LANCASTER, S.C. (WBTV) - More than 25,000 people were expected for the 18th annual Red Rose Festival in the city of Lancaster over the weekend.Organizers believed it was a chance for the city to show off all that it has to offer.“I want them, when they leave here, to say, ‘OK, I’m coming back next month because Lancaster blew it out,’” said Lisa Roddey, the city’s events and promotions manager.Roddey says she’s organized a lot of events for the city of Lancaster, but the Red Rose...
LANCASTER, S.C. (WBTV) - More than 25,000 people were expected for the 18th annual Red Rose Festival in the city of Lancaster over the weekend.
Organizers believed it was a chance for the city to show off all that it has to offer.
“I want them, when they leave here, to say, ‘OK, I’m coming back next month because Lancaster blew it out,’” said Lisa Roddey, the city’s events and promotions manager.
Roddey says she’s organized a lot of events for the city of Lancaster, but the Red Rose Festival is one of the biggest. She’s been organizing it for the last three years and says it’s still growing.
“This year I’ve had to expand even just the total footprint of it,” Roddey said. “We’re going from Chesterfield Avenue to Meeting Street which is the largest we’ve had.”
The festival features live music, around 125 vendors, open shops, food and drinks. Roddey says it was important to have something for everyone. “We want you to bring your children, our grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and bring grandma. Get grandma out of the house.”
Roddey explains that she knows this city has had some concerns with young people and violence, but she wants this festival to bring the community together. She says she’s working with law enforcement to make sure everyone stays safe.
“We feel like we have everything in place to be able to make sure you have a fun and safe time. That you won’t have to worry about anything and if anything starts, we shut it down,” Roddey said.
The two-day festival stared on Friday and will run through Saturday night. As Roddey works to make this festival more unique each year, she knows this is a major boost for the city’s economy. She says she hopes it gives people a reason to come back.
“I want them to want to come back to our town and say, ‘You know what I didn’t get to see this part. I didn’t get to try that restaurant, I didn’t get to try that beer.’ Have them come back and see what else we have,” Roddey said.
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