Duct Cleaning in Loris, SC

The Loris Planning Commission gave its blessing to an annexation request that would pave the way for a new housing development and an industrial park expansion.

Planners voted 4-0 on Thursday, Oct. 23 to recommend that the city council approve the request from Diamond Shores development and engineering of Conway to annex 54.88 acres of land into the city.

David Schwerd, chief operating officer of Diamond Shores, said the tract of land is split into two parcels by Cannon Road.

Diamond Shores finalized the purchase of the land for $1.5 million on Oct. 9.

A 31.73 acre parcel on the southeast side of Cannon Road is earmarked for single-family housing, and an R-2 medium density zoning designation is sought.

Schwerd told planners that 94 homes are planned on 6,000 square-foot lots. The new community would include sidewalks, open space and two stormwater drainage ponds. No wetlands will be disturbed.

The other parcel, which is 23.15 acres in size, would be zoned light industrial and conveyed to the adjacent Loris Commerce Park if approved.

The commerce park is owned and operated by the non-profit Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation. It is currently 100 acres in size and served by water, sewer, electric and telecommunications networks.

It is zoned light industrial, and currently hosts five companies — Integrated Fabrics, Carolina Food Service, Builders First Source, Accent Stainless Steel and Horry County State Bank.

No citizens spoke during the public hearing on the request.

The land is currently zoned Horry County Forest Agriculture.

The City Council must approve all annexations and the zoning designations in a pair of votes at separate meetings. A public hearing must also be held to give residents another chance to provide input on the proposal.

Loris football locked up this year's region championship in style.

The Lions (9-0, 3-0 region) officially wrapped up the Region V-3A title on Friday night with a completely dominant 49-14 victory over Marlboro County. If there was any doubt about whether or not Loris is a real contender here in 2025, it was put to rest at Heniford Field on Friday.

Things went just about perfect for Head Coach Greg Mance's team as the Lions hit the gas pedal early and never gave the visiting Bulldogs time to breathe.

Senior QB Moon Gerald tossed four touchdown passes.

Running back Makel "Deuce" Stephens scampered for three touchdowns.

The Loris defense had one of its best outings of the season.

It all added up to the Lions celebrating back-to-back region titles on the field after a lopsided win.

"Our kids came out and they were prepared," Mance said after the win. "They watched film all week long. They were attentive in practice. It was the best first half we have played all year, by far. Moon was on point, the running game was on point, the receivers were getting downfield and catching the ball. We didn’t turn it over, and the defense played exceptional… I couldn’t have been happier with the results we had in the first half."

It was a nearly perfect first half of football.

After Loris scored on its opening possession, Marlboro County fumbled the ensuing kickoff, leading to a short field for the Lions. Stephens capitalized with a short touchdown rush. And after Loris' defense managed a stop on the second Marlboro County drive, Stephens found pay dirt again, boosting the Loris lead to 21-0 before the visiting Bulldogs could even blink.

Gerald, as he has all season, had plenty of fun.

"This is a miracle and it’s a dream come true," the senior quarterback said of the 2025 season after the win. "This is all I’ve ever wanted so far in life. This is a big deal for me, and we’re going to take this one and we’re going to run with it."

On Friday night, Gerald and the offense certainly did run with it.

Marlboro County did score on a lengthy possession after Stephens' second touchdown, but the Lions offense always seemed to have an answer on Friday. Stephens scored again to make things 28-6, and then after defensive standout Landon Conner forced a fumble, Gerald found Khalil Sherman on a touchdown pass to make it 35-6 before halftime.

That's all it took for Loris to cruise to its standout win.

The victory was a bit sweeter for the Lions, who never got to actually play Marlboro County last year. In 2024, the Bulldogs were penalized by the South Carolina High School League for having ineligible players on their roster. Last year's meeting between Loris and Marlboro County never happened, as the Bulldogs had to forfeit.

This time, though, the Lions had their chance. And they took full advantage of it.

"This one feels a little better because we actually did it," Gerald said. "It feels way better. Last year, with it being a cancelled game, there was a lot of bickering back and forth… if this, if that. But, there are no ifs this year."

