Wedding & Event Venue Near Florence, SC.

FLORENCE — Ross Shotts rarely has time to stop and watch the people who visit his Christmas display.

But when he does, he soaks it all in.

He sees a child sitting on her father’s shoulders, head tilted back and mouth agape.

He sees a couple holding hands and friends leaning close.

He sees a young girl twirling beneath the snow machines, flakes catching in her pigtails.

“That was so fun,” she said, stamping her feet in the damp dirt. “Snow everywhere.”

That’s what it’s all about, Ross said with a laugh.

The Shotts family — Ross, his wife, Darlene, and her sister, Denise Pate — are behind one of Florence’s best-known holiday light displays: a 5-acre, 300,000-light walking trail.

This year, it takes on a little extra cache as the family competes on ABC’s reality TV show “The Great Christmas Light Fight.”

For the Shotts, it’s evidence that what they’ve built is worth sharing with the rest of the world.

But Florence families have long known the display is something special.

Since 2016, the family has operated the display as Lights 4 Paws, the Florence Area Humane Society’s second-largest fundraiser of the year. Thousands of families visit each holiday season, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“You can’t help but just kind of stand back and admire what they do,” said Liz Parrish, a Humane Society board member who helps organize the event. “We’re lucky to have them in Florence.”

The display is the product of six months of work. On average, the family will spend six hours each day putting things together, Ross said. They do it on their own. It’s a labor of love.

Come Christmastime, the Shotts begin a cycle of almost nonstop work. From Thanksgiving weekend through the end of December, every night is a work night.

You can find Darlene and Pate, wearing fluorescent vests, taking turns with other volunteers to direct traffic. Ross Shotts splits his time between the parking lot and the trail — a quarter-mile path that winds through the woods around the Shotts’ home.

As he patrols the trail, looking for anything amiss, he watches visitors as they take in the light show.

His favorite part is the way the kids’ eyes widen, the small gasps of delight that escape their lips.

Even from the parking lot, Ross can hear the kids laughing and screaming.

“I want them to come in and just have fun, and they do,” he said.

Lights 4 Paws is the culmination of years of decorating.

The Shotts started small, like a normal family: just a few white decorations. After a while, they decided to add some color. Then some more.

Slowly, the display grew — a snowflake here, a Santa there — until the decorations threatened to jump the borders of their one-acre home outside of Charlotte.

Christmas decorating, Ross said, became the family hobby.

By the time the Shotts moved to Darlington a decade ago, they were excited to spread out on two acres. That dream quickly ran aground when the local homeowners association shut down the display.

The Shotts replaced the lights with a “for sale” sign.

In 2014, the family found its 5-acre plot of land in Florence. They built fresh, with Christmas in mind. They traced an imaginary trail through the woods. They had the electrician construct an entire panel for the outdoors.

Now, the Shotts spend half the year setting up and tearing down the display.

The work begins in September, when Ross, Darlene and Pate begin lugging out decorations from the 1,200-square-foot storage barn. On average, they spend six hours each day on the project. They talk, debate where to put different decorations and listen to music (no, not Christmas music).

It’s a grand improvisation. There’s no plan. They put decorations where they look good. Every year it’s a little different.

Ross said the family looks for unique decorations. They want people to see things they’ve never seen before.

Forget Santa in his sleigh. There’s Santa in construction equipment, a rocket, a camper, an outhouse.

There are Christmas cactuses, porcupines and cowboys.

An entire section is devoted to outer space: Little green men stand next to spaceships and a host of Star Wars decorations.

There are Japanese hanging lanterns and yellow lights that dangle, fairy like, from tree limbs.

Walking through the dark wood can feel a bit like walking through another world.

Ross estimated they’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars on decorations. Some years they put $20,000 to $45,000 on a credit card. The December electricity bill alone is about $400 more than usual, which Ross shrugs off as not too bad.

But it’s worth it, both for the Humane Society — a cause the Shotts have devoted countless hours to — and the delight the lights bring to families in Florence.

