A Halloween surprise that's not scary

After greeting a few trick-or-treaters last night, my wife and I headed downtown to discover a new Halloween surprise, but not a scary one — a reassuring, promising one. On the Night of the Dead, downtown was alive!

At the Arts Council of Wilson's Arts Center, a Whirligig Festival preview party was under way. Although we arrived late, near the tail end of the party, dozens of exhibitors and friends were wandering through the gallery, admiring the Wilson Woodcarvers' exhibit and munching on goodies from JAC's Grill.

Not content to eat supper off the hors d'oeuvre table, we walked across the Barnes Street Parking Lot, across the street and into Torero's, where a good crowd was enjoying the food, libations and live music. We shared a generous-size plate and a couple of drafts and marveled at the steady stream of patrons coming and going. Among them were families leading children in their trick-or-treat costumes and young revelers out for an evening a bit quieter than what they'd find in Chapel Hill or Greenville.

But downtown was clearly alive. Give people a destination, and folks will come downtown in the evening. Parking was more than ample. The Barnes Street lot, which is free in the evening, the Centre Brick lot, just behind Torero's, and street parking provided more than enough spaces for all the folks at the preview party, Torero's and other businesses. The crowd at the Mexican-themed restaurant was as diverse as you'll find anywhere in Wilson. There were the Hispanics you would expect but also a lot of whites and blacks. And a good time was had by all.

This, likely, is the future of Wilson. Downtown is being rediscovered. Jeff and Cindy Darwin have taken the bold leap of opening Torero's, and their success, which was clearly evident last night, will inspire others.