The Woodstock Convention and Visitors Bureau Authority's first walking tour of Woodstock's Historic Olde Towne went off without a hitch - or a fall - or the guide fainting or being hit by a car or train. I was the guide, and this tour was my briar patch.

Nine people had signed up on our Facebook site, and four of them actually showed up. The rains held off, as did the sun. It was a pleasant morning, and the time chosen was between the morning rush and lunch rush traffic. I had done some extra research in case there were surprise questions and was pleased that the walkers seemed to have done the same. The perfect students, they had done their homework ahead of time. Kyle Bennett at the Visitors Center asks a history trivia question on our Facebook page weekly, and responses there indicate that many of our citizens are interested in our city's history and heritage.

The walk was fun. We started at the City Park whose history is long and filled with events and people that define the city's heart and soul. We left there to go north to the old Woodstock Elementary School campus, now Chattahoochee Tech, then across Main and Rope Mill to go south past historic homes, churches, and businesses. We made only one major stop - at Dean's Store where Kyle had cold water and old-fashioned Cokes for us.

We made our way past the businesses that once comprised the entire business district and as we approached the end of the Main Street portion of our tour, I realized there was something different at Twin Cedars Plaza, a group of shops on the site of what was once the Woodstock Community House.

That building was constructed by the Woodstock Garden Club in 1961 and the old building may still be hidden somewhere in the midst of partitions and doors. The two cedar trees near the sidewalk gave the area its name, but time and the elements took their toll, and one of the trees was taken down recently. The remaining tree stands tall beneath the sign that reads Twin Cedars Plaza.

The driveway is shared with neighboring Linden, a shop that defies description. Owner Laurie Prentice was outside "playing in the dirt" amidst a front yard filled with all manner of plants and flowers and gardening implements, living up to her reputation as a true lover of nature.

We noticed an arrangement of six logs which seemed to beckon us to be seated, and was told by Laurie that they were the remains of the felled cedar tree. No doubt she'll find a special use for them. Her project on the day of our visit was another tree, the huge oak which has been there, taken for granted, for decades. I almost hesitate to try to describe it. The tree seems to be Siamese twins. It is one trunk, though misshapen, separating into two separate trees about eight or 10 feet up. The root system at the base of the tree has become a Fairy Village. A miniature sign announces "FAIRIES WELCOME."

Where the tree inches up from the ground, Laurie has carpeted sections with Irish moss and other mosses. Rocks of all sizes and shapes have been placed strategically throughout. Tiny ladders made from twigs provide stairways for fairies to reach handmade clay huts nestled in the tree's bark and crevices. Tiny windows in the huts bear evidence of the X Marks the Spot Buried Treasure from the Booth's back yard which yields bits of colorful pottery and shards of clear and colorful glass.

At one spot a colorful, clay Taj Mahal rests in a nook in the tree. An Enchanted Fairy Garden holds a tiny tin wheelbarrow and watering can and bucket. A swing put together from twigs suggests playtime for fairies. Handmade clay mushrooms and turtles are scattered throughout, an appropriate setting for clay gnomes that appear to be the guardians of the estate. Laurie has chopped up small tree branches to fashion fairy-size tables. Mistletoe and acorns and a border of pine straw set it all apart.

A sign across a little pathway announces SLOW: FAIRY CROSSING. The sections are divided by fences constructed from twigs and tiny logs. Laurie says it's all a safe haven for the fairies, an escape from squirrels and cats and other bothersome creatures.

It is a very real Fairyland, enough to take us back to the days when we were true believers. To its creator, it is "Whimsical Fun." Just what we needed as our tour wound down, a little whimsy.

We were inspired to come back to Linden and investigate the container and bird bath gardens that we glimpsed in the background. Inside the house Laurie's talent as a designer is evident in the French and English antiques and European florals for sale. Her shop's charm reflects her many talents. But for this one day, she was the perfect ambassador for the Oak Tree Fairies.

I look forward to the next Walking Tour. Perhaps there will be surprises yet again. Woodstock is one surprise after another, even in its history.

Juanita Hughes is the retired manager of the Woodstock Public Library.