“It’s a project of pride and love for them, and they do a fantastic job,” Parrish said.

For the families who visit Lights 4 Paws, Christmas wouldn’t be the same without it.

“It’s kind of how I start the season. It’s not Christmas until you see some lights,” Doug Gray said on his second visit of the year to the Shotts’ display.

He took photos beneath the Japanese hanging lanterns as he waited for his son and his friends to arrive. It’s a family tradition to go see the lights at Christmastime, he said.

Mary Schwier has come every year since she was 10 or 11. She’s 18 now. This year, she brought her older sister, Katherine, who recently moved back to Florence.

“I’m still a kid at heart,” Schwier said.

The two women hope to make this a tradition.

Yet the Shotts don’t know how many years they have left in them. Ross is 64. The constant work required of the display is draining. By the end of the year, they’re ready to pack it in and take a break.

“By the end of December we’re whooped,” he said.

Maybe next year will be the last one? But no, not next year, Ross said.

Maybe they’ll just do a little less next year. Or maybe they’ll wait a little longer.

“Four years down the road, three years down the road, five years down the road — whenever we decide that we’re going to quit doing this, that’s gonna be kind of a burden on us,” he said, reflecting on all of the families who’ve come to rely on the display, or the kids who’ve grown up expecting to come see the lights every year.

“It’s gonna be a big effect, I guess if we — when we — do decide to close.”

It might be nice to have their lives back, Ross said. Then again, what would they do with all their spare time?

Well, he said, it might be nice to go see some Christmas lights.

Daily Covid-19 admissions in the Florence County area

About the data

Data is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hospitalization data is a daily average of Covid-19 patients in hospital service areas that intersect with Florence County, an area which may be larger than Florence County itself.

The number of daily hospital admissions shows how many patients tested positive for Covid in hospitals and is one of the most reliably reported indicators of Covid’s impact on a community.

Total population

Ages 65 and up

Total population

Ages 65 and up

An updated vaccine is recommended for adults and most children. Statewide, 7% of vaccinations did not specify a home county.

Nearby hospitals

Share of I.C.U. beds occupied

About this data Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Notes: The hospitals map shows the average I.C.U. occupancy at nearby hospitals in the most recent week with data reported. The data is self-reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by individual hospitals. It excludes counts from hospitals operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Indian Health Service. Numbers for hospitalized patients are based on inpatient beds and include I.C.U. beds. Hospitalized Covid-19 patients include both confirmed and suspected Covid-19 patients. The C.D.C. stopped reporting data on cases in May 2023.

How trends have changed in Florence County

About this data Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Notes: Weekly county death data prior to Jan. 2021 was not reported by the C.D.C. and is sourced from reporting by The New York Times. Hospitalization data is a weekly average of Covid-19 patients in hospital service areas that intersect with Florence County. Hospitalization numbers early in the pandemic are undercounts due to incomplete reporting by hospitals to the federal government.

Historical trends in Florence County

The data in these charts has been archived and they are no longer being updated.

About this data Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data in these charts has been archived and they are no longer being updated. Weekly county case data prior to Jan. 2021 was not reported by the C.D.C. and is sourced from reporting by The New York Times. The C.D.C. stopped reporting data on cases in May 2023. Test positivity data is based only on test results reported to the federal government and is a seven-day average.

By Jon Huang, Samuel Jacoby, Jasmine C. Lee, John-Michael Murphy, Charlie Smart and Albert Sun. Additional reporting by Sarah Cahalan, Lisa Waananen Jones, Amy Schoenfeld Walker and Josh Williams. See a full list of contributors to The Times’s Covid-19 data reporting here.

About the data

Data on this page is reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Population and demographic data is from the U.S. Census Bureau. Hospitalization data is reported by individual hospitals to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and it includes confirmed and suspected adult and pediatric patients. The C.D.C. does not provide complete vaccinations data for some counties and caps its vaccination rate figures at 95 percent.

The C.D.C. may make historical updates as more data is reported.

