Events

The 2024 Horry County Museum Documentary Film Series continues with When Rice Was King. Part of the Carolina Stories Series by SCETV, this film tells the story of how rice became a major cash crop in South Carolina. The cultivation of rice in South Carolina began in the late 1600s. By the time of the American Revolution, it had created the largest concentration of wealth in the American colonies. The knowledge and labor of slaves from Africa’s Windward Coast were major factors in the making of this wealth. However, South Carolina’s rice culture experienced heavy tolls due to the Civil War, emancipation and hurricanes. The economic and social impact of the state’s rice culture created a legacy that remains today.
The film is free to the public and will be shown at 1:00 PM, Wednesday, May 1st, at the Horry County Museum, located at 805 Main Street in Conway.
The Horry County Museum Documentary Film Matinees will continue throughout 2024. For a list of films, visit our website at www.horrycountymuseum.org. For more information, call the Horry County Museum at 843-915-5320 or e-mail hcg.museum@horrycountysc.gov.

Join us Saturday, May 4th, for a free 30 minute activity at the Farm! Parents can sign children up for a half hour session between 9 AM-11 AM. Group sizes will be limited. In this session, children will learn about the importance of the barn owl to the farm family. We’ll also dissect real barn owl pellets to learn what these local birds of prey like to eat!
For information about available times and to register, contact Marian Calder at 843-915-7861 or email calder.marian@horrycountysc.gov . Available sessions are 9, 9:30, 10 or 10:30, please specify which session you would like upon registering.
The L.W. Paul Living History Farm is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 AM-4 PM and is located at 2279 Harris Short Cut Road, Conway, SC 29526.

The Horry County Museum presents a lecture and book signing by David Henry Lucas on his series The Rice Kings on Saturday, May 4th, at 1:00 PM. The series chronicles the history of the Lucas family over 300 years, starting with Jonathan Lucas in 1754. Books will also be available to purchase after the program.
David Henry Lucas was born in Greensboro, N.C., and grew up in the small farming town of Bishopville, S.C. In the fall of 1965, Mr. Lucas attended the University of South Carolina on a football scholarship. He majored in International Studies and received a B.A. degree in January 1970. After a short period in the United States Marine Corp, he was given a medical discharge and returned to Columbia, South Carolina to pursue a career in business. Mr. Lucas later moved to the Isle of Palms working in development. Having written a book chronicling the history of his US Supreme Court fight to protect private property rights in the 90’s, Mr. Lucas decided to embark on a new profession. In 2012, he began work on a memoir relating the story of his time as a student athlete at the University of South Carolina.
As a follow-up project, he has taken on the challenge of romanticizing the history of his forbears, starting in the year 1754. The first novel is entitled “The Rice Kings, Book One, The Beginning” which chronicles the early life and training of Jonathan Lucas, a fourth great grandfather. “The Rice Kings, Book Two. Charleston,” brings the story to America where Jonathan invented the rice mill. This invention allowed the South Carolina Lowcountry to become incredibly wealthy and produced a golden era for the region. These two books are the first in a series of historical novels that are intended to relate the saga of the rise and fall of the Old South. Time permitting; the series will describe the aftermath of the War Between the States through the eyes of the people who experienced it. Finally, the story of the slow economic recovery of the South, beginning with the life of his grandfather, H. S. Lucas, born in 1888, and expanding the history of the Lucas Family throughout the 20th Century.
Mr. Lucas is married to the former Martha Black from Bamberg, South Carolina. They have three children and six grandchildren. David and his wife reside in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, near Charleston, to be closer to their children and grandchildren.
The program is free to the public and will be held in the Museum’s McCown Auditorium located at 805 Main Street, Conway, SC 29526. For more information, call 843-915-5320 or email hcg.museum@horrycountysc.gov. The view a full list of scheduled programs, visit the museum website at www.horrycountymuseum.org.

The 2024 Horry County Museum Documentary Film Series continues with War Birds: Diary of an Unknown Aviator. This film tells the story of three American pilots who flew with the Royal Air Force during World War I. The film chronicles the exploits of John Grider, Elliott White Springs, and Larry Callahan, all known as the “Three Musketeers”. War Birds: Diary of an Unknown Aviator was originally published after World War I and became a bestseller. It was assumed that the diary was written and kept by Grider, the only member of the trio to be killed in action. However, it was later discovered in 1959 that Springs, who later became president of Spring Cotton Mills, Inc. and founder of Springmaid Beach Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC, wrote and published the work in memory of his friend and other pilots who had died in the war.
The film is free to the public and will be shown at 1:00 PM, Wednesday, May 8th, at the Horry County Museum, located at 805 Main Street in Conway.
The Horry County Museum Documentary Film Matinees will continue throughout 2024. For a list of films, visit our website at www.horrycountymuseum.org. For more information, call the Horry County Museum at 843-915-5320 or e-mail hcg.museum@horrycountysc.gov.

