Issue 15, September 18, 1996

As predicted, tourist industry organizations in Myrtle Beach are getting out the word that the area suffered little damage from Hurricane Fran. In South Carolina, total damages were about a million dollars. Some area golf courses lost some trees and had temporary flooding, but most have already cleaned up. The Surf Club lost 20 trees, Beachwood 30, and the 54-hole Sea Trail Plantation 100. Flooding was a problem at four Cherry Grove area courses, Myrtle West, Bay Tree, Buck Creek, and Long Bay. Just across the state line, Brunswick County was also relatively unhurt, with two to three million dollars in damages. Ocean Isle's pier was untouched, while Sunset Beach's pier had some damage at the end. (Further north in North Carolina and Virginia, total destruction could top a billion dollars.)

A beach renourishment project is getting underway now that will last over a year. Large quantities of sand are being dredged up from a few miles out at sea and being pumped onto the beach. This can sometimes be disruptive of your vacation if the beach being worked on is the same one you are visiting, especially if you are staying at an ocean-front location, so you might want to plan any upcoming trips with this in mind.

The project will begin in North Myrtle Beach, at the Windy Hill section first. From 33rd Ave. S. the work will proceed south to the city limits. About a month later, work will progress from 33rd Ave. S. in a northerly direction to 14th Ave. S. in Crescent Beach. By around December 1, pumping will be moved to 2nd Ave. N. in Ocean Drive and move south back to Crescent Beach. In January the work will shift back to 2nd Ave. N. and proceed to 22nd Av. N. In April the sand will come to the Cherry Grove section. Myrtle Beach's renourishment will begin around February. Further south, work will not begin in Surfside, Garden City, and points further south until a year or more from now. There is obviously a good deal of flexibility in this schedule. For spur-of-the-moment beach trips, you might try calling the Chamber of Commerce to see where the work is occurring. For longer-term scheduling, consider the above information in making your plans. I will update this information as it becomes available to me.

Upcoming performances along the strand: Edwin McCain will be appearing at the Hard Rock Cafe restaurant on September 25. McCain, from Greenville, S.C. is associated with fellow South Carolina artists Hootie and The Blowfish. On October 27, Point of Grace and 4-Him will present a Christian music concert at the Palace Theater. The October 1 Dan Fogelberg appearance at the Palace has been canceled.

There is a possibility, perhaps just a small one, of Myrtle Beach obtaining the famous Durham Bulls minor league baseball team in 1998. The Bulls, made famous by the movie ‘Bull Durham’, have to leave Durham, which is getting a AAA team that year. One of the cities they are looking at is Myrtle Beach. Since Myrtle Beach lost its minor league baseball team several years ago, a number of organizations have looked at the area, but most of them want a local government to build them a park, and area officials have little interest in doing this, with many other road and infrastructure projects needing the money first.

Several issues ago, I covered boat tours offered along the strand, and I thought I have mentioned them all, but I have since discovered several more. In Georgetown you can tour the Black and Pee Dee Rivers on the Black River Expedition; call 803-546-4840. Just east of Myrtle Beach in Conway, the Kingston Lady tours the city waterfront at 3:00 Tuesdays through Sundays, plus an 8:00 p.m. Friday tour which features a murder mystery play by the Vagabond Theater Troupe, and an 8:00 p.m. Saturday cruise with live entertainment. The boat departs from the Conway Marina at 4 Elm Street; call 803-248-1711 for more info.


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