Big weekend at Flowertown

SUMMERVILLE — A little mud — OK, make that a lot of mud — isn't expected to slow down the Flowertown Festival, but those who tramp through Azalea Park today might want to wear boots.

The festival opens this morning, despite heavy rains that left the park a soggy mess Thursday afternoon, with more rain expected throughout the night.

The Flowertown Festival is the Lowcountry's biggest annual event, in terms of attendance, with an estimated 200,000 people jamming the park and Main Street every year, bringing an estimated $23 million into the local economy.

As the first major event of the spring, packaged in the same weekend as the Cooper River Bridge Run, it's an annual barometer of the upcoming tourist season.

Elaine Cope of Barnwell has been selling her silk floral wreaths in the park for 20 years. Covered in a black poncho, she ignored the rain Thursday afternoon as she set up her tent amid a bunch of brilliant pink azalea blooms.

"Summerville has always been a very good show." she said. "People come out in the rain. It's amazing. I guess you all are just geared up that this is the big event. A lot of shows you see advertised for so many thousands of people, and you get there and go, 'Where are they?' Here you know where they are. You just look out on the street."

The festival raises money for the Summerville YMCA. Organizers were optimistic about the crowds but uncertain about spending.

"I think there will be the same crowd," YMCA Marketing Director Liz Graham said. "They may not be buying as much. I think they'll still eat as much, but they may not buy as much crafts."

Parks Director Mike Hinson said soggy grass has never stopped the crowds in the nearly 30 years he's been there. He will have a crew on hand to deal with the worst spots throughout the weekend.

The town tried putting down hay, pine straw and sand in the past, but none of those plans worked out well, he said. The mud is just one of the handicaps of having a major festival in the lowest spot in town, he said.

On the other hand, a lot of people come to the festival for the food, and those booths are along the streets where it's drier.

The National Weather Service was predicting that the rain would clear up by today.

MORE INFO

See The Post and Courier's Preview section for more information on the Flowertown festival.