As impressive as Loris' offense was, the Lions defense, keyed by leaders like Conner and Damarea Thurmond, gave Marlboro County issues all evening.

"I’m tickled to death with the entire football team,” Mance said, highlighting the team’s defensive efforts. “The defense has been steady all year long… Everything goes through our defense. We love offense here and we like to play it. We do a lot of it. But, we understand that to win championships, you have to have a stout defense."

Loris will finish up the regular season next Friday, Oct. 31, at home for a Halloween matchup with Aynor.

The Lions remain perfect, and many around the state think Loris could be setting up for a special postseason run.

That would be just fine for Gerald, who is looking to finish up his high school career at the top.

"I’m so excited, man," Gerald said after the win. "I feel like as long as we keep God first, the sky is the limit for us if we stay humble."

The future of a historic Loris church is murky after South Carolina’s United Methodist Church conference sued to take control of the property.

Camp Swamp Church, at 853 Camp Swamp Road, was founded in 1882, according to its website.

For many years, the church has served under the United Methodist denomination, but its leaders sent notice of separation in January, changing its name to Camp Swamp Methodist Church, according to the lawsuit.

The separation goes against the United Methodist Church’s established doctrine, the lawsuit states, which requires all member churches to hold their properties in a trust for the use and the benefit of the United Methodist Church’s mission and ministry.

Without permission of the conference’s board of trustees, Camp Swamp Methodist Church and its leaders unlawfully assumed control of property and bank accounts that rightfully belong to Camp Swamp United Methodist Church, the suit alleges.

Stevie Porter, chairman of the Camp Swamp church’s council, declined to comment when reached by The Sun News.

The conference noted in its lawsuit that it believes a group of members at Camp Swamp United Methodist Church remain loyal to the denomination, and they want a judge to grant them authority to remove the church’s leadership and replace them with those members who remain loyal.

The case is among a cluster of active disputes across South Carolina with member churches seeking to leave the United Methodist denomination while retaining their properties. The state Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that all such cases be enjoined and heard by Judge Brian Gibbons.

The United Methodist Church has rapidly been losing members — more than 7,600 congregations nationwide disaffiliated in 2023, according to the Associated Press — and South Carolina’s conference allowed more than 100 member churches in 2023 to split amicably, The State newspaper reported.

The denomination is one of several that have experienced splits in recent years because of disagreements over how the church should address LGBTQ issues, whether the church should be more welcoming and inclusive or uphold traditional teachings about morality and sexuality, according to The State.

LORIS, SC (WMBF) - The 46th annual Loris Bog-Off was held Saturday, and it brought large crowds to the Loris area.

Thousands of people were expected to arrive at the festival, which included vendors, entertainment, activities and chicken bog.

Chicken bog is a dish made of rice, chicken and sausage, which the festival is centered around.

City of Loris Mayor Michael Suggs said the event has seen growth since it was created.

“It was a very small festival in the beginning,” Suggs said. “Chamber of Commerce got behind it and it is evolved into what it is today. It has grown tremendously.”

With the thousands anticipated for the event, Suggs said the festival benefits Loris.

“It’s good publicity for the city, it brings folks to town, folks get to know the city of Loris when they come to town, they shop at our businesses, they meet some new people, and it’s just a big benefit for the city,” Suggs said.

During the festival, a chicken bog cooking contest was held, allowing cooks to share their personal or family recipes with the public. For some, cooking the dish is a tradition.

“I grew up, my grandaddy made chicken bog, my dad made chicken bog,” said Dewayne Alford, a cook in the contest. “So yeah, it’s a personal thing that the people of Loris really understand.”

Pepper Lilly, another cook in the contest, expressed a similar sentiment.

“It’s a tradition in my family that was passed down to me from my grandfather, and it was passed down to him from his grandfather, so we’ve been cooking it for years in my family,” said Lilly.

To keep the tradition going, Lilly said his children are learning how to make their family’s chicken bog recipe.

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