North Myrtle Beach warns planner as St. Patrick’s Day pub crawl ‘escalated to a parade’

The City of North Myrtle Beach has issued a warning to a small business owner organizing a St. Patrick’s Day event, saying the parade he planned was not permitted by the city, and therefore, is illegal.

Weldon Boyd, who owns Buoys on the Boulevard, has an ongoing dispute with the city over COVID-19 restrictions.

The city called off its St. Patrick’s Day parade and festival earlier this month because of the pandemic. The event was also canceled last year.

Boyd is planning a Saint Patrick’s Crawl for All on Main, an event aimed at supporting small businesses that features live music and a pub crawl, according to the event page on Facebook. It is scheduled for March 13 at 10 a.m.

Pat Dowling, the city spokesman, confirmed Tuesday that the city sent a letter to Boyd the previous day. The letter, signed by City Manager Mike Mahaney, was posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page.

“What started out as a ‘St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl’ with golf carts as transport has now escalated to a parade featuring all manner of entries,” the letter states.

Calls and messages by The Sun News Tuesday afternoon seeking comment were left with Boyd.

In two Facebook videos, Boyd admitted to organizing a golf cart parade but said the city was aware of his plans. In his second video, which garnered over 600 comments and 244 shares, Boyd played an audio recording of him talking to city employees at city hall when he went there seeking a permit. He left without one but said two city employees gave him verbal permission to have the event, including the parade.

In the audio, which was recorded on a phone, you can hear Boyd talking with two people about his event, including what he refers to as a “golf cart parade.” Boyd can be heard explaining the pub crawl and then asking about where golf carts are allowed to be driven.

The people were not aware they were being recorded, Dowling said. But South Carolina is a one-party consent state, meaning an individual can legally record a conversation that they are participating in.

Dowling said Boyd referred to the event in many different ways during the conversation with the employees.

“That wasn’t a discussion about a parade,” Dowling said of Boyd’s audio recording. “That was a discussion about what golf carts are allowed to do on Main Street. And in the middle of it, he decided to use that as getting permission to hold the parade.”

Under the city’s Code of Ordinances, an individual must fill out an application and get approval from council to have a parade. Boyd did not leave town hall with a permit, Dowling said.

Dowling said using the golf carts to get around on Main Street is not a problem as long as the South Carolina’s Department of Commerce guidelines are met and city laws are followed. He said the reason the city decided to send out the letter is because of a post on Buoys’ Facebook page inviting sports teams and dance schools to join the parade.

“Now we’re talking about an actual parade that’s unpermitted and quite possibly, not just a COVID-19 problem for the city, but also an event that could obstruct regular use of Main Street,” Dowling said.

In his first video on the subject, Boyd said St. Patrick’s Day is a crucial day for small businesses since Main Street does not have much traffic during winter months.

“When we lost the parade last year, it hurt. It did hurt. But when you lose the parade this year, it hurts beyond what a lot of us can understand,” Boyd said, noting that businesses still have bills to pay and need the revenue to stay afloat.

The city also posted the contents of the letter on Facebook to warn people that the parade is unpermitted, Dowling said. The statement, along with the letter, states that the city has not granted permission for anyone to have a parade.

“Don’t come because it’s illegal and the law will be enforced,” Dowling said.

In his first video, Boyd said the event was not planned in defiance of the city but is something small businesses need.

He also said the event will continue without the golf cart parade.

“I think the best thing to do is for every one of us to show up on March 13 at 10 a.m. and make sure Main Street has the best day its had ever and send a loud and clear message to the city leaders of North Myrtle Beach,” Boyd said.

He said some city leaders are going out of their way to beat him down.

“The City of North Myrtle Beach, Marilyn Hatley and Mike Mahaney hate my guts, Boyd said in the first video. “It is what it is. I’m not a big fan of them.”

But Dowling said the city is not picking with him.

“It’s just a matter of holding your event and making sure you do it within the parameters of the law,” he said.

This is not the first time Boyd has taken to social media to air out his frustrations.

In September, Boyd stopped showing any NFL games due to players protesting the National Anthem. In a 12-minute video, Boyd expressed his anger about the protests and the league allowing players to honor victims of police brutality.

In April, Boyd opened outdoor dining at his restaurant, putting him in violation of the state’s COVID-19 mandate. S.C. Law Enforcement Division issued a warning, and Boyd eventually stopped.

The restaurant also sued a woman for libel in 2018 when she left negative reviews on yelp and social media.

This story was originally published February 23, 2021 at 2:32 PM with the headline "North Myrtle Beach warns planner as St. Patrick’s Day pub crawl ‘escalated to a parade’."