Horry County Veterans Affairs Office Moving to 1949 Industrial Park Road - Opens Monday, November 5

Conway, SC (October 29, 2018)—The Horry County Veterans Affairs Office is moving to a new location at 1949 Industrial Park Road. The new office is located in the same office park as the Horry County offices for DHEC, Clemson Extension, and the Army Corps of Engineers.

On Monday, November 5, the old Horry County Veterans Affairs Office will close for good and on that same date the new Office will open for business.

“These new facilities are more conveniently located and offer better accessibility for our veterans,” said Director of Veterans Affairs Ronnie Elvis. “We look forward to continuing to serve our veterans in Horry County at our new location.”

The Horry County Veterans Affairs Office will host a ribbon cutting and open house ceremony at its new location on Friday, November 9 at 10:00 AM. The event is free and open to the public.

Enjoy These North Myrtle Beach Holiday Events!

We invite everyone to enjoy these North Myrtle Beach holiday events:

DASHING THROUGH THE GLOW 5K & ONE MILE RUN/WALK

November 16, 2018

7:00 p.m.

North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports Complex, 150 Citizens Circle, Little River, SC

Be among the first to enjoy the 2018 Great Christmas Light Show as the run/walk course winds through the more than 2 million festive lights.

Open to all ages. Wear your best holiday-themed outfit. Prizes given for best-dressed individual and best-dressed family.

Access online registration and other event information here:http://parks.nmb.us/festivalsevents/special-events/dashing-through-the-glow-5k-1-mile

THE GREAT CHRISTMAS LIGHT SHOW

Thursday, Nov. 23, 2018 - Dec. 30, 2018

Drive-Through Light Show open 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

NMB Park & Sport Complex, 150 Citizens Circle, Little River, SC

ADMISSION:

1-15 Guests - $15 per vehicle

16-30 guests - $30 per vehicle

31-plus guests - $60 per vehicle (to schedule buses call 843-280-5570)

Enjoy this park-wide lighted celebration that captures the spirit of the season! The 1.5-mile drive-through light show features over 2 million festively displayed lights. Over 500 magical light displays, some up to 55 feet tall, are custom made for the Great Christmas Light Show, at least 22 of them animated.

Enjoy Santa’s Village (open Friday, Saturday and Sunday only November 23-December 9. Open nightly December 14-30 but closed Christmas Day), Santa’s Village Treats, visits/photos with Santa, ice skating, Santa Express Train Ride, tubing down Santa’s inflatable slide, a petting zoo, Santa’s treats, and more. Some additional attractions require a ticket purchase.

For more information visitwww.greatchristmaslightshow.com or call 843-281-3803.

INTRACOASTAL CHRISTMAS REGATTA

Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018

5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. -- Launches from Little River Inlet at 5:00 p.m. and ends at Dock Holiday’s Marina at 7:00 p.m.

Intracoastal Waterway

Admission: Free to spectators but please consider bringing a new toy and dropping it off at a collection point at any marina in Little River or North Myrtle Beach. Help provide Horry County kids with a great Christmas!

Gather your family and watch the many boats decorated in holiday themes parade past various viewing areas along the Intracoastal Waterway from Little River to Dock Holidays Marina.

If you want to enter your boat in the parade this year, fill out a boat parade application online atwww.ChristmasRegatta.com or call Susie Watson for entry information 249-8888.

PET PHOTOS WITH SANTA

Sunday, November 25 and Saturday, December 8, 2018

10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.

Dirty Dawg Large Park at the North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports Complex, 150 Citizens Circle, Little River, SC

Admission: Free

Furry friends love Santa, too! Bring your family pets to meet Santa Claus at the Dirty Dawg Large Park at the North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports Complex. Bring your camera and capture the perfect Christmas card photo! All well-behaved dogs on leashes are welcome.

For more information, contact the North Myrtle Beach Parks & Recreation Department at (843) 280-5570.

WREATH MAKING WORKSHOP

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

1:00pm – 4:00 p.m.

J. Bryan Floyd Community Center; 1030 Possum Trot Road

Admission: Free

Learn the tricks to making your own Christmas wreath. They supply the greenery and instructions; participants should bring a wreath form, preferably straw.

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH CHRISTMAS PARADE

Saturday, December 1, 2018

5:30 p.m.

Main Street

It would not be Christmas without the annual North Myrtle Beach Christmas Parade! Join your friends and neighbors to enjoy the lighted floats and units representing groups from across the area. The parade travels down Main Street to Ocean Boulevard and disperses on 2nd Avenue North. Any location along Main Street provides a great view of the parade.

