PICKENS COUNTY — The 19th annual Blue Ridge Fest will be held May 6 at the Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative’s headquarters in Pickens.
Proceeds will benefit 12 different non-profit organizations in Greenville, Anderson, Oconee and Pickens counties.
Blue Ridge Fest’s classic car cruise-in event is the largest in the Upstate, featuring more than 500 classic cars annually, along with a Beach Night concert and dancing. In 2015, Blue Ridge Fest attracted more than 6,000 attendees from across the Southeast and raised a total of $185,000.
“Blue Ridge Fest celebrated its most successful event to date last year, which brought our fundraising total to more than $2 million raised over the last 18 years,” said Charles Dalton, president and CEO of Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative. “This is a huge milestone for our dedicated employee volunteers who work tirelessly year after year to put on this family festival to support all of the organizations that help many in need in our community.”
The charities that will receive funds in 2016 include Cancer Association of Anderson, Collins Children’s Home & Ministries, Center for Developmental Services, Dot’s Kitchen, Emerson Rose Heart Foundation, Feed A Hungry Child, Foothills Alliance, North Greenville Food Crisis Ministry, Rosa Clark Medical Center, Samaritan Health Clinic of Pickens County, The Dream Center of Pickens County, and Wilderness Way Camp School.
Beneficiaries are selected by the Blue Ridge Fest planning committee, comprised of Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative and Blue Ridge Security Solutions employees, who receive almost a hundred submissions from local non-profit organizations each year.
Blue Ridge Fest will be held from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative’s outdoor facility at 734 W. Main St. in Pickens. Admission is $20 in advance or $25 at the gate. Children ages 7-12 are admitted for $12 in advance or $15 at the gate, while those ages six or younger are admitted free.
Attendees arriving in a classic car (1979 or older) with up to four people will be admitted for $30. For classic cars, line-up begins at 2 p.m. Gates open at 3 p.m.
Visit www.blueridge.coop/blueridgefest or call 800-240-3400 for more information.
Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative Inc., established in 1940, is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric distribution utility that services more than 63,000 customers in the Upstate of South Carolina.
The cooperative supplies electric service in Anderson, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens, and Spartanburg counties. Blue Ridge started operations with 1,680 members inherited from the South Carolina Rural Electrification Authority, which was formed over 75 years ago with the specific task of electrifying the state’s rural areas.
