FAIRFIELD COUNTY – Shoppers looking for a unique holiday outing will have a chance to turn a country drive into a day of fun during the second annual Highway 34 Shopping Crawl on Saturday, Dec. 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Stretching between Winnsboro and Newberry along Highway 34, the event links a string of family farms and country shops that are opening their gates and roadside markets for a coordinated day of shopping.
“It’s a special experience for the holidays,” said Valerie Clowney of Meadow Lou Farm in Winnsboro. “You’ll find one-of-a-kind gifts, handmade items, baked goods, Christmas décor, pasture-raised foods, cozy wool products and much more. There are lots of interesting farm animals to see as well. It’s a great way to enjoy a day in the country and support local farmers.”
“It’s perfect for gift shopping,” agreed Catherine Asger of Store 34 in Blair, which specializes in antiques and décor items. “Plus, you can grab your Christmas tree to put on top of your car, buy what you need for your holiday dinner, and then enjoy a glass of wine in Newberry at the end of the day!”
A wide variety of market staples and artisan goods will be on offer, including beef, pork, poultry, eggs, honey, jams and jellies, goat cheese, ham, sausage and other perishables – so be sure to bring a cooler along for the drive.
“It’s different from Ag+Art, which is more about farm tours,” Clowney said. “This is geared more toward shopping.”
The first Hwy 34 Shopping Crawl, in 2024, was the brainchild of Alicia Holbrook of Carolina Pride Pastures, an alpaca farm near Newberry. Holbrook, Asger and Lynette Lever of Lever Farms worked together to organize the event in the wake of recovery from Hurricane Helene.
“The vast majority of our fall season was gone because of the hurricane,” Holbrook said. “Since we’re all close together along Highway 34, it felt like a great way to boost each other up.”
“It was one of the best days I had here at my little roadside stand,” Clowney said of last year’s Crawl. “Customers came from all over.”
Holbrook said the event highlights the remarkable qualities of the Fairfield and Newberry County farming communities.
“People are often shocked to realize how many great little farms are right here, along Highway 34,” Asger said. “The Shopping Crawl has been a fantastic way to showcase the amazing variety of what we all produce.”
