Flashback Friday: Myrtle Beach Changes



Ocean Drive Beach, 7:30 am

The following post was written just under one year ago upon the occasion of my return to Myrtle Beach after a 10 year absence. As we drive back to Tampa today after another visit it seemed worth sharing again on this Flashback Friday...

The Grand Strand of South Carolina (Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, and beyond) has been a part of my life for longer than I can remember, and I can remember getting pre-school age gifts from the Easter Bunny gifts while camping there. For years I went with my parents, then later with friends, youth groups (that I was in and that I led) and then with my own family. It is safe to say that I have as many cherished memories of the beach (when I grew up all you needed to say was "THE beach." Nothing else was needed. There was only one beach that mattered- Myrtle Beach!) as of any place on earth. And I have been so excited to return there after so many years of being away.

So I arrived at THE beach last Monday after a 10 year absence to find that a great deal has changed since my last visit. While this was not a surprise, it was still a shock. Since I had a great deal of time to kill before Marilyn and her family arrived from NC and we could check in to our resort, I decided to take myself on a little tour of some of my favorite memories. My first stop was the former site of the Myrtle Beach Pavilion, home to so many great nights of my youth and my ministry. I knew the Pavilion had been closed and demolished in 2006, reportedly to be replaced with condos. So I was stunned to arrive downtown and discover what you see pictured here- NOTHING! Thinking they had demolished my memories to put up condos was one thing- I understand that money rules. But to tear down so many happy thoughts built over so many years for no apparent reason left me standing by the newly remodeled Boardwalk with my jaw on the ground. The arcades were gone. Many of the t-shirt shops were gone. The whole area seemed depressed. This was not a good start.

As I continued my tour- first down Ocean Blvd. and later on King's Highway- I was overwhelmed by memories of things that simply were not there anymore. Favorite motels, favorite restaurants and favorite night spots were simply no longer there. Myrtle Square Mall is no longer there, and just like the Pavilion it has been replaced by nothing. The site is a concrete field. The more I drove and the more sites I visited, the older I felt. The little motel where I once spent a few days alone to rest and recover from a wild youth ministry summer was now a parking lot for public beach access. The movie theaters where I once saw Stripes and History of the World Part 1 on the same day have been torn down. Some of these things happened a long time ago, but all of the change had never really hit me until this trip. My mind was picturing much further back than the 10 years I had been away, and to be honest it was a bit depressing.

Heading into what is now the incorporated city of North Myrtle Beach- there was a time when Windy Hill, Crescent Beach, Atlantic Beach, Ocean Drive and Cherry Grove all had very distinct personalities, but for the most part those days are LONG gone- I was suddenly very aware of all of the changes I had witnessed to that area in my lifetime. The campgrounds of my childhood- The Ponderosa, Lake Arrowhead and Sherwood Forest- which were in the Windy Hill section of the beach, have been gone for years. Camp Pla-Mor, where we had some amazing youth group adventures when I was a teenager, is still there but under a different name and was barely recognizable. The Jungle Golf where Steve Semmler and I (along with countless other friends) played hundreds of rounds of miniature golf over the years was leveled in favor of a CVS a long time ago. The Cherokee Trading Post (or something like that) next door where we used to go cool off and stare at hermit crabs and tacky t-shirts is history as well. Meanwhile, across Hwy. 17 is a monstrous shopping area called Barefoot Landing. Outlet stores, major restaurants, the Alabama Theater and a House of Blues are just a few of the attractions there. That is today. In my mind, it is still the Village of the Barefoot Traders, with around 6 stores that all sold trinkets or used books. 35 years ago we used to walk over from The Ponderosa. Now you would be risking your life to cross that highway on foot. Most of these changes are not necessarily for the worse (except losing The Ponderosa and the Pavilion)- they are just so very different. And on this day I was having a hard time with different.

