The city had an extremely successful October, welcoming Gov. Sonny Perdue to cut the ribbon on our mega ramp project, followed by three bass tournaments that totaled more than 450 boats and created an estimated economic impact of more than $2 million.

With the assistance of American Bass Anglers, the Bainbridge Convention and Visitors Bureau also hosted Bainbridge’s first BBQ Cookoff and Festival, which was a big success. Thank you to everyone who came out to support the cookoff and to support all of the anglers who were in town. Some of them stayed for two or three weeks straight to fish multiple tournaments, and many of them commented on the great hospitality they were greeted with while in town.

November starts a very busy holiday season in Bainbridge!

This Saturday, Nov. 6, marks the last Downtown Market of the year. The Market will be open in Willis Park from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.

The city will also be holding its first Mayors’ Christmas Motorcade Rummage Sale on Nov. 6 from 7 a.m. to 12 noon in the Kwilecki Building (the old Fixture Exchange) next to City Hall. The money raised from the Rummage Sale will go toward buying Christmas gifts for patients at Southwestern State Hospital. Mayors’ Christmas Motorcade is an annual event sponsored by GMA that the City of Bainbridge supports.

On Tuesday, Nov. 9, the City of Bainbridge will host a brainstorming session to discuss ideas for things for youth to do in the area. This meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. at Potter Street Community Center, and is open to anyone who would like to attend.

We are also getting ready for Holiday Open House. This is the official kick off for all of the City’s holiday activities. Holiday Open House is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 21, from 1 to 5 p.m. Most of the downtown merchants will be open and offering great sales to kick off the holiday shopping season. There will also be a drawing for a gift basket with goodies in it from the participating merchants.

Don’t forget to purchase this year’s Bainbridge ornament, which features Oak City Cemetery. Mary Barber Cox will be in Willis Park during the day to sign ornaments. Individual ornaments cost $8 or you can buy the entire set of Bainbridge Christmas Ornaments for $160.

City Offices will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 25, and Friday, Nov. 26, for the Thanksgiving holidays. Offices will resume normal business hours on Monday, Nov. 29. Residential trash pick up will not be affected by the holiday, so follow your normal schedule for this.

The city has many events scheduled for December as well. Be sure to mark your calendars for these upcoming dates and be on the lookout for more information about them: Christmas on the River, Dec. 2 at 6 p.m.; Christmas Parade, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m.; and Christmas on the Square, Dec. 16 at 5 p.m. Applications for floats in the Christmas Parade are now online at the City’s Web site, or you can pick one up from City Hall. The deadline to enter a float in the parade in Monday, Nov. 29.

For more information on any of the events listed above, be sure to visit the City’s Web site, www.bainbridgecity.com, or our blog, www.bainbridgecity.blogspot.com. You can also find information on cable Channel 17 or our facebook page. Happy Holidays!