What's happening on the Waccamaw Neck ~ compliments of the Friends of Waccamaw Library!

The Friends of Waccamaw Library's digital newsletter (sent on the first and 15th of each month) aims to let you know what's happening on the Waccamaw Neck and Georgetown (farther afield if it's library-related). This e-communication supplements the hard copy newsletter and is sent to all Friends (whose e-dresses we have) and to all who ask to be added to the e-list.

In addition to the programming developed by the library system and the Friends (in red), we will cover other opportunities for quality experiences, education and entertainment. The information is organized by date, so scroll down to the date you are seeking. If you are part of a group or organization with news to share, we welcome your announcement. Keep it short; just the facts. We cannot reproduce an elaborate pdf with graphics and photos. The key information needed includes: Title of event, Where held, When (date and time), BRIEF description, Benefit for (if applicable), Cost (if any), Contact (phone and email), Website (for more information).
  
To be added to the e-mail list or to submit an announcement, please send your information directly to the e-newsletter editor Linda Ketron at:  linda@classatpawleys.com .
www.thefowl.org
Kids & Families at Waccamaw Library - all programs free.
Kids' weekly activities - all are free, some require registration. For more information, aking@gtcounty.org.
  • Junior FIRST Lego League.  Mondays, 3-4 PM, through Nov. 12.  Non-competitive level of FIRST for ages 6-9.  
  • Minis Art Class.  Tuesdays, 1:30-2:30 PM.  Art for ages 1-5 years old and their grown-ups.
  • Art Classes. First Wednesdays, 3-4:30 PM with artists from the Myrtle Beach Art Museum. Ages 6-12 years old. Pre-registration required.
  • Story Time!  Wednesdays at 10:30 AM ( Playtime starts at 10 AM). Ages b irth to 5 years
  • Canine Angels. Second & Fourth Wednesdays, 3-4 PM. Come and read to one of these great dogs (and people)!
  • Creative Crafts. Thursdays, 3-4 PM. 4th grade and up.
  • LEGO Free Build. All day Fridays. All ages.
  • Manners Club. First Saturday each month, 10 AM-Noon. Register with Ms. Amy or Ms. Holly.
Game on! We play a wide variety of family friendly board and card games and always have a great time. Free, ddennis@gtcounty.org. 
  • Mondays - Open Gaming & Cooperative game day, ages 10+, 3-6:30 PM.
  • Tuesdays - Open Gaming & Tabletop, ages 10+, 3-6:30 PM.
  • Wednesdays - Open Gaming & Magic the Gathering Day, ages 10+, 3-6:30 PM.
  • Thursdays - Open Gaming & Art Day, 10+, 3-6:30 PM.
  • Fridays - Minecraft Friday, all ages (under 10 accompanied by adult), 2:30-5 PM.
  • Saturdays - Open Gaming, 10+, 11 AM-5 PM. First Saturday each month - Magic the Gathering Draft and competition; Last Saturday each month - Library Game Days, 11 AM-1 PM focus on games for children and families; 1-9 PM focus on games for teens and adults.
Adults at Waccamaw Library - most programs are free, although some require membership. Contact dturner@gtcounty.org.
  • Tidelands Camera Club meets on the first Monday each month, 9-11 AM.
  • Waccamaw Genealogy Club meets on the third Monday each month, 9-11:30 AM.
  • Knitting Group meets Mondays, 1-3 PM to knit and crochet with company and share patterns and techniques. Contact Carol Davison at caroldavisonk2tog@yahoo.com.
  • Mah Jongg Club meets Tuesdays, 1-3 PM, bring your set and current card.
  • Toastmasters will hold its final meeting noon-1 PM on Thursday, Jan. 24. Free and open to the public, pahero@msn.com. 
January/February Artist at the Waccamaw Library: John Charles.  John Charles' artwork includes a mixture of coastal and nature subjects from his photography, as well as a few more impressionistic works from his imagination. Charles grew up in Florence, SC before gaining his college degree at Furman University majoring in Math/Computer Science. After obtaining an M.B.A. at Wake Forest University, he joined IBM spending most of his nineteen-year career with the company in various sales and sales management positions. He then moved into the internet world, running several sales organizations dealing with internet security before eventually starting his own sales consulting business. Charles moved permanently to North Litchfield Beach in 2009, retiring in 2014. During that period, he picked up a variety of hobbies, including nature photography, portrait photography, and eventually painting. He continues to paint and to sell his artwork from his home in North Litchfield. For more information, dturner@gtcounty.org.

