Inaugural Gator Fest roars to life in Lake Waccamaw

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Lake Waccamaw hosts its first-ever Gator Fest this Saturday, featuring a 5K run, family fun run, street fair, live music, and a kid’s foam party.

Lake Stocks, a member of the Gator Fest Planning Committee, spoke about what attendees can expect from the event.

“We are gonna start the day out with a 5K run, and that’ll be at 8:30, and then we’re gonna do a family fun run immediately following that for those that don’t wanna commit to a 5k,” Stocks said. “And then at 10:00 we’ll start our festival street fair and we’ll have lots of craft vendors and food trucks and things like that throughout the day. There’ll be live music on the stage.”

Stocks emphasized the importance of alligator preservation and protection, stating that the Gator Fest is a way to raise awareness of the reptiles’ role in the local ecosystem.

“In Lake Waccamaw, they’re so prevalent,” she said. “We have had kind of an explosion in population of alligators over the past probably 10 years. And we really encourage people not to feed the alligators and things like that.”

The event also includes a foam party for kids and a beer garden for adults.

To participate in the 5K or family fun run, those interested can register on the festival’s website.