Wedding & Event Venue Near Conway, SC.

Anthony Ludovici-DeBrigida moved with speed during each pizza-making movement. He had to, as tables filled with patrons and to-go orders flowed in during Anto’s Pizza Romana & Italian’s soft opening Monday, Oct. 14, 2024.

While he furiously worked, the restaurant around him at Third Avenue in Conway, S.C., felt much more intimate. A large red menu greeted customers as they walked in, pictures of Ludovici-DeBrigida and his family adorned the walls, and jazz music played quietly in the background.

“One of the things I was most excited for about having our spot was being able to make a menu that meant something to me,” Ludovici-DeBrigida said. “The menu board over there, all those pictures on the wall are things the menu’s named after.”

The air had the familiar sweet and savory smell of pizza cooking in the oven, and Ludovici-DeBrigida prepared order after order with little hesitation. His process was straightforward. He laid out the pizza dough on the counter and massaged it before picking it up and flipping it around in the air.

Ludovici-DeBrigida laid the dough on a circular wooden paddle, ensuring it lay flat.

He scooped a ladle full of tomato sauce and spread it around the dough. At first, Ludovici-DeBrigida hurriedly spread the tomato sauce in the center of the pie before slowing down and applying more deliberate pressure as he pushed the tomato sauce toward the outside of the pie dough. Then he laid out the cheese, first a light dusting before adding another layer of shredded cheese and other toppings.

Some pizzas received additional steps before going into the oven. Ludovici-DeBrigida would blow air underneath the dough for pies heavily laden with toppings, saying it gave them a little air before putting them in the oven.

Despite making each pie during Anto’s Pizza Romana & Italian Market, Ludovici-DeBrigida seemed unfazed.

There were a lot of orders and pizzas to make, but Ludovici-DeBrigida seemed to prepare the pies on instinct, as if the tomato sauce flowed through his veins.

Indeed, it does. Ludovici-DeBrigida’s first job was in his family’s Philadelphia pizzeria as a kid.

“That part of the family, they were kind of in the business since they came here from Italy,” he said.

After high school, he either ran or worked at several pizzerias. While working at a pizzeria in Florida, Ludovici-DeBrigida appeared in a One Bite Pizza Review conducted by Barstool Sports Founder Dave Portnoy in January 2023, revealing his tattoo depicting Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham sacking Tom Brady during Super Bowl 52.

It’s not the only Philadelphia sports tattoo Ludovici-DeBrigida had, as he also sported a Philadelphia Phillies logo behind one of his ears accented by the multiple gold chains with pendants around his neck.

Now running his pizzeria, Ludovici-DeBrigida serves thin and crispy New York-style pies and Roman-style squares that are light, airy, and crisp squares using imported Italian flour. One pizza item he recommended was Pat’s Hot Honey Pepperoni, which features hot honey, red sauce, mozzarella and fresh basil.

“It kind of gives it a little bit of a spice and sweet flavor,” he added. “It’s just really nice contrast with the pepperoni. It just kind of works really well together.”

The Italian market aspect of the restaurant also offers sandwiches, salads, fried dough sweats covered in a thin layer of powdered sugar like Zeppole, and other offerings.

Ludovici-DeBrigida added that the restaurant might add a pizza-making class accompanied by a bottle of wine on certain evenings with a date night feel.

However, while many pizzerias serving New York-style pizza use high-quality ingredients, not all use a special water system to cement the New York taste.

There’s a gadget featuring a metal container, pipes and other equipment above Anto’s back kitchen door frame.

The device is a NY Watermaker filtration system that the company says takes South Carolina water and gives it properties similar to the water New Yorkers drink and pizza makers use in their dough recipes. Further, NY Watermaker takes samples of local water from its customers’ locations and studies it so that each device can replicate the qualities of New York water.

NY Watermaker Vice President of Sales Gary Lane said the company has more than 300 systems in the bagel, bread and pizza industry, with most users in California, Texas and the Carolinas. He added that the company was founded because New Yorkers traveling or living out of the state couldn’t replicate the tastes of bagels, bread and pizza from back home due to differences in the taste of water.

He added that making dough using New York water gives the dough a better rise during fermentation crust and a better, deeper color when sitting at room temperature.

“Whether the water is from India or Indiana, it’s all H20. It’s exactly the same thing,” Lane said. “Why it is completely different in one place versus the other has to do with what it’s coming in contact with and how the municipalities treat that water.”

