Best Bets for the Myrtle Beach area, May 1-7

Special events include ‘Taste of the Coast’

▪ Grand Strand Westie Club’s annual “Westie Walk,” 9 a.m. Saturday from Myrtle Beach’s Valor Memorial Garden, on Farrow Parkway, at The Market Common. 650-1979, or e-mail westdale@sccoast.net.

▪ Friends of Conway Library spring book sale, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at Horry County Memorial Library Conway – 801 Main St. 915-7323 or www.hcml.org.

▪ American Guild of Organists Grand Strand Chapter’s “Pedals, Pipes and Pizza Event,” introducing piano students ages 10-18 to the organ, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday at First United Methodist Church, 1001 Fifth Ave., Conway. Free. Register by emailing billy.fallaw@fumcconway.org. 488-4251.

▪ Eighth annual “Taste of the Coast,” in three parts, benefiting Risen Christ Lutheran School of North Myrtle Beach, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports Complex, at S.C. 90 and Robert Edge Parkway, with advance tickets $3 ages 3 and older, or $5 at gate, and free ages 12 and younger. Food and ride tickets $1 each. Also, bring canned food items for North Strand Helping Hand. Newsboys concert, 7 p.m. Sunday at Beach Church, 557 George Bishop Parkway, between U.S. 501 and U.S. 17 Bypass, just west of Myrtle Beach, for $25, $35 or $45 and VIP add-on $35 for entry at 5:30 p.m. (www.itickets.com/events/335707). Golf tourney at 1 p.m. Monday at Grande Dunes Members Club in Myrtle Beach, for $125 individual or $400 team of four. 399-8918, 272-8163 or www.tocnmb.com.

▪ “Festival of Hope” benefit, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday (rain date May 9) at Academy of Hope Charter School (formerly Old Pee Dee School), 3521 Juniper Bay Road, Conway. Free admission. 397-5719.

▪ EASY ESCAPE for fourth annual “Our Main Squeeze” Wine & Music Festival, benefiting Fisher House,11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday at Duplin Winery, in Rose Hill, N.C., in area west of Exit 340 from Interstate 40, northeast of Fayetteville. $15 advance or $20 at gate. Free tickets available to first 2,000 service personnel with ID. Bands to play: Jim Quick and Coastline 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Band of Oz 1:30-3:30, and Liquid Pleasure Super Show 4-7 p.m. 800-774-9634 or www.duplinwinery.com.

▪ Georgetown County Hispanic Collaborative’s Hispanic Fiesta, noon-4 p.m. Saturday, including “A Latino Taste” 1-3 p.m., at Beck Recreation Center, 2030 Church St., Georgetown. Free. 545-3310.

▪ Waterway Art Association’s 24th annual Spring Art Show and Sale, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-May 9 and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. May 10 at Brunswick Community College South Brunswick Islands Center, on U.S. 17, in Carolina Shores, N.C., south of Crows Creek Golf Plantation. Free. Awards presentation 6-8 p.m. May 7; and watercolor workshop May 5-7 with Roger Tatum, for $200. 910-575-3737.

▪ Brunswick County Master Gardener Volunteer Association Spring Plant Sale, including many native N.C. flora, and Master Gardeners on hand to answer questions: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday-May 9 outside Brunswick County N.C. Extension Office, 25 Referendum Road, Bolivia, N.C., behind Building N. Also, special mini-programs at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.: May 6 on rain gardens and plants selection, May 7 on proper soil preparation for planting trees and shrubs, and May 8 on submitting a soil sample for testing. 910-253-2610 or brunswick.ces.ncsu.edu.

‘Blessing of the Inlet’ marks 19th year

The 19th annual Blessing of the Inlet marks a tradition for Murrells Inlet every first Saturday in May, including 9 a.m.-4 p.m. this Saturday.

All the festivities play out at Belin Memorial United Methodist Church, 4182 U.S. 17 Business, Murrells Inlet, including a formal ceremony 11:30 a.m.-noon by the Rev. Dr. Mike Alexander and the Rev. Scott Johnson, in front of the church.

Scheduled entertainment comprises:

▪ Coastal Youth Ballet Theatre, 9:30-10:25 a.m.

▪ Low Country Barbershop Chorus, 10:30-10:54 a.m.

▪ Belin Chancel Choir, 11-11:25 a.m.

▪ Seaside Elementary School Choir, noon-12:20 p.m.

▪ Mixed Creeds, 12:30-1:10 p.m.

▪ Greater Gordon Chapel Combined Choir, 1:15-1:45 p.m.

▪ Carl Wiesener, 1:50-2:25 p.m.

▪ JoEllen’s Students, 2:40-3 p.m.

▪ The Reynoldses, 3-3:20 p.m.

▪ Harmony 4 Him, 3:20-3:30 p.m.

Admission is free. Children’s inflatables wristbands cost $8 ages 5 and older, otherwise $4.