January/February Photographer at the Waccamaw Library: Selden "Bud" Hill.   An artist, photographer, historian, and the founding director of The Village Museum in McClellanville, Hill has done much to record and preserve the rural past of the Lowcountry.  View a special exhibit of evocative images from Carolina Rambling that complement poet William P. "Billy" Baldwin's lyrical musings. In the tradition of the duo's earlier black-and-white photography books The Unpainted South (2011) and These Our Offerings (2012) - each of which won the Gold Benjamin Franklin Award for poetry given by the Independent Book Sellers Association - Carolina Rambling shares a touching elegiac look at the Lowcountry's holy places, with a difference. Color! From abandoned homes and disintegrating barns to quiet creeks and forlorn cemeteries, the word and image pictures of small town, rural South will fill your heart with joy and longing. In earlier years, Bud was a type setter and layout artist and the founding manager of the Medical University Press. As museum director, he's offered encouragement and employment to both photographers and writers and curated many photography shows. In 2007 the state of South Carolina conferred upon him The Order of the Silver Crescent in recognition of his public service. Today he is "retired" from The Village Museum and holds the honorary title of Director Emeritus. Through Feb. 28, The Friends Center offers autographed copies of Carolina Rambling by Bud Hill and Billy Baldwin for only $20 (no tax). The authors are donating $5 of each book sale to FOWL. For more
information,  dturner@gtcounty.org. 

CALENDAR OF COMMUNITY EVENTS  
French Film Festival passes available now!  The 15th annual French Film Festival, organized by Josette Sharwell and sponsored by FOWL, Institut Français, and OLLI@CCU, will be held the last weekend of January and the first weekend of February. Flyers detailing the films are available at the  front desk and on the library website. The six films are $3 each at the door, or you may purchase a 6-film pass for $10. The latter is only available at Art Works in the Litchfield Exchange (open Monday-Saturday, 10 AM-2 PM). 

FOWL/Restaurant Dining Partnership: The Waccamaw Library programming director Dan Turner and FOWL have planned a full complement of programs for the upcoming "snowbird season."  The Classic Film series, the Musician Series, the Cinematic South series, and Tea & Poetry will be announced in the Community Connector one month at a time, but you can pick up a copy of the full schedule at the front desk of the library and sync to your personal calendar. All these programs are free and open to the public. We've organized partnerships with surrounding restaurants to give FOWL event attendees extra "specials" after the programs. Quigley's, J. Peters and Hanser House will give each patron with a dining voucher an extra 10% off (alcohol excluded) - Massey's Pizza will give 20% off - when you bring proof of your attendance. Vouchers (good only on the event date) will be provided at each eligible FOWL program.

Tuesday, Jan. 15
10 AM - FOGL (Friends of Georgetown Library) present Tuesdays With ... at the Georgetown Library Auditorium (405 Cleland St.) featuring Jack and Janet Volker's multimedia program, "Lowcountry Lens: Birding, Music &  Photography,"  to start the new year. Free and open to the public.

4:30 PM - The Grand Strand Camellia Society  will meet at the Wacamaw Neck Library, towards the back in the children's room while the front rooms are closed for air conditioner repairs. After our program will have our business meeting. This month we  need to  critique our current show and record things for the 2020 show. 

Wednesday, Jan. 16
10 AM - Mah Jongg for Beginners at the Waccamaw Library. Learn to play classic Chinese game of strategy and memory. Please bring set and current card. Continues Jan. 23 & 30, Feb. 6, 13 & 20, free, 843.545.3623 or  dturner@gtcounty.org.  

Noon-1:15 PM - History for Lunch  at the SC Maritime Museum (729 Front St., Georgetown) presents "French & Spanish Privateers of Colonial South Carolina," by Dr. Nick Butler, Historian-Charleston County Public Library. Reservations required, space limited. $20 per person ($18, members), lunch included, 843.520.0111.

Thursday, Jan. 17
5:30 PM - The FOWL Musician Series returns to the Waccamaw Library with  George Devens , an a ccomplished performer who's delighted area audiences for years playing classic Hollywood tunes in a show he's titled, "And the Academy Award goes to...Vincente Minnelli!" Devens will put his spin on famous songs from Golden Age Hollywood musicals directed by Minnelli, including An American in Paris, Bells Are Ringing, Gigi, and Meet Me in St. Louis. Devens has been a working musician all his life. In his 20s, he joined The George Shearing Quintet, playing vibraphones and timbales.  He then worked as a studio musician in Manhattan for 35 years. He's recorded with Burt Bacharach, Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, and Barry Manilow, as well laying countless commercial and film soundtracks. He also wrote, produced, and performed musical theater and cabaret in New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont. Since moving to Little River in 1995, he began performing a series of 90-minute, one-man shows at nearby colleges and museum across the Carolinas.  Free and open to the public, dturner@gtcounty.org.

