So, what do you have planned for Saturday, Oct. 1?

If you live anywhere around Vicksburg and Warren County, there is a very good chance you will be in or around downtown Vicksburg.

With the annual Bricks and Spokes bike ride, the Old Court House Flea Market and the start of the Vicksburg Farmers Market all scheduled for that first Saturday, that first day, of October, Vicksburg will be hopping.

But, there is something unique about Oct. 1.

These events, most notably the Flea Market, are icons in Vicksburg.

Each in their own right draws hundreds of visitors, but combined, thousands of people will converge on our city, looking for some great exercise and competition in the bike ride, Bricks and Spokes, or a great deal at the flea market and farmers market.

And, combined with the already great stores and eateries along Vicksburg’s downtown, this Saturday is one you could easily spend an entire downtown seeking out great deals and finding great food.

As busy as summer in Vicksburg felt, with great events like Ritz on the River and others, fall is really a time of the year when Vicksburg comes alive, when the red carpet of our Red Carpet reputation shines a little more.

Although this is a date not to miss, downtown Vicksburg is an area not to miss on any given weekend this fall season. And, for those of us who live here and tend to forget just how special a place downtown Vicksburg truly is, we need to get downtown and again remind ourselves just how great of an experience it can be and how important it is to shop local.