they provided music and dancing as a preview of the Pageant that will be presented next spring as part of the Sesquicentennial celebration for Winnsboro.

Other weekend activities included the Trades Day and Swap Meet held at City Park Saturday and Sunday. The 14th Annual Rock Gym All-School Reunion was held Saturday night for graduates of Winnsboro High School. Approximately 200 people attended and enjoyed performances by the WHS Band and the Raiderette Drill Team. Honor Awards were presented to retired teachers, one for a teacher still living and one for a deceased teacher; and the 5th annual distinguished alumnus award was given to Molly Beth (Beene) Malcolm.

Becky Pickett, a Winnsboro native and partner in Spinning Wheelers, attended the reunion. "I go every year and always enjoy it because I see people I haven't seen in a long time," she said. "The programs are nice and everyone has a good time visiting."

The third weekend of Autumn Trails started with the Welcome Parade for the trail riders on Friday afternoon at 4 o'clock. Wagons and mules and horses and riders made their way down Main Street to the delight of all the folks, young and old who had come to say "Howdy" to the visitors.

Between 1,200 and 1,500 people camped for the weekend at City Park, many of them meeting up with friends and acquaintances from last year. New to the trail ride this year was J.W. Dorris from Jacksonville with his horse, Chief. Early Saturday morning he took his dog, Cowboy, for a ride. "I figure if he's going to live up to his name, he's got to learn to ride."

Unlike last year, the weather cooperated - no rain - and Sunday's official ride started at 8 A.M. In addition to the saddled horses - approximately 1,000, there were wagons, carriages, and even people on tractors who made the ride of close to 14 miles. "We were lucky to only have three accidents and none of them were life-threatening," Trail Boss Mike Banks said. "Any time you have that many people and that many animals you're bound to have accidents.

"And we were extremely pleased to have so much help from the Winnsboro Police and the Wood County Sheriff's Department."

In addition to enjoying the beautiful countryside and the company of other horse enthusiasts, riders got to participate in a treasure hunt along the route. This special attraction was organized by Les Nichols a Thoroughbred trainer from Celeste, Texas, who is noted for having ridden his horse, JJ's Cowboy, from the Alamo to Ground Zero in New York last year. He made that historic ride as a show of support for the victims of the 9/11 tragedy, and also to raise money for the police and fire departments. Compared to that 1,800 mile trek, this ride must have been a breeze.

"We were glad to have Les with us," Mike said. "We're proud of what he did."

Of the weekend's events, Mike said they were the best. "We had good people. The weather was perfect. The ride was great. The Barn Dance was fun. And everyone had a good time."

Thrills and spills; disappointment and success marked the 45th Annual Autumn Trails Rodeo in Winnsboro, October 10&11. Cowboys and cowgirls competed in riding and roping events, with a special drill performance by the Lady Outlaws of Bonham, Texas. Pictured are Debbie Wiggins, Captain, and Iva Hewitt. Eight riders performed with their flashy horses and snappy costumes and thrilled the audience with precision drills.

Lauren Wilkins from Winnsboro, who is currently Pittsburg Rodeo Queen, rode in the Grand Parade and competed in barrel racing. She did not place, but Jordan Carlock took fifth place.

In bareback, two local riders, Josh Cherry and Josh Cole took first and second respectively, with scores of 78 and 77. Tim Brown and Bo Allen snagged 6th place in team roping, with a time of 6.17 seconds. In the all-time favorite bull-riding competition, J.D. Miller took first with a score of 77. Jamie Russell and Clint Lewis split 2nd and 3rd with a score of 76.

There's nothing quite like it. The growl of a tractor engine as it digs its wheels in to get the job done. For Mike Banks, a member of the Lake Country Antique Tractor Association, the more unusual the tractor the better. He and several other members of the club spent over six months building this miniature tractor that was up against the big guys. Think David and Goliath. Unfortunately, they were so busy hosting the event, they didn't enter the tractor pull. Winners from Winnsboro were Joe Bob Busby in Class 1 and Spencer Wilson in Class 3. David McCarley took first in Best of Show.

