Mobile Home Sales in Ketchuptown, SC

Minor inconveniences and life-altering tragedies are causing even ardent optimists to beg for mercy from the relentless global pandemic. But many of those same people have made the best of too much time at home — people such as 10-year-old Tucker Patsey’s family.

When Tucker was 3 or 4 years old, he started woodworking with his dad, Luke, at their O’Hara home. They began with barn wood Christmas tree collars. Then they connected wood planks on their short sides on which Tucker painted American flags or “CHQ,” for Lake Chautauqua, the family’s yearly vacation spot. He even created necklace pendants from melted crayon shavings and small pieces of glass.

It’s not surprising, then, that as quarantine hit in early 2020, their pastime was art. His mom, dad, sister and grandma, who joined them via FaceTime, sat down with their own canvases, all riffing on a pre-chosen artistic theme. They chatted as they painted and compared their work at the end.

It was all just for fun until a family friend noticed Tucker’s talent and suggested he sell it.

Tucker agreed, but he didn’t want to keep the money. “I’ve always liked helping people, so it was an easy decision to donate it,” he said.

Tucker’s family consistently donates to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, and that propelled the conversations toward those experiencing hunger. Ultimately, the fourth grader chose Fox Chapel’s Backpack for Hunger, a charity that distributes bags full of food to food insecure children in the community.

Around Thanksgiving, he started an Instagram account with his parents’ help, @art2combathunger. There, he posts pieces of his art for followers to purchase just by commenting on the images. Payment and pick-up or shipping are arranged individually. After selling several pieces at the steady $10 price tag, plus some general donations to his cause, Tucker already donated $515 to Backpack for Hunger.

“When we started looking at it, we had no idea there are over 800 families in our district on the free lunch/free meal program,” said Tucker’s mom, Laurel Yasko. “This is a way for him to give back to our local community and maybe even help some of his friends who he doesn’t know are food insecure.”

Tucker’s O’Hara Elementary School art teacher, Jennifer Reynolds, noticed his artistic talent long ago, recognizing his “independent artist choices” as similar to the pop art styles of Andy Warhol or Burton Morris. Many of his pieces — created with acrylic paint or paint pens on canvas — feature flowers in that accessible style, with occasional holiday or seasonal themes such as Christmas bells or baseball imagery, since he’s also a huge sports fan.

Tucker enjoys art. He’s aware that it’s a strength. He’s happy about donating the money. But even at age 10, he recognizes how art gives back to him. “I get stressed out easily,” he said. “When I do art, I feel really good because I don’t have to be really loud. It’s easier for me to calm down.”

And he’s about to pay it forward. On Feb. 13, he will hold two “art sessions” at Ketchup City Creative in Sharpsburg. For a $10 donation to Backpack for Hunger, pre-registered grade school-aged kids will paint on 5-by-7-inch canvases with either acrylic paint or paint markers, discuss food insecurity and Backpack for Hunger and, if there’s interest, may have the chance to donate their skills and work to @art2combathunger.

“We’ve always taught our kids that there are going to be kids who are more fortunate than you and less fortunate than you,” Ms. Yasko said. “Really pay attention to those who are less fortunate than you because those are the people who need attention and need your help.”

It seems that Tucker took that lesson to heart (and art).

For more information and to sign up, visit https://www.ketchupcity.com and click on Tucker’s Feb. 13 event.

First Published February 6, 2022, 3:30am

A perfect storm of a new variant, relatively stagnant vaccination rates, few mask-wearers and holiday gatherings is driving a renewed surge of COVID-19 cases in Horry County.

But as has been true during much of the pandemic, the virus isn’t attacking each area of the county equally. Some communities are much harder hit during the omicron surge than others, data from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control show.

Some ZIP codes are showing an incidence rate of nearly 10 cases per 1,000 residents, while others are in the low single digits.

