With the holidays quickly approaching, Winchester’s downtown merchants are gearing up for days’ worth of special events.

Thursday evening is the start of the Holiday Hop, a four-day event formerly known as the holiday open house.

“We gave it a snazzy new name,” Main Street Winchester Executive Director Rachel Alexander said. “It’s the big kickoff in downtown for holiday shopping.”

Nearly 20 businesses will participate in some fashion through Sunday afternoon, she said.

“Some of them will be doing raffles and other fun things to make the shopping experience a little more fun and more personal,” she said. Other businesses will be doing giveaways and specials too, she said.

Participating businesses will be open until 7 p.m. today, 6 p.m. Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1-4 p.m. Sunday.

Downtown restaurants will all be open this weekend, she said. “The Wizard of Oz” also opens at the Leeds Center for the Arts Friday, and there will be a Second Thursday program at the Bluegrass Heritage Museum tonight, she said.

In addition to the Hop, downtown businesses are also starting Shop Late Thursdays. Participating businesses will be open until 7 p.m. each Thursday through Dec. 15, she said. The program could be a solution to complaints that it’s hard for people to get downtown after work before the shops close, she said.

“We’re going to see how it goes,” Alexander said. “We’re going to make it easier for folks to get downtown and visit their favorite shops.”

For more information about events in downtown Winchester, visit www.downtownwinchesterky.org.

Contact Fred at fred.petke@winchestersun.com.