CONWAY — The city of Conway has taken Halloween to the next level.
City Mayor Barbara Blaine-Bellamy signed a proclamation Sept. 23 that approved a temporary, unofficial name change for the city — from Conway, S.C., to "Halloween, S.C." The name change would only last until the end of October, and it would not impact legal addresses.
Blaine-Bellamy said the unofficial name change is part of the city's efforts to boost tourism and economic development in the city during the fall season.
"We expect that our residents will be even more proud to live in Conway — proud because we're fun, interesting and not afraid to toss away the box," Blaine-Bellamy said. "We further expect visitors to come to Conway from near and far to see the sights and enjoy the activities."
Along with the name change, the city has covered portions of downtown city buildings in Halloween-themed decorations, and a variety of fall activities are already planned for the rest of the season.
Some of the scheduled activities include a Halloween home decorating contest from Oct. 1-14, "Spooky Boat Tours" starting Oct. 3, a "Conway Ghost Walk" Oct. 20-22 and a Halloween golf cart parade Oct. 29, among others.
"This October will include a plethora of activities, contests, cook-offs, everything fall and fun to be enjoyed by all," the mayor said.
Conway's interest in Halloween and fall sparked in 2019, when city staff began its now-annual tradition of decorating downtown trees with bright orange jack-o-lanterns.
Blaine-Bellamy said city staff received many positive comments from the public about the display, as well as positive comments from downtown retailers who saw an increase in visitors in part because of the display.
These comments, she said, inspired the city to continue, and even expand, the tradition.
The Sept. 23 proclamation has only declared the unofficial renaming of the city for this year's fall season, until the end of October. A separate proclamation will need to be signed next year if Conway officials decide to unofficially rename it again.
