Issue 51, March 6, 1998

More plans to help control the crowds during Memorial Day Biker Weekend: 90 officers from the state are being provided, Ocean Blvd. traffic will be routed and in some locations lanes will be reserved for official vehicles, and 164 portable toilets are now being brought in.

The city council of Myrtle Beach approved most of the parade and traffic requests for the Gay Pride Festival April 30 - May 3, but turned down some provisions. The vote was 6-1, with the socially conservative Mayor McBride voting against any accommodation of the group. The mayor remarked that allowing the group to march would open the door to other groups coming to Myrtle Beach and seeking publicity, such as the skinheads, Black Panthers, Ku Klux Klan, and union groups. There has been some criticism of the mayor's statement from both gays and union members.

The House of Blues has lined up its guest list for the festival. On April 30 at 9:00 p.m., Taylor Dayne will perform. The legendary disco group K. C. and the Sunshine Band will play May 1 at 11:15 p.m., and drag queen RuPaul will perform May 2 at 8:30 p.m.

Some of the recent El Nino-induced winter storms have washed a portion of the recently renourished beaches back out to sea. Cherry Grove suffered the worst. Officials are hopeful the sand is just offshore and will wash back onshore in the spring.

Coming up shortly, on March 22, the new area code 843 will go into effect along the South Carolina coast. The old 803 area code will still work until September.

The state and the county have agreed to extend the 4-lane widening of S.C. 544 to include the entire length of the road.

Myrtle Beach Jet Express and TWA have teamed up to offer flights to and from Myrtle Beach to the TWA hub cities of St. Louis and New York, with connecting flights to the rest of the TWA system. Call 1-888-FUN-2-SUN.

In restaurant news, the Mango Tango California Grill has opened in Surfside on U.S. 17, the Parkway Grill is offering breakfast and lunch in the former location of Perkins on U.S. 501 leading into Myrtle Beach, and the old location of Thorny's in Myrtle Beach is now the Western Sizzlin' Wood Grill Buffet.

At Celebrity Square in Broadway at the Beach, the new Club Boca features techno-dance music..

Most of the strand's live entertainment theaters have re-opened for the year, some featuring re-vamped shows. The Legends In Concert show will have impersonators of Garth Brooks, Elvis Presley, the Blues Brothers, Marilyn Monroe, Buddy Holly and Judy Garland. Celebration '98 at the Alabama Theater has added a tap-dancing performance. The long-running Carolina Opry this year includes a pop music retrospective from the 50's to the 90's and a scene from 'Phantom of the Opera'. Steve Gatlin is currently featured at the Gatlin Brother Theater; his brother Larry will replace him in April. Big Band at the Savoy in Fantasy Harbour has added 40's style comedy to its show.

The House of Blues Music Hall has just begun its new season. Here is the March lineup: 
March 7:  Jump Little Children, Far Too Jones
March 9: Mighty Joe Plum
March 10: Cravin Melon
March 11: Jerry Garcia Band
March 13: Fiona Apple
March 14: Ziggy Marley
March 17: Portishead
March 26: The Nixons
March 27: Chumbawamba
March 28: Wyclef Jean


Here's the calendar of upcoming events around Myrtle Beach: 
March 14: Saint Patrick's Day Parade, North Myrtle Beach
March 14-22: Can-Am Days
March 25-26: Antique Car Show at Wacammaw Pottery
April 16: Ladies Pro 72-hole golf tournament at Wachesaw
April 16-18: Myrtle Beach Ball (square dancing) at the Convention Center
April 24 - May 3: Society of Shaggers Spring Safari
April 25: Myrtle Gras
May 9: Art in the Park, Chapin Park
May 16-17: Blue Crab Arts and Festival, Little River
May 31 - June 3: Women's Amateur Championship at Deer Track


On February 28 John O'Doherty passed away. Born in Ireland, he witnessed the Irish Revolution before emigrating to the U.S. as a young man. He served 20 years in the military and another 20 working for a federal agency in Washington. Since retiring to the Myrtle Beach area in the late 60's, he had become a professor at Coastal Carolina and authored the book that is advertised on my web page (www.mbsc.com). He is survived by his wife, a daughter, 2 grandchildren, and a number of nieces and nephews, including myself. We'll miss you, Uncle Johnny.


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