This past weekend was a busy one in Winnsboro as artists and art lovers converged for the first Winnsboro Fine Art Market. Word on the street was that it was a great success. Artists raved about it and all asked Mary Smith, owner of the Winnsboro Gallery and the primary organizer of the event if it will be repeated again next year. They all said they want to come back.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous, thank you, God, and there was a sense of fun and excitement throughout downtown. Thee was music at the Depot, fun activitites for the kids sponsored by First Baptist Church, and of course, lots of lovely art to purchase. A full story with pictures will be up soon.

There are lots of other events planned for the rest of this month and into December as we head toward the holidays. On this gorgeous, warm, fall day, it is hard to remember that Christmas is swiftly approaching, but it is. As you consider your gift-buying, I hope you will shop locally as much as possible. In these tough economic times, the local stores need your support. McCrary's Hardware and General Store, who bring you WinnsboroToday.com, has gift items for everyone in the family. Plus we have all the other wonderful stores in town for gift items, baked goods, and more.

On November 14 there will be the Holiday Craft Sale at City Auditorium, sponsored by local churches.

Coming up at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts is a Holiday Gift Shoppe, where local artists and crafters will have items for sale. There will be copies of my book, One Small Victory on sale there. Books make wonderful gifts for people who like to read, so here is an easy way to start checking names off your holiday gift list.

At the Art Center there will be two concerts. One by the Lake Country Orchestra and one featuring Shannon Monk and other local singers and musicians. "Scrooge" will again be performed the first two weekends in December. Check the ad on our front page for details.

Until next time....

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If you are interested, I do write regularly on my blog so you can always hop over there to catch up with me if I haven't updated this column in a while. I try my best, but gosh there is so much to do.