Friday, Jan. 18
11 AM-1 PM  - The Moveable Feast: Webster L. Hubbell (The Eighteenth Green) at Pawleys Plantation. Who was Harold Spencer? All D.C. Lawyer Jack Patterson knew was that Spencer's dead body had been found on the 18th Green of Columbia Country Club, cancelling Jack's Saturday golf game. Who is Rachel Goodman? Her name has been plastered on the front page of every newspaper in the country for weeks, branded as a thief of confidential info vital to U.S. National Security and a spy for Israel. She is also the daughter of Jack's long-time friend and mentor, Ben Jennings. Despite the opposition, Jack feels compelled to defend Rachel. The more Jack digs, the more complicated and dangerous his work becomes. Even a volunteer group of Navy SEALs may not be enough protection. This is the 4th Jack Patterson thriller by the author, lecturer, consultant, advocate and Arkansas lawyer who held executive level positions in government and industry including: U.S. Associate Attorney General, Chief Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court, Mayor of Little Rock, Managing Partner of the second largest law firm in Arkansas, and Executive and Chief Counsel for a large Washington based commercial insurance company. When Bill Clinton became President of the United States, Webb Hubbell was appointed as Associate Attorney General. In 1996, he was convicted of fraud and sent to prison. In 1997, he published an autobiography, Friends in High Places, and in May 2014 his first in the Jack Patterson series of legal thrillers.  $30, 843.235.9600 or ClassAtPawleys.com.

2 PM - Book Signing at Litchfield Books: Webb Hubbell (The Eighteenth Green), 843.237.8138.

2:30 PM - FOWL Classic Film Series ( "A Little Romance")  at Waccamaw Library.   Enjoy screenings of classic movies selected and introduced by film historians Bill Harvey and Tony Miller.  Additional films  offered Feb. 8 & 24, and March 3, 10, 17 & 31 . Free and open to the public, 843.545.3623 or dturner@gtcounty.org.
 
Saturday, Jan. 19
10 AM-5 PM - Paint-in with Danny McLaughlin at the Litchfield Exchange (14363 Ocean Hwy).  Join this day-long opportunity to paint with one of the region's finest. Bring finished/unfinished works in any medium, any subject matter, any skill level for review, suggestions and instruction in color theory and composition by one of the area's local art treasures. Tables and chairs provided; bring art supplies and easel if needed. Offered twice a month, space is limited.  $45, 843.235.9600 or ClassAtPawleys.com.

10 AM-Noon - Master Your iPad or iPhone at the Litchfield Exchange.
Former OLLI instructor Roy Frost offers free sessions on Saturdays this winter to learn about your new (or maybe old, but still unconquered) Apple phone or tablet. For more information, call or text Roy at 843.360.9776; to reserve a spot, 843.235.9600.

1 PM - Reign of Rice Lecture Series at Brookgreen Gardens presents "Gullah Sweetgrass Baskets from Past to Present" at the Wall Lowcountry Center Auditorium. Sweetgrass basket maker Corey Alston from Mt. Pleasant will address the craftsmanship and economic issues of an art form that has spanned from West Africa to the South Carolina Lowcountry. Free with garden admission, 843.235.6049 or Brookgreen.org.

2:30 PM - Waccamaw Library celebrates Edgar Allan Poe's birthday in grand style.  Wintertime got you feeling "dark and dreary"? Come toast Poe (1809-1849) on the occasion of his 214th birthday. The guest of honor will be...Edgar Allan Poe himself! Professional actor Vincent Triana will appear in the role of Mr. Poe, intoning passages from the gothic master's most suspenseful works for the entertainment of all.  Jan. 19 offers us a chance to remember and celebrate Mr. Poe's brilliant contributions, as an originator of both the horror and detective fiction genres, a memorable poet, and a pop culture icon. Come join "Mr. Poe" and hear him perform some of his greatest works, while raising a draught in his honor. What better way to ensure Poe's birthday will be "dark and dreary" "Nevermore"! The celebration is free and open to all!  843.545.3623 or dturner@gtcounty.org.

Tuesday, Jan. 22
10:30 AM-Noon - Burroughs & Chapin Art Museum presents "Chagall and Chicago," a lecture presentation by  Vivian R. Jacobson, a uthor and lecturer of Pinehurst, NC, who joins us for the sixth year running to present a "Chagallian" lecture devoted to the three major Chagall works created for the city of Chicago: The Four Seasons mosaic at Dearborn and Monroe; the America Windows at The Art Institute of Chicago; and the Job tapestry formerly at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and now at the Shirley Ryan Abilitylab.  Also included in the discussion are the two famous Chagall paintings on display at the Art Institute of Chicago - the White Crucifixion and The Praying Jew.  Following a Q&A, join Vivian on the Museum Tea Porch for a book sale and signing (cash or check only). Lecture $10, limited to 40, 843.238.2510.