Ludovici-DeBrigida said he discovered the system while working in Florida. When he was looking to open his pizzeria in Conway, he felt it helped replicate the authentic taste of New York-style pizza.

“You can do your dough and you can use the same recipes, but it’s not really going to come out the same because of a lot of factors, humidity (and) temperature,” Ludovici-DeBrigida said.

Many will see for themselves if there’s a difference in taste. Anto’s will be open Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The grand opening is Friday, Oct. 18, 2024.

It replaces Pickled Cucumber, which closed in June 2024.

The Sun News

Ben Morse is the Retail and Leisure Reporter for The Sun News. Morse covers local business and Coastal Carolina University football and was awarded third place in the 2023 South Carolina Press Association News Contest for sports beat reporting and second place for sports video in the all-daily division. Morse previously worked for The Island Packet, covering local government. Morse graduated from American University in 2023 with a Bachelor’s Degree in journalism and economics and is originally from Prospect, Kentucky.

Heavy machinery has been working between the Burning Ridge Golf Course entrance and the Walmart at 151 Myrtle Ridge Drive near Conway, SC.

Formerly a wooded area next to the highway, construction crews cut down the about 30-acre plot’s trees and stacked up on the tract of land to make way for new development.

According to Horry County Land Records, the property is broken into parcels; both have highway commercial zoning, and Mayham I LLC became the owner of the two tracts in July 2024. The South Carolina Secretary of State’s website lists the property’s registered agent as Paracorp Incorporated, which specializes in representing firms as their registered agents.

However, Horry County Land Records also lists David K Maynard as the owner of a stormwater permit for a major subdivision granted in August 2024.

A Charlotte-based businessman, Maynard owns Eddystone Capital, which assists firms with financial difficulties in dealing with their ‘distressed debt.’ Maynard also serves on the Burroughs & Chapin Board of Directors.

The Sun News reached out to Maynard Oct. 14, 2024, but he did not return a request for comment before publication. The property appears for sale once more, as the firm Colliers lists the tract for sale on its website. The Sun News reached out to Collier’s Vice President & Director of Retail Services, Rox Pollard Oct. 14, 2024, but he did not return a request for comment.

Previously, the property seemed slated to be a grocery store, based on permits listed for the property on Horry County Land Records.

Horry County Land Records’ maps show that Maynard received two permits for the tract to add a new location to the German-based discount Lidl grocery store chain in 2017. WMBF reported on the plan in 2017, but Horry County Land Records lists the permits as expired and canceled.

“We do not have changes to announce about Lidl stores in South Carolina,” Bridget Johnson for Lidl wrote in an email Oct. 15, 2024. “If there are future updates regarding Lidl stores in the Myrtle Beach area, we will reach out.

While the exact details of the nearby Walmart are unknown, the area nearby is teaming with construction and new development.

At 2875 US Highway 501, Conway, SC, close by, a proposed development could add 1,600 multi-family homes and 500,000 square feet of retail. The project is ongoing, and the property would include a new Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers opening there.

Indeed, the road itself is undergoing renovations, too. Horry County’s Ride III program designation for improving road infrastructure across the area using funds generated by a sales tax includes the widening of U.S. 501. Ride III calls for widening U.S. 501 from S.C. 31 to S.C. 544. Expected to cost $50 million, Horry County estimates widening U.S. 501 to conclude during the fall of 2026.

This story was originally published October 16, 2024, 5:00 AM.

The Sun News

Ben Morse is the Retail and Leisure Reporter for The Sun News. Morse covers local business and Coastal Carolina University football and was awarded third place in the 2023 South Carolina Press Association News Contest for sports beat reporting and second place for sports video in the all-daily division. Morse previously worked for The Island Packet, covering local government. Morse graduated from American University in 2023 with a Bachelor’s Degree in journalism and economics and is originally from Prospect, Kentucky.

For Halloween in the Myrtle Beach area this October, and across the Grand Strand, there are many activities for the spookiest time of the year.

If you’re looking for a scary evening, a ghost-themed stroll with family and loved ones or something new, here are some Grand Strand Halloween events you might want to attend.

Newly opened in September 2024, the 15,000-square-foot and 20-room space provides many different horrors for patrons. The haunted house contains all the hallmarks of a regular hotel, like a lobby, guest rooms, fitness room, and other amenities with a spooky twist.

Located at 1901 Mr. Joe White Ave., next to the Masters Gentleman Club, the haunted hotel opens at 7 p.m. and closes at midnight on Thursdays and Fridays until Oct. 26, 2024, and then daily until Nov. 2, 2024.

