BRANCHVILLE, S.C. — Branchville is loading up passengers for its 52nd annual 'Raylrode Daze Festivul.'
"Back in the day, we used to have 40 to 50 thousand people on these streets," said Blaine Heffelfinger, Raylrode Daze Festivul's President. "After the parade, it's elbow room only."
The town puts on the event during the last full weekend of September. Branchville canceled its staple festival in 2020 due to COVID. Now, vendors and residents say they're excited for it to return.
"Fiske Fries have been here about forty-something years," said Lynn Buck, Fiske Fries' Co-Manager. "My uncle used to do it, and I would help him on the weekends. When he quit, I took over."
Fiske Fries' co-managers, Lynn and Darline Buck, say many vendors like them rely on festivals and fairs to go on because it's the mainstay of their income.
"All these festivals bring in our income," explained Lynn Buck.
"The same people help us every year," said Darline Buck. "If they don't come around, they don't have a job during the week we're out here."
Transportation isn't about just getting from Point A to Point B. The Raylrode Daze Festivul gives visitors a chance to be transported back in time.
"We've been doing this for a long time," explained Hefflelfinger. "We've had people come and go. We've had loved ones comes and go. It means a lot to me because I can keep it going and pass it to my kids."
"My fondest memory of the festival is coming to town during the opening ceremony with my grandparents," said Tommy Jennings, Branchville Resident.
Tommy Jennings is a resident and Branchville historian. He says the purpose of Raylrode Daze is for the town to showcase the world's oldest railroad junction.
"To replace the stagecoach, the South Carolina Railroad Company purchased some land leading from Charleston to Hamberg," Jennings explained. "In 1838, they completed the track-laying operation from Branchville to Orangeburg, making us the oldest railroad junction in the world."
The Branchville historian says businesses and patrons depended on the railroad for goods and employment opportunities. The last passenger train that came through Branchville was in the late 60s.
"Raylrode Daze was started in 1969," said Jennings. "It was started as a means to keep Branchville alive. "When the last passenger train cut off here, the town began to wither. Local businesses around got together and decided they needed to do something to keep it alive."
"It's just Highway 21 and 78 here," Heffelfinger said. "What would give visitors a reason to come if it wasn't for the festival. We're getting a couple of new stores in town, but the festival is about the fellowship."