This weekend offers three local events for shoppers to get a head start on their Christmas shopping and find unique, one-of-a kind items.

On Saturday, St. John’s Episcopal Church is holding its Country Store from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be handmade arts and crafts, Christmas ornaments and decorations and an assortment of homemade cakes, pies, soups, breads, and more. The women of the church will be offering coffee, cocoa, donuts and muffins to sustain the shoppers.

Saturday is also the opening date for the annual Bizaare Bazaar. It will be held at the Firehouse Center and Gallery, featuring “creative gifts from imaginative eclectics.”

Local artists and crafts persons will be showing their handmade and vintage products from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Decatur County Council for the Arts.

On Sunday, check out Downtown Bainbridge’s annual Holiday Open House from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Many of the local merchants on the square and beyond will be open to assist customers in making early selections.

Willis Park will be the center of activity as local artist Mary Barber Cox will be present to personally sign the 2012 community Christmas ornament featuring her drawing of historic Walker Drug Store.

A new event this year is the Ball Drop planned for 2 p.m. Hundreds of miniature Christmas footballs, containing discounts and coupons from local merchants, will be dropped into Willis Park.