ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke is celebrating soda in style this Oct. 24 — recognizing the annual Dr Pepper Day.
Dr Pepper is a staple in Roanoke and Southwest Virginia, dating back to when Dr. Charles Pepper opened Dr Pepper’s Drug Store in Rural Retreat in the late 1800s.
A man from Christiansburg worked at the store and eventually went to Texas where he began selling the drink, Dr Pepper, named after his old boss in Virginia.
Then in 1936, Virginia’s first Dr Pepper bottling plant was opened on McClanahan Street in Roanoke — and to this day, Roanokers have some of the highest Dr Pepper consumption rates in the U.S.
Now, Oct. 24 is celebrated as Dr Pepper Day.
“The slogan was ‘Grab a bite to drink at 10, 2 and 4′, so they had done studies that showed that our energy levels drop during the day, so to just keep you going, have a bite to drink at 10, 2 and 4,” President of Dr Pepper Park at the Bridges Waynette Anderson said.
From 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, the annual Dr Pepper Day event will be held in Downtown Roanoke where there will be free shirts, and of course, free Dr Pepper.