Olar holds 9th annual Model T’s to Olar festival

OLAR, S.C. (AP) — The tiny Bamberg County town of Olar will hold its ninth annual Model T’s to Olar Festival that celebrates its early connection to the Ford Motor Co.

The Times and Democrat of Orangeburg reports (http://bit.ly/prGCMo ) that Olar car dealer C.F. Rizer lent Henry Ford $25,000 in 1914 to expand.

Ford awarded Rizer the exclusive franchise to sell Fords in Bamberg, Barnwell, Colleton, Hampton and Allendale counties.

Rizer died in 1950 at age 81. His Rizer Auto Co. housed the Olar fire department until it was demolished earlier this year to build a new station.

The festival begins at 9 a.m. and runs through midnight Friday and Saturday. It includes Model T and Model A car shows, an antique tractor show, a haunted house, an auction, a parade, food and crafts.