Should this Horry County city make a seasonal name change to Halloween, SC?

Welcome to Halloween, South Carolina.

Mayor Barbara Blain-Bellamy will forgive you for slipping up and calling Conway by its centuries-old name. But through October, the Horry County seat’s moniker is being spirited away as part of an aggressive marketing campaign officials believe is the only one of its kind in America.

“I really think we’re on to something big and exciting,” Bellamy said during a Sept. 23 press conference where she unveiled a new seasonal brand for the city of nearly 25,000.

It may not be economic development in the traditional sense, but industry trends show Halloween to be a huge moneymaker.

This year, Americans are projected to spend more than $10.5 billion on Halloween-related products, with per-house spending of nearly $100, according to a recent National Retail Federation report.

“Our greatest aim is to bring people here to enjoy all the amenities, all the shops, all the restaurants that we have,” Bellamy said. “All the (Halloween) decorations that we have have helped tremendously, according to them.”

The re-brand, introduced as Project October, took place at City Hall amid witch hats, skeletons and soft cobweb bedding.

Conway already has a full slate of fall and Halloween-related activities planned through Oct. 31, including a nearly sold out downtown Ghost Walk that weaves folklore and history along a one-mile walking route.

Bellamy said leaning into the Halloween them was built out of the pandemic, when city leaders laced plastic jack-o-lanterns through Main Street tree canopies.

“The sight was unique and unexpected and we received a roar of public positive comment,” Bellamy said. “We heard, ‘the pumpkins make me happy. The pumpkins make me smile.’ Enough so that we continually scour every Wal-Mart on the eastern seaboard to grow the sight but more importantly, to grow the spirit.”

This story was originally published September 23, 2022 at 4:30 PM.