As a last resort I turned to three very special and familiar sites to restore my faith in the section of North Myrtle Beach known as Ocean Drive. The first was the beach itself. Still so wide, so smooth and so busy with happy people having the time of their lives. The pier is long since gone, but the OD Pavilion has been re-opened at the intersection of Main & Ocean Blvd. and classic night spots like Fat Harold's and The Spanish Galleon are still open for business. The second was the Betsy B (at right), the past home of many adventures over a 20 year period and future home (in my dreams) of my Hall of Fame. It has been remodeled and is missing the famous outside shower stalls, but it's still there and it is still called the Betsy B. Maybe I was not so old that everything had changed. There was still one final test. I headed back up to Kings Hwy. and drove a little south, past the Kroger store that had provided so many Big K sodas, past the Krispy Kreme that had served us so many "hot doughnuts

NOW!" and up to the site of Painter's Original Homemade Ice Cream. Still operating out of an old, dilapidated white building, the place famous for the best ice cream anywhere since 1952 was still alive and kickin! The sign was new but everything else was exactly as I remembered it from when I was 10 years old and their maple nut ice cream was the best stuff I had ever tasted. Some things had not changed. My spirits were lifted. The following day I would return to Calabash (see previous post) and discover another favorite place that was still keeping my memories alive. And all-in-all I had another great vacation at THE beach.

So my point? I'm not really sure there is one. It may be that I'm getting old, ready for dinner at 4 and yelling at kids to "Get off my lawn!" It may be that it's true that "change changes things-and we don't like it!" Or it may be that despite the truth of those 2 things, it is important to let the past remind of what was rather than remind us of what is NOT now. Memories are great, but NOW is for new adventures, new lessons and new blessings. That's a lesson I am very slow to learn- but I would learn a lot faster if people would quit changing my memories! Spoken like a true geezer, huh?  Be well, my friends!

Because of Jesus,

"Even Better Than Before" - Another Excerpt

Some of you may remember that earlier this year I shared some excerpts from my first novel, Even Better Than Before. It takes place in North Myrtle Beach, SC, and since I sit in that same place this morning it seemed appropriate to share another section today. Enjoy!

When you reach your forties and have raised kids through the years of attending early soccer games and driving them all over town for myriad reasons the concept of sleeping in on a Saturday morning is one that you no longer understand. So despite the late hours the night before by 7 am parts of the house were starting to stir. Steph, Jeff, Bobby and Allyson had made plans to get up and run on the beach before breakfast so they were up and moving. Dan and Billy were staggering around trying to get some coffee going. And Craig was dragging Brent out of bed only 4 hours after he got there. “Doughnut time, my friend!” Even as tired as he was, you only had to mention hot Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts once to get him up and moving. He, Craig and Dan had decided years before that those doughnuts were actually manna from heaven. They dressed quickly and headed out to the MG, where they got the top down with the speed and precision of a NASCAR pit crew. This was not their first clandestine Krispy Kreme run. As they took a quick moment to wipe the dew off the windshield, Craig spotted the green Honda Civic with the Tennessee tag in the parking lot and laughed. “I cannot believe you still have Clyde!” How old is that beast?” Brent smiled and said, “You are not the only one with a classic. It’s a 1999. And still a beauty!” Craig shook his head in disbelief. “1999. So you bought that after you started making the big bucks. You are a real piece of work, Thomas!” The two men grinned, jumped in Moneypenny, and took off in search of hot doughnuts.

