‘Drink a bite to eat at 10, 2, and 4′ was a slogan used for decades to advertise Dr Pepper, including on the famous sign in downtown Roanoke. The slogan became iconic enough that today, October 24th, is Dr Pepper Day in downtown Roanoke.
While not invented in Virginia, Wade Morrison, who created the concoction, allegedly named the soda for Dr. Charles T. Pepper, a drug store owner out in Wythe County. Roanoke consumed the most Dr Pepper per capita than any other place on Earth from 1957 to 1959. It remains a very popular soda to this day.
“We’ve got Dr Pepper Day today, it’s our 9th annual celebration. Of course, we’re celebrating,” said Waynette Anderson, president and owner of Dr Pepper Park at The Bridges. “Dr Pepper has a rich history in the Roanoke Valley. Of course, Roanoke is on the top end of the most consumption of Dr Pepper per capita in the whole country.”
Fans of the soda waited in a line that stretched around the block to enjoy live music, a free, exclusive ‘Dr Pepper Day t-shirt and Dr Pepper sodas of many different varieties.
“The city of Roanoke thought it was important to declare 10-2-4 10/24, as officially Dr Pepper Day each year in Roanoke,” Anderson said. “I love it because our community comes out and supports it every year, and we get new people that come that have found their way through Dr Pepper Park at The Bridges to thank us for all the live music that we bring to the community, so I just love everything about it.”
