Leaders hope they’ve fixed Okra Strut’s financial problems

IRMO, S.C. (AP) — Leaders are hoping years of bookkeeping problems with the annual Irmo Okra Strut are behind them.

WIS-TV reports (http://bit.ly/1V2lwzH0 Irmo Mayor Hardy King asked the Richland County Sheriff’s Department to investigate the Okra Strut’s finances. Investigators recently determined the strut did lose money because of “sloppy management,” but found no criminal wrongdoing.

In order to fix those issues, tickets won’t be sold this year. Instead, visitors will pay vendors directly for food and other items. The town has also created a fee scale for vendors in order to ensure revenue for the event matches what’s projected.

This year’s Okra Strut starts Sept. 25 at Irmo Community Park. The event attracts thousands of visitors.

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Information from: WIS-TV, http://www.wistv.com