Five Things: Okra Strut, Games and a Band Competition

This weekend is filled with many activities. Here are just a few highlights.

1. The 38^th Annual Irmo Okra Strut Festival, Friday and Saturday

The 38^th Annual Okra Strut Festival, a two-day event celebrating the green veggie, starts Friday with a street dance from 6 to 11 p.m. The festival, which is being held at the Irmo Village Shopping Center on St. Andrews Road, is free to the public. The street dance will feature music from Coastal Breeze and The O’Kaysions. On Saturday, the First Citizens Parade begins at 9 a.m.  Following the parade, those in attendance can enjoy arts and crafts, rides, and food. Lexington Medical Center sponsored this year’s festival.

2. Chapin, Dutch Fork and schools’ football games, All games start at 7:30 p.m. Friday

Chapin High will play Mid-Carolina at home; Dutch Fork High plays Lexington High in Lexington; and Irmo High plays Aiken at home. Tthere will be a Stingfest Celebration at 5 p.m. at Irmo High School.

3. The Bands of Irmo hosts the Palmetto Espirit de Corps Invitational Band Competition, 2 to 10 p.m. Saturday

The Bands of Irmo will host the Palmetto Espirit de Corps Invitational Band Competition from 2 to 10 p.m. Saturday at Irmo High School. Bands from all over the state will compete at the school’s W.C. Hawkins Stadium. The competition is presented by the U.S. Marine Corps.

4. Chick-fil-A at Ballentine’s First Anniversary Party, 12 p.m. Friday

The Chick-fil-A at Ballentine will celebrate its first anniversary with a party open to the public at 12 p.m. Friday. Friday also is Kid Cow’s birthday. The anniversary party will include bounce houses, a birthday cake, ice cream, games, prizes, and of course chicken. Chick-fil-A at Ballentine is located at 1007 Dutch Fork Rd., Irmo.

5. An Evening with Arthur Phillips and the S.C. Shakespeare Company, 7 p.m. Saturday

hosts novelist Arthur Phillips and the S.C. Shakespeare Company for a discussion and reading of The Most Excellent and Tragical Historie of Arthur, King of Britain. The event is free to the public, but donations can be made to the Nature’s Theatre Capital Campaign.