Remember - North Myrtle Beach Public Parking Charrette is November 15, 2019 at the City Hall

Representatives from Kimley-Horn, the City’s public parking consultant, will be on hand Friday, November 15, from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at City Hall to conduct a public parking charrette. Property owners, residents, businesses and visitors are encouraged to participate.

A charrette is an interactive planning session that enables participants to collaborate on a vision or strategies. It provides a forum for ideas and offers the unique advantage of giving immediate feedback to project designers.

The charrette offers a “drop-in” format, allowing people to arrive and leave at any time between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

The charrette will include proposed strategies for potential refinements to the City’s paid parking program introduced in mid-June 2019, and proposed long-term parking management and investment strategies.

As occurred during the City’s first public parking charrette in February 2019, easels will display proposed solutions to public parking challenges and participants will use different colored stickers to indicate their preferences regarding each item.

Kimley-Horn representatives will be available at the charrette to answer questions or provide additional information on proposed solutions.

City Council members will receive a report including the points of view collected during the charrette and will refer to it as they continue to work on the City’s public parking program.

Accompanying photo taken during February 2018 public parking charrette. 

The Great Christmas Light Show - Nov 25 - Dec 30, 2019

Location: North Myrtle Beach Park and Sports Complex 150 Citizens Cir, Little River, SC

The Great Christmas Light Show is a park-wide lighted celebration that is sure to capture the true spirit of the season! The drive through light show will feature over 2 million lights festively displayed along a 2 mile drive throughout the North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports Complex. Over 500 magical light displays, some up to 55 feet tall, have been custom made for The Great Christmas Light Show. Visitors will experience 40 enchanting animated figures and holiday scenes where the lights will come to life. The drive through light show is open nightly November 25 – December 30 (closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day).

After the journey through the light show, we invite everyone to park their car and visit Santa’s Village where they can enjoy hot chocolate and s’mores, get an up close look at the lights on the Santa Express Train Ride, petting zoo, visits with Santa and more! Santa’s Village is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday only from November 29-December 15. Opens nightly December 19-30 (closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day).

Hours & Admission

The Great Christmas Light Show – Drive Through Experience will be open November 25 – December 30 (Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day)

Gates open at 5:30 pm.

Santa’s Village will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday only from November 29 – December 15. Opens nightly December 19 – 30 (Closed on Christmas Day December)

1-15 guests: $15 per vehicle

16-30 guests: $30 per vehicle

31+ guests: $60 per vehicle

Santa’s Village

Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday only from November 29 – December 15. Opens Nightly December 19-30 (closed Christmas Day).

Park you car and walk over to Santa’s Village where you’ll find…
Visits with Santa – FREE! Don’t forget your camera!
Petting Zoo
Obstacle Course and Maze!
Village Treats – Hot Chocolate and s’mores! Roast your own marshmallows.
Santa’s Express Train Ride – Hop aboard and get an up close look at the lights!


Directions:
North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports Complex, 150 Citizens Circle, North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582

Attend November 11 Veterans Day Event in North Myrtle Beach

PARTICIPATE IN A NOVEMBER 11 VETERANS DAY EVENT AT THE NORTH MYRTLE BEACH PARK & SPORTS COMPLEX

You are invited to participate in a Veterans Day Service at Veterans Plaza at the North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports Complex on Monday, November 11. The event begins at 11:00 a.m.

Hosts for this event are American Legion Post 186 and VFW Post 10804.

Special guests include Grand Strand Blue Star Mothers, who send care packages to troops overseas and help local veterans, and, North Myrtle Beach Cub Scout Pack 800, whose members will honor veterans.

The event will include posting of colors by the American Legion Honor Guard, the National Anthem, and an opening prayer.

The posting of service flags by VFW 10804 will include flags representing the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard.

The guest speaker is Christopher N. Vandenberg, a retired Chief Master Sergeant serving in the Air Force from April 1984 until retirement from active duty in June 2011. His assignments were wide-ranging.

During his 27 years of service, he traveled to every state and 16 countries. Assigned to the Pentagon and surrounding agencies for 17 years, he served as Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of Policy & Legislative Initiatives, and Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of War Planning during Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm and other anti-terrorism initiatives.

The presentation of wreaths includes red for strength, white for purity and blue for eternity.

The closing portion of the observance includes a flag ceremony, 21-gun salute, Taps, the song God Bless the USA, and a closing prayer.

November 2 Citywide Clean Up Day in North Myrtle Beach Was a Success

Todd Welles (KNMBB), Jay Beeson (KNMBB),
and Brock Williams (NMB Sanitation Department)
with some of the paint and other materials brought to the
Transfer Station on Second Avenue South.

Last Saturday, the Keep North Myrtle Beach Beautiful Commission (KNMBB), City Sanitation Division personnel and others held the annual citywide cleanup.

This was an opportunity for residents to clean out their attics, garages and homes of many types of unwanted items.

