I’ve never had a meat pie, though I’m hoping to change that on Saturday.

The annual fall flea market, hosted by the Old Courthouse Museum, is Saturday, this year in conjunction with Vicksburg’s 23rd annual Fall Festival.

I’ll be among the several thousand visitors making their way to downtown Vicksburg for the event.

Members of Christ Episcopal Church will be there, along with about 100 or so other vendors expected at the flea market. They will be selling their meat pies. I’m told I need to get there early as the popular pies typically sell out. Duly noted.

Fall is becoming my favorite time of year, and why not? What’s not to like? After a sweltering summer, the thought of cooler weather, which means Mississippians can venture outside without passing out, just sounds so good.

I hope the touch of fall temps we enjoyed this weekend hang around through next weekend’s flea market and fall festival. Hoping not to jinx it, the 10-day forecast for Vicksburg shows we may be in luck — sunny skies, high of 87 with only a 10 percent chance of rain. Here’s hoping that holds.

Last year’s fall flea market drew about 4,000 visitors downtown. Vendors will be there offering everything from craft items like homemade bird houses, wooden toys and baskets to stained glass and homemade jams and preserves.

Prospective vendors still have time to sign up. Bubba Bolm, the museum’s curator and director, said applications for booth space would be taken through Friday. If interested, give him a call at 601-636-0741. Booth space for arts and crafts is $60. Food vendors pay $70.

The flea market will open at 8 a.m. and continue to 4 p.m. Fall festival events downtown begin at 10 a.m. and will continue until 5 p.m. The festival has planned live entertainment throughout the day, as well as abundant children’s activities, a petting zoo and sidewalk sales by downtown merchants.

Mark your calendars, too, for another October event in Vicksburg. King Solomon Baptist Church’s Family Empowerment Weekend kicks off Thursday, Oct. 19, with a service featuring the Rev. Fred Luter Jr. at the church at 180 Oak Ridge Road.

Luter, who is pastor of the Franklin Avenue Church in New Orleans, is the former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, the first African American to hold that position in what is an organization made up of mostly white pastors and churches.

I’m interested in what Luter has to say about current happenings in our country. He’s known for his bold stances, said the Rev. R.D. Bernard, King Solomon’s pastor.

King Solomon Baptist began its Family Empowerment Weekend as a way to focus on young families and offer them support.

“Broken and otherwise damaged families or unhealthy families lead to broken and unhealthy communities. We have to invest in our families, so we’re really looking at parenting and the raising of children because there’s no more important job than parenting,” Bernard said.

I think that’s a statement on which we can all agree and offer support.

Jan Griffey is general manager of The Vicksburg Post. You may email her at jan.griffey@vicksburgpost.com.