47th Annual Can-Am Days - 14 to 22 March

On Wednesday 18 March Paul and I set out for another day of exploring. Like every Wednesday, we first stopped at the Spring House Restaurant for our hearty breakfast.

We then took a short drive through Murrell's Inlet and went for a walk on the boardwalk since it was such a nice morning.


Every year during the Ontario Spring Break week, the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce sponsor the Canadian-American Days with events such as The Royal Canadian Artillery Band Concert, official welcome reception, dance championships, and more. We decided to check out the Wildlife and History Day at the Huntington Beach State Park which was one of the events. The setting was in the courtyard of the castle, Atalaya. There were a variety of agencies, organizations and exhibitors displaying information about the local area, as well as a couple of local restaurants selling their delicacies. There was also live entertainment by Wendel Matthews, a local artist.

Upon entering the Huntington State Park, we saw the alligator again resting on his little island.

We drove to the Atalaya castle parking area and we were surprised to see so many cars there. A lot with Ontario license plates as well as a couple from New Brunswick. We strolled onto the grounds and made our way inside the castle walls. Of course we headed straight for the music in the courtyard. Most of what remains of the castle are the walls and the layout of the empty rooms. It was a very nice settling for the music - the area was surrounded by palm trees against the clear blue sky and the sun was shining. People were sitting about on the benches enjoying the moment.

We then took a walk about to have a look at the exhibits.We chatted with a gentleman from the Grand Strand Shell Club and gained some useful information about shells of the area and where and when to collect them. Paul checked out a display of shark teeth, as he is now the proud owner of 2 that he found on Surfside Beach.

I found my soul sister among the exhibitors. This lady collects shells on the local beaches and makes wonderful pictures and gift boxes. She doesn't sell any of her projects as she feels it would lessen her work and the enjoyment she gets from doing them. She is on the beach 2 or 3 times a week looking for treasures.

These are 2 of my favourite boxes that she made.

There was also an exhibit by the Waccamaw Indian People. This lady was doing glass beading. It was amazing to watch her and she gave me a demonstration.

The diamond pattern on her loom took her 1 hour and the finished piece of the 8 diamonds shown took her about 9 hours.


Paul and I had a very relaxing day here. We topped off our day with a snack of hushpuppies and a short walk on the beach there. This event is definitely on our agenda for next year.