Dr. PepperRoanoke is celebrating this coming Saturday as “Dr. Pepper Day”, and it starts with a free event Friday from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm  at Market Square, one featuring Dr. Pepper and t-shirt handouts while supplies last. Roanokers have consistently ranked among the highest per capita consumer of Dr. Pepper for decades, and of course, there is the iconic downtown rooftop sign.

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Roanoke Celebrates “10-24” as Dr Pepper Day

Free community event to be held the day before

Roanoke – October 19, 2015 –“Drink a Bite to Eat at 10, 2 and 4” was a legendary slogan used for decades to remind Dr Pepper fans to enjoy their favorite “pick me up” at three intervals during the day when research showed human energy to lag. Now Roanoke is celebrating “10-24” as “Dr Pepper Day” with a free downtown event Friday, Oct. 23 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The event will feature free product and t-shirts while supplies last. City Councilman Dave Trinkle will present Dr Pepper with the official declaration at 11:30 a.m. in West Market Square, Downtown Roanoke.

Visitors and the general public are encouraged to text DRPEPPERDAY to 737737 from today through Oct. 24, 2015 for a chance to win tickets to the 2015 Dr Pepper ACC Championship Game in Charlotte and other prizes*.

The original Dr. Charles T. Pepper opened Dr. Pepper’s Drug Store in Rural Retreat in the late 1800s. A young man from Christiansburg named Wade Morrison worked at the drug store and eventually left Rural Retreat for Waco, Texas. There he and his partner opened a drug store of their own and began selling a new drink Texans could not get enough of.  They named the drink Dr Pepper after Morrison’s old boss in Virginia.

In 1936 Bill Davis opened Virginia’s first Dr Pepper Bottling plant on McClanahan St. in Roanoke. Roanokers consumed more Dr Pepper per capita than any other place on earth from 1957 to 1959 and again in 1961! To this day, Roanoke has among highest per capita consumption rates in the US.

Dr Pepper and Roanoke have a “One-of-a-Kind” relationship with the large, historic, and iconic Dr Pepper sign that can be seen for miles and have supported community events with the addition of Dr Pepper Park at the Bridges.  Dr Pepper has been a great contributor to the community for close to 80 years and the company is excited to celebrate that relationship with Dr Pepper Day on October 24th.