Horry County has recorded more than 2,800 positive cases since Christmas as South Carolina continues to add record-breaking caseloads to its daily counts nearly two years into the pandemic.

Vaccination rates in Horry County also vary by ZIP code, but as a whole the county has 54% of its total population vaccinated, according to data kept by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A September Sun News analysis found a correlation between vaccination rates and case counts in Horry County communities.

The incidence rates below are based on the cases recorded from Dec. 26 through Jan. 2, the most recent data available from DHEC. The incidence rate is calculated by comparing that to the ZIP code’s population.

As omicron surges and people head back to school and work, find out where your community stands.

The Aynor area of Horry County added 63 cases to its count in the past two weeks, meaning roughly 11.5 per 1,000 residents in the area have tested positive for COVID-19 since Dec. 26.

In Carolina Forest, one of the area’s most populous ZIP codes, the incidence rate is threatening to increase to 10 cases per 1,000 residents. At 9.69 cases per 1,000 residents, the area ranks second in the county just behind Aynor.

The county’s largest ZIP code by population ranks third in incidence rate during the last two weeks, data show. The 29526 ZIP code recorded 464 cases in that time frame, bringing its incidence rate to 9.62 cases per 1,000 residents.

In Galivants Ferry, the post-holiday caseload is 53 positive tests as of Sunday. That brings the area’s incidence rate to around 9.5 cases per 1,000 residents.

With 157 cases reported in the Loris area since Dec. 26, the area has an incidence rate of 9 cases per 1,000 residents.

One of the ZIP codes that covers Horry County’s main hub of Myrtle Beach recorded an incidence rate of 8.7 cases per 1,000 residents, ranking sixth of all Horry County’s ZIP codes.

The Little River area boasts one of the highest vaccination rates in Horry County. Its incidence rate in late December and early January is 8.7 cases per 1,000 residents, according to DHEC.

Near Conway, 207 cases have been reported since the day after Christmas. The incidence rate comes out to around 7.8 cases per 1,000 residents.

In Myrtle Beach, the 29572 ZIP code falls in the middle of the pack in Horry County’s recent incidence rate. Its 73 cases bring its incidence rate to around 7.54 cases per 1,000 residents, barely more than the Socastee and Forestbrook area.

The Socastee and Forestbrook area, covered by ZIP code 29588, is responsible for 362 of Horry County’s cases in the last two weeks, meaning its incidence rate is 7.52 cases per 1,000 residents.

In the northern part of the county, North Myrtle Beach recorded an incidence rate of 6.7 cases per 1,000 residents.

The Longs area just barely trails North Myrtle Beach with an incidence rate of 6.6 cases per 1,000 residents added to its count since late December. The area recorded 108 cases since Dec. 26.

The 29575 ZIP code added 122 of Horry County’s 2,800-strong cases in the last two weeks. Compared to its population, that comes to an incidence rate of 6.4 cases per 1,000 residents.

The smallest Horry County ZIP code by population reported only nine COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, according to DHEC. That’s an incidence rate of 5.5 cases per 1,000 residents.

With 166 cases in the last two weeks, Murrells Inlet and Garden City have an incidence rate of 5.1 cases per 1,000 residents.

Only 13 cases were reported in the 29581 ZIP code covering Nichols and Ketchuptown, one of the smallest areas by population in Horry County. The area’s incidence rate comes out to 2.9 cases per 1,000 residents.

This story was originally published January 5, 2022 6:30 AM.

The beloved Ketchuptown Store and icehouse are on their way to being added to the county’s historic register after the current owners appealed to the Horry County Board of Architectural Review (BAR) for the designation.

John and Debbie Huntington, formerly of Maryland, frequented Horry County for years for Bike Week, and wanted to eventually come here after retirement. After a friend hooked them up with an Horry County real estate agent, they began checking out properties.

“I kept seeing this one on their site,” Mrs. Huntington said.

