4/10/08
Are you ready to ‘Catch the Excitement’?
Clarendon’s 29th Striped Bass Festival starts April 19
By Cathy Gilbert

Submitted Photo

What kid doesn’t love a Ferris wheel? Carnival rides will be a new addition to this year’s Striped Bass Festival.

For the 29th year, Clarendon County will welcome thousands of visitors and citizens alike to what is guaranteed to be two full weeks of family fun and entertainment. A project of the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce and local businesses, it is Clarendon County’s chance to say “welcome ya’ll” with sporting events, parades, entertainment and just plain fun.

Clarendon is robed in her finest springtime beauty as all is in bloom. Festival participants have lots to look forward to with both traditional events and some new excitement thrown in. Get out your calendars, because you are surely going to want to carve out some time for all the festivities.

Activities kick off on April 12 and 13, with the traditional Striped Bass Men’s Four Ball Golf Tournament. Held at the lovely Shannon Greens GolfClub, duffers of all abilities will want to get out their clubs and enjoy this two-day event. Call the golf course at 435-8752 for more details and to sign up.

Not to ignore the ladies, Clarendon County’s most beautiful women of all ages will compete on April 19 for the title of Miss Striped Bass. The pageant will be held at the Manning Jr. High School Gymnasium beginning at 5 p.m. for the little girls and again at 8 p.m. for the older girls. Pre-registration is required and applications are available at the Chamber of Commerce. For more information, contact pageant director, Cheryl Spering at 435-4824.

The next weekend is when all the big fun starts. You really don’t want to plan anything for the weekend of April 25-27.

One of the most anticipated events and a traditional part of the Festival’s kickoff is the Lions Club Fish Fry on Friday, April 25. Bring your appetite for a delicious dinner of fried fish and all the trimmings. Held at the Billie S. Fleming Dining Facility at Manning Elementary School, the good eats start at 4:30 p.m.

Save a little room, because the Grand Opening Ceremonies start at 6 p.m. Friday on the streets surrounding the Courthouse Square. From food vendors to Elvis, there is something for everyone.

New this year will be exciting carnival rides from 6 to 10 p.m. Kids and kids-at-heart will scream with delight at the Ferris wheel, giant fun slide, a carousel, train ride and more.

Manning Times File Photo

It’s all about the aim! The 2008 Striped Bass Festival will again feature the Third Ever SBF Corn Hole Tournament. This “bean bag toss for grown-ups” is a nationally sanctioned sport. Call the Chamber at 435-4405 for more details or to register your two-person team.

“We are excited to bring this new feature to the Striped Bass Festival,” said Festival Chairman Cleve Dowell. “I don’t know many children who don’t love the fair-style rides and we are sure they will be a big hit.”

The rides will be available at the Judicial Center parking lot, located at the corner of Keitt and Mill Streets. Traditional fair-style food vendors will also be available Friday night on the streets surrounding the Courthouse. What’s a festival without a funnel cake, a sausage dog or freshly squeezed lemonade? All this and more will be on hand to whet your festival-inspired appetite.

“Elvis,” in the form of one of Clarendon County Council’s best-known leaders, will take the stage Friday night at 7 p.m. at the new Amphitheater at Keitt and Boundary Streets. Be sure to bring your “hunka-hunka-burning love” as this is one spectacle you won’t want to miss.

And if your toes are still tapping when “Elvis” has left the building, stick around for a free concert from The O’Kaysions at 8 p.m. One of South Carolina’s most well known bands, they are famous for their 1968 hit, “I’m a Girl Watcher.” The O’Kaysion’s three vocalists and hot band will dazzle a wide range of audiences with versatile selections from beach music to Top 40 favorites and from Motown to country.

After the concert, keep your seat for a fireworks display that is second to none. You will “ooh and aah” at this terrific finale to the fabulous grand opening of Clarendon’s best block party.

Get a good night’s sleep because Saturday’s events start early with the regal Lions Club members and their Pancake Breakfast. Festival-goers need their energy and what a great way to start! Served at Manning Elementary School’s Billie S. Fleming Dining Facility, the flapjacks will be ready at 7 and will be served until 9:30 a.m.

Walk off that hearty breakfast by strolling downtown for one of the best parades in the South! Complete with beauty queens, local and state dignitaries, marching bands and those Shriners in their crazy cars, the parade starts at 10 a.m. at the Old Georgetown and North Brooks Street intersection and winds its way downtown to its end at Boyce and Boundary Streets.

After the parade, the festival shifts into its highest gear as the Courthouse Square and its surrounding streets come alive with activity. Don’t forget to don your official “Striped Bass Festival uniform” with a beautiful SBF t-shirt. They are available now at the Chamber of Commerce and come in a broad range of sizes for kids and adults.

The carnival rides will roar into action again, along with the Mountain Challenge Rock Wall. These activities will begin at 11 a.m. and go on until 4 p.m.

Bring your early Christmas shopping list because the Craft Show and Sale on Keitt Street will feature tons of unique artistic items you will not be able to pass up. Creative vendors from across the state will be on hand to share their wares.

There will be non-stop entertainment at the Judicial Center from 1 to 4 p.m. and will feature the David Floyd Band, as well as a live radio broadcast by Miller Communications.

Looking for something with a little more sizzle? Take in the Manning-Summerton Rotary Truck Pull out on Strickland Road between Manning and Davis Station. It will be man and machine versus nature as competitors attempt to drag massive amounts of weight across a finish line. There will be food, drink, t-shirts and music at this exciting event.

If the roar of the engines doesn’t call you in, take in the “Clarendon Collects” museum exhibit at 4 South Brooks Street (the old home of The Manning Times). Our lush history will come alive in pictures and artifacts with exhibits about some of our most notable events over the last 150 years.

Saturday is a day filled with activities. Also going on are the Children’s Art Show at the Manning Fire Department and the Striped Bass Festival Boat Show at the corner of Keitt and Brooks Street. There will also be a Fire and Rescue Display at the same time. Take an up close and personal look at the EMS and fire vehicles. From Clarendon’s most talented kids to that fantasy yacht you always dreamed about, you won’t want to miss a single thing!

Wrap up a great festival Big Saturday with the Third Ever Bass Festival Corn Hole Tournament at 7 p.m. This “bean bag toss” for grown ups is sure to bring lots of laughs as two-person teams show their aim and toss abilities … or not. The place is still to be determined, so call the Chamber at 435-4405 for all the late-breaking details.

Another fabulous festival will draw to a close with two final events on Sunday, April 27.

The traditional Striped Bass Festival Poker Run will kick off at 10:30 a.m. at the John C. Land Landing. Boaters, motorcycles, jet-skis and classic and antique cars, as well as the family sedan or SUV are invited to take a leisurely tour along the shore of beautiful Lake Marion. Competitors must visit each of seven boat landings and collect a playing card. The competitor (regardless of vehicle) with the best poker hand wins a $200 cash prize and there’s a $100 second prize too. All entries will be eligible for thousands of dollars in door prizes donated by local companies and individuals. There will be food, beverages and music at the John Land Landing as well as a judging of motorcycles and classic and antique cars. This event is sponsored by the Goat Island Boat Club. To enter, contact Club President Joe Campbell at 478-7146 or Ronnie Duncan at 478-6769.

Bring your lawn chair to the Amphitheater one more time for Sunday’s concert to wrap up all the festivities. Area dance studios, live music and more will be available at the Keitt Street location.

Whew … can you believe so much will be held in so few days. This event is something everyone looks forward to each year and brings visitors to our county from across the state. Stake out your favorite spot now and set your itinerary for fantastic festival fun.

See you there!