Personal Injury Attorney in Georgetown, SC.

If you are into music on the Grand Strand and have lived here for a while, it’s likely that you have encountered Seth Funderburk – either directly or indirectly.

For many years, Funderburk was front-of-house sound engineer at Dead Dog Saloon in Murrells Inlet. He was also a longtime president of South By South East, a nonprofit deeply committed to the preservation and promotion of Americana music with a mission to support local music education programs. You might have attended one of the organization’s SXSE Music Feasts at the Myrtle Beach Train Depot. He was a longtime lieutenant at the bygone Sounds Familiar Records in Myrtle Beach under the late Jeff Roberts, who is lovingly referred to as “the minister of music.”

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

For nine years, he managed a rock band called Ten Toes Up, an original four-piece outfit made up of Charles Freeman, B.J. Craven, Adam Miller and Joshua Gregory. The band enjoyed a successful run – recording four original albums, two live albums and touring repeatedly up and down the East Coast – developing relationships with its growing fan base every step of the way.

Ten Toes Up appeared on multiple local television programs and shared stages with the likes of Uncle Kracker, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Cowboy Mouth and more.

The band got its start locally at the Pawleys Island Tavern (or PIT) and later Dead Dog Saloon and really started to gain steam.

“We played a good bit on the Inlet and around town, but after a while it got to the point where we just had to get out of town,” Funderburk said. “We started traveling. We bought a box truck and built bunks in it and all the gear went in back. It was a rolling death trap.”

Funderburk said he recorded three of the original albums at his studio at the time, Sea Note Recording. The fourth album project was crowdfunded and recorded in Nashville.

“We had been hard at it for nine years, and going into the making of that record – it was a conscious decision to say that we were going to put everything we had into that last one. If it didn’t work, we were going to walk away from it,” he said. “If it didn’t get some label or bigger management interest, then we’ve done everything we could do.”

Ten Toes Up performed two final shows at Dead Dog Saloon in 2014. Craven and Freeman continue to perform on the Grand Strand and beyond. Miller now lives in Florida and Gregory recently returned from Texas.

But Ten Toes Up is set for two shows in Georgetown County this week: A Ten Toes Up & Friends Welcome Party at the Pawleys Island Tavern on April 10 at 8 p.m. – and the Ten Toes Up Reunion Concert at Dead Dog Saloon on April 11 at 8 p.m.

Does this mean the band is going to take up where it left off?

“Looking into the future, this may turn into a semiannual thing,” Funderburk said. “There’s no thoughts of reformation – but we never say never.”

Mor more information about Ten Toes Up, visit www.facebook.com/TenToesUpBand.

PUTT AND PARTY ON THE MARSHWALK

Put on your best golf attire and putt your way through the 15th annual MarshWalk Masters in Murrells Inlet on April 12. Prizes will go to winners of the golf tournament and the best-dressed attendee.

Enjoy drink and appetizer specials along the way – and participants may purchase as many rounds and mulligans as they would like – and will play each of the none holes along the MarshWalk. Start at whatever hole you want – and the lowest score wins.

More than $1,200 will be given away, including cash, MarshWalk gift cards and golf vouchers. Winners must be present to win. Registration is from 2-5 p.m. between Wahoo’s Fish House and Drunken Jack’s. Game time is 3-7 p.m. Each round is $20 per person and the event is cash only. First 100 participants to pre-register will be guaranteed an event shirt. Judging time is 8 p.m. For complete information, visit www.marshwalk.com.

ART BY NIGHT AT BROOKGREEN GARDENS

Experience the Lowcountry splendor of Brookgreen Gardens and take in stunning art – at night – with the return of Art After Hours. On Wednesdays and Saturdays through May 28, Brookgreen will stay open until 8 p.m. Stroll the gardens and soak up the tranquility – enjoy dinner at Harvest Restaurant (reservations recommended) and marvel at the exceptional art on display.