Details at 651-5099 or www.blessingoftheinlet.com.

State park goes ‘Totally Turtles’

The third annual “Totally Turtles” will take over parts of Myrtle Beach State Park, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, This festival, always on the first Saturday of May, happens before the sea turtle nesting season starts, all to help raise awareness for summer of these special marine creatures, which include the state reptile, the loggerhead turtle.

Most programs are free with park admission – $5 for ages 16 and older, $3.25 S.C. seniors, $3 ages 6-15 and free ages 5 and younger – unless noted otherwise:

These events continues for a few hours each:

▪ “Sea Turtle ER – What Did that Turtle Eat? How Did it get Sick?” 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

▪ North Myrtle Beach Sea Turtle Patrol Team, answering questions, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

▪ Crawl through a shrimp net, 10:45 a.m.-1 p.m.

▪ Sea Turtle Sand Art Contest, with room for 15 teams, 10 a.m.-12:15 p.m., then public judging 12:30-1:45 p.m., and winner announced at 2 p.m.

▪ Sea Turtle Painting Viewing for Raffle, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m., with ticket sales 1:30-1:55 p.m. for $5 cash each, and raffle 2 p.m.

▪ Turtle Crafts, to make and take home, 12:15-1:30 p.m.

Other programs, each about 30 minutes:

▪ “Get out of the TED (Turtle Excluder Device)!” at 10 a.m.

▪ “Data Behind the DNA of a Nesting Sea Turtle,” 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

▪ “Turtle Tales Story Time,” for ages 7 and younger, 10:45 a.m.

▪ “TSI – Turtle Scene Investigations” and “Life Cycle Game of a Loggerhead Sea Turtle,” each 10:45 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.

▪ “Terrible Turtle Trouble” and “Sizing up Turtles,” each 11:30 a.m.

▪ “Turtle Crawl!” at 1 p.m.

▪ “Pollution Pick Up to Help Sea Turtles,” 1:30 p.m.

The park’s on U.S. 17 Business, one mile south of Ocean Boulevard/Farrow Parkway, and open 6 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. Details at 238-0874, from the park office at 238-5325 or www.myrtlebeachsp.com.

Two festivals to brew in downtown Conway

Folks will pour into downtown Conway on Saturday for two festivals:

The 29th annual Rivertown Music & Craft Beer Festival comprises:

▪ Conway Farmers Market and registration for a Chicora Car Club classic car show, 8 a.m.-noon.

▪ Street fair opens 11 a.m., with vendors until 5 p.m., and craft beer tastings, with more than 80 to sample, till 9:30 p.m.

▪ Car show awards, 3 p.m.

▪ Entertainment by the Sally Woody Dancers at 11 a.m., DaVoices at 12:45 p.m., Knowhere 2:30 p.m., Steady Hand String Band 4 p.m., PaperWork 6 p.m., and Kick the Robot 8 p.m.

Admission is free. Buy food and beverage tickets on site. Details at 248-6260 or conwayalive.com.

Also, The Homebrewer’s Pantry, based at 1015 Fourth Ave., Conway, will celebrate “Big Brew Day,” among the American Homebrewers Association’s global “Big Brew” event, noon-7 p.m. at Fourth Avenue and Main Street, with a toast at 1 p.m., and five to 10 brewing stations on site. Free. 732-3377 or homebrewerspantry.com.

‘Made in the Shade,’ ‘Servant of Two Masters,’ ‘For Better’

A concert series kicks off Sunday, and a school and community theater each will open a play May 7:

▪ “Made in the Shade Concert Series” kickoff with Long Bay Symphony Youth Orchestra, 3 p.m. Sunday, on lawn of Kaminski House Museum, 1003 Front St., Georgetown. Free. Also: Indigo Choral Society at 7 p.m. July 4, and Denny Hess Trio in “Jazz Under the Oaks,” 3-6 p.m. Oct. 11. (Museum open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, with tours at 11 a.m. and 1 and 3 p.m., for $7, and additional $3 for Stewart-Parker House.) 546-7706 or kaminskimuseum.org, and www.longbaysymphony.com.

▪ Academy Players’ “Servant of Two Masters,” a two-act comedy set in the 16th-17th centuries: 7 p.m. May 7-9 and 3 p.m. May 10 at Horry County Schools’ Academy for the Arts, Science and Technology, 895 International Drive, just west of Myrtle Beach and S.C. 31. $10 advance or $12 at door, and $5 students with ID. 903-8460 or aast.horrycountyschools.net.

▪ Murrells Inlet Community Theatre’s “For Better,” with shows 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through May 17, at Murrells Inlet Community Center, 4450 Murrells Inlet Road, beside Murrells Inlet Presbyterian Church, and south of Bellamy Avenue and Murrells Inlet U.S. Post Office. $12, and for groups of 15 or more, $10 each651-4152 or mictheatre.com.

This story was originally published April 30, 2015 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Best Bets for the Myrtle Beach area, May 1-7."