The C.D.C. stopped reporting data on Covid cases in May 2023.

FLORENCE — Florence has quite a few chicken and fish restaurants — but none quite like this.

Angry Chicken O’ Fish, located in a small storefront on West Evans Street, officially opened Dec. 7.

And it is very, very angry.

The takeout-style restaurant is decorated with posters depicting roosters in various states of fury. One, muscled and scowling, crosses his arms. Another wields a baseball bat. Another is positively seething, feathers popping from its body.

The sign out front features a chicken wearing a chef’s hat and hoisting a trident. A fish flops from the point.

Feeling Zhu, the restaurant’s owner, said the branding is a product of her love for chicken and the game Angry Birds. Why not combine the two?

“Some people think I have attitude,” Zhu joked, saying it’s simply her no-nonsense personality. The store’s tagline is “Chicken with attitude.”

Zhu, who is originally from Shanghai has lived in Florence for six years. She and her restaurant partners also operate the food truck PokeTown, which is on temporary hiatus while they get Angry Chicken up and running.

Angry Chicken O’ Fish focuses exclusively on fried chicken and seafood. Zhu said she wants to offer the city something new.

The food, while classically Southern, also incorporates elements of Korean cuisine in the seasoning and sauces, Zhu said.

“It’s a little bit Korean and a little bit American and a little bit Abu Dhabi. It’s kind of a little like a mixed blood,” she said.

Offerings include fried chicken, a wide array of fried seafood — perch, trout, scallops, whiting, oysters, flounder, among others — and various sides.

The meal comes in a compact cardboard box with a glowering chicken on the side.

The ambience is reminiscent of a revitalized warehouse district in the heart of an up-and-coming urban area: stone floors, concrete benches, metal tables and chairs, fluorescent lights, some of which are made to look like bottle caps.

And everywhere you look, there are angry chickens.

Dora Motley, one of the first customers after the ribbon cutting, ordered three chicken wings and two perch filets. The meal came with coleslaw and a can of soda.

Motley said she noticed signs for the new restaurant and headed over after an appointment at the nail salon. She eats out often and likes to try new restaurants when they open.

With the smell of fresh fried chicken wafting through the restaurant, she said she plans to be back.

Angry Chicken O’ Fish is located at 2047 West Evans St. It’s open Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

FLORENCE, S.C. (WPDE) — S.C. Administrative Law Court Judge Sebastien Phillip Lenski has ordered a Florence charter school to cease and desist from operating following a hearing last week in Columbia.

Florence 1 Schools revoked Palmetto Youth Academy’s (PYA) charter on June 30 and the S.C. Department of Education closed the school on August 1.

Florence 1 Schools filed a motion for an injunctive relief asking a judge to issue a restraining order, appoint a receiver and issue a Writ of Mandamus demanding PYA close.

Lenski’s order said the “District has met its of burden of showing that preliminary relief is appropriate and necessary in this matter.”

He ordered the following:

“Palmetto Youth Academy (PYA), Palmetto Youth Services (PYS), Yvonne Brown-Burgess, and anyone acting on it or their behalf, including any officers, directors, administrators, board members, consultants, accountants or other professionals. SHALL CEASE AND DESIST from operating Palmetto Youth Academy Charter School as a charter school or holding Palmetto Youth Academy out as a charter school.”

The district said in court last week that PYA has between $800,000 to $1.2 million that doesn't belong to them, but to the taxpayers of Florence because their charter has been revoked.

NEW: Dedication ceremony set for Surfside Beach Pier

The judge appointed a receiver to investigate how much money has been spent and on what.

