Horses, mules and wagons filled downtown Winnsboro on Friday, Oct. 16, for the annual Autumn Trails parade and trail ride. The Trail Riders Welcome Parade included roughly 40 wagons pulled by teams of horses and mules, along with more than 100 horseback riders. The parade went down Main Street and through the Bowery district before reaching Winnsboro City Park.
Participants camped in more than 100 campsites at the park Friday and Saturday nights. On Saturday, a community breakfast of sausage, pancakes, coffee and juice began the day. Riders set out on the 17-mile route around Lake Winnsboro and through the surrounding countryside by 10 a.m. The ride took about five to six hours before returning to City Park.
The event dates to October 1958, when a small group of local riders went on an informal ride through the piney woods to see the fall colors. That outing later led to the formation of the Winnsboro Autumn Trails Association, which has continued the tradition for nearly 70 years.