Tickets are available on Hotel Hell’s website, and the rules for guests attending the haunted house are included.

Along the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk, the undead will walk this Halloween season. Boardwalk Fright Nights features zombie-painted individuals roaming Plyler Park along Ocean Boulevard for passersby to take photos with, starting at dusk and ending at midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

The zombies are part of downtown Myrtle Beach Halloween festivities until Nov. 3, 2024. Events will include DJs and a Halloween Bar Crawl on Oct. 26, 2024, from 4 p.m. to midnight. The pub crawl includes a costume contest, and interested participants can go to the crawl’s website to get tickets.

The City of Conway goes the extra mile for Halloween. Pumpkins adorn the trees in downtown Conway, and several options exist for those looking to participate.

Conway Ghost Walks are from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 16-19, 2024.

A one-mile route, the tour goes into the historic district as storytellers utilize legends of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Tickets run for $25 and are available on the Conway Downtown Alive website.

Conway will also have several movie nights, a golf cart parade from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Oct. 19 and a live professional wrestling tournament Oct. 27 starting at 5 p.m. at 200 Laurel St. in Conway, among other events. The City of Conway’s events website lists all the spooky season festivities.

For those more musical theater-inclined, Conway has a Halloween option for you, too. The Theatre of the Republic in Conway will also host a rendition of “Evil Dead: The Musical” that will play from Oct. 18-31, 2024. The performance will feature blood spatter for those sitting in the “Splatter Zone,” which attendees can shield themselves from with a blanket provided if they wish not to be covered in fake blood.

One Conway area couple turned their home into a haunted house. The Momyer Manor features several massive inflatables in the front yard, such as a skeleton riding a skeleton horse that interested parties can drive past every night until 9:30 p.m. this Halloween season.

Visitors can go on the Momyer Manor grounds on Oct. 26 and 31 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. for a trick-or-treat event featuring special effects, actors, photograph opportunities, life-size decorations, and full-size candy bars for trick-or-treaters.

Those looking to visit who require special accommodations can email The Momyer Manor directly for a private visit.

The Sun News

Ben Morse is the Retail and Leisure Reporter for The Sun News. Morse covers local business and Coastal Carolina University football and was awarded third place in the 2023 South Carolina Press Association News Contest for sports beat reporting and second place for sports video in the all-daily division. Morse previously worked for The Island Packet, covering local government. Morse graduated from American University in 2023 with a Bachelor’s Degree in journalism and economics and is originally from Prospect, Kentucky.

Reality Check is a new Sun News series holding those in power accountable, shining a light on local issues, and answering readers’ essential questions. Have a question or concern we can answer? Email online@thesunnews.com.

Trees that have been cut down lay next to the road near the Conway branch of the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. All along U.S. 701 north of Conway until S.C. 22, land’s being prepared for something new.

With greenery cleared, some Conway residents recently took to social media, wondering what the construction was for.

The cleared land along Highway 701 north of Conway is part of Horry County’s broader road infrastructure improvement programs paid for by a penny sales tax, Ride III. One of the projects includes widening Highway 701 from S.C. Highway 319 to S.C. 22. According to Horry County’s Ride III Dashboard, the project will widen the two-lane road to five lanes and add a center turn lane, sidewalks and wider travel lanes.

Slated for completion in the fall of 2026, the project’s estimated budget is $65.1 million. Horry County Director of Public Information Mikayla Moskov did not return a request for comment before publication.

Widening 701 north of Conway isn’t the only planned project for the highway within Ride III. The infrastructure improvements include widening 701 north of Loris, scheduled for completion during the 2025 summer and expected to cost $7.5 million.

This fall, Horry County voters will also get a chance to vote on whether they want to pay for further widening of U.S. 701.

The penny sales tax approved in 2016 for Ride III expires in April 2025, and county voters will get to vote this November on renewing the “one percent local sales and use tax” for road projects proposed by a potential Ride IV, according to the Ride IV web page on the Horry County website.

Two of Ride IV’s proposed infrastructure plans include widening U.S. 701 to four lanes with turn lanes at intersections from S.C. 22 to S.C. 410 and S.C. 9 Bypass to the North Carolina state line. The projected estimated cost of the two projects is $243 million.

The Ride IV measure will be on the final page of the Horry County voter’s ballot. The question will ask if a person wants to vote for a special use 1% tax for the road projects listed.

Horry County voters previously approved Ride I, II and III.