FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – The Grateful Dog Festival in Florence has become a big attraction for families and their pets.
Despite the heat more than three thousand people came out to Southern Hops Saturday afternoon to raise money for three local humane societies in the Pee Dee.
Each year bands from across the state play tribute to “The Grateful Dead”.
The Grateful Dog festival started as a birthday celebration for Jerry Garcia, lead singer of grateful dead who died in 1995 at the age of 53 years-old.
Over time the event turned into a festival to benefit local area humane societies.
Bands participating will cover all genres of music including Blues, Bluegrass and R&B.
Event coordinator Sam Rogers says similarly Garcia also covered many different types of music genres.
Rogers says R&B, soul, gospel and jam were some of Garcia’s favorites. He says since the festival began…it has raised nearly forty thousand dollars for animals looking for a forever home.
“Each year it grows tremendously, it’s what everybody calls the labor of love. It’s not a job, we work on it probably eight months out of the year but it’s not a job,” said event coordinator Sam Rogers.
It’s something we love doing. We met so many people doing it and we helped so many people doing it and animals doing it
All of the money raised will benefit the Marlboro, Darlington and Florence County Humane Societies.