They headed south on Ocean Blvd. The sun had risen over the Atlantic and was already bright. There was a cool morning sea breeze in their faces. Craig had purchased this car when he was in his early 20’s, and it was still in mint condition. He reached down to adjust the volume on the stereo, and the strains of I Saw Her Standing There came blasting from the speakers. Brent grinned as he looked at his old friend. “Dude, you do know there has been some pretty decent music in the last century, right? I even made some of it myself!” Craig just smiled. “Yeah- but it was too close to country to count. I still can’t believe you sold out on me.” Brent laughed out loud. He had already laughed more in the past 12 hours than in the previous 12 months- or at least it felt that way to him. He looked over at his friend and smiled. Craig was such an old soul. From his musical tastes to his vintage 1975 MGB that he called Moneypenny after the secretary in the James Bond movies, Craig was his own man. He was also the closest thing to a brother Brent had ever known. He and Billy had the creative thing between them, and they knew how to entertain. But Craig had always been a rock, always there for Brent ever since the 8^th grade. Dan had been there too, but Craig was the man. Still, he couldn’t let him get away with that line about selling out. “Maybe my comeback album should be acoustic covers of classic Beach Boys songs. You know, just me and the guitar. Beach Boys unplugged. Then would you buy one of my damn albums?” Craig looked hurt. “I always buy your albums,” he said with a straight face. “I never know when we might get to go SPAM hunting again and I’ll need something worthless to blast with a shotgun!” Craig had cracked them both up, and as they tried to recover they realized they had gone too far and missed the turn that would take them up to the Krispy Kreme bakery. Fortunately traffic was very light, so a quick U-turn and they were back on track again. Craig suddenly turned serious. “I know you were joking about the Beach Boys thing, but seriously bro- is there going to be a comeback album?” The question brought a look of concern to Brent’s face, a doubt that Craig had not yet seen that weekend. He had come this weekend expecting to keep his future plans close to the vest, because they were, in so many ways, still very uncertain. But this was Craig, and they were alone. It might feel good to tell someone what was going on. They pulled into the Krispy Kreme parking lot and Brent said, “Let’s get the doughnuts and I’ll tell you on the way back.” Craig smiled in agreement and they went in to purchase some hot glazed goodness. There were two people in line in front of them, and as they waited the lady behind the counter (a time-worn grandmotherly type) kept looking at Brent. He had seen that look before and knew it could be good or bad. She might be a real fan. Or she might say something insane like, “Aren’t you the guy I saw on TMZ beating his wife that one time?” He just never knew. He briefed Craig on the situation and Craig decided to launch his own preemptive strike. When it was their turn to order he again called upon his extensive knowledge of dialogue from Animal House. “May I help you?” asked Annette (or at least that was what her name tag said), still giving Brent the eye. “Yes!” said Craig in his best Flounder impression. “Could we have 10,000 marbles please?” Annette was dumbfounded. Brent shook his head and tried to help. “Please forgive my buddy. He’s had mental issues. What we actually need are 12 dozen hot glazed to go.” Annette smiled. “Yes Mr. Thomas, coming right up.” Brent gave her a wink. Now to the uninitiated twelve dozen doughnuts may seem like an awful lot for 16 people. To Craig and Brent it seemed a tad conservative. Plus they fully expected there to be only eleven dozen left by the time they reached the Betsy B. Annette returned with the twelve boxes. “I’ll ring ‘em up as buy one, get one free for Mr. Thomas. Soulmate is my all-time favorite song.” As Craig paid, Brent grabbed a napkin and scribbled a quick note. To Annette- my favorite doughnut lady. Thanks for the treats! Xoxoxo – Brent Thomas. He handed her the note, and the look of appreciation on her face made him wish he could put a $100 tip with it. He flashed her a smile, told her to have a good day, and they headed back to the car with their treasure. When they got outside, Craig laughed at his famous friend. “Soulmate is her favorite, huh? She probably thinks you wrote it for her- just like every woman in the house this weekend!” Brent snarled at his buddy. “You know it’s about Nancy. I still can’t believe the hottest woman in the world married YOU!” Another laugh, and then they loaded up the trunk and headed back to the Betsy B. 

~ Carl Jones

Beaches In Mind

Today Marilyn, her mom, her sisters and I head down to North Myrtle Beach for a few days, and it got me to thinking about all of the beach trips with all of the friends I've enjoyed over the years. So I  hurriedly pieced together this little video featuring the Beach Boys song Beaches In Mind. Literally hundreds of friends should be part of these pictures; unfortunately over the years I was somewhat of a lazy photographer. Still, there are many friends and many years represented here, and I hope it leaves you all with the same question it brings to my mind: When are we going back?  Have a blessed Monday!

Throwback Thursday: Springfield's 1991 Myrtle Beach Trip

Stacy finds yet another camera to pose for!

Today's Throwback Thursday trip takes us back to my glorious years (1986-1994) at Springfield Friends Meeting. In the summer of 1991 we took a group of students to North Myrtle Beach, SC. We stayed at a house called The Spinnaker (the Betsy B was booked) for a week. As always I brought along my trusty video camera- a Magnavox about the size of your average 50 pound TV camera. And as usual, I was having too much fun to worry about actually taping anything! Finally, on our last full day, I broke out the camera in the morning and shot for most of the morning. What you are about to read is a blog I wrote while watching that video in 2010. It was a hoot! It should be mentioned that the following is rated PG!  Here we go...

