As we enter the spookiest time of the year, Roots Tap Room & Wine Bar is planning to throw an epic party full of ghosts and ghouls.
Halloween is in the blood of owners Brandon Snyder and Jerilyn Rumbarger. For the past several years, you could find them with dozens of their friends in New Orleans every October for the annual Voodoo Fest, donning professional makeup for their revolving themes and always ready to hit the town to party. This year, they wanted to bring the festive vibe to Plant City with their inaugural RooDoo Fest.
“If you don’t like clowns, you probably shouldn’t come,” Snyder joked. “We’re going to have a ‘Freak Show’ theme and hopefully a lot of people will show up in costume. We’ve got a lot of decorations and will feature our Walking Dead and Freakshow wines. There will be a Walking Dead special and a giveaway. It’s really going to be a lot of fun.”
The RooDoo Fest will be held from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. this Saturday. Though Roots is a family-friendly establishment, this party is strictly for patrons age 21 and up. With the Strawberry Classic Cruise-In wrapping up its monthly party that night, there’s sure to be a steady stream of attendees pouring through the doors. Whether they come in their favorite Halloween apparel or roll up in jeans and a t-shirt, Roots’s doors will be open.
Snyder and Rumbarger will dress as spooky clowns for the event and their bartenders will become a fortune teller and ring master. Rumbarger said Halloween is their favorite holiday, so they dove in headfirst to ensure everything from the elaborate decorations to the music and specials makes a night few will forget.
Part of the festivities will include the opportunity to walk away with a one-of-a-kind prize. Every time someone buys a Florida Avenue Lager, they’ll get a raffle ticket and Roots will raffle off a special Brew Bus and Florida Avenue basket filled with goodies.
“I’ve always been a fan of the theatrics,” Snyder said. “I figured we’d go ahead and set the bar. We’re the first of our kind to be in the city so we want to make sure we make an impact. This is something that will hopefully continue to grow… Who knows, maybe in a few years things will have changed enough for us to have a block party or partner with a bunch of other businesses to really hold nothing back.”
Halloween is just the first of many holiday parties Roots plans to host. Whether it’s a Friendsgiving, a Christmas hooray or Valentines Day party, Roots will be the place to be.
If you go:
RooDoo Fest at Roots
When: 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Oct. 19
Where: Roots Tap Room & Wine Bar,
101 S. Evers St.
Age: 21+