7 PM - 2019 Lee Minton Signature Series presents Terry Barber at The Abbey in Litchfield Plantation. This rare countertenor uses extraordinary vocal range, versatility, and a Masters degree in historically informed performance, to entertain. A truly international artist, Terry has been a soloist for the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, London's Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Moscow's Svetlanov Hall, to name a few. Past member of the Grammy-winning group Chanticleer, his voice can be heard on every major record label with a range of artists from Madonna to the London Philharmonic.  $25, 843.626.8911 or PawleysMusic.com.
 
Thursday, Jan. 24
5:30 PM - FOWL Musician Series: Lloyd Kaplan's Aristocats  at Waccamaw Library. Live concert featuring "Swixie" jazz, a mix of Dixieland and swing. Free and open to the public, 843.545.3623 or dturner@gtcounty.org .

5:30-8 PM - Baruch Roundtable: From Paris to Washington, Churchill, Roosevelt & Baruch.  Experience a wine reception and dinner overlooking Winyah Bay in the dining room at Hobcaw House. After dessert, retire to the living room to hear Steve Griffith, former president of the South Caroliniana Society, speak on the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 and the close relationship that developed between Winston Churchill, Bernard Baruch and President Franklin Roosevelt. (Exertion level: Low impact, sitting and eating) Limited to 28; reservations required. $85, HobcawBarony.org.

Friday, Jan. 25
10 AM-2 PM - The third annual Know the Neck ►  Come Connect
Volunteer Fair,  hosted by Friends of the Waccamaw Library (FOWL), will be held  in the auditorium at the Waccamaw Branch Library.  If you've been looking for the right volunteer opportunity, plan to attend. Sixteen nonprofit organizations  that are making a difference in our community will be represented, from children to animals to the environment and literacy - there's a good cause for every interest!  Each year the fair has produced multiple volunteers for a variety of groups that make the Waccamaw Neck such a great place to live.  If you have any questions, please email  FOWLpawleys@gmail.com . We hope to see you at the Volunteer Fair! 
 
11 AM-1 PM - The Moveable Feast: Marie Benedict (The Only Woman in the Room) at Ocean One is full. A powerful novel based on the incredible true story of  Hedy Lamarr,  the glamour icon  and scientist whose groundbreaking invention revolutionized modern communication - a masterpiece. 843.235.9600 or ClassAtPawleys.com.

2 PM - Book Signing at Litchfield Books: Marie Benedict (The Only Woman in the Room), 843.237.8138. 
 
Friday-Sunday, Jan. 25-27
Times vary - FOWL French Film Festival at Waccamaw Library . Six days and six films shown in their original language with English subtitles, organized by Josette Sharwell and sponsored by the Friends of Waccamaw Library. 
  • Fri., 6:30 PM - Le Retour du héros (Return of the Hero, 2017). Directed and co-scripted by Laurent Tirard ("Le Petit Nicolas"). Historical romantic comedy with Oscar winner Jean Dujardin and nominee Mélanie Laurent. France, 1809. The dashing Captain Neuville is called to Napoleon's battlefields leaving his future bride Pauline heartbroken. After months of not hearing from the captain, Pauline's sister Elisabeth decides to write letters as Neuville, concocting outrageous adventures and gallantries. But three years later, the captain reappears and is welcomed in glory when in truth he is a war deserter and an opportunistic scoundrel. Elisabeth must expose the real Neuville and the two imposters start a ruthless fight, conspiring against each other using the best tricks they can find. This period screwball comedy is like a twist on Cyrano de Bergerac with a feminist twist heroine.
  • Sat., 2:30 PM - Gauguin, Voyage de Tahiti, 2016. Directed and co-scripted by Edouard Deluc, adapted freely from Gauguin's travelogue NOA NOA (Tahitian for "Fragrance"). 1891-1893. French artist Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) was an innovator of modern art known for experimenting with bold colors, along with his contemporaries Vincent van Gogh and Paul Cézanne. By 1891, plagued by money problems, Gauguin was already well-known in artistic circles, but had grown tired of the civilized world and its political and moral conventions. Since neither his wife and five children nor his artist friends wanted to accompany him, he ventured alone to Tahiti, consumed with a yearning for new inspiration. Pushing deep into the Tahitian jungle, Gauguin meets Tehura, his muse, who will consume his mind and inspire his most iconic works of art. Beautiful film, with a believably tormented performance by Vincent Cassel, S. O'Malley, www.rogerebert.com. Rated R.
  • Sun., 2:30 PM - L'Ecole buissonniere (The School of Life, 2017). Directed & co-scripted by Nicolas Vanier ("Belle & Sebastian"). Paris 1920s. Paul has always had only one thing: the high walls of his orphanage. Entrusted to Celestine and her gamekeeper husband Borel, this child of the cities arrives in Sologne in the Loire valley. The immense forest and the animals all belong to Count de la Fresnay, a taciturn widower who lives solitary in his manor. Paul left to himself meets the local poacher, Totoche, who will teach him about life but also the forest and its secrets. Director Vanier, a great defender of nature in all its diversity borrows from his own childhood experience growing up in the Sologne to celebrate the rustic charm of the region he loves. 
Three additional films Feb. 1-3. Six-film pass, $10 (available only at Art Works in the Litchfield Exchange) or $3 each at the door, 843.235.9600 or theFOWL.org.
 
