ROANOKE, Va. – On Monday afternoon, residents of the Roanoke community got together in the Market Square to celebrate Dr. Pepper Day.
Because of Roanoke’s historical significance in the production of soft drinks, Mayor Sherman Lea designated October 24 as a holiday for the city. People were encouraged to drink Dr Pepper soda at ten, two, and four in the afternoon as part of a marketing push, which is where the date got its start.
Roanoke was the location of Virginia’s first Dr Pepper bottling facility, which opened in 1936. Between the years 1957 and 1959, the people of Roanoke drank the most Dr Pepper per capita of any city in the world.
The president of Dr Pepper Park at the Bridges provided an explanation of how people commemorate Roanoke’s heritage using the well-known drink.
“We have a lot of people that have traveled here, they know it’s just a one-day thing to celebrate Dr Pepper Day and so many people collect Dr Pepper memorabilia,” Waynette Anderson said. “You can get a one-of-a-kind shirt and add that to your collection.”
Those that stayed in line were eligible to get free Dr Pepper, t-shirts, and other goodies.
Even now, Roanoke is one of the top 10 cities in the United States with the greatest consumption of Dr Pepper per resident.