For more information, or to enter a group in the parade contact the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce at for details call Charlene Lynam at (843) 361-3045 or charlene@northmyrtlebeachchamber.com

CHRISTMAS CANTATA

Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018 at 3:30 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018 at 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Ocean Drive Presbyterian Church; 410 6th Ave South

Admission: Free, but advance tickets are required. Free tickets are available from the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce (843) 281-2662.

This local favorite is an annual tradition and, for many, the highlight of the holiday season. Church choirs from the North Myrtle Beach area create a musical program you will not soon forget.

CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING

Friday, Dec. 4, 2018

6:00 p.m.

McLean Park, 93 Oak Drive

Admission: Free

Join Santa and his friends at McLean Park for the lighting of the City Christmas Tree. Activities, entertainment and refreshments are available for children of all ages. A great start to your holiday season!

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH COMMUNITY BAND CHRISTMAS CONCERT

Sunday, December 9, 2018

3:30 p.m.

Admission: Free

J. Bryan Floyd Community Center, 1030 Possum Trot Road

The North Myrtle Beach Community Band will delight the audience with holiday favorites and classical works.

SHOP WITH A COP CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT

Friday, December 14, 2018 

11:00 a.m.

Dye Course

Barefoot Resort & Golf, 4980 Barefoot Bridge Road

The City of North Myrtle Beach and Barefoot Resort & Golf annually collaborate on a wonderful golf tournament that benefits children in need in our community. All proceeds from the event go towards the North Myrtle Beach Public Safety Department’s Shop with a Cop program, which makes sure that children in need have a special Christmas that includes lunch, presents and important items such as winter coats.

Contact the North Myrtle Beach Parks & Recreation Department for more information at (843) 280-5570.

THE GRINCH’S CANDY CANE HUNT

December 13, 2018

Hunt Hours (drop-in): 5:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

Movie starts at 7:00 p.m.

North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports Complex, 150 Citizens Circle, Little River, SC

Admission:

1-15 Guests - $15 per vehicle

16-30 guests - $30 per vehicle

31-plus guests - $60 per vehicle (to schedule buses call 843-280-5570)

Help! The Grinch has come to North Myrtle Beach and is threatening to turn all of our Candy Canes GREEN! Please join us at The North Myrtle Beach Park and Sports Complex Wyndham Baseball Complex and help us gather them before it is too late. After all of the Candy Canes are safe, we will cozy up with hot cocoa and watch the How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)at the Sandhills Bank Amphitheatre. Bring a beach chair, blankets and scarves.

Enjoy the Embers Featuring Craig Woolard in a FREE October 18 Concert at the HorseShoe on Main Street in North Myrtle Beach

ENJOY THE EMBERS FEATURING CRAIG WOOLARD IN A FREE OCTOBER 18 CONCERT AT THE HORSESHOE ON MAIN STREET

Enjoy The Embers featuring Craig Woolard in a FREE October 18, 7-9 p.m. concert at the Horseshoe on Main Street.

Expect an incredible show featuring beach music hits.

Bring a beach chair.

This free concert is part of the North Myrtle Beach Parks & Recreation Department’s Music on Main summer concert series sponsored by Coastal Carolina National Bank (CCNB).

For day of event weather information call the “Rec Check” hotline at (843) 280-5594 ext. 3,www.Facebook.com/NMBParksandRec, or visit their websitehttp://parks.nmb.us

Results - October 15 North Myrtle Beach City Council Meeting

North Myrtle Beach, SC – October 15, 2018 – During the October 15 meeting of the North Myrtle Beach City Council, four employees received Longevity Awards. Receiving the awards were Public Safety Training Officer Justin Baker (5 years of service), Public Safety Officer Gordon Best (5 years) Public Safety Officer Scott St. Clair (5 years), and Public Safety Officer Stephen Murphy (5 years).

Longevity Awards are given in five-year increments to those employees who demonstrate continued customer service excellence.

L-R  Stephen Murphy - Gordon Best - Justin Baker - City Manager Mike Mahaney

City Council approved a special event permit for the Little River Inlet Saltwater Fishing Club’s October 19-21 Rumble in the Jungle king mackerel fishing tournament. For registration, rules and other information about the tournament, please visit http://www.rumblekmt.com.