Daily, Jan. 26-March 31
9:30 AM-5 PM - Sculpture Exhibit at Brookgreen Gardens. Birds in Art , a traveling exhibit curated by Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI, is on display in the Rainey Sculpture Pavilion. Free with garden admission, 843.235.6000 or Brookgreen.org.
 
Saturday, Jan. 26
5:30-7:30 PM - The 21st Annual Souper Bowl to benefit Habitat for Humanity will be held at Precious Blood of Christ Catholic Church on Waverly Road in Pawleys Island, featuring hundreds of handcrafted and hand-painted vessels, scores of gourmet soups, and loaves of homemade breads. $25 in advance or $30 at the door, 843.546.5685.
 
Monday, Jan. 28
4-9 PM - Sixth Annual Books & Boogie fundraiser for Freedom Readers, Inc. (a 501c3 non-profit organization) at Dead Dog Saloon. This fundraiser is quite different from most in that it is a true celebration of people who love to read!  We have a table of local writers discussing their titles from 4-6 PM while a jazz band plays in the background.  Dinner is presented and the band switches to a dance band (The Aristocats and Special Blend Experience). There is a short presentation by a few of our Young Scholars (who are entertained during dinner by the Balloon Lady) and a long table of raffle items at $5 per ticket with gifts including golf packages, MB condo weekend, Yeti cooler, and  more! $50, 404.455.1864.
 
Tuesday, Jan. 29
7 PM - 2019 Lee Minton Signature Series presents Joe Alterman at The Abbey at Litchfield Plantation.  A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Joe Alterman studied music at New York University, where he received both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Jazz Piano Performance. In addition to performances with Houston Person, Les McCann and his own trio, among others, Alterman has performed at many world renowned venues including the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Birdland and New York's Blue Note, where Alterman has opened, many times, for Ramsey Lewis. Only 29 years old, Alterman has released four critically-acclaimed albums, his most recent being 2017's "Comin' Home To You." Dick Cavett has referred to Alterman as "one fine, first class entertainer" and Ramsey Lewis has called Alterman "an inspiration to me" and his piano playing "a joy to behold." $25, 843.626.8911 or PawleysMusic.com.

Friday, Feb. 1
11 AM-1 PM - The Moveable Feast: Terry Gamble (The Eulogist) at Kimbel's, Wachesaw. From the author of The Water Dancers and Good Family, an exquisitely crafted novel, set in Ohio in the decades leading to the Civil War, that illuminates the immigrant experience, the injustice of slavery, and the debts human beings owe to one another, witnessed through the endeavors of one Irish-American family. $30, 843.235.9600 or ClassAtPawleys.com .

2 PM - Book signing at Litchfield Books: Terry Gamble (The Eulogist), 843.237.8138. 
 
Friday-Sunday, Feb. 1-3
Times Vary - FOWL French Film Festival  continues at Waccamaw Library. 
  • Friday at 6:30 PM - La promesse de l'aube (Promise at Dawn, 2017). Directed and co-scripted by Eric Barbier, based on Romain Gary's 1960 autobiographical novel, written in Los Angeles just before he met his wife Jean Seberg. From his difficult childhood in Poland to his adolescence under the sun of Nice, to his aviator's exploits in North Africa during WW II, Romain Gary (1914-1980) lived an extraordinary life. His eagerness to become a great man, one of the greatest novelists of the 20th century (winning the Goncourt Prize in French Literature twice, under two different names), he owes it all to the boundless love of his passionate endearing mother. But this unconditional maternal love will also be a burden at times. Four nominations at the 2018 Césars Awards. Rated R.
  • Saturday at 2:30 PM - Rodin, 2017. Directed and written by Jacques Doillon. Paris 1880. 40 year-old Rodin receives his first state commission "The Gates of Hell." He shares his life with his common-law wife Rose and his mistress Camille Claudel, the gifted student who becomes his assistant and a talented sculptor in her own right. Following the break-up of their passionate affair, he continues to work relentlessly while facing both rejection and enthusiasm provoked by the sensuality and originality of his sculptures. His statue of Balzac (seven year in the making) will become the starting point of modern sculpture. Nominated for a Golden Palm at the 2017 Cannes Festival. Rated R. 
  • Sunday at 2:30 PM - Le Brio, 2017. Directed by Ivan Attal. A young woman from the projects in the Parisian suburbs decides to become a lawyer and registers at the prestigious rue d'Assas Law School in Paris. There she has verbal encounters with one of the brilliant professors (Daniel Auteuil) known for his outbursts who is forced to mentor her for a speech contest.
Six-film pass, $10 (available only at Art Works in the Litchfield Exchange) or $3 each at the door, 843.235.9600 or theFOWL.org.
 
