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Friday activities:

The Opening Ceremony will be held Friday, March 15 at 10:30 am at the Depot at the intersection of Main Street and Broadway (Hwy 11). 

The ceremony will welcome dignitaries from Texas Historical Commission who will be attending.  Denise Miranda, Director of the Main Street Program, will speak, as will Mayor Carolyn Jones. 

A reception will follow the Opening Ceremony at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts at 200 Market St. from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.  Delicious finger foods will be provided by Lee and Loyal, owners of Beauweevils.  Don’t miss the celebratory cake that will be served!

Historic photos showing “before” and “after” photos in the store windows both Friday and Saturday will provide insight into the growth and change in Winnsboro. 

Shop for specials offered by the merchants during the 2-day event.  Don’t be surprised that when you see some shopper owners in historic garb.

The March 3rd Friday Art Walk will feature a “Pioneer” theme with merchants and visitors dressed in historic pioneer type costumes. The Art Walk begins at 6:00 pm with a reception at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts.  Music is scheduled for Double C, Brewbaker’s and Liefie’s.

A casual Fashion Walk of costumed shop owners, local residents and out-of-town visitors through the Main Street area.  Participating stores will serve refreshments and appetizers.  Steampunk groups from around the area will be invited.  There will be live music on the streets on both Friday and Saturday.

Saturday activities:

The Farmers Market will be open at 9:00 am on the Depot parking lot by the caboose.

Come to the historic Main Street District and enjoy seeing Winnsboro from a new perspective.

Thanks to Jim Willis (video) and Michael Alford (stills) for this 14 minute video peek into the Steampunk theme of 3rd Friday Art Walk.

Due to the recent article in Texas Highways,  some Steampunkers from other communities found their way to our event and by all reports had a great time. 

You'll see a gathering of fashionable guests mingling with local residents at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts.  There are also many shots of those in costume walking through restaurants to the delight and surprise of the guests dining.  Phones came out of purses and pockets to capture the unexpected Fashion Walk.

Winnsboro, thanks to the efforts of Art & Espresso, is now officially sanctioned by the national Tea Duel organization.  If you aren't familiar with this "like watching paint dry" but more fun event, the point is to get a shortbread dipped in tea to reach a competitor's mouth

Steampunk is a very popular theme (think Wild, Wild West, Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey, Jr., The Prestige and other TV shows and movies) however, other actual historic eras have been represented as well, including Lords and Ladies from centuries past.

Note that 3rd Friday is scheduled every month.  The theme is always announced in advance.

Medieval, Renaissance and Victorian eras have also been featured.

If this sounds like something you'd enjoy participating in, sign up for the free Weekend Planner (see the Home page)to get the information in advance so you have plenty of time to pull your costume together! 

 The Art Walk this week promises to be another fun Steampunk event! 

The Live Poet's Society will be reading poetry at Art & Espresso this month instead of at their usual location at The Winnsboro Emporium.

In conjunction with Winnsboro’s 3rd Friday Steampunk Art Walk on Friday, January 18th, and in addition to an all-invited 3rd Friday Art Walk Reception, Winnsboro Center for the Arts will host a 3rd Friday Artists’ Exchange, a gathering where those who are involved in the arts—fine art, theatre, folk art, photography, fiber arts, music, dance, literature, fine woodworking, etc.—can mingle, network and share your thoughts with us and one another.

Light refreshments will be served, so do come join us—we need your input as we work to make the WCA a true community arts center.

We hope to see all of our local artists this Friday night for our first meeting! We want to brainstorm, share ideas, and support one another. We need to know what WE can do at WCA for YOU, the artists of our region. We are planning lots of events for 2013 and your input is important! PLEASE JOIN US!

Winnsboro Center for the Arts is located at 200 Market St. across from the Depot.

Randy Mallory is a writer and photographer with memories of Winnsboro from his childhood.  According to his article, a musician friend told him about the vibrant cultural scene and the designation as one of the first "Texas Cultural Arts District" that is fueling more tourism.  It's clear his view of today's Winnsboro has been enlightening.

As a town that has buildings that date back a century, Winnsboro is in a constant state up upgrade as a Texas Main Street City in the Texas Historical Commissions program.

In the eight-page spread, he captured the the essence of our corner of East Texas.  He noted the history of the compact downtown historic district included visits from Bonnie and Clyde, an active "Bowery" on Market Street with saloons, brothels and gambling halls.

