WINNSBORO – The Christmas holidays in Winnsboro will officially kick off on Saturday, Nov. 22 with a day of shopping at the Fairfield Farmers and Artisan’s Holiday Market, from 9 a.m. – 12 noon.
Shoppers will enjoy free apple cider, coffee, and popcorn.
Thirty vendors will be offering gifts galore for teachers, family members and friends – crafts, baked goods, jewelry, holiday décor, hand sewn items, local beef, jellies and jams, honey, specialty pecans, candies, kid’s craft kits, knitwear, ironwork, plants, and much more.
Purchase a $5 feather from the turkey’s tail (or five feathers for $20) to win myriad prizes, including gift cards to Fairfield County restaurants and businesses as well as big discounts and free items from vendors.
As Christmas music wafts through the market hall, shop, visit with friends and enjoy the fun of shopping locally at the holiday market.
Christmas Parade – Nov. 30
Winnsboro will host its annual Christmas Parade on November 30, the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The parade will start at 4:30 p.m., lining up on Evans Street and then traveling down Congress Street to Moultrie Street. Entries must be decorated for Christmas and must be registered with the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce in advance. There is no charge to participate.
Prizes will be awarded for Best Church Float, Best Walking Group, and Best Overall Float.
To register for the parade, contact the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce at 803 635-4242 or [email protected]
And the holiday fun doesn’t end when the parade ends.
Tree Lighting & More
Following the parade, gather around the town clock for the annual Christmas tree lighting. Underneath the clock, children can enjoy sweet treats (hot cocoa, s’mores, and more). Parents will also have the opportunity to snap Christmas photos of their children with Santa.
Following the tree lighting and photos with Santa, the whole family can take a free horse drawn carriage ride around the downtown area.
Museum Holiday Drop In
The Fairfield County Museum’s annual Christmas Open House will be held on Dec. 7, from 3 to 5 p.m. The 1830 museum building will be decorated by members of Fairfield County’s garden clubs in live greenery typical of early Southern homes.
The dining room will feature a table laden with holiday hors d’oeuvres and Christmas punch, and the parlor will be the setting for the acoustic Southern Soul music of two talented artists, Vollie McKenzie, a native of Winnsboro, and Roger Bellow.
McKenzie was born in the Winnsboro mill village where both his parents sung in the Nazarene church. McKenzie played collegiate basketball for Erskine College from 1968 – 1972. He has performed his music at clubs and festivals since the 1970s opening for artists like Doc Watson, sharing the stage with Jonathan Edwards, and filling in for no-shows for Bogan and Armstrong at Charleston Folk’s concert series. McKenzie has produced several recording projects over the years.
Bellow is a native Chicagoan who grew up during the Folk Revival Movement of the 1960s and the great Chicago Folk Festivals. In 1995 the SC Arts Commission bestowed on him the Folk Heritage Award for his advocacy for folk music.
The holiday open house is sponsored by the Fairfield County Historical Society, the Fairfield County Genealogical Society, and garden club volunteers. It is free to the public.
The Museum is located at 231 S. Congress St. in downtown Winnsboro.
