Small Town News

Conways lures White back for second look

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PUBLISHER'S NOTEBOOK

A chance visit to Conway was all it took to get television personality Carl White coming back for more.

White, host of the syndicated show Life in the Carolinas, was traveling to Myrtle Beach on assignment last year when his car's navigation system directed him through Downtown Conway.

As luck would have it, Brown's visit coincided with Downtown's Christmas celebration and he was enchanted by the lights and music associated with the event.

"Coming through nothingness, I came upon this quaint little town and heard music and thought this is nice," said White. "I slowed down and drove through to the tune of a honking pickup behind me."

After crossing the Main Street Bridge with "those beautifully decorated light poles," White said he felt compelled to turn and come back into Conway from the other direction.

White's encounter with Conway made a lasting impression. Three months later he called Main Street-USA executive director Gail Alexander to learn more about the town.

"I asked her who was the town's biggest cheerleader and' she gave me Larry Biddle's phone number," said White. "We set a time to get together and then spent three and a half hours talking about Conway."

After strolling on the riverwalk, seeing the live oak trees in the middle of Elm Street, and learning more about Conway's history, White said he decided to film an entire episode of Life in the Carolinas featuring Conway, instead of the five minute segment he originally planned.

This week, White's film crew will be interviewing Conway people while trying to capture the look and feel of the town.

He hopes to kick off the fall season of Life in the Carolinas with the piece on Conway.

"When people in High Point Charlotte, Greenville and Spartanburg see it, I think they are going to say 'wow, that's a place we should go'", said White. "I think some of them will add Conway to their list of day trips."

White said he was also impressed with Conway's commitment to preserve its past. He likes that the museum will soon be expanded into larger quarters. He's delighted that the Larry W. Paul Living Museum keeps alive the county's farming heritage.

White was particularly impressed with Conway's downtown area.

"What people in Conway have done to preserve their downtown is remarkable," said White. "Telling this story is important because it might inspire other small towns to do something similar."

White said the about five million viewers live in markets that carry Life in the Carolinas. A show schedule can be seen at www.lifeinth.e-carolinas.com.



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© 2010 The Horry Independent Conway, South Carolina. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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