The Huntingtons live in the home on the property at the intersection of highways 99 and 23, and are working to restore the store building and old icehouse behind it to as close to their original condition as they can.

Their request passed through the BAR, but still must pass through the Infrastructure and Regulation committee, then be approved by County Council.

Mr. Huntington told the Board of Architectural Review that the store is in bad shape structurally, needs to be winterized and sealed to keep water from coming in through the windows. Some boards need to be nailing again and the overhang for the porch needs to be partially reattached and secured.

On the small icehouse building, Huntington said he plans to repair or replace damaged materials, secure the building, restore and re-glaze glass on the windows, and fix the deteriorating boards. He is also considering moving it over a bit farther on the property, closer to the store.

The BAR was excited to see it was going to be restored.

“You’re here to save it,” said BAR member Sam Dusenbury.

BAR member Bill Strydesky agreed.

“Hats off to you!” echoed Strydesky.

Huntington said he isn’t planning to open it back up as a store, and just wants to restore it to its original look to preserve some history, and possibly use it as a workshop.

BAR chairman Jamie Thompkins also commended the Huntingtons for their project.

“That’s a pretty noble venture to fix it up. It is part of Horry County, and has been part of Horry County for a very long time,” Thompkins said.

How it became Ketchuptown

The Huntingtons didn’t realize just how popular the store was when they first bought the property in 2016.

According to an article written by Ruth Ham and posted online by Horry County Historical Society, the home was built by her father Hub Small in 1927, when Ruth was 10-years-old.

It was occupied and run by different members of the family for 40 years.

The story goes that the Ketchuptown store was the closest one for farmers in the area, because unpaved roads made long travel difficult. It was the place farmers in the community met up to hang out and “catch up on the news”.

Ham loved to write the letter K in cursive, according to her daughters, and that’s how “catch up” became “Ketchup”.

“The spelling just seemed to conform,” Ham wrote.

Gayle Hayes, one of Ruth’s daughters, said on a public social media post on a Ketchuptown page that the store started out as Small’s Mercantile and sold gas and kerosene. “Big Daddy”, as the sisters affectionately referred to their grandfather, also sold cured meats.

Susan Buffkin, Gayle’s sister, worked in the store and helped run it when she was only 8-years-old, she said.

Buffkin even helped run the cash register, and after her father put in a grill at the back and began serving food, she said she got up at 5 a.m. to help ready all the bologna sandwiches for the farmers and tobacco hands that arrived early.

A neighbor across the street from the store, Marcia Johnson, said her husband Aubrey and his brother used to get a dime from their mother to run over to the store and get a hot dog and a drink.

Once the local roads were paved in the early 1950s, people started going to Conway, Loris and Mullins for their groceries.

Johnson said the store closed about the time she and her husband got married 46 years ago. Since then, it has housed a number of businesses including a video store.

When the store passed down to Buffkin, she said it was difficult to let it go, but had to due to health reasons.

“It was a big thing for me to sell it and move. We have a lot of good memories, a lot of birthdays out there,” Buffkin said.

Her sister shared her sentiment on her public social media post.

“It will always be a special part of our lives and history no matter who owns it. A story I will share with my grandchildren,” Hayes said.

Johnson is still amazed at the draw the building has for people in the community.

“I can’t believe a building that has been closed so long still has so many people coming by and taking pictures of it,” Johnson said, noting that even groups of bikers traveling through town will gather around it for a photo.

The BAR told Huntington that the store is eligible for a national register nomination, and said having it on the Horry County Historic Register is a good idea.

“It’s the best protection for it … for generations to come,” Strydesky said.

Strydesky encouraged Huntington to get a certificate of occupancy for the building so in case he ever wants to open it up he will be allowed, and it will be safe and usable.

“We want it to look as historically accurate as possible. If you’re willing to do that, I’m tickled pink that that’s what you want to do,” Thompkins said.

