Family Photographer in Myrtle Beach, SC

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WPDE) — If you are cutting through 11th Avenue North, you'd probably miss it after you pass Ocean Drive Elementary School and round the curve from the golf course. However, nestled behind several homes sits a lake and one homeowner said its days are numbered.

"This lake's drying up," said David Serrell, who owns three parcels of land that include portions of what locals call Heart Lake.

It's been a dry year no doubt, but Serrell said that's not the problem. He's pointing the finger at city hall.

"It's a man-made problem that can be fixed," Serrell said. "They should have never put this storm drainage project in."

He's referring to a stormwater drainage project that takes runoff from Jordan Road down to Tillson and into another nearby lake. However, for the decades before that project was in place, he said Heart Lake was a natural retention site for rainwater.

"It's slowly going down down down and now it's at a point whereby the first of June, but no later than the first of September that will be a mud hole," he said.

He blames the city engineer's office and DOT engineers. He claims they wrongfully put in a drainage pipe above another that in the end takes most of the rainwater down the road, only in large storm events will Heart Lake see any of the runoff. The city claims it was all an effort to reduce flooding concerns in the area, specifically at the golf course.

ABC 15 News also spoke off-camera with neighbors on the other side of the lake. They disputed Mr. Serrell's claims. They said the lake has been the same height for years and has not really been impacted by the drainage system.

"The project was installed to alleviate flooding in the road and on the church/school properties across the street," wrote city spokesperson Donald Graham. "The new drainage system discharges to Mallard Pond (between 8th and 11th) because the City has public drainage easements and downstream outlet capacity at that pond."

Serrell said Hurricane Matthew inundated the area and cause Heart Lake to rise but not flood the golf course. He said the lake is only a couple of acres and in no way stopped the golf course from operating after the storm.

He said he's gone to the city several times as well as the state to ask for a do-over or adjustment to the drainage showing us along 11th Avenue how the piping allows hardly any runoff into his properties.

"There's no way water that's been going across the street to Heart Lake, can go to Heart Lake anymore," Serrell said. "This is a catastrophe."

Graham with the city said it comes down to the fact that the lake, which Serrell and several others have parceled within their lots, is private property.

"Heart Lake is on private property and does not have a natural outlet beyond overflow/flooding onto the golf course. The City does not plan to make any changes to the public drainage in the area."

Serrell doesn't see it that way. He says the city's project has led to the lake level depleting.

"It's down at least five feet," Serrell said. "It's slowly going down down down and now it's at a point where by the first of June, but no later than the first of September that will be a mud hole."

He said his efforts to find an attorney to get involved are slow-moving, so he plans to mobilize neighbors. This weekend he will hold his second rally to get those in the area to sign a petition to help restore runoff flows into the lake before it becomes a hazard more than a habitat.

"I'm really more concerned about the aquatic animals than the loss of property value," Serrell said.

That goes back to the beginning of this story. You may miss the lake, but what you won't miss are the multiple signs in his front yard. There are crosses as well, symbolizing the fish and wildlife that could die if the lake dries up. He also has a sign calling out the governor and the city's mayor. We gave Mayor Marilyn Hatley a phone call, and we're waiting to hear back.

"If this dries up, the state of South Carolina and the City of North Myrtle Beach are going to have to cough up and it's not the public officials it's the taxpayers, because I'm going to have damages for this nice home and those lots that I can't do much with if they're on a mud hole," Serrell said.

Those interested in this issue can attend his meeting Saturday around noon at his home on 11th Avenue North.

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - The City of Myrtle Beach announced that they’re partnering with the nonprofit Champion Autism Network to provide autism training to City Employees.

“We’re really excited about the growth and the acceptance of our people,” said Becky Large, the founder and Executive Director of Champion Autism Network.

The training is part of the “First in Service” commitment to support residents and visitors of all abilities.

“Everything that we did prior to the online modules was always live and on-site,” said Large. “But then Covid gave us this opportunity to take all that and make these online modules and with Covid, everybody learned how to learn virtually which has given us this amazing opportunity to, you know, spread and grow.”

The city employees are taking the training modules based on what department they work in. First responders are being taught how to answer to behaviors associated with autism, while other departments are learning ways to better assist individuals with autism and their families.

“They’ll have a little bit more awareness so if they see an episode or a tantrum they know better how to respond and reduce the judgment,” said Large.

Each module contains information about autism awareness and tools the employee can use based on the position they hold. The collective efforts from the City of Myrtle Beach and the local businesses and attractions help make Myrtle Beach an inclusive vacation destination and place to live.

“Get your CAN card, go online and see what business can support you or want to support you and, you know, let us know how we can help with questions. Reach out to us and we’re happy to help in any way we can.”

Champion Autism Network started in Surfside Beach. They launched an ambassadors program a few weeks ago called CAN in a Box and they are beginning to see their logo go nationwide as they look to spread autism acceptance.

“When we first started this it was a little bit scary because they were coming just because we said we were autism-friendly, but really with the support from the chamber and the business community and the City of Myrtle Beach and the town of Surfside Beach. It’s like a great big hug and people.”

