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GEORGETOWN, S.C. (WMBF) - A group of Georgetown restaurants stepped up to make sure their community is taken care of this Thanksgiving day.

Buzz’s Roost and Aunny’s Country Kitchen provided free hot meals to many on Thursday.

Buzz’s Roost opened its kitchen on the holiday to provide a free hot meal to those impacted by the closure of the paper mill.

“As long as our doors are open, we have you,” said Buzz’s Roost General Manager, Heather Richardson. “We’re going to try to do whatever we can to take a little bit of that pressure off of them until they can get back on their feet.”

IP suddenly announced last month that it would shut down operations on Dec. 17, putting over 700 workers in danger of losing their livelihoods.

The restaurant provided meals from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving to the workers and added extra meals for the steel mill families as well.

“We’re just trying to do our part and try to give back to the community to do what we can as well,” said Richardson.

The restaurant prepared to serve over 700 people and cooked up 800 pounds of turkey, as well as all the fixings. Richardson shared that for her this mission of serving hot meals is personal.

“I have friends that are personal friends that they’re losing their jobs. A lot of them do have kids and they have several kids and they’re stressing about how they’re going to be able to provide for their family,” said Richardson.

For over a decade, across the street, another Georgetown restaurant has made it a goal to make sure its community is fed for the holiday.

Aunny’s Country Kitchen has been serving up free meals every Thanksgiving to the Georgetown community for 16 years.

“Aunny puts on a fabulous meal every year and invites all of us to celebrate the day of thanks, a day of great harvest and an opportunity to fellowship, to celebrate a day of thanks,” said participant Tracey Miller.

This year, the restaurant blocked off the street and set up tables for people to come together and enjoy a hot meal and company. Aunny’s cooked up 62 turkeys and 25 hams, all as a way to give back.

“This is a way to have family on Thanksgiving if your family is not nearby,” said a volunteer with Aunny’s.

The city of Georgetown has rallied around the workers and their families since the news of the closure was announced, hosting job fairs, providing necessary resources, and most recently announcing that there would be a toy drive for Christmas.

The toy drive for IP families will be on Dec. 7 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 932 B Front Street hosted by Winyah Bay Brewing. There will be family-friendly activities and food trucks.

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GEORGETOWN — Baxter’s Brewhouse Inn embraces the silliness.

For the second year in a row, the Georgetown business celebrated Festivus on Dec. 23.

Featured in the popular sitcom "Seinfeld," Festivus is a fake holiday that always falls two days before Christmas. The celebratory day, noted as “a Festivus for the rest of us” was invented by the character George Constanza’s father, Frank — played by Jerry Stiller.

Stiller’s character came up with the idea after becoming fed up years ago with the commercialization of the holiday season. His epiphany comically occurred after he fought another man in a store over a toy doll during one Christmas.

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The day is meant to be a reprieve from other commonly celebrated holidays during the month of December and includes several unique traditions.

"It's one of those funny things where people love it," Joseph Baxter, co-owner of the brewhouse and inn, said. "I think that may be part of the appeal about it is the silliness and they can do whatever they want because it's Festivus. Who cares?"

This week, Joseph and Tina Baxter opened their doors to those who love the Seinfeld holiday and served plates with meatloaf, peas and gravy — a nod to the Festivus meal served in the show — and their honey brown ale named after the holiday. Outside, they placed a single metal pole, Festivus’s version of a Christmas tree.

Bill Diven, head brewer at Baxter’s, said he enjoys celebrating the holiday every year, which for him includes quoting scenes from the iconic episode on Facebook and having a meal and a drink with friends.

"I just always felt like — there’s Christmas Eve, there's Christmas Day — that last day before those two, just do something that day. Just don’t work, take the day off and do something fun."

Georgetown's paper mill closing hurt her friends. So she got presents for the entire 8th grade.

And that is what the holiday has become, a day for relaxing and some goofy fun before the inevitable stress of the season.

The holiday even calls for an "airing of grievances," which includes telling your family or friends all the ways they have disappointed you during that year. Joseph Baxter made sure as people walked in the door that they shared their own personal grievances with their family members, whatever those may be.

Even though the show ended over 25 years ago, Festivus celebrations are still held across the country, Joseph said. He attributes the holiday's enduring popularity to the fact that the show was light-hearted and it was easy to relate to the characters.

ANDREWS — A cart manufacturer recently opened a facility near Andrews and plans to hire workers in 2025.

SPRY Manufacturing was founded this year by industry veteran Rob Honeycutt, who is also behind brands such as SixAxis, SafeRack and ErectaStep, all of which have local ties.

"Rob's been there before, [so he’s] just hoping to bring some new jobs to the area ... especially with the [Georgetown] paper mill closing,” said Caroline Hall, marketing content manager of 2112, the holding company for SPRY Manufacturing. "We’re a little bit far out from hiring, but we do hope that we’ll be able to start that process a little bit later [in the] third or fourth quarter of 2025."

