Myrtle Beach, SC -
By Brandon Herring - bio | email
MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce announced Tuesday the events that will be included in this year's MayFest. Part of that announcement included naming former Presidential candidate and US Senator John McCain as the grand marshal for the Memorial Day Parade.
The parade will begin at 9:30 a.m. in Myrtle Beach and end around 12:30 p.m. A Memorial Day festival will follow the parade.
Prior to Memorial Day, MayFest will include live music events. On Saturday, April 30, the chamber will present a free beach music festival including Chubby Checker, The Spinners, The Embers, The Catalinas, Atlantic Groove and the Craig Woolard Band. On Saturday, May 21, the chamber will present the Beach Blast! Christian Music Festival featuring some of the country's most popular Christian music acts such as Toby Mac Skillet.
MayFest runs in conjunction with the city of Myrtle Beach's Military Appreciation Days events, which will include free live music every Friday night in May.
All of the concerts announced Tuesday will be held at the site of the old Pavilion amusement park along Ocean Boulevard between 8th and 9th Avenues North.
The Chamber also announced Family Circle Magazine is the title sponsor for this year's MayFest. Amie Lee, the chamber's Director of Festivals and Special Events, said the magazine will help promote the events and draw in a family audience.
"We'll definitely utilize their social media and their online marketing efforts as well as probably some print promotion," Lee said.
The sponsorship is part of the chamber's plan to expand promotion of MayFest. 2011 is the second year for the series of events, so Lee said she expects to build on the success of 2010.
Mayor John Rhodes acknowledged the MayFest events combined with the Military Appreciation Days is an ongoing transition from years past when motorcycle rallies dominated May in Myrtle Beach.
"I think we're making positive moves in the direction that we'd like to see it go, promoting the fact that we are a family beach," Rhodes said. "We think positive. We move forward, and we don't think about the past. You don't look back over your shoulder and move forward. If you do you're going to stumble. We're not intending to stumble."
On Wednesday the chamber will host a session to help members of the hospitality industry package the MayFest events with their spring marketing efforts. That free hour-long session will begin at 11 a.m. at the Island Vista Resort on North Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach. Anyone who would like to attend should RSVP via email to events@visitmyrtlebeach.com.
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