Saturday, Feb. 2
10 AM-5 PM - Paint-in with Danny McLaughlin at the Litchfield Exchange (14363 Ocean Hwy).  Join this day-long opportunity to paint with one of the region's finest. Bring finished/unfinished works in any medium, any subject matter, any skill level for review, suggestions and instruction in color theory and composition by one of the area's local art treasures. Tables and chairs provided; bring art supplies and easel if needed. Offered twice a month, space is limited.  $45, 843.235.9600 or ClassAtPawleys.com.

10 AM-Noon - Master Your iPad or iPhone at the Litchfield Exchange.
Former OLLI instructor Roy Frost offers free sessions on  select Saturdays this winter to learn about your new (or maybe old, but still unconquered) Apple phone or tablet. For more information, call or text Roy at 843.360.9776; to reserve a spot, 843.235.9600.

 3-5 PM CLASS Productions presents Mac Arnold and a Plate Full O' Blues at Kimbel Lodge in Hobcaw Barony. Back by popular demand! Learning on a gas can guitar (created by his brother Leroy in 1946 and now residing in the Smithsonian), Mac Arnold has been playing and singing the blues since he was in single digits. In late 1966, at age 24, came the opportunity of a lifetime to join the Muddy Waters Band and help shape the electric blues sound that inspired the rock and roll movement of the late 60's and early 70's. The Muddy Waters Band shared the stage with the likes of Howlin' Wolf, Elmore James, Jimmy Reed, Junior Wells, Big Joe Williams, and Big Mama Thornton just to name a few. During this time, Mac played on John Lee Hooker's "Live at the Café Au Go-Go" album, as well as Otis Spann's classic recording "The Blues is Where It's At." Seven decades of performances and Mac hasn't slowed down one bit - his voice is absolutely amazing and his band is super tight having performed together for 14 years and four albums. Light refreshments. Limited seating, reservations required. $30, 843.235.9600 or ClassAtPawleys.com.
 
Tuesday, Feb. 5
7 PM - 2019 Lee Minton Signature Series presents Huu Bac Quintet at The Abbey at Litchfield Plantation. Huu Bac arrived in Quebec from Vietnam at the age of two, and his musical journey started in Montreal with a sound foundation in jazz guitar. In 2002, he discovered the beauty of the Vietnamese monochord, the Dan Bau, under the guidance of Master Pham Duc Thanh. He works on traditional repertoire while integrating western pieces, and dedicates himself to the composition and performance of a present day jazz music blending eastern and western colors. In Nov. 2013, he founded the Huu Bac Quintet, which has since toured in Canada as well as garnered various awards. $25, 843.626.8911 or PawleysMusic.com.

Wednesday, Feb. 6
8 AM-1 PM - North Inlet Boat Tour: Rice Fields on Winyah Bay. Enjoy a rare opportunity to travel as a small group to explore the rice fields of Hobcaw Barony's Waccamaw River and Winyah plantations. Captain Paul Kenny and Foundation staff will explain fresh water ecology, international research, and coastal history on a very special boat trip including bird watching and information on the waterfowl that winters in this area. Departing from Hobcaw House pier, the boat meanders through the bay to Pumpkinseed Island to Muddy Bay, through serpentine creeks and back. Snacks, water and PFDs provided. Please dress for the weather and bring sunscreen. (Exertion level: Moderate, embarking/disembarking boat, standing, some sitting) Limited to 5; reservations required. $125, HobcawBarony.org.
 
Thursday, Feb. 7
10 AM - FOWL 1st Thursday: " The Universal Custom: A History of Alcohol in South Carolina,"at the Waccamaw Library.J.R. Fennell, Director of the Lexington County Museum, on alcohol and drinking throughout SC history. Free and open to the public, 843.545.3623 or dturner@gtcounty.org.
 
