OXFORD – By this time, it is difficult to imagine downtown Oxford without the 6 on the Square – despite the fact that it’s only been five years since the first music and art lovers walked through its doors.

Since that time, everyone from acoustic singer-songwriters to electric five-piece bands have stepped on the stage, introducing dozens of genres to eager crowds.

One of those singer-songwriters, Vance Gilbert, returned to the 6OTS stage for the third time on Saturday to help a crowd of 68 (which practically filled the venue/art gallery) celebrate the five-year anniversary of the quickly-developing local landmark.

“Vance has been coming down around this time for three years to help us celebrate and think back on how far we’ve come in the last year, or five,” said 6OTS Manager Nancy Morey. “People like his very sharp wit and the way he throws incidents from his life into the two sets.”

Morey explained that he “keeps the audience caught up on what’s going on in his life” including his neighbors and his boat. She said the crowd loved feeling like “they were a part of his life and he, theirs.”