We thank all who participated!

SHRED 360 was on hand and reports they shredded over 2,000 pounds of material.

About 2,000 pounds of paint, chemicals and other items were brought to the Transfer Station.

About 4,000 pounds of electronics (primarily old TVs), scrap metal, appliances, grills, old beds, couches and other items were also collected.

See you again next year!

2019 Paid Parking Season Ends on Thursday, October 31 at 5:00 p.m. in North Myrtle Beach

The City's 2019 paid parking season comes to a close on Thursday, October 31 at 5:00 p.m. At that time, all paid parking kiosks in public parking lots on either side of Ocean Boulevard will be turned off and the Passport App will no longer accept payments for those lots until next parking season, currently identified as March 1, 2020 through October 31, 2020. REMEMBER: Representatives from Kimley-Horn, the City’s public parking consultant, will be on hand Friday, November 15, from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at City Hall to conduct a public parking charrette. Property owners, residents, businesses and visitors are encouraged to participate. A charrette is an interactive planning session that enables participants to collaborate on a vision or strategies. It provides a forum for ideas and offers the unique advantage of giving immediate feedback to project designers. The charrette offers a “drop-in” format, allowing people to arrive and leave at any time between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. The charrette will include proposed strategies for potential refinements to the City’s paid parking program introduced in mid-June 2019, and proposed long-term parking management and investment strategies. As occurred during the City’s first public parking charrette in February 2019, easels will display proposed solutions to public parking challenges and participants will use different colored stickers to indicate their preferences regarding each item. Kimley-Horn representatives will be available at the charrette to answer questions or provide additional information on proposed solutions. City Council members will receive a report including the points of view collected during the charrette and will refer to it as they continue to work on the City’s public parking program.

Ingram Dunes Natural Area in North Myrtle Beach Open to Public

On October 24, 2019, North Myrtle Beach City Council and many others gathered at the 7.24-acres Ingram Dunes Natural Area to recognize those who contributed to the purchase of the property on June 4, 2019.

The purchase price was $2.5 million.

In her remarks, Mayor Marilyn Hatley said that:

"Everyone, from the largest donor to the smallest, is responsible for our being here today. However, there are those without whose involvement we would not be here today.

"We owe the South Carolina Conservation Bank and its board of directors a large debt of gratitude. The board worked with the City as we went through extended negotiations for this unique piece of land. We thank the board for staying the course, and we thank them for the conservation bank’s $500,000 investment Ingram Dunes.

"I would like to thank our City Council members for committing the City to its $500,000 contribution. While many people in our community loved the idea of preserving Ingram Dunes, I can tell you that not so many of our taxpayers loved the idea of committing significant taxpayer funds to this project. However, Council understood the value of this land to the community and stayed the course.

"Even with those two major contributions," Mayor Hatley continued, "we were still $1.5 million short of the funds needed to buy this land. I know we can all agree that when the family of Charles Ingram stepped forward to announce that it would contribute $1.4 million to the purchase of this natural area, this was the turning point in all of our efforts. Without the generosity of the family of Charles Ingram, we would not be celebrating here today."

The city also received 71 donations from the public. The donations ranged from $10 to $16,039. They closed the funding gap.

Mayor Hatley thanked the members of the Horry County delegation, from the federal to the local levels, for their help in securing funding.

"Journeys like the one that led us all here today do not just happen," Mayor Hatley said. "Someone always rises up and lights that first spark, encouraging others to embark on a worthwhile journey. We thank Damien Trioulerye and Jane Vernon for having been early leaders in the effort to preserve Ingram Dunes. They introduced us to the unique natural value of Ingram Dunes."

The Ingram Dunes Natural Area is managed by the City's Parks & Recreation Department. Parks Division employees will maintain the property but will not add much to what is already there.

The Ingram Dunes Natural Area honors the family of Charles Ingram. Members of the Charles Ingram family attended today's event but preferred not to speak. As Mayor Hatley put it, "They are comfortable in letting Ingram Dunes speak for itself."

The address for the Ingram Dunes Natural Area is 915 Hillside Drive South. It is across from Hillside Commons. 

Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC/NC Metropolitan Area Tops USA Today's list of "50 Affordable Cities Where Everyone Wants to Live Right Now"

According to USA Today, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis, 24/7 Wall Street identified the 50 most affordable metropolitan areas Americans are moving to. The Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC/NC Metropolitan Area topped the list. Our Metropolitan Area includes a portion of NC.

In each of the metropolitan areas on the list, the overall cost of living is lower than the national average, and typical housing costs are more in line with area incomes than average across all cities. Additionally, between 2010 and 2018, far more people have moved to these cities than have left.

Statistics offered for our metropolitan area include:

-- Total population: 480,891

-- Population growth due to net migration, 2010-2018: +28.0% (+105,460)

-- Cost of living: 8.1% less than the national average

-- Median home value: $194,700

-- Median household income: $51,580