Copyright 2022 WMBF. All rights reserved.

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - From landing an airplane to shopping for groceries, the EdVenture Children’s Museum in Myrtle Beach takes a fun approach to give kids a glimpse into their futures.

The museum will unveil a new location with a grand opening Saturday at 4005 Howard Avenue, located at The Market Common.

Since opening back in 1993, Myrtle Beach’s children’s museum has bounced around trying to find a forever home.

It temporarily moved into The Market Common in 2019. It worked for a while, but the museum was ready to grow and offer a whole list of new experiences for kids to explore.

“I truly believe that there will be any number of future pilots, engineers, etc. that got their start here at EdVenture Myrtle Beach,” said EdVenture Board of Trustees Representative Dwayne Porter.

EdVenture didn’t have to look too far for a spot that could accommodate the growth.

It found three times the space just one block up the street in The Market Common at the old City Mac, just across from Barnes & Noble.

With the extra space, EdVenture was able to add a dentist’s office, doctor’s office, auto-work shop, grocery store and theater to go along with the space exhibit it had at the old location.

The Myrtle Beach Air Force Base Redevelopment Authority contributed $300,000 to help pay for the move, deciding it fit well with the goals for The Market Common.

“The general vision of The Market Common, if you go back to 1995, was an urban village where people live, work and play and just enjoy each other’s company,” said Buddy Styer, Executive Director of the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base Redevelopment Authority. “This just fits right into it.”

As much as they enjoyed walking in and seeing the new space complete, the EdVenture team feels the best part is yet to come.

“What’s going to be really exciting is when this place is filled with children, smiling, running around doing lifelong learning,” said Porter.

After the grand opening Saturday, EdVenture will be open seven days a week.

Tickets are $8 for children and adults, and $7 for seniors, military and teachers.

Copyright 2022 WMBF. All rights reserved.

A gathering of South Carolina’s governor, the newly-anointed state House speaker, a state senator, two county councilmen, a mayor and hundreds of members of the public might raise some eyebrows as to what, exactly, would draw all of these people together.

The opening of a gas station.

That’s exactly what happened Monday morning in Florence.

It’s not just any gas station, though. On Monday at 6 a.m., South Carolina’s first Buc-ee’s gas station opened at the corner of Interstate 95 and North Williston Road. Buc-ee’s is known for its award-winning clean restrooms, Texas barbecue, massive size (more than 100 fueling stations) and hospitality.

“This is not a gas station. It’s a destination,” House Speaker Murrell Smith, R-Sumter County, said at a ribbon cutting for Buc-ee’s.

The opening of Buc-ee’s was the culmination of years of work, including 18 months of construction since the groundbreaking in November 2020.

The gas station was originally planned to open by the end of 2021, but delays caused the opening to be pushed back six months.

“Everybody wants to come to South Carolina. Great weather. But the main thing we have is great people,” Gov. Henry McMaster said in an interview after the ribbon cutting.

At the time of the groundbreaking, South Carolina was still in the throes of COVID-19. The state had recovered slightly from a summer surge of infections in 2020 but was just a few weeks away from a deadly wave that would last almost all winter. McMaster, in a speech that day in 2020, noted how businesses like Buc-ee’s wanted to come to the state because the state “never shut down.” He brought that up again at the store’s opening a year and a half later.

“Back in the pandemic, others states were closing everybody down. We didn’t do that. We never did shut down. We didn’t have those mandates,” he said Monday. “A lot of states just piled on restrictions. We didn’t do that, and that’s made a noticeable difference.”

Smith and McMaster were joined by Florence County Council Chairman Willard Dorriety Jr.; Florence County Councilmen Rev. Waymon Mumford and Buddy Brand; Florence Mayor Teresa Myers Ervin; and State Sen. Mike Reichenbach, R-Florence.

The opening of Buc-ee’s marks the addition of what’s likely to be a major economic driver for Florence. The gas station created more than 300 jobs, all of which pay a minimum of $18 an hour and go up to nearly $30 an hour for managerial roles. Those jobs also include full benefits, such as three weeks of paid vacation, health insurance and a retirement savings account.

Buc-ee’s owner Beaver Applin said they had 6,000 applications from people wanting to work at the store.

“We do business in a lot of places, and I can’t say that I’ve had a better experience anywhere than right here in South Carolina,” Applin said. “Our people have told me that this was the best recruiting class that we’ve had — incredible employees. They’re doing a wonderful job, and so that just speaks volumes for the work ethic here in the area of Florence.”

The visitors to Buc-ee’s Monday morning weren’t just executives and politicians. Hundreds of people watched the ribbon cutting outdoors, ignoring the heat emanating from the concrete, while hundreds more wandered around inside.

There were seemingly as many first-time visitors to the gas station as there were longtime Buc-ee’s devotees. A young girl standing near the front of the crowd at the ribbon cutting wore a Buc-ee’s t-shirt and a Buc-ee’s bandana. And inside the store dozens of customers were wearing Buc-ee’s shirts, hats, even pajama pants.

