The city of Walterboro celebrates the 50th annual Rice Festival
COLLENTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD)–The 50th annual Colleton County rice festival is happening in downtown Walterboro. The weeklong event is expected to bring in thousands of people from across the Lowcountry to enjoy food and fun.
The festival's core takes place Friday and Saturday, and attendees told News 2 they feel the energy and excitement of the family-friendly event.
'I love how people get together to learn more about each other and have that interaction between each other and enjoy everyone's company and spirit,' said Rene Sime, a visitor.
Nearly 20,000 visitors will stroll down South Memorial Avenue and visit the hundreds of vendors by the end of Sunday, eating delicious food, browsing jewelry and clothing, riding attractions, and even enjoying face painting.
Officials added raffles and lounge areas for all ages to enjoy this year. One vendor told News 2 that it had always been her dream to share special treats with her community.
'I always wanted to come out. I came out last year not as a vendor, but I always wanted to come here to be a vendor, so I'm thankful I got the opportunity to come out this year,' said Shakema Simmons,' owner of Kema Cookies and Creations LLC.
Along with the many vendors that count on visitors to invest in their businesses at the festival. One local high school band says support from the festival is vital because every dollar received from the event goes towards the students who may not be able to participate in activities because of financial hardships.
'We're raising funds to help fund the high school band throughout the year, specifically for the marching season for winter and garden season that we just finished. These funds all go back to the kids to help them with the yearly expenses,' said Shelby Padgett, affiliate with the Colleton County High School Band of Blue.
News 2 reached out to the board of the Rice Festival to comment on what they hope attendees take from the event, and they gave us a statement saying
'We take pride in our community, and we do this to bring everyone together. And to shine a positive light on Walterboro, we want to ensure we can bring family and friends together to celebrate in a fun, safe atmosphere.'
The festival is open from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. this weekend, and on Saturday, attendees will enjoy a parade and fireworks show. People of all ages are welcome to attend.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Yahoo
Stormy weather leads to outdoor stage suspensions, delays at CMA Fest
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Severe weather is rolling through Middle Tennessee Friday, including Nashville, where thousands of people have gathered for CMA Fest. A Tornado Watch is currently in effect for parts of Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky until 8 p.m. on Friday, June 6. While Davidson County is not covered by the watch, the area is still experiencing rainy weather. Severe storms possible through the weekend The Country Music Association announced on social media platform X at 3:08 p.m. that all outdoor daytime stages and nighttime performances at the Hard Rock Stage are suspended for the rest of the day. Attendees were urged to take shelter immediately or head to Fan Fair X inside Music City Center to enjoy more music. In addition, organizers said the opening of the gates at Nissan Stadium and Ascend Amphitheater will be delayed at least 90 minutes due to incoming storms. WATCH: Severe weather plan for CMA Fest 2025 The weather team for CMA Fest tracks any lightning activity within an 8-mile radius of the event, so if a strike happens within that zone, the festivities pause for 30 minutes, according to officials. CMA plans to provide another update on the festival by 5 p.m. Don't forget to take the power and reliability of the WKRN Weather Authority with you at all times by downloading the News 2 Storm Tracker app. 📲 Download the News 2 app to stay updated on the go.📧 Sign up for WKRN email alerts to have breaking news sent to your inbox.💻 for Nashville, TN and all of Middle Tennessee. This is a developing story. WKRN News 2 will continue to update this article as new information becomes available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hypebeast
2 days ago
- Hypebeast
Burberry's Festival Campaign Features a Star-Studded Lineup
Burberryhas introduced a special Festival campaign to ring in SS25, enlisting a lineup of familiar British talents across different generations and genres to represent the country's vibrant live music culture. The London-based luxury house led byDaniel Leebrings the likes ofLiam Gallagherof Oasis, DJ and producerGoldie,Alexa Chung, Korean singerSeungmin, and more together in the special editorial sporting Burberry's signature motifs and weather-ready staples. Carrying forth 90s sensibilities with the heavy presence of its recognisable tartan and mod-inspired silhouettes, campaign headliners like Goldie and Liam Gallagher evoke the eclectic era where genres like Jungle and Britpop made their mark on global culture. To represent the next generation Gallagher's children, Jean, Lennon, and Molly Moorish-Gallagher, join their father, who wears his very own Burberry parka byChristopher Baileyfrom SS18 — a teaser of the limited reissue hitting stores and online later in July. The Gallagher children wear numbers featuring packable capes and hooded jackets in tartan and solid colours. Other talents include Loyle Carner, Chy Cartier, John Glacier, and English modelCara Delevingne— many of whom wear tank tops, polo shirts, and bikinis drenched in Burberry's check wear and wearing all-weather Marsh rubber boots on their feet. New Highland handbags are shown in jacquard-woven Burberry Check with a water-resistant finish for unpredictable British weather. Elsewhere, the curved crossbody bags and quilted Horseshoe styles draw inspiration from rainwear while maintaining an elegant appeal. See the gallery above for a closer look at the high-energy campaign.
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Elgin Pride Parade & Festival organizers expecting big crowd for Saturday's downtown festivities
The Elgin Pride Parade & Festival returns for a third year with plans to be bigger, louder and prouder than ever before, organizers say. Events start at 11 a.m. Saturday with the parade in downtown Elgin followed by a party in Festival Park, both organized by ELGbtq+ and the city of Elgin. They've added another 10 units to the parade lineup, bringing the total to 60, when it steps off at Prairie Street and Grove Avenue, according to Travis Hooker, president of the ELGbtq+ Board. The goal is to embrace and show off the city by creating positive, inclusive events open to the entire community, he said. 'One of our big things is to bring recognition to Elgin, specifically our downtown,' Hooker said. With Saturday's weather forecast looking good — temperatures are expected to be in the 70s and the chance for rain low — ELGbtq+ is expecting a turnout of about 4,500 people, building on the 4,000 who came out it their inaugural year, he said. Last year, rain kept event attendance down to about 2,000, he said. New parade participants include Walmart/Sam's Club, Footprints in Recovery, Marshmallow Moon Sound Bath Salon and the National Alliance on Mental Illness Fox Valley, a newly formed chapter in northern Kane County, Hooker said. And there are a lot of groups returning, including Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gay (PFLAG), the Girl Scouts, and numerous Elgin churches and organizations. The festival will feature 14 food trucks, 70 vendors and live music, with the headlining act being 'Crocodile Rockstar' Beazley Phillips, an Elton John impersonator. Because it wants to be inclusive to all, the festival will have a specially designed sensory-safe area for those in the autism spectrum, Hooker said. The official afterparty will feature an appearance by Orion Story, a contestant on season 14 of 'RuPaul's Drag Race,' at the Martini Room in downtown Elgin. Other performers will include Gina D'Licious, Sativa Diamond and Mark Love. National Pride Month events have been experiencing a decrease in corporate support, but that's not the case in Elgin, where Walmart has signed on to be a sponsor, Hooker said. There's been a lot of fear because of changes coming out of Washington, but those actions have 'helped galvanize the community' here, said Hooker, senior partner with CDO Executives. His firm trains police officers and government agencies on how to better interact with diverse and marginalized communities. 'They've found the fire to rally behind something,' he said. 'I see more interest and involvement now. We have lost some corporate sponsors but the community has come together.' Hooker said he believes the increased support shows that not everything has to be based on 'far left or far right' viewpoints. While issues like transgender athletes can divide communities, including the trans community, most people are somewhere in the middle and support basic human rights, he said.