City Council passed second (final) reading of an ordinance reallocating $264,000 in accommodations tax (A-Tax) funds to the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce. After 30 percent of A-Tax funding is set aside for use in out-of-area tourism marketing, remaining A-Tax funds are available for the City to use to address a wide variety of local tourism-related needs. In the past, the City has provided significant funding for various tourism-related activities, such as the Chamber’s Visitor Center. Council did not select an amount for use by the Chamber during its FY 2019 budget retreat held in February. An ordinance amending the FY 2019 budget was necessary in order to provide the Chamber with accommodations tax funding within the current fiscal year. 

City Council passed second reading of an ordinance amending the Zoning Code and adding definitions for “short-term rentals” and “sleeping area.”

During a July 24 Council workshop, staff presented information on short-term rentals, followed by a discussion of proposed strategies to manage them. Council asked staff to prepare definitions of "short term rental" and "sleeping area” in order to insert them into the Zoning Ordinance as placeholders for the more detailed management proposal that will follow.

The amended Zoning Ordinance includes these definitions for short-term rental and sleeping area:

• Short-Term Rental: Any residential unit offered for lease for a period of 90 days or less.

• Sleeping Area: a sleeping area is any room (including bedrooms) that is not a kitchen, a hallway not exceeding seven feet in width, a mechanical room designed primarily for containing HVAC equipment or hot water heaters or electrical panels or similar, a bathroom, a closet not exceeding 70 square feet in size, or an elevator or stairwell.

City Council tabled second reading of an ordinance to amend the Town Centre area in the Barefoot Resort Planned Development District. As explained when Council passed first reading of the proposed amendment at its October 1 meeting, a workshop will be scheduled before second reading. The workshop will occur in November but a specific date has not yet been set.

The applicant and authorized agent for Barefoot Village Investments, Inc., Sands Winchester and Joe Morrison, have submitted a proposal to revise the portion of the Town Centre area of the Barefoot Resort Planned Development District on vacant land alongside the Intracoastal Waterway and marina. Known as Barefoot Cottage Village, this area is identified as Future Residential Development on the approved master site plan.

According to the information submitted, Barefoot Cottage Village is a residential neighborhood reminiscent of the simple life of small town America. The project includes 5.9 acres of wetlands and buffer, 19 designated common open green spaces covering 1.5 acres, a 2.5-acre pond, and 4,500 square feet of neighborhood amenity center and administrative office space.

274 in-common cottage units are proposed. All lots are commonly owned with no fee simple lot ownership. Cottages would range in size from 510 square feet to 1,292 square feet. Proposed minimum building separations would be 10 feet from wall to wall, with eaves protruding no further than 12 inches. These separations are less than the 15 feet currently required, but more than the 8 feet allowed for single-family elsewhere in Barefoot Resort.

The master site plan illustrates residents having at least two parking spaces per unit, with 377 surface and on-street parking spaces and 174 parking spaces available below the raised cottages.

According to the developer, the intention is to create housing that is affordable to "essential workers" in a community, i.e. police officers, firemen and women, teachers, nurses, medical personnel, and others, as well as those seeking smaller homes for year-round or second home use.

City Council passed second reading of an ordinance annexing and zoning two lots on Riverside Drive. The property owner petitioned the City to annex 1.92 acres of property located on Riverside Drive identified by TMS Numbers 131-11-01-006 and 131-17-01-012 and PIN 311-16-04-0009 and 311-16-04-0010. The lots are zoned R-1 (Single-Family Residential Low-Density).

City Council passed second reading of an ordinance amending Section 9-2 of the Code of Ordinances entitled, Day of General Election. The Horry County Election Commission asked the City to amend its ordinance regarding election day, so that the City's election day coincides with other County-wide municipal elections as follows: "The time for general elections shall be the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of odd number years. All newly elected City Council members or newly elected Mayor shall be inducted into office at the next regular City Council meeting following their election."

Let's Stop the Violence - Participate in the October 20 Family Event & Rally in North Myrtle Beach

When: 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Saturday, October 20

Where: J. Bryan Floyd Community Center, 1030 Possum Trot Road, North Myrtle Beach

New statistics show that South Carolina is the sixth worst state in the nation for domestic violence cases.

That’s just one reason the upcoming the Let’s Stop the Violence! Family Event and Rally in North Myrtle Beach on October 20 is so important.

The event includes a Walk a Mile in their Shoes component in which men are asked to don women’s shoes (no spike heels) and join women in a walk to raise money to establish a shelter for women and children in Horry County. Walkers (women and men who supply their own women’s shoes) pay $25 to participate. Men in need of women’s shoes pay $40. Anyone who cannot pay is still welcome to walk.

