Horses, mules and wagons filled the streets of downtown Winnsboro Friday afternoon as the annual Autumn Trails parade and trail ride brought participants and spectators together for a weekend of activities.

The wagons ranged from traditional covered wagons with canvas tops to modern, custom-built rigs designed for long-distance riding. Teams of mules and draft horses, including Percherons, pulled many of the wagons along the route.

Festivities began Friday afternoon, Oct. 16, under cool, breezy skies. The annual Trail Riders Welcome Parade featured roughly 40 wagons pulled by teams of horses and mules, along with more  than 100 horseback riders of all ages.

The parade traveled down Main Street and through the Bowery shopping and entertainment district before heading to Winnsboro City Park.

Participants and their animals settled into more than 100 campsites at the park, where they stayed Friday and Saturday nights. Saturday morning began with a community breakfast of sausage, pancakes, coffee and juice.

After breakfast, riders tended to their animals and prepared for the day’s ride. By 10 a.m., wagons and riders were ready to hit the trail.

The 17-mile route took participants around Lake Winnsboro and through the surrounding countryside. The ride lasted approximately five to six hours before returning to City Park.

The annual tradition dates to October 1958, when a small group of local riders gathered for an informal ride through the piney woods to enjoy the changing fall foliage.

The outing eventually led to the formation of the Winnsboro Autumn Trails Association, which has continued the tradition for nearly 70 years.