* We open on Jon Moran's temporary dragon tattoo purchased at the Pavilion the night before. Jon addresses the camera and says "I will now attempt to eat a whole box of Fruity Pebbles." It was our own little cliffhanger- stay tuned to see if he was successful!
* Stacy Gilbreth, Natalie Whitaker, Holly Harward, Charles Freedle and Ben Moran are on the oceanfront porch, watching the action on the beach as Led Zeppelin plays in the background. Stacy wants me to film some guy named Marcus, who is not with our group but who is "really cute." I refuse and harass her. Good times...
* Jennifer Simmons discusses forgetting her swim suit on a beach trip, and also how"gross" she looks. Marilyn suggests that she wear Stacy's "flowery bra" and that no one would notice. Jennifer responds by telling the camera her sister Amy looks gross too...Amy, now pictured, is not amused. 

Kelly, Kelly, Kelly...K-E-L-L-Y!!!

* A group of us wake up Kelly Allen by invading her bedroom and singing her the "Kelly, Kelly, Kelly" song from the TV show Cheers. She is also not amused.
* Avis (a friend of Jennifer Woods whose last name I have forgotten) threatens to expose herself again (A note of explanation: Avis had lost her bikini top in a wave on our first day, exposing what the kids came to call "her flippers."  Yes, this stuff really happens...) but does not.
* Shon Hildreth, Ion Hildreth, Noel Cecil and Donald Fleischman are on the porch now, listening to Guns and Roses and bothering Holly and Nat in what can only be considered an awful attempt at flirting. A moment later Journey is playing. The soundtrack to this video rocks!
* Holly, Nat, Jennifer and Stacy are walking on the beach in front of the house and screaming my name, wanting me to film them. I do briefly, but then we hear the voice of Charles in the background saying "don't get that." He then tells me to focus on two other girls walking the beach, and he yells at them "Hey ladies!  WAVE!" And they do...
* Ryan Simmons and Steven McGrath make a brief appearance, but say nothing.
* Wendy Mattocks and Kelly, sitting in a chair on the first floor, tell the following joke: "What's green and goes slam, slam, slam, slam?  A 4-door pickle!!!" I taught them that joke...it's my own fault! 

The legendary Charles Freedle

* Charles and Mike Mercadante (who has just gotten up) have tattoos, too. Jon has indeed finished the entire box of Fruity Pebbles. Tom Petty is now playing in the background. I love this trip!
* Kelly begins to tell us the story of being awakened earlier, then realizes if anyone is actually ever watching the tape, they have already seen that happen. She also tells of how we forgot to awaken her stuffed animal Yolanda, who apparently had fallen into a crack.
* Stacy takes this opportunity to once again tell us that her raft has a hole in one of the seams. And just as she has the entire week, she does this by reporting "there's a hole in my crack." Ah yes- these are my people!
* Josie (again, the last name escapes me- all I can think of is & the Pussycats and I know that is not it!), Natalie and Holly give us a tour of their room. Clothes and hair spray are everywhere! I threaten to condemn the place...
* Wendy and Kelly have changed floors but are still sitting in a chair just like the one before. Jennifer Wood has now joined them. They begin telling jokes, and then Stacy (who seems to be everywhere the camera is) tells a classic: "What do you get when you play a country song backwards?  You get your wife back, your dog back and your truck fixed!" 

Woodhead & Wendy!

* Wendy remarks that Jennifer Wood, dressed all in green, looks like a pickle. This prompts Natalie to tell the exact same pickle joke as before. We all try to act surprised. 
* Kelly brings out Yolanda, and a lengthy discussion ensues over whether this creature is a dog or a bunny. Someone even suggest a bear. Kelly swears it is a bunny. I suggest it is a "Dunny," to which Kelly replies "Yes... I mean NOOOOOO!" 
* Marie Allen is finally awake...
* Jon, Charles, Mike and Bryan Dowling emerge from their room, looking suspicious. Mike and Charles are wearing Speedos, and they proceed to run around the building. Mike has dollar bills tucked in his. As they run back into their room, Charles shouts "Well I never!" I respond "Well maybe you should!" Jimmy Buffet plays as the camera fades to static...
* One final scene- the next morning, everyone is banging pots and pans trying to wake everyone else up.  Jon, Mike, Charles and BD sleep through it all.

That's it. I missed filming the devotions, the singing on the porch, Black Thursday and all kinds of other excitement. I seem to remember sitting up one night and trying to count all of the "Na-na-na-na-na's" in the Journey song Loving, Touching and Squeezing. Every trip offers so many memorable moments. The video did capture the feeling of community and the love that we all had for each other, even if only for one day. I hope you enjoyed this flashback- I sure did! 