Other machines shared the day with the vintage tractors. John Burke had several steam engines puffing away, and a rare cornmeal machine powered by a Fairbank 1930 engine ground corn grown by company CEO Alton Jones. "That there's my manager," he said, pointing to Marty Elman who was bagging the cornmeal. The men were having a little fun, pretending to be a big enterprise, but that's what the day was for; having fun.

Some Winnsboro favorites, including Jimmy Davis of Winnsboro Electric and Tony Grosso of T&M Meat Market, competed in this year's Bar B-Q Cookoff, but they were joined by some new folks. Mike Davis, no relation to Jimmy, came from Sulphur Springs representing his No Name Riding Group. "Most motorcycle clubs are restrictive," he said. "I wanted a group that anyone with any bike can ride in."

In addition to cooking, Mike was promoting a charity event; The Second Annual Toy Run for the Salvation Army. The event is sponsored by his club and ABC Autoplex in Sulphur Springs and will be held at the Autoplex. "You don't have to be a bike rider to come," he said. "Anyone who brings a toy can get in."

The event will be held on Saturday, November first, with the Run starting at 9:00 A.M. Bike games start at 1:30 P.M., and there will be food and activities throughout the afternoon.

Apparently a good cause didn't sway the judges and Mike Davis didn't place.. John Beaty of Beaty Funeral took first. Winnsboro Floral placed second, and City National Bank was third.

Included in this busy weekend was the Pilot Club's 14th Annual Tour de' Trails Bike Run, which had rides of 32 and 62 miles. Twenty-one riders competed in the 32 mile course with 40 tackling the longer route. There was a group of students from Midwestern University in Wichita Falls that participated and they took top honors. But one of the local organizers, Wanda Renfro said that was okay. "They were a nice group of young people and we had a good time with them."

Autumn Trails in Winnsboro officially kicked off the first weekend in October with the Northeast Texas Music Festival, which was held Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Hundreds of music lovers came to hear such outstanding talent as Don Williams and Gospel Hall of Fame legend Marion Snider.

People clapped and danced and sang along to some of their favorite songs and a good time was had by all despite the clouds and intermittent rain.

Saturday night, October 4th, was the forty-fifth Coronation of Queen Autumn Trails. Contestants in this year's pageant included Kattie Alexander, Michelle Wells, Autumn Martinez, Megan Briggs, Stefani Wilson, Lindsay Cain, and Raegan Robison.

The Emcee for the event was Pat Stacey, General Manager of KLTV, Channel 7 of Tyler."I don't know why, but ya'll keep calling me back every year," joked Stacey.

The theme of this year's pageant was "Rockin' Autumn" and was centered around the year 1950. Entertainment was provided by Jamie Kellar, Queen Autumn Trails XLIV, and singer Wesley Johnstone.

The contestants were judged in the following categories: Casual Wear, Talent, Interview, On-State Interview, and Evening Wear.

The following awards were given:
Miss Dedication - Megan Briggs
Most Ticket Sales - Stefani Wilson
Miss Congeniality - Raegan Robinson
Most Photogenic - Lindsay Cain & Raegan Robinson
Best Casual Wear - Raegan Robinson
Best Talent - Megan Briggs
Best Interview - Raegan Robinson
Best Evening Wear - Raegan Robinson.

Left to right: First runner up, Megan Briggs; Queen Autumn Trails XLV, Raegan Robinson; Second Runner up, Stefani Wilson.

Sunday, October 5th, the Arts and Crafts sale was moved to the City Auditorium due to rain. Townspeople and guests of the Music Festival alike enjoyed the various items for sale. Items ranged from Christmas decorations to half-priced sterling silver jewelry to beautiful amateur photography.

The grand finale on the fourth weekend features the Antique Car Parade on Saturday, October 25 at 10:00 am, with the competition later that afternoon at City Park. That is also the site of the Trades Day and Swap Meet which runs from 9:00 am to 5:00pm on Saturday and continues on Sunday.

Awards for the Antique Car Show will be presented at a BBQ dinner at Civic Auditorium at 6:00 pm on Saturday.

The Old Rock Gym will host the Annual All School Reunion and the Annual WHS Ex-Students' Association Stew. The Stew will be held immediately following the Antique Car Parade on Saturday morning. The Old Rock Gym will be open all afternoon for alum to drop by.