Myrtle Beach Pavilion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2007) |
 |
This article or section reads like a news release, or is otherwise written in an overly promotional tone. Please help rewrite this article from a neutral point of view to be less promotional. Where appropriate, blatant advertising may be marked for speedy deletion with {{db-spam}}. |
| Myrtle Beach Pavilion | |
|---|---|
| Location | Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Untied States  |
| Website | Myrtle Beach Pavilion |
| Owner | Burroughs & Chapin |
| Opened | 1948 |
| Closed | September 24, 2006 |
| Operating season | mid March-late September |
| Area | 11 acres |
| Rides | 36 total
|
| Slogan | One More Ride, One More Thrill, One More Memory, One Last Time (Farewell Season) |
The Myrtle Beach Pavilion was an amusement park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was on the corner of 9th Avenue and Ocean Boulevard, more or less the "heart" of Myrtle Beach, one block away from the beach itself, and surrounded by similar attractions, in a highly pedestrian-dominated area. It was once a major attraction in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, even being voted #1 Family Attraction in Myrtle Beach by the Travel Channel. It was a pay-per-ride park.
Contents |
[edit] History
Located Ocean Boulevard in the heart of Myrtle Beach, S.C., The Myrtle Beach Pavilion Amusement Park entertained generations of families for 58 years. An 11-acre amusement park by the Atlantic Ocean, The Pavilion featured more than 40 rides ranging from a large variety of kiddie rides to the Hurricane Category 5, the largest wooden roller coaster in South Carolina. The Pavilion’s main building, which houses The Attic, was located on the east side of Ocean Boulevard and the amusement park was located on the west side of Ocean Boulevard.
The first Pavilion building was a one-story wooden structure attached to Myrtle Beach’s first hotel, the Seaside Inn (long since demolished and also a Burroughs & Chapin property). This first Pavilion building was used as an annex and gathering place for Inn guests. It burned to the ground in 1920 and was replaced by a two story wooden Pavilion in 1925. It is in this Pavilion building that “shagging” became the hot new dance at the beach. In 1944 this second Pavilion building burned to the ground and in 1948 the company built a new Pavilion building with walls of reinforced concrete, the first of its kind along the Grand Strand. It weathered Hurricane Hazel, which in 1954 destroyed much of Myrtle Beach’s oceanfront. It was this building that remained in use until it was demolished in late 2006.
The gradual development of the Pavilion Amusement Park on the west side of Ocean Boulevard across from the main Pavilion building began in 1948 when a traveling carnival playing the annual Tobacco Festival in nearby Conway, S.C. caught the interest of Burroughs & Chapin representatives. An agreement was signed, and the carnival stopped traveling, making its home directly in front of and west of the Pavilion. Ice skaters, bear acts, dance troupes and talent shows were also brought in. In 1950 Burroughs & Chapin bought out Central Amusement Company and added that company’s 14 rides to the amusement park. It took 38 trucks to haul in the new rides. Concession stands were also added. After that, the pace of the amusement park’s evolution quickened as company representatives traveled far and wide in the United States and abroad, searching for new rides for Myrtle Beach’s residents and vacationers to enjoy. When it came to family entertainment, for decades the Myrtle Beach Pavilion Amusement Park was without peer or competition.
Two of the amusement park’s offerings have been recognized for their historic significance: The Herschell-Spillman Carousel dates back to 1912. Most carousels feature an assortment of horses, while the Pavilion’s carousel features a menagerie of animals including frogs, lions, ostriches, zebras, giraffes, roosters and even dragons. The “lead horse”, which is in fact a horse, is bejeweled and decorated in the finest detail and, as tradition demands, is found on the outside row of the carousel. Of approximately 15 working Herschell-Spillman carousels in the country, it is one of the most elaborate and well-kept machines, protected at night from the wear and tear of the ocean by lowered metal doors.
The Baden Band Organ was built at Waldkirch Baden, Germany by A. Ruth & Sohn, who hand-carved its ornate figurines and decorations from wood. The organ was first exhibited at the World Exposition in Paris in 1900. After the exposition, it was moved from town to town in Europe on a wagon pulled by a team of six horses. The organ in 20-feet long, 11-feet high, seven feet deep and weighs approximately two tons. It has 400 different pipes, 98 keys and still operates with old-style cardboard music, most of which was composed more than 50 years ago. The organ remains in excellent condition, complete with twirling ladies and cherubs that play cymbals, bells and drums.
[edit] Rides
Over the next decades the park added numerous rides including the $2,000,000 Arrow Dynamics roller coaster, Mad Mouse (added in 1998), the Log Flume, Hydro: SURGE, and the major expansion of 2000: Hurricane: Category 5 roller coaster.
The Myrtle Beach Pavilion featured many rides commonly found at traveling carnivals, as well as a few rides created for the park. A variety of kiddie rides, thrill rides, two major roller coasters as well as water rides.
Major Rides
- Hurricane Category 5
- Mad Mouse
- Log Flume
- Hydro: SURGE
- Haunted Hotel
[edit] Closure
The owners of the Pavilion, Burroughs and Chapin, announced shortly before its opening that 2006 would be its final season. The 2006 season concluded to the public on September 24, 2006, although, a select number of people were able to participate in a "Last Ride" event on Sept. 30, 2006. The farewell season proved extremely popular bringing in the Pavilion's largest growth in attendance and profits the park has ever seen. Several locals have written songs expressing their sadness or anger towards the subject such as "Its Hard to Say Goodbye" and "Why do You Want to Tear the Pavilion Down"[1]there were also some online petitions made to save the Pavilion, but Burroughs and Chapin didn't listen and tore down the Pavilion anyways. Near the time Burroughs and Chapin announced the closing of the Pavilion, Hard Rock Park (also in Myrtle Beach) was announced as being almost ready to construct.
It was announced that the park's historic carousel and the Baden Band Organ will be saved and relocated. [2]
It was announced that the Haunted Hotel, as well as, the multi-million dollar Hurricane will be demolished and not relocated [3]
Some of the rides, including the Carousel and the German Baden Band Organ from the closed Myrtle Beach Pavilion are now located at Broadway at the Beach, in a new mini-park called the Pavilion Nostalgia Park [4] that opened in July of 2007.
[edit] External links
- Photos of the Pavilion's "Last Ride" Event
- Photos of the Pavilion's "Last Ride" Event
- Photos of the Pavilion's "Last Ride" Event
- A Video of the Pavilion's "Last Ride" Event.
|
|||||||||||
