Days are getting shorter and there’s atouch of autumn in the mornings and evenings. The seasonal weatheroffered a perfect counterpoint to a heaping handful of events indowntown Brookhaven this past week.

      Last weekend’s Ole Brook Festivalkicked things off in style. This year’s fest was larger than in thepast, according to Chamber of Commerce executive vice presidentCliff Brumfield.

      Running the festival requires thework of around 65 volunteers, who deserve a pat on the back for ajob well done.

      For two days during the festival,downtown becomes the literal hub of the community. “It gets peopledowntown from the surrounding area that may not get here thatoften,” Brumfield said.

      The chamber is planning anotheroutdoor event next month to bring people downtown, this time tohonor our veterans and current service men and women.

      The new event, set for VeteransDay, which this year will be on Friday and have the unique date of11/11/11, is planned for Railroad Park downtown.

      The gathering will be reminiscentof the June Tunes in the Park held earlier in the year, Brumfieldsaid. Musical entertainment is planned, along with a militaryspeaker and a display of vehicles from the local National Guardunit. Everyone will be encouraged to bring sack lunches and stay toenjoy the festivities.

      Like the Ole Brook Festival, theVeterans Day event cannot occur without community involvement.”This is not just a Chamber of Commerce event, we want it to be acommunity event,” Brumfield said, urging people to call him at thechamber and share their thoughts on the best ways to honor areaveterans.

      Rounding out this past week’sdowntown events were a Brookhaven Little Theatre open house at TheHaven, an art show and reception sponsored by the Lincoln CountyArt Council at the library and the dedication of a Blues Trailmarker at the new train station.

      Appropriately, Tuesday’s markerdedication ceremony featured live blues music. Ben Payton ofJackson brought his acoustic guitar and set up on the stationplatform and performed until the speaking started.

      Little Brother Montgomery, unlikemost Bluesmen of his day, played the piano instead of the guitar,however. Born in Louisiana, Montgomery moved to the Norfieldcommunity of Lincoln County with his family in the 1920s.

      In those days, Norfield was thesecond largest city in Lincoln County, but in 1931, the DenkmannLumber Co. packed up and moved to Canton, and the town witheredaway.

      Among those on hand for Tuesday’sevent was Julius Summers, 89, a Norfield resident who was born inLincoln County but moved away for many years. He said the communitypost office and general store lingered for a while after the lumbercompany left, but there’s only “a shell” of things left now torecall the community’s glory days.

      The Blues Trail marker was placedby the new train station because there is an association betweenBlues music and trains, but unfortunately, it’s not in the mostlikely place for local people to see it.

      So take a walk down to the trainstation at the end of North Railroad Avenue and check out thecity’s latest historical marker. The weather’s perfect for it.

    General Manager Rachel Eide can be reached at The DAILY LEADERAT (601) 833-6961 ext. 153; by e-mail at reide@dailyleader.com; orvia mail at P.O. Box 551, Brookhaven, MS 39602-0551.