Special Features: Myrtle Beach Pavilion - How do you say goodbye?

Posted at 2:58 PM EDT (1858 GMT)

Sep. 22nd, 2006 -- How do you say goodbye? That is the question many will be asking themselves over the next two weeks.

The subject would be the closing of the beloved Myrtle Beach Pavilion in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

I have been a lifetime resident of Charlotte, North Carolina and since Charlotte is only about three and a half hours away from Myrtle Beach, I spent many summer hours at the beach.

Although I wasn’t as much of a beach bum as some in the Charlotte area, I had my fair share of trips to the Grand Strand as locals call the Myrtle Beach area.

This past weekend however, I made a trip back to the beach for a very sad farewell to the aforementioned amusement park.

Without sounding too sentimental, I would like to share some of the memories that I have of the Pavilion (as most locals call it) and share some history of this little slice of Heaven on the strip (Ocean Boulevard).

I can remember my first ride on the Corkscrew (Arrow Dynamics Corkscrew coaster later removed and replaced by the Hurricane wooden coaster). I remember how huge the lift hill looked. I remember those huge corkscrews and how menacing they looked to me. Corkscrew probably has the distinction of being one of the first coasters I ever rode with inversions.

While I would certainly not want the Corkscrew to see a rebirth (Arrow corkscrew coasters tend to be a bit rough), I still have fond memories of my first ride on the coaster with my father.

I can remember the breeze coming in off the ocean and the crowds that would gather at the seaside park at night.

As this past Sunday waned into the early hours of evening and the sun set, the Pavilion came alive with its real glory. The Pavilion is one of those parks that really just shines at night.

Whether it’s the gorgeous lights on the Wave Swinger, the Enterprise or the spooky ambiance of the Haunted Hotel, The Pavilion really was best enjoyed at night.

Starship 2000 was a ride I experienced in the 1980’s and I can still remember spinning around and around to the 80’s hair bands of the day on this Wisdom-built gravitron.

The park definitely became cramped for space over the years as it was housed within only one city block.

The Pavilion owners seemed to find the most creative ways to cram the most rides into that tiny little spot of land, but at the same time you never felt like attractions were stacked on top of each other.

Take for instance how they managed to shoehorn their wooden coaster Hurricane into the park. Hurricane sits on the spot once occupied by the Corkscrew roller coaster running the length of the park between Ocean Blvd. and Business Highway 17.

The park removed Corkscrew and proceeded to build Hurricane the length of the park fitting in two helixes, many airtime filled drops and a station perched high above Ocean Blvd. below. The feat is nothing short of amazing. Many would have settled for a much smaller coaster, but Pavilion did the best with what little land they had.

The Pavilion also has one of my favorite mice (wild mouse coaster) that I have been fortunate enough to ride.

Mad Mouse is one of the only Arrow mice to ever be built and in my opinion Arrow quit too soon on this new line of coaster for them.

Mad Mouse is comfortable, fun and has some crazy elements like banked turns (something you hardly ever see on mice). It gives the added sensation that you will fall out of your seat as your round those banked corners. In my opinion it’s the best coaster that ran at Pavilion over the years and I hope that it will be picked up by another park.

Little Eagle is the other coaster in the park’s current lineup of three coasters. Built in 1986 by Mack, Little Eagle is a family coaster and occupies a small footprint but still manages to be well themed and even have a tunnel.

The park was home to three other coasters over its lifetime, the Comet Jr. (National Amusement Device Company wooden coaster), the Corkscrew and the Galaxi.

The park itself has seen many changes over the years. The park started very small with only a few rides and in the middle of a boom for Myrtle Beach.

In many ways those early years and the 1980’s were the Pavilion’s biggest times. The 1980’s brought bigger and better thrill rides and night life for teens. The Attic (a teen-only club) was definitely the place to hang out and be seen when you were visiting Myrtle Beach. The Attic was located across Ocean Blvd. from the ocean-side entrance to the park.

The same building that housed The Attic also housed an arcade that is still in operation to this day. No telling how many millions of quarters were spent on Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and of course the classic pinball games of the day.

The park also currently holds two very amazing antiques. The first is a circa-1900 German-built organ. This amazing piece of craftsmanship is still running to this day and its beautiful sound can be heard from Ocean Blvd or around the park.

A classic Herschell-Spillman merry-go-round also calls the Pavilion home for now. This unique carousel has some rather interesting animals for patrons to ride. Cats (yes cats), dragons, chickens and many other non-typical carousel animals are here for all ages to enjoy. Some have speculated that Pavilion owners may keep the carousel and work it into the new plans for the site.

As I sit here and think of what the Pavilion closing means to me, it’s hard to put into words what I feel about the place that holds so many happy memories for me.

Corporate America is a reality that most of us are all too well aware of. It saddens to me to see that some in the business world see no value in passing along our history or keeping around a place where you can share an evening with your family. Thousands if not millions will always remember being scared by the Haunted Hotel, being thrilled by the Wild Mouse or simply people-watching while the Sun set.

This Sunday was my chance to say goodbye to the Pavilion and as much as any guy would not want to admit it, I did get a bit emotional when I got back in the car to leave the park for the last time.

After 58 years of operation, Myrtle Beach Pavilion will close its gates forever on September 30, 2006. The 30th however, will be a special event and will require a special ticket purchased from the park. The last regular operating weekend for the public will be this coming weekend.

If you are in the area I would encourage you to drop by the park and make a few memories of your own. As sad as it is to see The Pavilion go, at least we will always have our memories.

For more information please visit the Myrtle Beach Pavilion.