Blue Ridge Fest Raises $171k For Charities

The yearly Blue Ridge Fest charity fund-raiser, conducted on May 11, produced record net proceeds. Those dollars have since been distributed to the 13 local human-assistance agencies funded by the 2012 event.

According to festival organizers, the combination Beach Night show and dance and classic-car cruise-in attracted more than 5,000 attendees. The crowd was regaled with musical entertainment provided by soul singer Ben E. King, 1960’s teen idol Jimmy Clanton, and Carolinas favorites Jim Quick and Coastline. In addition, a total of 533 collectable vehicles participated in the cruise-in.

Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative President and CEO Charles Dalton observed that there were three key ingredients that contributed to the festival’s success. “First of all, we had unbelievable participation by nearly 100 corporate sponsors, led by our three Presenting Sponsors: Allied Tree Service, Quality Inspection Services, and Sluder Urban Forestry. Secondly, thousands of area residents purchased admission tickets and then came and enjoyed what proved to be a fun Friday evening. Finally, dedicated employees from both the co-op and Blue Ridge Security Systems volunteered their time and energy to conduct the fest. These factors aligned themselves, and the end result was a record-breaking Blue Ridge Fest.”

That record sum was $171,000. The 13 charitable organizations that shared in those proceeds included the following: Anderson Interfaith Ministries, Helping Hands of Clemson, Meals on Wheels – Pickens, Meals on Wheels- Anderson, Harvest Hope Food Bank, Oconee A.I.D. Association, Sabrina House Children's Charity, Samaritan Health Clinic of Pickens County, United Christian Ministries, Mountain Lakes Access Health, Oconee Presbyterian Service Fund, Safe Harbor, SHARE.

Since its inception in 1998, Blue Ridge Fest has donated more than $1.4 million to area human-help agencies. The 2013 Beach Night/Cruise-in has been scheduled for Friday, May 13.