Lowcountry

100 lucky winners will have the chance for free entry to float down the park’s Lazy River on a life-size tortilla chip float and win free Moe’s queso for a year

Charleston, SC – June 15, 2022 – After one Charleston man’s passionate pitch to transform the Rollin’ River Lazy River at Whirlin’ Waters Adventure Waterpark into a Moe’s Famous Queso-filled lazy river, Charleston County Parks and Moe’s Southwest Grill have teamed up to make his dream a close reality. On June 28, the waterpark’s 870-foot-long, winding lazy river, located at North Charleston’s Wannamaker County Park, will be filled with 100 tortilla chip floats.

This celebrated event wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for a Moe’s sign and an epic email exchange between Hagan Ragland, Charleston resident, and Nicholas Epps, a Charleston County Parks customer service representative. While dining at his local Moe’s, Ragland happened to see a sign that was based on a 2019 tweet from Moe’s: “Hear Me Out: Queso Lazy River.” A lightbulb went off, leading Ragland to write an email to   encourage the park to “turn the lazy river at Whirlin’ Waters into a queso cheese lazy river.” He painted a brilliant picture: “float in the river with a bag of chips and a long twisty straw and have the time of our lives with that sweet, sweet queso.”

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think the beauty of a queso lazy river would have the slightest chance of existence, but boy, was I proved wrong,” said Ragland. “Not only did the Charleston County Parks team go out of its way to ‘let me down gently,’ now the team and Moe’s are going out of their way to share my fantasy with the entire community.”

While Charleston County Parks could have simply responded ‘no’, Epps took it upon himself to ‘cheese the day’ with a witty reply. Epps’ humor, from “the cheesy oasis we have all dreamed of” to the “Jack and Rose situation” that the flimsy nacho chips would create, had people across the country roaring with laughter… Now, Epps and Ragland will get to live out their Queso Lazy River dreams floating side-by-side, with Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’ playing in the background, as they sit on top of their own tortilla chip floats, gliding into the sunset.

“After receiving Hagan’s initial email, I wanted the opportunity to meet him over a large bowl of queso, but this is even better,” said Epps. “I mean, it’s really what queso is all about: bringing people together.”

On June 14, Moe’s Southwest Grill and Charleston County Parks launched a social media contest for queso lovers to win the chance to participate in the “Queso Lazy River Day” at Whirlin’ Waters on June 28. 50 winners will be selected to receive two free tickets into the waterpark on June 28, two free floats and free queso for a year* from Moe’s Southwest Grill to enjoy and to share with a friend. Participants who are interested can visit the local Moe’s Instagram and Facebook pages to enter to win. Also follow Charleston County Parks (@CharlestonCountyParks) for more excitement and updates leading up to the big day. Winners will be announced on June 23.

*The Moe’s Free Queso for a Year Reward entitles each winner to one free cup of queso per week for 52 consecutive weeks through the Moe Rewards app. If you aren’t a Moe Rewards member just yet, check out their app here.