After an exciting premier in 2008, Hard Rock Park has announced that they will be closing their gates early for 2008 as sales were less than expected due to a variety of factors, including that the current state of the economy had severely restricted the amount of disposable income that Myrtle Beach visitors were able to spend.  The park was expected to close in December, and will close just over two months early.

Hard Rock Park officials have announced that the park is expected to reopen in the spring of 2009 for a second season.  We expect to continue with updates on the state of the park as they occur.

After a week of preparation for a potential hurricane heading our way, we are pleased to report that Tropical Storm Hanna passed through Myrtle Beach with barely a whimper as we slept through the night.  Winds around 55 mph blew through our area between 12 am and 5 am on Saturday morning and aside from some clean up left to be done from blown leaves, pine straw and other small debris from trees, the effects of Hanna were hardly noticeable.

And in more good news from local weather reports, it appears that Hurricane Ike will be heading elsewhere and Tropical Storm Josephine has begun to dissipate in the Atlantic.  We are fortunate that our beautiful coastal location has only been placed under one evacuation since 1999 with Hurricane Charley in 2004, and as it turned out, even Charley posed very little threat to the Grand Strand.

We should not fail to mention that with Hurricane Ike appearing to be headed to the Gulf of Mexico, we want to send our best wishes to those in that region as well as to those who have been affected by Hurricane Gustav.

For up to date reports on Hanna, Ike and Josephine from Myrtle Beach's local ABC affiliate WPDE, Click Here.

For reports on Tropical Storm Hanna from the Myrtle Beach Sun News, Click Here.

Everyday many of us encounter first time visitors who are impressed with just how much there is to do in Myrtle Beach.  With all of the great shows, attractions, golf, shopping and of course the beautiful beach, there is rarely a lack of things to do here. 

One of the best kept secrets though is all of the great things that there are to do as fall season takes shape. Check out many of the great fall festivals that offer a diverse spectrum of fun and interesting things to do:
Italian Festival
When: September 6 & 7
Where: Broadway at the Beach's Broadway Commons
Cost: Free

Purple Feet Festival
When: September 13
Where: Silver Coast Winery, Ocean Isle Beach
Cost: $5 ages 12 and over
More Info: http://silvercoastwinery.com/purplefeet.html

Pawleys Island Festival of Music and Art
When: September 12-28
Where: Variety of Locations, Mostly at Brookgreen Gardens
Cost: Varies
More Info: http://www.pawleysmusic.com

Summer Breeze Music Festival
When: September 13
Where: La Belle Amie Vineyard
Cost: $8 ages 18-79, free for all others
More Info: http://labelleamie.com/htmlpages/calendar.html

SC Tobacco Festival
When: September 19-21
Where: Lake City, SC
Cost: Free
More Info: http://www.lakecitysc.org/festival.php

Little River Oktoberfest
When: September 20-21
Where: Little River waterfront
Cost: $2 advance, $3 at gate
More Info: http://littleriverchamber.org/events/oktoberfest.html

Aynor Harvest Hoe Down Festival
When: September 20
Where: Aynor Town Park
Cost: Free

Southern Coastal Bluegrass Festival
When: September 20-21
Where: Fort Fisher Military Recreation Center
Cost: Free
More Info: http://www.coastalbluegrassfestival.org

Greek Festival
When: September 25-28
Where: St. John's Greek Orthodox Church of Myrtle Beach
Cost: $1 ages 11 and up
More Info: http://stjohn-mb.org/festival/festival_2008.htm

Atalaya Arts and Crafts Festival
When: September 26-27
Where: Huntington Beach State Park
Cost: $6 daily ages 16 and up
More Info: http://www.atalayafestival.com/

Irish American International Festival
When: September 27
Where: Main Street, North Myrtle Beach

Waccamaw Arts and Crafts Guild's Art in the Park
When: October 11-12 and November 8-9
Where: Myrtle Beach's Chapin Park
Cost: Free
More Info: http://www.wacg.org/

Little River Shrimp & Jazz Fest
When: October 11-12
Where: Little River waterfront
Cost: $5 for both days, $3 for one day
More Info: http://www.shrimpandjazzfest.org

Jewels of South Carolina Folk Art Festival
When: October 17-18
Where: Cooper House Event Center, Socastee
Cost: $5 donation
More Info: http://thecooperhouse.net/main2.html

Broadway at the Beach Fall Festival
When: October 17-19
Where: Broadway at the Beach
Cost: Free

Loris Bog Off Festival
When: October 18
Where: Downtown Loris
Cost: Free
More Info: http://lorischambersc.com/

NC Oyster Festival
When: October 18-19
Where: Ocean Isle Beach
Cost: $5 ages 13 and older
More Info: http://brunswickcountychamber.org/OF-nc-oyster-festival.cfm

Harvest Home Weekend
When: October 18-19
Where: Brookgreen Gardens
Cost: $12 ages 13-64, $10 ages 65 and up, $5 ages 6-12
More Info: http://www.brookgreen.org/calendar-of-events.cfm?themonth=October

NC Yam Festival
When: October 23-26
Where: Downtown Tabor City
Cost: Varied
More Info: http://taborcitync.org/documents/2008YamSchedule.pdf

SC State Bluegrass Festival
When: November 27-29
Where: Myrtle Beach Convention Center
Cost: $30-$35 age 14 and up, $15-$20 age 6-13
More Info:  http://www.aandabluegrass.com/Festivals/SouthCarolinaStateBluegra.html