The Lowcountry Zoo will still close at 5 p.m., but the Gardens will be open until dusk. The Keepsakes Gift Shop and the Rosen, Nobel & Jennewein Galleries will remain open. The event is free with Gardens admission. For more information, visit www.brookgreen.org.

GET READY TO SHAG IN GEORGETOWN

Put on your dancing shoes and head to Maritime Park in Georgetown on April 12 for the Rotary Club of Georgetown’s 16th Annual Shag Festival. Whether you are a seasoned shagger or a newcomer to South Carolina’s official dance, you are sure to have a blast – shagging the night away, taking in the gorgeous waterfront views, celebrating a strong sense of community and supporting local needs.

Enjoy an exclusive performance by The Catalinas, ice cold beverages, and delicious food by Heavenly Creations and Events, LLC.

The event runs from 5-10 p.m. Tickets range from $25-$100. For more, hit up www.facebook.com/georgetownrotaryclub.

GEORGETOWN — A Hemingway man was arrested this month after state authorities say he intentionally started three fires in Georgetown County.

Windell McDaniel, 63, is accused of using an "improvised incendiary device" to deliberately start the March 1 fires on Deep Creek Drive, the S.C. Forestry Commission stated in a news release.

Deep Creek Drive connects S.C. Highway 261 to Barnhill Road. It's about six miles southeast of downtown Hemingway.

After responding to a call for a woods fire, an officer with the forestry commission found a soft drink bottle near one of the fires, according to the commission's release. The bottle contained what appeared to be kerosene and a rag that also smelled of kerosene.

Camera footage found during the investigation revealed that a truck registered to McDaniel was in the area around the time the fires started, the release stated. SCFC investigators interviewed McDaniel and arrested him on three counts of arson.

The fires were set while the county was under a burning ban for dangerous fire conditions, but these three blazes didn't cause any property damage, said Justin Holt, public information coordinator for the forestry commission.

Information about a possible motive for the arson can't be released at this time, Holt said.

The fires aren’t related to a blaze that erupted near the Prince George neighborhood on March 1, according to the forestry commission. That fire grew to 130 acres and prompted officials to evacuate residents from the beach side of the Prince George community and those who live in properties east of the traffic circle on Vanderbilt Boulevard.

All the fires in Georgetown County have been contained, and the burn ban was lifted on March 9.

Horry County remains under a ban as crews continue trying to contain a 2,059-acre wildfire in Carolina Forest.

On March 6, Alexandra Bialousow, 40, was arrested on two misdemeanor charges related to the Carolina Forest fire, according to the forestry commission.

Authorities say she was burning backyard debris when she negligently allowed the blaze to spread to others' land. She is accused of failing to take proper precautions to prevent the burn from escaping.

Three others have been cited for violating the burn ban in Horry County and another has been arrested.

McDaniel was booked into the Georgetown County Detention Center March 3 and released the following day, according to online jail records. Each charge carries a maximum fine of $5,000 or up to five years in prison upon conviction.

Over 100 African Americans over 200 years have been featured in the traveling exhibit since 2023, Ferraro said. The exhibit has reached 21 different hosting sites. Currently, the exhibit may be seen in Georgetown, Chicago, and Maryland to name a few.

Recognized Friday were Oscar Dishman, Harry Lewis, Johnny Collins, Ansel Williamson, Everette Bass, Terry Thomas, Manilus Neal, Zach Wilson, Duane Raglin, Willard and Dillard Bledsoe, and more.

“The significance (of the exhibit) is hard to put into words,” Ferraro said. “Folks earlier said there was a dominance of Black horsemen. That is absolutely the case. Depending on where you lived in years before and after the Civil War and really, early into the early 1900s … five-to-15 percent of the population winning 40 to 50 percent of the time, that’s a dominance.

“To talk about the industry today, to talk about the directions the industry is heading, it’s impossible to have those conversations without talking about what has happened before and what is still happening today.”

Marilyn Dishman shared stories of her father, Oscar, a well-known trainer.

“Oscar Dishman Jr. was my father. He was born in 1923,” Marilyn said. “He was the son of a groomsman … and the grandson of a jockey back in slave days.