Live performers include dancers from the Carolina Forest Performing Arts Center and Save the Music, Save Me. 

North Myrtle Beach Mayor Marilyn Hatley will open the rally, and U.S. Rep. Tom Rice, R-SC, will deliver the keynote address.

Food will be available.

Donations will help the Family Justice Center’s efforts in Horry County, which currently has no shelter for victims of domestic violence. The Family Justice Center began serving clients in Horry County two years ago and the agency’s caseload is now almost twice the caseload of victims in Georgetown County.

Studies show that bullying builds future abusers. After male bullies leave school, they are more likely to bully girlfriends and spouses, according to a study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

So, join the Family Justice Center of Georgetown and Horry Counties to help raise awareness and break the cycle of violence of both life-threatening issues-- Domestic Violence and Bullying.

"Domestic violence is a tragic and lethal problem in South Carolina and breeds many other problems for the children in these homes, who struggle with the pain and shame it creates,” said Vicki Bourus, executive director of the Family Justice Center. “When we act to prevent and effectively address domestic violence, we are improving quality of life, not only for these children, but for the entire community -- certainly a worthy goal."

The local October 20 event is being held to correspond with National Domestic Violence Prevention Month and National Anti-Bullying Month, event organizer Fred Nesta explained.

"If we can save one child, if we can save one woman, if we can impact one person's life in a positive way, that's the goal," Nesta said.

Hurricane Michael - October 10 Morning Update

We are now under a Tropical Storm Warning.

POTENTIAL IMPACTS FROM HURRICANE MICHAEL FOR OUR AREA INCLUDE:

-- Rainfall amounts expected to average 2 to 5 inches

-- We are at risk for fast developing tornadoes

-- Tropical storm force winds are expected to begin Thursday morning

-- Sustained winds of 25 to 45 MPH are possible

-- Wind gusts could range from 35 to 60 MPH

KEY POINTS:

-- Heavy rainfall may lead to flooding for some locations.

-- Rainfall amounts are forecast to average 2 to 5 inches with locally higher amounts possible.

-- Properties that suffered roof damage from Florence should be secured with tarps to prepare for heavy rainfall and the possibility of tropical storm force winds.
-- Secure any loose objects such as garbage cans, lawn furniture, etc.

-- The ground is already saturated with water in many areas and it will not take as much wind to topple weakened trees, which could cause additional power outages, damage to properties, damage to cars parked under or near them, etc.

-- Coastal flooding of 2 to 3 feet above ground level inundation is possible, especially with each high tide. The highest risk for storm surge will occur Thursday. Vulnerable low spots along the beaches or locations where the shoreline was weakened from Florence are at the greatest risk.

-- Some tornadoes are possible as well, especially during Thursday. Be prepared to seek shelter if Tornado Warnings are issued for your location.

Hurricane Michael Update October 9, 2018

From the City of North Myrtle Beach

Hurricane Michael is currently forecast to make landfall as a major hurricane in Florida on Wednesday, then move quickly through our area on Thursday.

ANTICIPATED IMPACTS FOR OUR AREA

-- Rainfall amounts expected to average 2 to 4 inches

-- There is a risk for fast-developing tornadoes

-- Tropical storm force winds expected to begin Thursday morning

-- Sustained winds of 25 to 45 MPH are possible

-- Wind gusts could range from 35 to 60 mph

KEY POINTS

-- The risk for impacts from Michael continues to increase across the Carolinas, especially during Thursday.

-- The ground remains saturated in many areas from Hurricane Florence’s rainfall, and any heavy rainfall from Michael may quickly lead to additional flooding.

-- If your home or business suffered roof damage as a result of Hurricane Florence and it has not been repaired, secure tarps for tropical storm force winds and heavy rainfall.

-- Since the ground is still saturated in many areas, it will not take as much wind to topple weakened trees, which may lead to additional damage and cause power outages.

-- Coastal flooding is expected, especially with each high tide. The highest risk for storm surge will occur Thursday. Vulnerable low spots along the beach or locations where the shoreline was weakened from Florence are at the greatest risk of flooding.

OUR BEST ADVICE

-- Secure or bring inside any outside items that could become projectiles in tropical storm force winds.

-- Continue to monitor this storm. Like Hurricane Matthew, we will be on the "bad" or "mean" side of Hurricane Michael when it passes through. When that occurs, even a moderate storm can cause a surprising amount of damage.