‘It’s different here’: Folks along Grand Strand space out to enjoy weather, masks or not
Nathan Craig McManus saw plenty of business since he started selling his art on the Murrells Inlet Marshwalk after spending time social distancing for a month.
His art — various ocean scenes made from a special aluminum resilient against sea air — drew in people waiting to eat at neighboring restaurants. McManus accommodated folks waiting for food with benches.
McManus was joined by other people selling crafts and shirts. The Marshwalk looked fairly normal for a warm weekend. People enjoying seafood, drinking colorful mixed drinks, admiring the goats on goat island and people lining up to jet ski in the Inlet.
Few were wearing masks, but there were seemingly not any large gatherings despite many establishments having live music.
McManus, from Garden City, said he understood why folks wouldn’t want to wear face coverings while enjoying the warm Memorial Day weekend.
“We’re in the South. We’re not on top of each other. It’s not like in a big city,” McManus said. “It’s pretty common for there to already be 6 feet between you and another person. It’s different here with a lot of open areas and rural space.”
McManus’ art business has sold more in these weeks than he did in Fourth of July last year and he said the crowds had been steady all weekend with some waiting over an hour for a table.
Memorial Day weekend along the Grand Strand brought thousands of tourists to enjoy the beach. Many, like Lance Patterson, came down for the day from areas within driving distance to Myrtle Beach.
Patterson and his siblings came down from Winston Salem, North Carolina to enjoy some time together. They did the Ripley’s attraction and sat on the beach side for a bit before heading home.
He hopes to visit again soon this summer.
“I wanted to be with my family,” Patterson said. “Everyone has been spaced out. I’m not getting near anybody.”
Harold and Donna Wainman, from Calabash, North Carolina were sitting on a bench while wearing sea-themed masks while watching people go by. The Wainmans’ daughter was visiting from Virginia so they could see their new grandchild, born three months ago.
The sidewalks in Myrtle Beach were crowded and barricades kept people from stepping out onto the street. Some gift shops advertised masks for sale. There was a heavier police officer presence downtown as officers stood in the closed north-bound lanes. Additional public safety officers were brought in after a shooting last week.
Harold Wainman said Ocean Boulevard wasn’t as crowded as he thought it would be, but compared it to a normal summer day. He felt most people were trying to keep a distance from their neighbor.
They were day tripping, too, and visiting the boardwalk and The Market Common. Donna Wainman, who was wearing a mask, noted that not many people were wearing masks. The family was not staying in Myrtle Beach for long.
“We just wanted to come down for the day with our new granddaughter,” Harold Wainman said.
This story was originally published May 24, 2020 at 8:39 PM.
