CAMDEN, S.C. — Some rain didn’t stop thousands from gathering in Kershaw County today for the annual Carolina Cup race Saturday. The event drew people from all over the state to watch the horses and tailgate.
The excitement was palpable coming from Micheal Caughman on Saturday afternoon as he and his family traveled from Chapin to Camden to watch the Carolina cup. He says the yearly event is an opportunity to meet new people while celebrating with family.
“I enjoy it my family enjoys it we come out here and have a good time and watch the horses and party,” he said.
He was joined by tens of thousands who flocked to the Carolina cup racetrack. The day started off with sun but by early afternoon thunderstorms had rolled through, putting a delay on races, however, it did not put a delay on anyone’s festivities.
Anna-Kathryne Burch gathered with her coworkers, friends, and their families to tailgate and watch. She says rain or shine they were going to have a good time.
“Today it’s not a factor, we got underneath the tents. We’re having a good time now that the rain is done and hopefully is gone for the rest of the day and we’re gonna have a good time," she said.
Despite all the fun, the executive director of the Carolina Cup Association, Tony Edwards, said it takes a year of hard work to put together the six-race event. He said the rain doesn’t mean an end to the races either.
"It’ll change the condition of the racecourse a little bit. That will benefit some horses and not others. Some horses like the ground to be a little firmer and others as they call it, they use the term 'a mudder,'” he added.
According to Kershaw County Sheriff Lee Boan, law enforcement puts in a lot of effort to keep the event safe too.
"We bring a lot of different agencies to come out here," Sheriff Boan said. "Camden Police Department they kinda control the events and we just kind of come out here and then add extra support for them"
All of this fun and all of this work just means another opportunity to showcase all the county has to offer, according to Kaitlyn Guinn, the Kershaw County Council chairwoman.
"I love that it draws people to Kershaw county because they go through Camden and they get off the interstate, they go through Lugoff, they go through Elgin and they get to see our beautiful county and they get to see other things in our country too," Guinn said.
