CONWAY -- Who among us, really, can say what qualities make one kiss more prized than another? So the dilemma of Horry County Councilman Carl Schwartzkopf is understandable when asked what criteria he'll use as a judge in a contest at an upcoming Conway Crawl.
"I don't know," he said, "but I guess I'll find out Dec. 16th. ... I just hope I don't get one that wants to take a bite out of me."
Bite?
Conway Feed & Garden Center and Rivertown Bed & Biscuit are sponsoring the town's first Canine Christmas Costume Contest, said Hillary Howard of Conway Main Street, which stages the weekly Crawl to help bring people to and stimulate business in downtown Conway. As an offshoot of the costuming, judges will also determine a best singer, best dancer, best trick and, yes, best kisser among the canine contestants.
Entrants will have to pay a $5 fee in advance, which may be done at www.conwaymainstreet.com or by calling 248-6260.
There will be prizes for the winners. The dogs with the top five costumes will each get a gift basket lovingly filled with the things dogs love plus a $50 gift certificate for specialty dog food from Conway Feed & Garden Center and a $25 gift certificate for dog grooming. Those topping the bests lists will get a $25 gift certificate for the specialty dog food.
All winners will receive a silver medal. Shaped like a bone, of course.
Schwartzkopf, one of three judges for the 7 p.m. contest, comes with some experience in deeming one animal better than others in contests held at Conway Feed & Garden.
He said he became a regular visitor to the business through his role as toter of food and supplies for a friend with six cats. Eventually, he said, he entered one of her felines in a contest at the business, where it was judged pudgiest.
He's since taken fulltime guardianship of the cat, named Peaches, which has under his tutelage shed some of its excess and is currently at a fighting weight of 15 pounds.
He offered a tip to those entering their dogs in the upcoming contest: The biters won't win.
Putting their money where The Word is
Congregants at Christ Community Church on the Myrtle Beach side of Conway have walked Christians' ancient tithing practice a couple steps beyond the traditional 10 percent goal.
The amount that's gone into the tithe this year, said Executive Pastor Mark Burlinson, will be more like 12 percent, fueled partly by extra giving from churchgoers wanting to help the community amid the down economy.
Burlinson said the tithe goes for things that take place outside the church. Individuals, local causes and international missions are among the beneficiaries.
The amount of the tithe is bolstered by a weekly alms-giving that Burlinson said takes place at the beginning of services when members place individual contributions in baskets in front of the altar. The total taken up in alms has averaged $600 a week this year, he said.
Phillip Miles, the church's senior pastor, was a founder of Churches Assisting People, an organization that offers food and other help to the needy and is supported by a consortium of Conway churches. Church members also participate in a program called Love in Action, where they do things such as assisting people with needed housing renovations that can be done in a day or two.
Additionally, the congregation has done a cleanup project at Myrtle Beach State Park, participated in Beach Sweep and helped out in Aynor, Loris and other places in Horry County.
"We feel like we're not really here for ourselves," Burlinson said. "We're here to help in the community ... just like Jesus did, kind of."
He said the Christian practice of a 10 percent tithe predates Biblical law that was handed down by Moses. Abraham began the practice, and it has continued as a goal ever since.
Burlinson said Christ Community isn't the only church in Horry County with such principles.
But with the battered economy and the spreading pain from it, Burlinson said the extra help is more important than ever.
"Now is the time to make a difference," he said.
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