Lenski’s order further states the following:

“PYA, PYS, Yvonne Brown-Burgess, and anyone acting on it or their behalf, including any officers, directors, administrators, board members, consultants, accountants or other professionals, SHALL BE ENJOINED from engaging in any of the following acts:

(3) John Edward Haas, of 12 AshWorth Lane, Columbia, South Carolina 29206, SHALL BE APPOINTED AS RECEIVERS to manage and operate any property, funds, and other assets held or controlled by the PYA, PYS, and any affiliated entities, including but not limited to the balance in excess of $1,200,000 in Palmetto Youth Academy's fund account. The scope of the receivership, and the powers and limitations thereof, are set forth below:

Florence One Schools’ lawyer, Michael Montgomery released the following statement:

We are pleased that the Court has issued an order giving everyone an opportunity to learn the facts about PYA’s use of public funds and property. Florence School District One has two interests in this matter, ensuring that every child in the district has all possible educational opportunities and being accountable to its taxpayers for the expenditure of public funds. We believe that the actions the district has taken in the Administrative Law Court are geared entirely to those ends. As this matter is still actively being litigated, we will not comment further.

See below for previous coverage of Palmetto Youth Academy:

FLORENCE, S.C. (WPDE) — The owner and operator of the Save A Lot grocery store on East Darlington Street in downtown Florence is making a bold move to essentially help save his business and grow the community.

Waters said he's selling 120,000 shares at $25 each.

"They can buy up to 200 shares. I am using two exemptions. Exemption 141 A for the federal. and I am using SC exemption 13-206 for the state. Talk to the attorney general Alan Wilson. They walked me through what I was doing. Here I am taking government money because this is what built the store. And taking it and giving it back to the people who we got the money from," said Waters.

Click here to view the PDF file.

Waters said he was able to secure $3.6 million dollars in grants to open a Save-A-Lot grocery store through his company Elijah Craig, LLC. He got a $300,000 incentive package from the City Of Florence to finally open the store in 2021.

However, he said since it's opened he's not getting the customers he needs to keep the business filled with groceries.

"There are some things that I have to do. And I’ve come to recognize that I need some help. I don’t want to wait 20 years to see my dream come true. And all of a sudden they just fade away. Because I was too proud not to ask for help or too proud not to seek help. And that’s what I’m doing now," said Waters.

NEW: Changes to this Horry County law could give another 10-20% on flood insurance premiums

Waters is sharing the following information with those interested in buying shares:

"Cost of Shares: $25 per share, with a maximum of two hundred shares per person purchased at one time. Shares may be purchased in five, $5 dollar installments on a weekly basis in-store. This will allow low-income people to buy shares. Our store will be in the hands of the community forever. Shares are lifetime purchases to be passed to the next generation after generation.

Dividends: Dividends will be paid each quarter, based on the rate of return on the net profits from sales for that quarter. Our Board along with our CPA will develop the ROR, to be included in our welcome aboard package.

Shareholder Board of Directors: Shareholders will elect a five-member board to oversee all shareholder funds. Funds will only be used for inventory and working capital. We have obtained over 5.6 million thus far, however, I want to pass some ownership to our community.

This will allow the store to truly become a community store indefinitely.

Our audaciously inclusive initiative aims to provide an opportunity for residents of the state of South Carolina, especially Afro-Americans and low-income families throughout South Carolina, to become shareholders in Elijah Craig LLC dba Florence Save a Lot., fostering community empowerment, economic inclusion, and creating opportunities for generational wealth and prosperity.

The Florence Downtown Save a Lot is more than a grocery store. We are a community. By becoming an owner (also referred to as “member”) of Elijah Craig LLC dba Florence Save a Lot, you become a partial owner of our store and take ownership in our community. Your investment in the store allows us to make investments in local farmers and artisans, offering direct support to the sustainable, natural foods and products that they provide, along with the Save a Lot brand. As a community-owned grocery store, we are accountable to you, the members of our community who support and invest in us. We are committed to supporting the environmental, social, and economic concerns of our owners. I know that we need shoppers and others to invest in the store; therefore, I have decided to make the Florence Downtown Save a Lot store truly a community store. "

For additional information, you can contact Tim Waters by phone at 843-472 -7463 and by email at twaters003@gmail.com.

You can also visit the store at 310 North Dargan Street in Florence.