The Huntingtons are interested in seeing more old photos of the store and icehouse, and welcome stories and details about what life at the store used to be like. Those can be emailed to them at huntingtond@yahoo.com

Ham’s entire article about the store’s history and surrounding area via the Horry County Historical Society can be seen at http://www.hchsonline.org/places/ketchup.html

HORRY COUNTY, SC (WMBF) - Horry County officials say the recycling rate is not where it should be.

The average person recycles two pounds per day, compared to the nearly five pounds of trash thrown away. So Horry County is taking a few initiatives to spread awareness about how important it is to recycle.

There are 24 staffed drop off centers in Horry County where you can bring your recyclables - that's anything from paper, plastics, glass, metal, yard and food waste - almost anything. The drop off centers are free.

Now, the county itself doesn't provide services to come pick up your recycling, but if you don't want to bring your waste to a drop off center, there are private haulers you can look into that you can pay to take your recyclables if your town or city doesn't do it for you.

Part of the county's initiative to spread awareness about recycling involves going to schools and businesses to talk about the importance of recycling and how you can do it.

The county actually has a few recycling programs your business or school can participate in.

"Comingle is our word of the day. It means mix together," said Kendra Hooks, Coordinator of Recycling Programs. "Cardboard, newspaper, magazines, plastic jug bottles, metals cans, can all be mixed together in these business' recycling containers, and it's an eight-yard container, so it's a fairly large container, and we'll come by and collect it."

That's a free service for businesses and schools.

The county can't provide a pick-up service for residents simply due to the size of the area, but If you want to find out the closest drop off center to you, below is a list of all recycling centers in the county from the Horry County Solid Waste Authority - their locations, directions to them, phone numbers for them, and the days that they are closed:

#1 NMB - Highway 90-across from NMB Middle School - 399-4277 - Wednesday

#2 Loris Swap Shop - SC 9 two miles east of Loris near Campbell's Chainsaw Business - 756-2277 - Wednesday

#3 Mount Olive - SC 9-near Green Sea Floyds High School - 392-1277 - Tuesday

#4 McDowell Shortcut - TEMPORARILY CLOSED DUE TO CONSTRUCTION - Click here or more information. - Off Highway 707 between US-17 Bypass, St. James Elementary & Middle Schools (from US-17 Bypass turn at Pelican, turn right when you get to the dirt road) - 651-2771 - Tuesday

#5 Aynor - 0.4 miles from intersection of Hwy 319 and Bill Jones Road in Cool Spring community - 358-3277 - Tuesday/Open Thur. 1-7pm

#6 Socastee - Off Highway 544 west of Waterway, turn onto Pine Hollow Road, take right at Leisure Lane, then left onto Jones Road. Center is next to substation - 903-5792 - Open every day

#7 Homewood Swap Shop - Highway 701- North of Conway in front of SC Department of Highways and Public Transportation - 365-7338 - Tuesday

#8 Landfill - Four miles northeast of Conway, next to SWA Administrative Office at 1886 Hwy 90 - 347-1406 - Open 7am-7pm every day

#9 Ketchuptown - Near intersection of SC 23 (Nichols Highway) and Lake Swamp Road - 392-2277 - Sun./Tues.Thurs./Fri.

#10 Recycle Road - One quarter mile north of Sureway Grocery on Recycle Road - 365-8277 - Wednesday

#11 Red Bluff - SC-905 near Red Bluff Crossroads, just north of Branton's Grocery - 365-2770 - Tuesday

#12 Jackson Bluff Swap Shop - Off of SC 544 on Jackson Bluff Road, across from Grand Strand Water & Sewer Office - 347-1277 - Tuesday

#13 Longs - SC 9 beside Longs Fire Station - 399-5277 - Tuesday

#14 Kate's Bay Road - Secondary Rt. 29 (Kate's Bay Highway) approximately 4 miles south of Conway - 397-4277 - Tuesday

#15 Browntown - Hwy. 548 (Four mile Road) near Sandy Acres Mobile Home Park (between Highway 501/Juniper Bay Road) - 365-6156 - Wed. Open Fri, 1-7pm

#16 Sarvis - Secondary Rt. 45, 2 miles west of Highway 701N (turn at Allsbrook Grocery Store) - 756-5824 - Tues./Thurs.