3 PM - Litchfield Tea & Poetry at the Waccamaw Library.  Tim Conroy, Pat Conroy's brother, returns to read poetry confronting vexed family history, alongside Grace Ocasio, a powerful Black Southern poetic voice. Book signing after the reading with tea and homemade confections. Free and open to the public, dturner@gtcounty.org or theFOWL.org.

5:30 PM - FOWL Musician Series presents "The Unfaithful Servants" playing Americana and folk-rock. Local legend Doc Simons' tribute to the iconic music of The Band. Free and open to the public, dturner@gtcounty.org.
 
Friday, Feb. 8
National Scouts Day. In celebration of National Scouts Day, Waccamaw Library begins a month-long display of vintage Scouts items shared by Otto Freier, 1959 Eagle Scout still active with local Troop. Daily during library hours, dturner@gtcounty.org.
 
11 AM-1 PM - The Moveable Feast:  Gareth Frank (The Moment Between) at Pastaria 811.  After four years of mourning, Doctor Hackett Metzger is determined to stop letting his wife's death control his life. He is finally beginning to live again, but his recovery leads to an unexpected fight for his own survival and startling revelations about what happens to all of us in The Moment Between. Hackett, a brilliant neurologist, is a skeptic. He doesn't believe he will one day be reunited with Jean, or dwell with God in heaven. What he does believe is that he should have seen the warning signs of her heart attack; he should have saved her. He also cannot accept the possibility that his clinical study of near death experiences could prove the existence of a conscious afterlife. When Hackett falls for the mother of a patient, grief finally begins to fade. But he has no idea his new love is hiding her dangerous past. Will Hackett's damaged spirit endure another heartbreak? And, will he survive the treachery around him? As life and research collide, the good doctor discovers that the secrets of love and death just may be part of the same fabric.  $30, 843.235.9600 or ClassAtPawleys.com.

1:30-3:30 PM - Friendfield Village Tour  of Hobcaw Barony. See Nov. 12 entry for details. Also offered April 12. $20, HobcawBarony.org .

2 PM - Book signing at Litchfield Books: Gareth Frank (The Moment Between), 843.237.8138. 
 
2:30 PM - FOWL Classic Film Series ("It Happened One Night") 
at Waccamaw Library. Enjoy screenings of classic movies selected and introduced by film historians Bill Harvey and Tony Miller. Additional films  offered Feb. 22, and March 1 & 8. Free and open to the public, 843.545.3623 or dturner@gtcounty.org.
 
Saturday, Feb. 9
9 AM-Noon - Waccamaw Neck Bikeway Cleanup.   Bike the Neck volunteers will join forces to clear litter, leaf debris and overhanging vines on as many segments of the bike path as we have volunteers to help. Sign up at the Volunteer Fair at Waccamaw Library on January 25 , or call Linda Ketron at 843.235.9600 or linda@classatpawleys.com.

1-4 PM - Waccamaw Conference presents "The Journey of Trash: Pollution to Solution" at the Horry County Museum (805 Main Street, Conway). Sat., 1-4 PM, free, WinyahRivers.org or 843.349.4007.
 
Sunday, Feb. 10 & Monday, Feb. 11
Winter Book Sale at the Waccamaw Library!  Stock up for your winter reading! Fiction, non-fiction and specialty books for adult readers, DVDs & CDS - Hardcovers, $1; Trade Paperbacks, 50 cents; Paperbacks, 25 cents! No children's books at this sale.  Sunday, 2-5 PM - Members ONLY (but you can join or re-up on site!). Monday, 9 AM-4 PM - open to the public!

Monday, Feb. 11
10 AM  - Adult Tech Series: "Security Basics - Protect Your Tech" at Waccamaw Library. Second in series of one-hour adult tech classes offered second Mondays through April. Free, 843.545.3623 or dturner@gtcounty.org.
 
Thursday, Feb. 14
3-5 PM - Romance in the Gardens: Mass Wedding Vow Renewal at Brookgreen Gardens. Details at Brookgreen.org.
 
Friday, Feb. 15
11 AM-1 PM - The Moveable Feast:  Donna Everhart (The Forgiving Kind) at Pine Lakes Country Club, Myrtle Beach.  In this masterful new novel, set in 1950s North Carolina, the acclaimed author of The Road to Bittersweet and The Education of Dixie Dupree brings to life an unforgettable young heroine and a moving story of family love tested to its limits. For twelve-year-old Martha "Sonny" Creech, there is no place more beautiful than her family's cotton farm. She, her two brothers, and her parents work hard on their land - hoeing, planting, picking - but only Sonny loves the rich, dark earth the way her father does. When a tragic accident claims his life, her stricken family struggles to fend off ruin - until their rich, reclusive neighbor offers to help finance that year's cotton crop. Though she tries to bury her misgivings for the sake of her mama's happiness, Sonny doesn't need a willow branch to divine that a reckoning is coming, bringing with it heartache, violence - and perhaps, a fitting and surprising measure of justice.  $30, 843.235.9600 or ClassAtPawleys.com.