SPRY Manufacturing Chief Operating Officer Chad Dillavou said the total number of employees that SPRY ends up hiring will depend on sales.

"We are still a startup organization, so when I say hiring, it's not going to be like we're hiring hundreds of people," Dillavou said. "But we will have positions open as we go, [such as] labor positions in the manufacturing facility. Things like welders, assemblers, stuff like that, and of course all of the support staff that comes along with that.

"We'll probably grow our marketing team a little bit, but [we're also focused on] engineering, logistics team, purchasing teams, and the infrastructure from a managerial standpoint to help support that group."

Dillavou did not have estimates when asked what the median salary would be for these positions.

The plant is SPRY’s launchpad for future expansion.

"It's exciting that Rob Honeycutt is investing more money in the area," Dillavou said. "He's a great idea guy and he's really, really good at ... taking complex solutions and simplifying them and making the buying process easy for customers."

The first product the facility will produce is called Swivels, which are custom material handling carts.

“Swivels is … somewhat of a manufacturing product that our team is kind of familiar with and feels pretty confident that we’re going to be able to build successfully and get out there,” Hall said. "The custom material handling carts is kind of up our alley ... something that we feel comfortable starting out with."

Hall said SPRY plans on manufacturing more products, but those plans have not been released.

Those interested in working for SPRY can learn more about the company at www.sprymanufacturing.com.

GEORGETOWN, S.C. (WCBD) — It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and many organizations and businesses across the Lowcountry are getting into the Christmas spirit. Celebrations in Georgetown County are kicking off at the Kaminski house on Friday night.

For nearly a decade, the light-up Lawn Light event and a candlelight tour of the historic Kaminski house have officially signaled the start of the holiday season in Georgetown.

“Tonight, we’re going to be having our Light the lawn that started years ago where we have a professional lighting company come in and drape all the trees with all the beautiful lighting outside, and we have a kids section this year, Kevin Jayroe, a board member for the Kaminski House.

During the Light Up the Lawn event, guests will enjoy live music, sweet treats, and a dazzling display of lights. They can also head inside the home for a candlelight tour of all 13 rooms in the Kaminski house, displaying 13 different themed Christmas trees designed by businesses from the community.

“We’ve had different museum rooms this year with varying store owners in Georgetown, so each room has a different feeling of the holiday season,” said Jayroe.

The event serves to ring in the holiday season and offers a boost to the local economy.

“While you’re here, take advantage of what we have here. Please take advantage of the unique shopping boutiques, all our stores, and the dining that we offer in our store business district with 22 places to get something to eat. There’s a lot to do in Georgetown that can’t be done in one day,” said Al Joesph, the director of Explore Georgetown.

Click here for more information on holiday events happening in Georgetown County.

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PAWLEYS ISLAND — A new Pawleys Island restaurant is serving up classic Southern comfort foods with a hint of creative flair.

Brandon Wallace, head chef and co-owner of Pawleys Fish Camp, is a Georgetown County native. He said he wanted to create a place with an authentic Lowcountry menu — something that would remind locals of the food they ate growing up.

“I try to put a little twist on it, you know, to bring it up to speed, but still keep those traditional roots from a long time ago,” Wallace said.

Pawleys Fish Camp is located along U.S. Highway 17 in the building that once housed Tuscany Bistro.

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Its menu includes such dishes as lobster mac and cheese, oysters Rockefeller with smoked collard greens, and 12-hour braised beef brisket, plus traditional samplers featuring hushpuppies and honey butter.

Wallace has over 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry. He’s worked in several other Pawleys restaurants, including Frank's, Bistro 217 and The Chive Blossom Restaurant and Bar. He also spent time working at a Connecticut restaurant and at a country club in Blythewood.

Pawleys Fish Camp celebrated its soft opening on Jan. 14. Wallace said the restaurant received rave reviews from its first customers.

“It wasn’t soft, I’ll tell you that. Right at four o’clock, they (the customers) piled in. It was beautiful,” Wallace said. He added that the fried deviled eggs, in particular, were a huge hit.

Andrea Brunson attended the soft opening. She ordered the fried shrimp and dirty grits. She enjoyed the entree, but like many other customers, her favorite dish of the night was the fried deviled eggs.

Wallace said Pawleys Fish Camp already has plans to expand its offerings to include live entertainment and Sunday brunches. At the moment, the restaurant is only open for dinner, but it will start serving lunch in the coming months.

"We're just kind of taking our time right now with the winter and everything, getting acclimated with the menu that we have," he said. "And before we rush into something else, we want to do it right."

The community responded to the restaurant’s opening with a surge of support.

Brunson said she's been eating Wallace's food for years, having hired him to cater private events. She also went to school with Alfonzo Allen, who co-owns the restaurant with Wallace. She said she’s excited for them to be embarking on this new venture and is confident the restaurant will be a welcome addition to Pawleys Island.

"It's going to be great for the community," she said. "I think everybody's going to love it.”

Correction: Pawleys Fish Camp opened this week. An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the name of the restaurant. It has been updated to include the correct name.