2009 Irmo Okra Strut Festival in Irmo, South Carolina
Friday, September 25, 2009 6 PM – 11 PM ● Saturday, September 26, 2009 10 AM – 5 PM
It all began in 1973 as a fundraiser for the Lake Murray-Irmo Woman’s Club. The goal was to build a brand new library for the Irmo community. Local radio personality, the late Gene McKay, had the idea of naming the fundraiser the “Okra Strut” when he, jokingly, described the “ancient Irmese” as “a farming tribe who lived off okra!” In October of that year, the Woman’s Club had a modest arts & crafts sale inside Seven Oaks Park.
The Okra Strut has grown with an estimated attendance of 50-70,000 festival-goers from surrounding
communities and states. The festival is presented by Lexington Medical Center, First Citizens, and
Budweiser of Columbia and is held in the Irmo Village Shopping Center in the heart of Irmo.
A recipient of numerous awards, the Okra Strut was featured as one of “ten great places to celebrate food” in USA Today along side of the Maine Lobster Festival and the Monterrey Bay Strawberry Festival.
The Friday Night Street Dance from 6-11 PM will feature beach music favorites The Fabulous Kays and The
Band of Oz. The legendary Okra Eating Contest will feature local public safety officers and festival guests
eating and competing to win this most prestigious title! Join Irmo’s largest SIMON SAYS game held Friday
night along with amusements, games, and plenty of festival food.
Saturday, September 26 events kick-off at 9:00 am with the First Citizens Okra Strut Parade. With morethan 100 units, the State’s largest festival parade will proceed down St. Andrews Road from Crossroads Middle School to Lake Murray Boulevard. The festival hours are 10 AM to 5 PM with staged entertainment; arts, crafts and exhibits; Okryland kids area with amusements, crafts for kids, Okrafitti Street; portraits with Okra Man, and much more! The festival boasts an array of food from traditional festival fare to the famous“fried okra” deliciously seasoned by The Lake Murray-Irmo Woman’s Club!
New on Saturday is the Okra Strut Cornhole Championship where teams from across the state test their skills at this game that’s quickly gaining popularity in the Midlands.
Special events for the 36th anniversary Okra Strut include Friday night’s Simon Says, okra eating contests both Friday and Saturday, Saturday’s Cornhole Tournament, a fresh vegetable market with the featured vegetable – okra,“guess the pods” contest, among others. The Great Okra Giveaway returns with cash and prizes from area merchants awarded Saturday at 11, 1, 3, and 5 with a grand prize giveaway at 5 pm.
For festival information, contact the festival office at (803) 781-6122, e-mail jimtwitty1@sc.rr.com or visit the festival website. And please thank our sponsors.
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This event has really grown over the years for sure. I haven't been in a while, so I may try to check it out this year.