South Carolina ETV, the ETV Endowment and the Horry County Museum invite you to celebrate the upcoming broadcast premiere of Season Two of After Action, a timely and important series filmed right here in South Carolina by SCETV and broadcast on PBS stations nationwide. The screening will take place in the Museum’s McCown Auditorium on Thursday, May 9th at 6:00 PM.
After Action unpacks the veteran experience as our service men and women re-enter civilian life. We’ll gather to watch a producer’s cut of a new episode, “Gold Star Service,” and then meet series host Stacy Pearsall and two Season Two veterans for a frank and lively discussion with an opportunity for Q&A. Join us to honor and acknowledge the unfiltered - and often untold - stories of our military personnel with this very special platform for vital dialogue about the unique issues they face.
This event is free, but registration is required. To register, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/after-action-screening-and-community-discussion-tickets-881295768367 .
Hosted by Air Force combat veteran Stacy Pearsall, After Action‘s new season showcases the experiences of 21 diverse veterans from across the country and their candid conversations about what life is like before, during and after action. Season Two explores topics like military parenting challenges, faith, toxic exposure and LGBTQ+ service issues. As After Action seeks to demystify the military experience, this new season continues to provide a platform for dialogue among family members and amplifies the voices of those who serve. By preserving these deeply personal military stories, After Action builds a bridge of understanding between civilians and our service members and veterans.
After Action Season Two premieres on SCETV on Monday, May 6th at 9 PM.
The museum’s military exhibits and memorabilia will be open for viewing before the screening. The program is free to the public and will be held in the Museum’s McCown Auditorium located at 805 Main Street, Conway, SC 29526. For more information, call 843-915-5320 or email hcg.museum@horrycountysc.gov. The view a full list of scheduled programs, visit the museum website at www.horrycountymuseum.org.

Join us Saturday, May 11th, for a free 30 minute activity at the Farm! Parents can sign children up for a half hour session between 9 AM-11 AM. Group sizes will be limited. In this session, children will learn about bats and the important role they play in our environment.
For information about available times and to register, contact Marian Calder at 843-915-7861 or email calder.marian@horrycountysc.gov . Available sessions are 9, 9:30, 10 or 10:30, please specify which session you would like upon registering.
The L.W. Paul Living History Farm is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 AM-4 PM and is located at 2279 Harris Short Cut Road, Conway, SC 29526.

The Horry County Museum presents a lecture by Col. Thomas ‘Buddy’ Styers on Saturday, May 11th, at 1:00 PM. Col. Styers will speak on the life of the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base from 1954-2024.
Colonel Styers serves as the Executive Director of the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base Redevelopment Authority that was established by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1994 to oversee the redevelopment and reuse of the closed Myrtle Beach Air Force Base. He is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Authority and directs the economic development of the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base. He developed and executed the Authority’s long and short range goals and objectives to create diversified employment opportunities and to enhance the local tax base. He also represented the Authority with the general public and the media and maintained close liaison with local, state, and federal governmental agencies.
Colonel Styers was the driving force behind the successful development of The Market Common on the former base. The development of these 121 acres has greatly increased the tax value to South Carolina, Horry County and Myrtle Beach and has created a large number of jobs on the former base.
Colonel Styers has served in numerous volunteer positions in the community, including Past President of the Myrtle Beach Rotary Club, past member of the Erskine College Alumni Association Board of Directors, past member of the Presbyterian College Board of Visitors, past Vice Chairman of the Partners Economic Development Corporation and member of the South Carolina Public Service Authority (Santee Cooper) Customer Advisory Council.
On March 25, 2024, Colonel Styers was awarded the Order of the Palmetto by Governor Henry McMaster in recognition of a lifetime of extraordinary achievement, service, and contribution on a national and statewide scale. His 30 years of service to the Horry County/Myrtle Beach community in redeveloping the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base and integrating it into the City of Myrtle Beach is exceptional. The Order of the Palmetto is the highest award South Carolina can award to a citizen for service to the State.
Colonel Styers served in the United States Air Force for 26 years retiring in September 1992 in the rank of Colonel. His decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Vietnam Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Device and Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal. Colonel Styers and his wife, Penny, live in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
The program is free to the public and will be held in the Museum’s McCown Auditorium located at 805 Main Street, Conway, SC 29526. For more information, call 843-915-5320 or email hcg.museum@horrycountysc.gov. The view a full list of scheduled programs, visit the museum website at www.horrycountymuseum.org.

The 2024 Horry County Museum Documentary Film Series continues with the SCETV film Uncommon Folk.
There are some artists that fall outside of the definition of fine art. Sometimes referred to as folk, outsider, visionary or memory artists, most are driven to create something that has a special meaning to them. Some use objects from their own backyard, or illustrate personal visions or cultural history, while others use art to cope with life. Some are celebrated locally, while the work of others goes unseen until their deaths. One thing they have in common is that they are destined to leave their impression on this world through their work. This film takes a look at some of South Carolina’s unique self-taught artists including Maxi McConnell Eades, Reverend Johnnie Simmons, L.C. Carson, Sam Doyle, Ernest Lee, and Margaret Robbins.
The film is free to the public and will be shown at 1:00 PM, Wednesday, May 15th, at the Horry County Museum, located at 805 Main Street in Conway.
The Horry County Museum Documentary Film Matinees will continue throughout 2024. For a list of films, visit our website at www.horrycountymuseum.org. For more information, call the Horry County Museum at 843-915-5320 or e-mail hcg.museum@horrycountysc.gov.