#17 Toddville - 701 South (4.5 miles out of Conway city limits) on Flossie Road - 397-1449 - Tues./Thurs.

#18 Brooksville - On Highway 111 near intersection with Highway 57 in the Brooksville Community - 399-6282 - Tues./Thurs.

#19 Dorman's Swap Shop - Near the intersection of Adrian Highway (SC 97) and Highway 19 - 365-9048 - Sun./Wed. Open Fri, 1-7pm

#20 Bucksport - Highway 701 south near Bucksport Fire Station, 8.5 miles out of Conway city limits. - 397-9792 - Sun./Wed. Open Fri, 1-7pm

#21 Duford - Toward the town of Duford, turn right on Duford Rd. 1 mi. past Wanamaker Church, turn right n Pinckney Rd., about 1.3 mi. - 392-9792 - Sun./Wed./Fri.

#22 Dog Bluff - Jordanville Road - Aynor, about 1 mi. past Aynor Elementary School - 358-9792 - Sun./Wed. Open Fri, 1-7pm

#23 Scipio Lane - Off Holmestown Rd between Hwy 707 and 17 Bypass - next to Horry County South Strand Complex - 650-9792 - Thurs.

#24 Carolina Forest - On International Drive between Ocean Bay Elementary and Horry County Fire Station - 903-4792 - Thurs.

Land preservation group Open Space Institute on Jan. 19 closed on the last of two parcels they acquired for a 417-acre expansion of Horry County's Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserve expansion.

The wildlife management area is currently 568 acres and located smack-dab in the middle of a geographic triangle formed by Green Sea, Nichols and Ketchuptown.

It’s also one of the few places in South Carolina that supports both a Longleaf Pine savannah and Carolina Bays together. It’s home to the rare Wells Pixie moss, and 25 species of carnivorous plants including the Venus Flytraps and Pitcher Plants, according to OSI and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, which manages the area.

“This expansion of Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserve represents a significant conservation win for Horry County and the rare plants and animals that depend upon Carolina Bays,” said OSI Senior Vice President Nate Berry in a press release. “The protection of these important wetlands is all the more critical knowing the resource is located in one of South Carolina’s fastest-growing areas."

Carolina Bays are “isolated wetlands, shallow depressions, and they get fed by rain water or shallow groundwater,” said DNR spokesperson David Lucas. “There’s lots of them across the coastal plain, Carolinas and Georgia.”

At one point, the Longleaf Pine was the ubiquitous tree species of the local coastal plane. But in the 19th century, the naval industry tapped the old-growth giants in order to make turpentine before they were cut down for timber.

According to OSI, South Carolina is home to 2,651 Carolina Bays, including 410 in Horry County. But many of the Carolina Bays scattered throughout the state are no longer wet, thanks to land disturbances.

“They’re also in various stages of being altered,” Lucas added. “Many Carolina Bay wetlands in the coastal plains have been logged of Longleaf Pine. The wetlands characteristics of them has been quite altered over time.”

The bays in Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserve remain wet, and the new acreage, if DNR acquires them, will represent a 40% increase in the size of the preserve and feature two miles of hiking trials, according to OSI.

DNR’s acquisition process may take up to a year. Right now, Lucas said, DNR staff will begin the agency’s due diligence phase to make sure there are no problems with the property.

“If it looks like a go, staff will bring back a recommendation to the Heritage Trust program Advisory Board to proceed,” Lucas said. “That would then have to be approved by the full DNR Board.”

Reach Christian by email or through Twitter and Facebook with the handle @ChrisHBoschult.