Mallory was in town the same weekend as the 3rd Friday Art Walk , a monthly event that has a different theme each month.  Residents in costume casually wander downtown in a casual Fashion Walk in historic clothing styles.  Denise Marsoun, who owns Silhouette Dressmaking, is responsible for creating historic costumes for men and women of Winnsboro.

Steampunk was the theme of the January 3rd Friday on the weekend he was documenting Winnsboro's charms. At Art & Espresso, an intense Tea Duel was captured in one photo.

Music has a significant presence in Winnsboro and includes Crossroads (the original name of the city) owned by Gus Gustafson.  It was mentioned in the article that the award-winning duo of Adler & Hearne tour regularly, but still play at Crossroads when they're home.

Until the Crossroads Listening Room is finished, performances are held in the Winnsboro Center for the Arts.  The WCA also stages art exhibits and theater performances throughout the year, including the recent "War of the Worlds".

There's such a variety of businesses in the downtown area, Mallory had to cherry pick his personal favorites which included Patty Cake Antiques, Sayadream Studio, Conrad Wolfman's Winnsboro Emporium, Clara Idea Frances, Beauweevils and Ladles to Linens and StarDragonfly Herb Company.

Chef Rick Murray demonstrated his pizza-making skills.  Jeff Heath's Brewbaker's Restaurant and Pub showed off his Philly Steak and French Dip Sandwiches.  Liefie Li Vine adds an intriguing menu as it is owned and run by Jackie and Phillip Strydom who are from South Africa.  They have a year-round outdoor patio to the delight of the patrons.

To read the article online, click on this LINK. 

As always, there are several Art Walk Stops in the
downtown area. Every participating business is within
easy walking distance.

The Fashion Walk will feature individuals and couples
who are dressed in the Victorian manner. Everyone
is invited to dress in costume if they choose.  (It's really
fun to step back in time!)

The Winnsboro Center for the Arts is featuring the
"Gathering of Light" exhibition of Donna Page.

In addition, the following businesses will be welcoming
you with Victorian Yuletide cheer. . .

Art & Espresso
Sayadream Studio
Beauweevil's
Winnsboro Emporium
Liefie's
Silhouette Dressmaking
Keyring Gallery
StarDragonfly Herb Shop

Apparently there's a group of people with more closets than the rest of us who stash costumes and accessories from various eras, from Medieval times to the Renaissance. . . the 1800s-1900s Steampunk to the 50s- and 60s. . . and who knows, may a futurist theme sometime soon.

There's only one conclusion to draw from this:  dressing up is fun and, best of all, photo worthy!

Here's a quick look at the people and costumes from last night's festivities. . .

3rd Friday Art Walk, Friday, Sept. 21, 6 pm - 9 pm is going to be a 50s-60s theme. As always, you can feel free to dress in your favorite "look" from that era.

Have a 50s-60s car?  Park it on Main, Market or Elm.  It'll be a photo-op people won't be able to resist.

Here are the Art Stop locations this month:

Art & Espresso
Sayadream Studio
Beauweevil's
Winnsboro Emporium
Liefie's
Silhouette Dressmaking
Keyring Gallery
StarDragonfly Herb Shop

Plus Winnsboro Center for the Arts will be open to serve popcorn and cider.

On Friday, July 20, the historic downtown area of Winnsboro was alive, well with just about every space that even looked like a parking  spot filled.  (No parking meters anywhere! All parking is free, day or night.)

The usual suspects - Art & Espresso, Keyring Gallery, Silhouette Dressmaking, Sayadeam Studio, Winnsboro Emporium , Liefie's and Beauweevils - opened their doors for the evening.

The only way to describe the evening was fun.  The businesses that organize the 3rd Friday Art Walk are scheduling themed events to make it more fun.  Don't worry.  We'll alert you ahead of time what the upcoming themes are.

The downtown area was flooded with people from the surrounding lakes as well as locals in steampunk costumes.

What is steampunk? The best examples are in the works of Jules Verne and other imaginative authors of the time.  You see how the new Industrial Era excited the imaginations of  Victorians. Much of the literature and illustrations of the time reflect how people thought the 20th century would look like with airships, exciting expeditions and much more.

Steampunk fashion is based on Victorian dress, with the addition of industrial symbols. For example, railroad-style watches point to the extensive railways laid to make travel easier. Goggles are a nod to aeronauts and airships.  Gears and custom gadgets are often blended together with clothing, "weapons" and strange inventions.

You'll find more photos on Winnsboro-related facebook pages.