How the bridge named 'Poo' marked this local captain's place in history
The Little River Swing Bridge is officially the Captain Archie Neil "Poo" McLauchlin Swing Bridge.
On Saturday, more than 100 people gathered at Filet's restaurant next to the bridge for the dedication ceremony and boat regatta.
State Senator Greg Hembree, State House Representative Greg Duckworth, North Myrtle Beach Mayor Marilyn Hatley, Horry County Council Chair Mark Lazarus and of course, Captain Poo himself, were in attendance for the ceremony.
"It's great," Poo, 82, said while sipping a drink in Filet's restaurant after the dedication "A hell of a turnout. It means a lot, it means a real lot."
It all started in January of 2018. Duckworth had posted a picture of the Little River Swing Bridge on his Facebook page, and that gave fishing guide Captain Patrick Kelly, aka "Captain Smiley," an idea: to rename the bridge in Poo's honor.
Kelly created a Facebook group dedicated to the name change. Within four days, he said, it had 3,000 members.
"Poo's a mentor of mine," said Kelly, who credits Poo with teaching him about boats and the Intracoastal Waterway.
"I'm very happy for Poo that he's here to see this," he said. "I'm happy for his family and I'm most of all happy about our community. We're very fortunate to be the number one beach town in South Carolina and this one of the reasons why."
In February, the state legislature passed a resolution to rename the bridge.
"It was a picture-perfect day," said Duckworth, who sponsored the original house bill to rename the bridge. "I think it was a great day for a great dedication for a great guy for a great bridge."
Bonnie Baldwin, Poo's great niece, said her grandmother was Poo's sister — the one who gave him the nickname "Poo" after a 1930s-era comic character.
"I'm so blessed that so many people came out," Baldwin said. "He's such a great guy. It couldn't have been a better day and better turnout."
County Chair Lazarus said he was 15 years old when he first met Poo.
"In my younger days we used to come up here and shoot pool and hang out," Lazarus said, adding that he thought the dedication was a great thing.
"I couldn't think of anybody more fitting," he said. "He's really given so much to this area, especially dealing with the waterway and captaining the boats and the iconic restaurant and lounge that he's had."
Back at Filet's, Captain Poo was having a drink with friends. He said he was excited about the dedication and was planning on going to Captain Archie's later on. But not quite yet.
"I'm just tired right now," he said.
Christian Boschult, 843-626-0218, @TSN_Christian
This story was originally published April 14, 2018 at 7:03 PM with the headline "How the bridge named 'Poo' marked this local captain's place in history."