Folly Beach preparing for rumored large gathering at the beach Thursday

FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (WCBD) – Law enforcement agencies are preparing for a potentially large gathering on Folly Beach this week.

It comes after a social media post was shared online and intercepted by police promoting the event which called for people to bring their own alcohol, according to Chief Mark Keel of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

Concerns over the gathering come nearly a week after five people were shot on Isle of Palms amid a so-called “senior skip day” gathering where multiple fights broke out on the beach Friday afternoon. A similar social media post circulated online promoting that event days before.

Police said they are taking various precautions just in case there is a large turnout on Thursday as noted in the social media post. They want to make sure everyone stays safe while being able to enjoy the beach.

“Large groups gathering is always a recipe for something happening,” said Folly Beach Public Safety Director Andrew Gilreath. “Whether it be fights or whatever the case may be.”

Gilreath says they’ve already been in communication with local, state, and federal agencies about Thursday’s potential gathering.

“Kind of coordinate assets and ask for assistance,” he said. “Especially us smaller agencies that generally need to, from time to time, rely on the assistance of outside agencies just due to their size.”

The Tides Hotel will have increased security on Thursday, which they said is to prevent anyone underage from wandering into the hotel’s bar.

Some people, however, say the situation is being over-inflated. “I tend to think tomorrow’s going to be fun,” Jessica Merkle told News 2 on Wednesday. “Whatever gathering that’s happening is going to be fun and everybody’s going to enjoy themselves, and the rest is just hyped up. There’s no need to project the past events onto the future.”

The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office has committed to providing additional resources to the beaches and police said they intend to break up any gatherings larger than 25 people, which he said by law required a permit.

Meanwhile, Isle of Palms police will implement parking restrictions Thursday in anticipation of that gathering planned on Folly Beach, which they hope would prevent any spillover to IOP.