“… In 1961, Oscar was one of the few African American thoroughbred owners, trainers, in America. In his heyday in the 1970s, Dishman was training up to 35 horses at a time.”

Oscar traveled the country training horses, Marilyn said,

Raglin is a blacksmith who worked with Collins, something he said was challenging, but the work has taken him all over the world.

“The importance of (the exhibit is) to display and honor previous horsemen … and let it be known that it is something that doesn’t need to die off and needs to be passed down,” Raglin said. “The history of it is very significant. It means more moving forward to know the history before you can move forward to the future.”

PAWLEYS ISLAND — Robin Agnew can’t imagine living anywhere but on a golf course.

The open green space is what first attracted her and her husband to the Litchfield Country Club 30 years ago. Today, she's the president of the neighborhood's property owners association and still enjoys playing the course and admiring the view from her home.

But Agnew worries about what could happen if the course closed.

Unlike other Waccamaw Neck courses, it's not part of the surrounding neighborhood. And the property's zoning allows residential development, meaning that if the course ever shuts down, four units per acre could be built on that land.

“That just did not appeal to me at all,” Agnew said.

The Founders Club in Pawleys Island is in the same position.

While neither golf course has plans to close, the county intends to update the zoning for the courses as a preventative measure.

“There's just concerns from constituents in my district about what could potentially come if something were to happen,” County Councilwoman Stella Mercado said.

That scenario has played out in other parts of the state, including Fort Mill, Blythewood and in neighboring Horry County. When courses shut down, it's sparked conflicts between residents and developers as neighbors opposed building on the defunct courses.

In North Charleston, a 10-year battle with neighbors and developers ensued with the Kings Grand golf course closed. In the end, 80 acres were reserved for a marsh park with a walking trail and paddle craft launch and 90 acres were slated for development.

The land-use element of the county’s comprehensive plan states that any new development of the Litchfield Country Club and Founders Club courses should maintain a low overall density that preserves a significant portion of the green space.

It also designates the golf courses as conservation agriculture districts. That zoning is used for areas that include land critical to the health of watersheds and waterways, public recreation facilities or specific protected features in neighborhood developments, Georgetown County Planning Director Holly Richardson said.

The county has plans to update its zoning ordinance and map to reflect the information stated in the land-use element. It could take between 12 and 18 months, and some council members are looking for a quicker solution.

“The sooner, the better,” County Councilman Bob Anderson said.

At a recent council meeting, Richardson presented a plan for rezoning the courses.

The properties could be rezoned under an existing district, but there aren’t any that align with the county's vision for the land, she said.

Some of the existing districts would allow for uses the county doesn’t want to see on the golf course properties, and others were created for rural districts that include language not relevant to the Waccamaw Neck.

Another option is to create a zoning district that would preserve greenspace and nearby wetlands and protect residential properties in the case of a course closure, Richardson said.

That would still allow for the land to be used for a golf course, public facilities, parks, open space and recreational facilities. There would also be limited conditional uses. For example, a clubhouse could be converted into a subdivision amenity, and there could possibly be commercial development along land fronting U.S. Highway 17, she said.

The proposed zoning district could potentially allow for some single-family residential development, but it would be limited. Richardson said one idea is to limit development to one house for every five acres.

"There seems to be a big concern about density, and so this will decrease density," Mercado said of rezoning the courses.

The county also recently addressed overcrowding on the Waccamaw Neck by approving an ordinance that limits apartment-style housing in general residential districts to five units per acre.

Agnew said she’s grateful the county is moving forward with a zoning change to protect the golf courses.

"Green space is wonderful, and there’s a lot of wildlife there," she said. "And it's just undisturbed in the middle of a very busy Highway 17 corridor … so I want to keep the density down."

She’d prefer to keep the course as a recreational green space such as a park in the event of a closure. Ideally, there wouldn’t be any houses built on it at all, she said. But she said one house for every five acres is a good compromise.

“I could live with that,” she said.