On December 24, 1886, the stagecoach stop affectionately named “Fountain Inn” formerly was founded as a City in the state of South Carolina. 

For the last 138 years, our community has kept Christmas close to its heart. In times of prosperity, need, triumph, and grief - Fountain Inn celebrates Christmas unlike any other community because it’s a part of who we are.

Christmas in Fountain Inn is special. It’s not just the horse-drawn carriage rides around town, it’s not just seeing the man himself, Santa Claus, around town, it’s more than the shopping and dining along our streets, and it’s more than a lit tree in the heart of our Main Street. Christ-mas here is about each other.

Christmas in Fountain Inn is about the experience families, neighbors, and friends share on those carriage rides. It’s the joy that comes with sharing a meal or a gift with your loved ones. It’s the peaceful walk around the block reflecting on the many gifts we’ve already been given by our Savior.

I like to think what continues to make our community special was a seed planted by the Lord 138 years ago, when neighbors got together on Christmas Eve to formally create this community, forever encapsulating the Christmas spirit in Fountain Inn.

My message this year is the same as always - may each of us continue to be like the shepherds in the greatest story ever told; may we never stop searching for the good in this world and the good in each other. 

I hope you all have a Merry Christ-mas, right here in Fountain Inn.●