Okra Strut Festival Starts Friday

The time for okra, dancing, games, music and prizes is almost here. 

The 38th Annual Okra Strut Festival, a two-day event celebrating the green and sometimes slimy vegetable, starts Friday with a street dance from 6 to 11 p.m.

The festival, which is being held at Irmo Village Shopping Center on St. Andrews Road, is free to the public.

This year’s festival will feature a new attraction, a mechanical bull, said Susan Hoots, one of the festival’s organizers.

Festival staples such as rides, a petting zoo, arts and crafts, and food will entertain the 50,000 to 60,000 people estimated to attend the Okra Strut over two days.

On Friday, music from Coastal Breeze and The O'kaysions will keep attendees on their feet. Coastal Breeze is scheduled to perform at 7 p.m., while The O’kaysions are set to perform after an okra-eating contest.  

The annual parade starts at 9 a.m. Saturday at and ends at Lake Murray Boulevard.

Road Closures

For the next two days, some streets in the area will be closed.

Irmo Police Chief Brian Buck said St. Andrews Road between Thames Valley and Shoppers Walk Shopping Center, and Thames Valley from St. Andrews Road to Friarsgate Boulevard would be closed from 11 a.m. Friday until 6 p.m. Saturday. 

From 8:50 a.m. until noon on Saturday, St. Andrews Road from CrossRoads Middle School to Shoppers Walk Shopping Center also will be closed.