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During April CRAZY DAZE - April 14-16 - the merchants participating in CRAZY DAZE will give back to the community up to 5% of their sales during CRAZY DAZE.

The money will be donated to The Winnsboro Community Resource Center (food bank).

In addition, each of the merchants will be taking donations of boxed Macaroni & Cheese in exchange for discounts and special deals at downtown stores and restaurants.

We're letting you know NOW so you can snap up some Macaroni & Cheese on your next shopping trip.

Find the Community Resource Center on FACEBOOK.

The weather is cooling off at last. Judging by the crowds at Saturday's Rotary Club Classic Car Cruise-In, people are eager to get out now that you can no longer fry eggs on the parking lots.

That's why we expect the 3rd Friday Arts Festival and CRAZY DAZE to be busier than ever. The artists will gather again at the historic Depot to show and sell their pieces - from jewelry to paintings and even hand-crafted outdoor furniture.

CRAZY DAZE is set to sizzle with more fun, more amazing deals some in-store surprises. Here's a hint: use CRAZY DAZE deals to give your Christmas gift-giving a budget boost.

By the way, we're only going to post the offers on the site a day before the event each month. So, if yo u want advance notice about what the merchants are offering, sign up for the Weekend Planner and you'll get the CRAZY DAZE (and other monthly offers) several days in advance.

Here are the dates: 
CRAZY DAZE - Thursday, Sept. 16 - Saturday, Sept. 18
3rd Friday Arts Festival - Friday, Sept. 17 - Saturday, Sept 18

June's CRAZY DAZE was an instant hit with shoppers. There's a whole new crop of special offers for July's CRAZY DAZE coming up July 15-17. To get advance notice of what the offers will be, sign up for the Weekend Planner.  CRAZY DAZE will be the featured item every month, along with other Guest Pass offers available to subscribers, including special packages at our historic B&Bs.

CRAZY DAZE will be held every month in conjunction with the 3rd Friday Arts Festival.  “3rd Friday” runs from 10:00am-6:00pm on Friday, and 10:00am-5:00pm on Saturday, and is held in and around the Depot. 

The Arts Festival showcases various artists and their creative talents.   Painting, photography, printmaking, music, dance, performance, fiber arts, and hand-crafted ceramics, sculpture and jewelry are welcome to the Festival.  Registration is required, but no vendor fees are being charged to participants.  This is a free event sponsored by the Cultural Arts District, headed by Sandy Page.

This month, the Winnsboro Shopping Cart Drill Team will be collecting recyclables, some of which will be used by students in the Green Art workshop at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts on July 16th.  An “Open House” displaying the art will be held at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts on July 24th.  

Watch the Drill Team's routine Friday at 2pm at the Depot and 5:30 pm on Market Street.

This week, you can pick up blue recycling bags at Art & Espresso. The recycling truck will be at the Depot from 11am-3pm on Friday.



 

By now you've probably heard all about the Winnsboro Merchants Shopping Cart Drill Team, which had its debut last month during 3rd Friday.

The video of the choreographed routine is still on Art & Espresso's facebook page.

This month the Drill Team will be performing at the Depot, Saturday at 2:00 pm and on Market Street at 5:30 pm.

In addition to having a lot of fun, the Drill Team will be collecting donations for the Winnsboro Community Resource Center/Centralized Food Pantry.  Expect to see them on Main Street gathering the donated food on Friday (not Saturday as previously reported).

According to Gus Gustafson, the Team will walk their loaded carts over to the Resource Center at 115 W. Broadway.

Non-perishable items are needed at the new Food Pantry:

• Canned juice
• Peanut butter/jellies
• Bread items
• Staples
• Mixed veggies
• Newborn baby cereals, etc.

You can bring your donation to either performance or drop it off at Art & Espresso ahead of time.

This is a wonderful way to have fun and help benefit local families.

Have a heart. Help fill a cart.

This is the first CRAZY DAYS event and it is HOT! HOT! HOT! 

Some merchants are selling select products at cost.  Others have some giveaways or other fun surprises.  Winnsboro has a very compact downtown, so it’s easy to stroll from one participating merchant to another.  CRAZY DAZE runs from Thursday-Saturday, June 17-19.

3^rd Friday means there will be artists selling their pieces from their booths outside the historic Depot.  You never know whether there will be paintings, sculpture, jewelry or performance art.  3^rd Friday is on Friday and Saturday.

Some of the merchants have gotten together and created something that is part performance art and part CRAZY DAZE to add some zip to the event.  It’s called the Winnsboro Merchants Shopping Cart Drill Team.  And it’s hilarious fun to watch.  There’s a video on the Art & Espresso facebook page.

Winnsboro Center for the Arts typically ties in with a special art-related event as well.

While the women indulge in a shopping frenzy, the men can relax at Art and Espresso, the coffee shop that’s the social center of downtown.  Or they can settle into the cool of Brewbaker’s Pub where they can watch televised sports.  There are also great Ribs and BBQ at CiboBQ for lunch.  Plan to have dinner at Double C Steakhouse or Cibo Vino Italian Restaurant.

3^rd Friday and CRAZE DAZE is planned as a monthly event year-round.  If you sign up for the free Weekend Planner at the site, you will also receive the monthly mailing that details the CRAZY DAZE offers.

I warned you that our merchants will get a little nuts when it comes to creating some fun downtown. And now I have proof positive in the video Stephen Marshall shot which is posted at facebook on several personal pages! 

Follow the link and see if you can keep from smiling!

The merchants participating included Art and Espresso, CopperLeaf Spa, The Leaves apartments, Jeb Sales, and Brewbaker's Restaurant and Pub.

And yes, they'll be back again for the monthly 3rd Friday Art Festival Event, June 18-19 as part of the Crazy Daze promotion.  (Crazy Daze will be Thursday-Saturday.)