Events Coordinator Beth Byrnes

Beth Byrnes is the Events Coordinator at Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site. She is originally from Indiana and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and a master’s degree in Natural Resource Management. Her background is in parks, and Beth has been visiting parks and spending most of her time outdoors ever since she was a child. She started her career working in parks while attending college and immediately discovered a career path that gave her the opportunity to share her love for public places with others. Beth has had the privilege of working at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, Cumberland Gap National Historic Park in Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia, a county park in Illinois and Pine Mountain State Resort Park in Kentucky. Beth’s husband Ben, shares a similar career path in the National Park Service. When her husband accepted a position with Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historic Park in Charleston, Beth immediately began looking at the nearby parks for open positions. This led her to find Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site. This site was an instant match for her as soon as she drove through the front gates for the first time. Though originally hired as an administrative assistant, she worked her way up into the Events Coordinator position. 

Beth’s main duties at Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site include coordinating the many events at both Founders Hall and Legare Waring House, sales of the venues, and working with clients to ensure a successful event. Other activities that she is responsible for include: scheduling staff to cover events, scheduling maintenance projects at the venues, driving golf carts, chasing raccoons, parking and shuttling event guests, as well as attending trade shows.

The most satisfying part of Beth’s job, she says, is “the people! I love coming to work each day, seeing the people I work with and the happiness on the client’s face after a successful event. People typically have events because it’s fun to get away from the office, celebrate a loved one, join in marriage, or celebrate a successful year in business. The only thing my team has to do is provide them a wonderful venue, background, and experience. The best way we can do that is “by having a good park team.”

The funniest thing that happened to Beth while working an event was the time she unknowingly held hands with a raccoon. Guests tend to forget that Founders Hall and the Legare Waring House are surrounded by wildlife. Most of the staff’s favorite stories, involve raccoons. “Our staff consistently watch them on the outskirts of the events waiting for their chance to grab a snack when no one is looking. There was one time I lifted the lid off an outdoor trashcan at Founders Hall and felt a hand wrap around my finger. It was very dark, so of course I screamed. Just then a raccoon came climbing out over the top of the can,” she said.

When we asked Beth what venue she prefers to manage, she said “It is hard to beat a wedding ceremony in the Avenue of Oaks, but I also love the opportunities we have had working with corporate clients at Founders Hall.” Thank you Beth for your exceptionally hard work and dedication to all of the clients at Founders Hall, the Legare Waring House and the South Carolina State Park Service.