2 PM - Book Signing at Litchfield Books:  Donna Everhart ( The Forgiving Kind ) , 843.237.8138.
 
2:30 PM - The Cinematic South Matinee Series' screening of  Big Fish  at Waccamaw Library. To accompany Big Fish author Daniel Wallace's visit on Feb. 21, the library will show director Tim Burton's Oscar-nominated film version. Free and open to the public,  843.545.3623 or dturner@gtcounty.org.
 
ONGOING!
Renew Your FOWL Membership Online: Being a FOWL Member is so easy! You can now renew your membership on the FOWL website at www.thefowl.org. Just click on "Join Us"  at the top of the page and fill in your information. With this new online process, renewal is faster and easier than ever. Your information is accurate and instantly accessible - plus you can renew your membership from home, any time day or night!  For those who prefer human interaction, you can still come in to the Friends Center in the Waccamaw Library and let one of our wonderful volunteers renew your membership for you.  Either way, we're so glad you are a FOWL Member, with all the benefits this entails, including Members Only events, Friends' Night at the July Book Sale, and numerous Volunteer opportunities - all in support of the Waccamaw Neck Branch Library.

A "HIDDEN" GEM!  In addition to the books available in the Friends' Center at the Waccamaw Library, the Friends of the Waccamaw Library (FOWL) has another Bargain Book Corner at the Litchfield Exchange located in the building behind Applewood Restaurant. Lots of good fiction and non-fiction in great condition - including hard covers, paperbacks and even some beautiful coffee-table books. Nothing priced over $1.00 and new books are added on a regular basis! And, of course, all proceeds benefit the library and support its many programs. Tables and chairs have been added to the space so you may sit by the fountain and peruse before you buy! Pay at Art Works (open Mon-Sat, 10 AM to 2 PM) or just slip the money under their door using the envelopes provided. The Exchange is open Monday-Friday, 9 AM-5 PM and Saturday, 10 AM to 2 PM.

NEW at the Waccamaw Regional Recreation Center  is a FREE take-and-return-or-share bookshelf loaded with the Friends Center's overflow of donated books.

Cultural events on the Grand Strand - Check out this updated nonprofit website,  www.theartsgrandstrand.org,   created and maintained by Murrells Inlet resident John Morken, to keep you informed about all of the cultural events on the Grand Strand. Dedicated to making it easy to know about all the Fine Arts events, it strips away pop culture and tourist attractions found in other guides. The What's Happening page has artists, performers and sponsors personally telling you what they are presenting NOW, along with ads for events. The calendar displays as a month, week, day or agenda. Each event is categorized (e.g., music, art), and you can choose to view any or all of the categories by clicking on them in the dropboxes at the top of the calendar.

Through March 2 - Silent Cities Cemetery Tours at Brookgreen Gardens. Ride on the Trekker down back roads and explore cemeteries on this two-hour excursion. Walk through former slaves and plantation owners' graveyards and hear about the historical burial customs of European and African origin. Tickets must be purchased at Keepsakes at least 10 minutes prior to departure time. Visitors who purchase tickets for this excursion will receive a discount coupon for same-day purchases at Keepsakes. Sun., Tues., Thurs., Fri., Sat., Noon & 2:30 PM, $15 in addition to garden admission, reservations suggested, 843.235.6016.
 
Through March 4 - The Oaks Plantation History and Nature Trail at Brookgreen Gardens. Travel back roads with an interpreter and hear about the history of the prominent Alston family here in colonial and antebellum eras. Visit the location of the plantation house, the Alston family cemetery, grounds of the slave village, and other archaeological sites. Due to its remote location, transportation is by mini-bus. Purchase tickets at Keepsakes at least 10 minutes prior to departure time. Guests for this excursion will receive a discount coupon for same-day purchases at Keepsakes. Mon. & Wed., 11 AM and 1 PM, $8 adults, $4 children, in addition to garden admission, 843.235.6016.
 
Through March 17 - "Frum We Ownt Yeye (Gullah Geechee From Our Own Eyes)" presented in Learning Lab One of Brookgreen Gardens Wall Lowcountry Center. Featuring pen & ink drawings by Clementia "Ment" Nelson of Varnville and visual art by Lillian Cotton of Georgetown and Alexandria "Alex" Gore of Conway. Daily, Noon-4:30 PM, free with garden admission, 843.235.6000.

FOWL Community Connector | Friends of Waccamaw Library| |  linda@classatpawleys.com | www.theFOWL.org
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