Smith, the House speaker, was one of those repeat visitors, having gone to a Buc-ee’s in Florida when he took his children to Disney World. His children, even after one visit, were in love with the place.

“I quickly learned how expensive it is when you have two children,” he said with a laugh. “When I left the house this morning, my kids said, ‘Hey, are you going to the Buc-ee’s for the grand opening? Can we skip school and go here?’ And I told them, ‘Absolutely not. They don’t allow kids at the Buc-ee’s in Florence.’”

One of the Buc-ee’s devotees visiting Monday was Tamra Yanez of Williamsburg, Virginia. She drove to Florence Sunday and got a hotel room just so she could go to Buc-ee’s the next day with her family. Yanez said she first went to a Buc-ee’s in Texas seven years ago and fell in love but hasn’t been able to go since.

The Florence Buc-ee’s is now the closest location to her home — at a four-and-a-half-hour drive away.

“I just love it and everything, just everything, and they’re so nice at Buc-ee’s,” said Yanez, whose cart was full of Buc-ee’s clothes, Buc-ee’s cups and six flavors of fudge. She was already wearing a Buc-ee’s shirt that someone in a Buc-ee’s Facebook fan club got her when one of the stores opened in Florida.

Yanez was there with her husband, daughter and three grandchildren. She was perusing the store around 11 a.m. when a reporter spoke to her, but she said she had already been by earlier today so her family could try Buc-ee’s breakfast, which is served from 4 a.m. to 11 a.m.

“We got the brisket breakfast burrito. It’s delicious,” she said. She also got Buc-ee’s famed beaver nuggets, a sweet treat that looks like popcorn. “They are very good. I never tried them till today.”

As people made their way to the store, customers could be heard giving each other suggestions of what to try. One of the biggest recommendations was the kolaches (which come in more than a dozen varieties) and, of course, the barbecue.

“Quite frankly, opportunities for gratification are endless when you enter this wonderful and beautiful facility,” Brand, the county councilman, said.

Despite all the hype around the gas station, the business’s arrival did bring more than just food and fuel to Florence. Buc-ee’s shares its development site with an expansion of Francis Marion University, the school’s new Freshwater Ecology Research and Conference Center.

“When I think about what Buc-ee’s has brought here to our local area, I think about the fact that we have our community leaders working together, but also we have all the makings of a solid foundation that can elevate our city and our country and not only our state to a national level,” Florence Mayor Teresa Myers, an alumna of Francis Marion University, said at the groundbreaking in November 2020.

At the opening, McMaster echoed Myers’ sentiment.

“Francis Marion is going to be doing researching at 225 acres, will be teaching the young people something,” McMaster said at the ribbon cutting. “We’re looking out for the environment. ... When you have the economy and education and the environment all wrapped up in one package, that spells success.”

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - Thirty-five miles connecting walkers and cyclists from Myrtle Beach all the way to Aynor...

That’s the vision several county and city departments have for making sure you don’t need a car to get around.

Planning departments from throughout Horry County came to Coastal Carolina University Wednesday for a Trail Summit to discuss the future of pathways and trails in the county.

“I really don’t like seeing human infrastructure for 100% of my day,” said Joseph Minnich, a cyclist who came to the summit. “I like to see trees and wildlife when I can.”

Minnich sees all those trees and wildlife when he puts in more than 60 miles on his bike every week.

Those rides through nature tend to be a lot more enjoyable than his rides to work at CCU.

“If I want to get from my house to Coastal Carolina to downtown Conway, it’s almost impossible to do so in a safe way,” said Minnich.

Minnich says he has an idea for a trail connecting all of Horry County so folks can get around safely without having to be on highways next to cars.

Turns out, planning departments from cities throughout the county are on the same page.

“If we can connect them to the community college and CCU, connect them to downtown areas and communities further out, we have an opportunity to make a ton of people happy,” said Conway Planning Director Allison Hardin.

Planning teams from throughout the county came together for a trail summit to share what they have in the works to connect the county’s trails.

While each one is working on its own projects, like an East Coast Greenway realignment in North Myrtle Beach to a trail connection around Conway High School, they all had one goal in common: A 35-mile rail trail, running along the old railroad tracks from the Myrtle Beach Train Depot out to Aynor.

The problem is money.

“That $2 million per mile is pretty accurate,” said Conway Administrator Adam Emrick when referring to the cost to add a trail. “It’s really hard and frustrating for elected officials to understand that a trail is more than just a path, it’s got to be something that people can actually utilize.”

It may happen in phases and it could take 20 years, but if the rail trail becomes a reality, you can count on Minnich to be one of the first ones to ride it.

“The rails are already there,” said Minnich. “We have these great pathways. All we have to do is make them bikeable.”

Part of the discussion also focused on how these trail projects are about more than just recreation. It would also provide a way for people to get to work or the grocery store without being expected to have a car.

A county planner pointed out that Horry County doesn’t have a dedicated pot of money for trails. It’ll take people speaking up and saying this is something they want to start budgeting for this plan to actually happen.

Copyright 2022 WMBF. All rights reserved.