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Hi again - when I found out about the open invitation for a free Christmas dinner at Tinney Chapel, I asked Joe Dan Boyd to write a guest blog. As always, he captures the essence of the event perfectly. Anita

If you are alone on this Christmas Day, December 25, perhaps your family is out of town, or for whatever reason, you have nowhere else to go for a home-cooked meal and old-time friendly fellowship, please drive two miles south of Winnsboro on FM 312, then turn east on County Road 4620 for one-fourth mile, to Tinney Chapel—the quintessential country church, twice voted best in rural ministry by the North Texas Methodist Conference.

There, at 449 CR 4620, from 2 pm to 4 pm, expect a full-course meal from the ladies of Tinney Chapel, followed by the kind of coffee and conversation that reminds us all of flaming fireplaces, red-nosed reindeer, lamps in windows, hosannas in the highest, memories in a manger scene and ultimately the Reason for the Season.

For most of us, Christmas is one of the two most memorable meals of the year, ranking right up there with Thanksgiving turkey and crimson cranberries.

My Grandma Tinney, who helped raise me after I was orphaned at a young age, was no society type hostess, but she loved people, and always expected both family and friends to fill her rambling farmhouse for each year’s Big Dinner on Christmas Day. No invitation required: Just show up for the open latch, the larder, the ladle, the lamb and, of course, the love!

My Grandma Tinney introduced me to Tinney Chapel as an infant, and if she were still alive, and could be with us these days, she’d still want a crowd: our church’s 8,000-sq. ft. family life center would strain at the seams! I’d be grateful if all of you could have known her and the richness of having “company all over”—people drawn together by a single warm personality.

The next best thing might be today’s Tinney Chapel Folks, all of whom are steeped in the same rural roots and agrarian appreciation that made Grandma Tinney so special. Visitors to our church always say they have never been made to feel more at home than here at this 109-year-old monument to frontier Texas hospitality.

Please remember to be our guest on Christmas Day, December 25, for an unforgettable experience--and absolutely free!

Get all the details here.

Thanks to Stephen Marshall who sent more pics. shot by Mike Proctor. He also shot the photo of the actual ribbon cutting in the previous post, in The Winnsboro News this week and also on WinnsboroToday.com.

Mike is in Winnsboro working at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital - www.TexasHealth.org - on temporary assignment from North Carolina to help develop the new Senior Care Unit.

Here you see the usual casual chit chat among friends and business owners before the meeting started.

Cheryl Ford (left), the Mayor (center) and I check to see just how long the ribbon is. Normally the ribbon stretches across the door of a business. We had to compen- sate for having only a virtual door to the site - the home page.

This was shot from the front of Crossroads back toward the "back porch" stage, which is hidden by the screen. I gave a virtual tour of the site via my laptop and wifi connections borrowed from Mary Smith's gallery next door.

Yesterday made the launch all official-like. We were surprised at the number of people who showed up at our little "do" which Stephen Marshall graciously hosted at Crossroads.

We were glad to see board members from the Winnsboro Economic Development Corp. on hand - Joe Dan Coe, Pat Patrick, Gayle Gearner, Ronny Knight and Mayor Carolyn Jones. Without the WEDC, this project would not have made it online.

Most of the Main Street board was on hand, although two board members were unable to come due to schedule conflicts and one was busy getting ready for the dinner rush hour over at Double C Steakhouse.

Lynn Adler and Lindy Hearne - better known as just Adler and Hearne - had just arrived back from their summer tour.

In a bit of serendipity, they were on hand as the group gathered for the ribbon cutting watched the music video Stephen had created for the site using their song as the soundtrack.

As the one who championed the idea of a visitor friendly site that would also serve as information central for the local population, it was my privilege to give the guests a tour of the site.

We projected the site from my laptop to the new screen recently installed at the Crossroads for film nights.

Afterwards, we did the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon.

In the photo below, left to right:

Cheryl Ford, president of Main Street;

Shane Shepard, our incredibly resourceful Main Street/Community Development Director;

board member Phyllis Martin, who heads up the Promotion Committee;

Anita Williams, that's me, with the laptop displaying the home page;

Mayor Carolyn Jones, the hardest working mayor in East Texas I reckon;

Mary Smith, owner of the Winnsboro Gallery;

and Larry Wright, president of the Winnsboro Chamber of Commerce.

If I can beg or borrow a couple more pictures from those who had cameras in hand, I'll post them here.

The new city-wide web site is live. If you’re visiting the site in early August, 2009, you’re among the first to see the result.

A site of this scope is fairly uncommon for a town the size of Winnsboro.

However, this area is a weekend getaway haven for fisherpersons, music lovers, artists, and over-stressed city folk who need some fresh air and a little time to unkink their brains.

What you see on the site today is only the beginning. We will be adding businesses and attractions as we move forward to make it even more interesting.

Plus, we’ll be reporting on events on the blog. My name is Anita Williams and I'm the editor of the site.

However, you will also see posts from local guest bloggers to give you the inside scoop on the area, events, culture and lifestyle of Winnsboro.

If you’re a visitor or someone scouting for a place to retire, we make it easy to keep up with music concerts and other events.

When I was a weekend resident myself, we routinely learned about fun events about a week too late.

If you sign up for your complimentary Guest Pass, that won’t ever be a problem for you. You'll get the information you need in time to make plans.

Better yet, you’ll receive special offers from local businesses to make each visit a little more fun and more economical.

It’s just our way of letting you know the welcome mat is always out for you.

So take a quick spin around the site. Sign up for your Guest Pass. Come on out and put your feet up. We’ll be waiting for you.