By Dannie Cooper, 2013
Columbia’s 22nd Scuppernong River Festival was something to behold. From Route 64, Columbia looked sleepy, and perhaps on an average day, most people would just drive past and not look back. However, on the day of the festival, there were cars packed everywhere. I walked down one of the festival streets, enticed by the dozens of food stands and trucks. The smell of barbecue, tacos, and funnel cakes filled the air.
As I made my way down the street, I found the information tent, where I met Rhett White, who has been the county manager for nine years. White was kind enough to talk to me about the history of the Festival. Twenty-two years ago, J.D. Brickhouse, the county administrator; Carlisle Harrell, the town manager; and Francis Voliva, the 1st woman in the U.S. to be director of the county extension office, decided to host a festival centered around Columbus Day for the town of Columbia and the county. The festival was named “Scuppernong” after the river the town sits beside, as well as after the Scuppernong grape that the local vineyard grows. The town & county hosted festival picked up about seven to ten years ago, and has been a huge event ever since.
On festival day, the small town of 871 residents turns out a surprising crowd of nearly 8,000 people. White says that a lot of the attendees are returning town members or family of town members. He described it as “a big family reunion.” He also noted that many of the vendors are from the county, but, since the festival has grown, they’ve gotten some vendors from outside the county and even outside the state.
The growth of the festival becomes obvious as you walk around. The festival features a parade, local music, a helicopter tour, kid’s rides, and a Civil War era ship replica – the Ram Albemarel. White proudly stated that the Elizabeth II used to come as well. The festival also featured three streets of various vendors, ranging from local craftsmen, including a wreath-maker and a blacksmith, to food-related salesmen, including a barbeque rubs seller and a local beekeeper.
The atmosphere of the festival was warm and fun. People stopped to talk to one another, and vendors would called out to their friends as they passed. The Methodist and Baptist churches in Columbia passed out free water bottles throughout the festival with smiles. Everyone I talked to was friendly, and I was even called ‘dear’ and ‘sweetheart’ a few times. I could see that White was right about one thing: it did feel like a family reunion. “The Festival is about celebrating the river, the grape, the culture, and the community,” White said. After experiencing it for myself, I have to agree.