Horry County notebook | Santa Claus Lane has been found near Myrtle Beach

Phyllis Tinsman should be atop Santa’s nice list, if for no other reason than she appears to be his No. 1 fan.

The Myrtle Beach resident has collected Ol’ St. Nick figurines for more than 30 years. Today, she’s got more than 700.

“I’ve always liked them, so I just started collecting them,” Tinsman said.

But every collection ultimately reaches its quota. Each Christmas, Tinsman received 15 or 20 new Santas. Five years ago, she asked friends and family to please stop giving them.

The Santa figures range from 1 inch to 6 feet tall. And they all have different facial expressions.

In fact, Tinsman said, she buys a new Santa based on whether she likes the face.

Each year, Tinsman starts gathering them up around the middle of October and has her whole Painted Duck Court house decorated by Dec. 1, before her birthday.

This year, Tinsman turned 75 and vows it will be the last year she goes all out with the Santa decorations because of health reasons.

That doesn’t mean the decorating will stop completely; it will just be minimized.

What won’t diminish is her fondness for both the holiday season and the North Pole’s premier resident.

“The whole house is completely full. Every room is decorated for Christmas,” Tinsman said.

County seeks input on federal grant

Horry County is asking for public input on how to best use more than $1.85 million for housing and community development needs.

The money is from the fiscal year 2012 Community Development Block Grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Input will be considered by the county in developing the annual action plan, which is part of the five-year consolidated plan to be submitted to HUD, said Lisa Bourcier, Horry County spokeswoman.

The consolidated plan is the application for federal CDBG program funding and consists of a strategy to address the housing, homeless and community development needs of Horry County, according to a press release.

People can offer their ideas at a public meeting at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 12 at the voter registration-CDBG complex, 1515 Fourth Ave., Conway.

A second public meeting is scheduled for Jan. 24 at the same location.

Written comments can also be mailed to the CDBG complex, or residents can complete an online survey at www.horrycounty.org.

Holiday closings

All Horry County offices, except for public safety, will be closed from Friday through Tuesday.

Offices reopen Wednesday, but will be closed again Jan. 2 for the New Year holiday.