Once again, the city of Vicksburg served as a magnet for people from other areas of Mississippi and our neighboring states to come visit, enjoy our hospitality and see the city from another point of view.

The sixth annual Bricks and Spokes event early Saturday drew 209 riders to our city for the opportunity to cross the Mississippi River and look at the countryside in Warren County. The cars parked at the BancorpSouth parking lot sported tags from different counties in Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida. One couple from Attala County said the came to the event just to ride in through the country side, which they said reminded them of rolling hills of their native Tennessee. Another couple said the draw was crossing the Mississippi. Some of the riders spent the night before the race here, spending money at our stores and restaurants.

Across town, the 33rd Annual Old Court House Museum Flea Market and the annual Downtown Fall Festival and Vicksburg Farmers’ Market drew several thousand people to look at crafts from vendors not only from Vicksburg, but from other areas of the state. Food booths featured wares from local church and civic groups, and around noon did a volume business as hungry shoppers and tourists lined up for food.

At the farmers’ market, eight vendors, which market manager Sonny Hale said was a better than average attendance, people were able to get fresh produce and dairy products and jams and jellies. There was entertainment for the children with bounce houses and slides and an obstacle course.

Many of the people who visited the flea market and the festival said they were out to enjoy cool temperatures and to see what items were offered.

Main Street executive director Kim Hopkins said there was spillover from Bricks and Spokes to the other events, adding some of the wives of cyclists participating in the event went shopping at the flea market and the festival.

The success of all three events is a tribute to the event organizers and the local residents who came out and supported them, and is once again an indication of what the city has to offer in the way of events not just during the spring and summer months, but during the year.

Saturday’s events are the kickoff of a series of events in the city that will include the 27th Annual Over the River Run Oct. 10, the Downtown Christmas Parade and the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation Holly Days, both in December, and the Chill in the Hills run in January.

The standard complaint from many in the city is there is nothing to do. With the fall and winter months now coming into focus, it’s time to mark the calendars and make plans to get out and support the city and the organizations that sponsor and fund them. They do a lot and their events make the city what it is.