Driving through Atmore Sunday afternoon, I couldn’t help but notice there were a few remnants of the 24th edition of Williams Station Day still on Pensacola Avenue.

Once I made the turn from Highway 31, I smiled because the scene reminded me what a great event it was to experience.

This was my first Williams Station Day, and it’s one I’ll keep with me.

Having not moved to Atmore yet, I’m commuting from Fairhope daily, so I had to get up extra early Saturday morning to get here in time for the opening ceremony.

By the time I heard my alarm go off at around 7 a.m., I shot out of bed, took a shower, said hello to the folks and with coffee in hand, drove my daily commute to the city that would change its name for one day to Williams Station.

Mayor Jim Staff and others got the day going with a fun opening ceremony, which helped set the tone for the rest of my day.

Growing up in Fairhope, we had — and still do — an arts and crafts festival mid March every year. At the arts and crafts festival, vendors would line the streets downtown hoping to sell their crafts to visitors. The festival draws thousands of people each year.

Williams Station Day reminded me of the same festival as the whole of Pensacola Avenue was lined with vendors selling everything from wooden toy guns to coffee mugs. It should be noted that the event organizers did an outstanding job. I know it took a lot of work and stress to put this together.

The weather was near perfect and included a lot of clouds and some warm temperatures, which was odd to see this time of year. But, I guess it’s because we live in the heart of south Alabama.

What I’ll cherish from my first experience at WSD is being able to watch others take part in the festival.

There wasn’t a frown on a face, unless you count the kids crying because their parents wouldn’t buy them a toy gun or let them take a ride on a pony.

Did I mention the crowd of people?

At times, there was barely enough room to walk the street and get a look at some of the vendors’ art.

I was glad to see that because a lot of people got the chance to see Atmore, and what this community is all about.

So, here’s to next year’s festival, which will celebrate its quadranscentennial.

I’m sure I’ll be adding more great memories by the time the next edition comes around next year.