Come celebrate the first weekend of spring 2024 as Conway Downtown Alive presents the 3rd Annual Waccamaw Sportsmen’s Expo on Saturday and Sunday, March 22 and 23. 

The event focuses on the outdoor lifestyle along the banks of the Waccamaw River and kicks-off Friday as the DockDogs show off their athletic aquatic abilities at Conway’s Town Green. The pups are back on Saturday, as the Expo goes into overload with activities, including vendors, game cooking demonstrations, reptile programs, boat and camper displays, pet adoptions, a quick-draw event, and wildlife rehabilitation sessions in which people can interact with native birds and animals, according to Hillary Howard, executive director of Conway Downtown Alive. Not to be outdone in canine cavorting and athleticism, the Expo will also showcase the Purina Flying Disc Dogs. 

The aforementioned quick-draw presentation may conjure up notions of fancy pistol play, but that’s not the case, here. 

“We invite several local artists to create a piece for outdoor/wildlife art in a short block of time—1 hour to 90 minutes. Attendees can gather beside and around the artists to watch them work. The artwork is then auctioned off with the proceeds benefiting our nonprofit, Conway Alive,” Howard explains. 

The Expo also features the Litter Trashes Everyone puppet show feature, a marionette performance sponsored by Palmetto Pride.

The events at the Sportsmen’s Expo are free, and well-behaved, leashed dogs may accompany their people. 

“The juried mix of outdoor vendors, wildlife-focused presentations and skilled canine competitions provide attendees with a very different experience from a typical downtown festival or concert,” Howard explains. “Spanning from the Town Green, down Laurel Street to the Railway Lawn (former tennis center), there is plenty to see and do for the entire family…and your canine companions!”

Waccamaw Sportsmen’s Expo
Downtown Conway
10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Free
conwayalive.com