First Friday with Georgetown County

This month’s First Friday with Georgetown County looks at how our Emergency Services teams prepare for the worst and how you can prepare, too. Emergency Manager Loren Wallace discusses the new Junior Emergency Management program, created with Black River United Way to teach fifth-graders how to plan for disasters. He also shares winter weather safety tips. Capt. Jonathan Griffith of the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office explains recent training with the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team, which responds to cases of missing or abducted children. Assistant Chief Aaron Bostic of Georgetown County Fire/EMS introduces Community Connect, a new online tool that lets residents and business owners share information first responders may need in an emergency, such as pets in the home, mobility concerns, gate codes and utility shutoffs. He also previews a large-scale training exercise at 3V on Nov. 13 and the department’s annual toy drive for the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program, set for Nov. 14-15 at Walmart in Georgetown. Sign up for Community Connect: https://www.communityconnect.io/info/sc-georgetowncounty.

In this month's episode of First Friday with Georgetown County, Airport Manager Jim Taylor discusses an ongoing visit by World War II aircraft to the Georgetown County Airport. He explains what visitors can expect from the display, how to tour the planes up close, and why these historic aircraft still draw crowds decades later. Then Vanessa Funnie of the Bureau of Aging Services talks about this year's collection of small gifts for seniors, part of a Christmas distribution that helps make the holidays brighter for older residents across the county. She explains what items are needed, where to drop them off, and how the community can help. She also gives an overview of the Bureau's year-round programming for seniors and how residents and their families can get involved.

Georgetown County Assistant County Administrator Brandon Ellis breaks down the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) referendum on the November ballot — what it is, how it could affect property owners, and where residents can go to get informed before they vote. Then, Economic Development Director Kelly Robertson-Slagle shares an update on the port redevelopment master plan, including opportunities for the public to weigh in and share feedback as the planning process moves forward.

This month, we sit down with Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Bill Wisneski, grandson of the late Lee Parsons, ahead of his trip from California to Andrews for the August 18 premiere of a documentary pulled from the county's 1976 time capsule. Wisneski shares what it's like discovering his grandfather's filmmaking work decades after his death, and what he hopes to learn about his family's roots in Andrews. Then, Georgetown County Planning Director Holly Richardson joins us with updates on two major ordinances: the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), which will get a public airing at an August 31 meeting at the Georgetown Library, and the newly passed Wetlands Protection Ordinance, which adds new buffers and setbacks to protect the county's wetlands from development.

This month on First Friday with Georgetown County, we're digging into the past and swatting at the present. Digital Archive Manager Julie Warren joins us to talk about the county's new time capsule — what's going in it, how it connects to this year's 1976 capsule opening, and what future Georgetown County residents might learn when it's unsealed decades from now. Then, Roban Mears of the Mosquito Control Division breaks down mosquito control season: why the county sprays, how spray schedules and decisions are made, and practical tips for keeping mosquito populations down in your own yard. Tune in for a look at what we're preserving for the future — and what we're fighting off right now.