The week ahead for the Myrtle Beach area

THE WEEK AHEAD

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

High school hoops tip off

The high school basketball regular season officially kicks off Monday for area squads.

Talk about education

Coastal Carolina University is hosting an Early Learning Forum on Monday as a way for community members to gather, learn about and discuss early learning and its significance and social impact. There’s a reception at 5:30 p.m. and the program begins at 6:30 p.m. in the E. Craig Wall College of Business Administration Wall Auditorium. Registration information is available through Lynne Brock at 349-2629 or lynne@coastal.edu. Organizers say the forum will be the first in a series of discussions about educating South Carolina’s children.

Mrs. Perry visits

Anita Perry, wife of presidential candidate Rick Perry, will be the guest speaker when the GOP Patriots’ Club meets at 7 p.m. Monday at the Georgetown Library, 405 Cleland St. She will discuss her husband’s platform and take questions from the public, and afterward, there will be a reception with refreshments. Everyone is welcome. For more information, call club President Tom Winslow at 655-7333.

Light the trees

Several Grand Strand towns are holding their Christmas tree lighting ceremonies this week, including Surfside Beach at 7 p.m. Thursday at Town Hall, 115 U.S. 17 N., and North Myrtle Beach at 6 p.m. Friday at McLean Park. There will be music, refreshments, multitudes of lights, and even visits from a certain Jolly Old Elf.

Candlelight Christmas season

Starting Friday and running each weekend through Dec. 17, people can tour Brookgreen Gardens by candlelight and the soft glow of thousands of sparking lights placed throughout the grounds, during Nights of a Thousand Candles. The garden will be open for evening visitors from 3 to 10 p.m. each of those weekends. Tickets are $16 for adults, $7 for children 4-12 and admission is free for children 3 and younger. For group reservation of 15 people or more, call 235-6021.

Championship week

Clemson will take on Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship game Saturday as conference championships begin in earnest this week. The Tigers and Hokies will square off at 8 p.m. Saturday in Charlotte, N.C. The game will be on ESPN. In the SEC, LSU and Georgia go head-to-head in Atlanta with a 4 p.m. start. The game will be on CBS.