(1888PressRelease)
April 14, 2006 - When he first read the headline stating that the current season would be the last for the world-famous and historic Myrtle Beach Pavilion, SC college student Odell “Tripp” Carter was stunned. He wondered if what he was reading in the Myrtle Beach Sun News could possibly be for real. As he read on, he realized that the Pavilion’s owners, Burroughs and Chapin Company were completely serious, and he grew increasingly angry. He was far from alone in his disbelief and anger – but in his case, it led him to take direct action, in a way that would give thousands of others who love the Pavilion an opportunity to let B&C know exactly how they felt about that company’s questionable decision. He did this by starting an online petition entitled "Save The Myrtle Beach Pavilion."
In no time at all, and with relatively little press coverage, the number of signers grew so quickly that for a time it was the most active petition on its host site, Petition Online. Recently, the number of signers has climbed to well over 10,000, with the pace slowed somewhat, but with no indication that this number won’t continue to steadily increase.
Early on, when there were only 3,000 signatures, Pat Dowling, the spokesman for B&C, dismissed the significance of the petition out of hand, saying "They can’t save a failed business from closing. If all of those 3,000 people went to the Pavilion and spent a week there, the park would still be bleeding red ink." In much of the media coverage that was to follow, the petition was treated with some sympathy, though most reports and columns that mentioned it echoed Dowling’s contention that it would have no impact. One TV News report speculated that the outpouring of support for the Pavilion, as personified by the petition, had led B&C to announce plans for some kind of a commemorative exhibit in the new development that will replace it – though it is unclear whether or not this had been at least a tentative plan all along. That announcement has led many in the community to ask the obvious question: If there is enough history there to “commemorate”, then why make plans to destroy it in the first place?
Meanwhile, numerous petitions on paper are circulating as well, in addition to a vigorous email campaign. Dexter Blakely Jr. of Georgetown SC, another 21-year-old, has been circulating a paper petition on Front Street and all over the town and county. Motel owners are likewise gathering names for petitions, from their current and past guests alike. These efforts have also garnered sporadic and sparse notice in the press. In other developments, some business and civic leaders in Myrtle Beach are looking into the possibility of having the Pavilion designated a historic site, owing not only to its rich history as a central magnet for tourism and a Vaudeville venue in its early years, but for its role in the off-season cultural life of the community as a multi-purpose civic gathering place during the two and a half decades preceding the opening of the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.
Asked for comment on the current state of the online petition, Tripp Carter’s response was subdued but hopeful: “I’m very pleased with the outpouring of support that the petition has received from people across the world. I no longer receive loads of e-mail from people saying thank you or asking to help further our cause, but I do enjoy looking back on the ones that I’ve saved in my in-box. I hope that people will continue to spread the word and be motivated to help save the Pavilion.”
For more news on the announced closing of the Myrtle Beach Pavilion, and efforts to save it – including a link to the online petition – visit The SAVE THE MYRTLE BEACH PAVILION Support Site at http://www.savethembpavilion.com.
William “Boz” Martin,
Webmaster
SAVE THE MYRTLE BEACH PAVILION!
