The
Okra Strut was
created in 1973 as a
fundraiser for the
Lake Murray-Irmo
Woman’s Club in
order to build a new
library. Local
radio personality,
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.
Today,
this 30 year-old
festival has grown
to an attendance of
60-100,000
festival-goers from
surrounding
communities and
states. This year,
festival planners
are excited about
moving to a new
location, the Irmo
Village Shopping
Center in downtown
Irmo. This improved
location will
provide new
opportunities as we
expect to have our
largest attendance
ever.
At noon on Friday,
the festivities kick
off with the Okra
Strut Charity Golf
Tournament,
sponsored by the St.
Andrews Kiwanis
Club. This
four-person
Captain’s Choice
tournament will be
held at Coldstream
Golf Club. The
Friday Night Street
Dance is always a
huge hit & draws
music lovers from
all over the area.
If you love beach
music, you’ll enjoy
The Fantastic
Shakers and
The Men of
Distinction, who
will play from 6-11
pm. Midway through
the night, the Okra
Eating Contest will
begin where law
enforcement officers
compete for this
most prestigious
title!
Saturday events
begin early with the
“Dam Run to Irmo,”
beginning at 7:30
am, and sponsored by
the Rotary Club of
St. Andrews. This
10k run crosses over
the Lake Murray
dam. At 8:00 am,
area cyclists will
compete in the 7th
Annual Carolina
Cyclers Fall Century
Ride for all ages
and all skill
levels.
At 9:30 am, the
Okra Strut parade,
with around 100
units, will proceed
down St. Andrews
Road
from Irmo High
School to Lake
Murray Blvd. The
festival site will
open at 10 AM. For
food lovers, there
will be all kinds of
food from corndogs,
cotton candy & ice
cream to cappuccino
& local restaurant
delicacies. To get
into the spirit, you
must try the famous
“fried okra”
deliciously seasoned
by The Lake
Murray-Irmo Woman’s
Club! There will be
all kinds of
entertainment, arts
& crafts exhibits,
non-profit and
business exhibits,
amusements & games,
dunkin booth, kids’
okra-eating contest,
puppet shows,
portraits with “Okra
Man,” and much, much
more. A trolley
system,
free-of-charge, will
transport
festival-goers to
and from distant
parking lots. Two
trolleys will run a
continuous circle on
Friday night and all
day Saturday.
If you plan to
attend and want to
spend the night,
there are many
hotels in the Irmo
area. For a list of
hotels, please
contact the Irmo
Chamber of Commerce
at (803) 749-9355 or
visit their website
at
www.irmochamber.com.
After a full day of
food and fun, the
festival will close
at 4:00 pm. If you
have any questions,
you can call our
office at (803)
781-6122 or visit
the festival website
at
www.theokrastrut.com
Want to see more of
the fun and
excitement?
View The 2004 Okra
Strut Gallery
For more
information,
contact: Town of Irmo P.O. Box 406 Irmo, SC 29063 Phone: (803) 781-7050 Fax: (803) 749-2743 |
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