Because of Jesus,

Throwback Thursday: Long Live the Betsy B!

 As I wrap up the unofficial editing of my novel this week, my thoughts have often turned to the old house in North Myrtle Beach called the Betsy B where much of the story takes place. Those thoughts led me to this Throwback Thursday post...

Way back in 2010 I received an e-mail from a woman named Amanda whose extended family was planning a trip to North Myrtle Beach the following summer. They had never been and they were looking to rent a house for a week. The realtor she dealt with recommended the Betsy B because of price and size. She googled "Betsy B" and came across my blog and the various references to the place, and e-mailed me the following question:"In your opinion, what amenities make the Betsy B such a great place?" I assumed by amenities she meant swimming pool, lazy river, golf carts, golf privileges and other things so prevalent at many NMB rentals these days. I told her it had none of those things; just a nice location and a great beach. And then I started thinking (uh-oh!). What was it that made the Betsy B such an amazing place to take a youth group (besides being the future home of my Hall of Fame!)? The answers could be found in these 7 Things:

1. The Layout-  With three floors, each with four bedrooms, there was great flexibility for sleeping arrangements. No matter the number of males and females it could always be worked out. There was also a kitchen on every floor, which gave you options (although we always kept the food on the 2nd floor so there was only one kitchen to clean each day). Three living rooms meant 3 televisions, three couches and multiple easy chairs. We could be all together for worship, or spread out for Black Thursday.  
2. Location-  The Betsy B is located in a section of NMB known as Ocean Drive. When I was younger, all of the "cool kids" and great parties were at OD. Things changed, but we could still walk to the shops and arcades of OD, or go get a snow cone or a hot dog. We were surrounded by other houses, but shared our property with no one else (most of the time). Our silliness didn't bother other people, and no one ever bothered us.

3. The Porches-  An oceanfront porch on each floor, complete with rocking chairs, made for wonderful daytime beach watching and great moments at night. Some of my favorite conversations ever took place on those porches, and so many people have such strong memories of sitting out there at night and singing or just hanging out. I wrote a number of songs sitting out there watching the moon reflect off of the Atlantic Ocean. Ahhh- the moon over the ocean...
4. The Outdoor Showers-  While there were 3 showers per floor inside the Betsy B, the most memorable ones were located outside, by the right side of the house as you came back in from the beach. Originally just open showers used to rinse off sand and ocean, they were eventually enclosed so you could take full showers. This was quite handy when everyone was trying to get ready to head out to eat or down to the Pavilion. Plus, it was a bit weird and a little exciting to talk to a naked neighbor of the opposite sex in the stall next to you as you both showered...or was that just me?
5. The Beach-  The wide, sandy beach that was located right out the back door was one of the things that made the Betsy B such a popular place. If you wanted to lay out and tan, this was your beach. If you wanted to swim or body surf, this was your beach. If you loved taking late night walks or threatening people with Sand, Water, Sand, Water, Crab, Crab, Crab! then this was your beach. It was perfection!

6. The People-  The very best thing about the house was that it gave us the space and freedom to have up to 45 of us live together for a week. I always thought of it as a youth group version of The Real World- "45 of us picked together to live in a house..." We always left the Betsy B with new experiences, better relationships and a stronger bond. From the group I grew up in at New Garden Friends, through the Springfield years and on through Kissimmee, just saying "we are going to the Betsy B" brought a smile to the faces of students. The people were what made the trips great.

7. The Stories-  The Betsy B lives on through the stories of those trips, many of them which I have shared on this blog. You can read about Moons Over Myrtle Beach, Karen Fry's Birthday Surprise, The Legend of Big K and more (check out all of the links in this post). I'll never forget Stacy's raft, Avis' "flipper," Adam's hair, Kelly's jokes or the KISS concert. I could write a book (well. actually at this point it would be ANOTHER book!) of nothing but Myrtle Beach stories- and the Betsy B would be a major character. 

So Amanda, I don't know if any of these things counted as amenities or not, as I never heard back from you in 2010. But my suggestion to her then was that she bring all of her relatives, create her own stories, and discover the magic of the Betsy B. I also told her not to damage it. Someone is going to buy it for me someday!  :)

Because of Jesus,

Throwback Thursday: Abreadcrumb & Fish

Today's Throwback Thursday takes me back to the summer of 2002. In July of that year the student ministry of the Wesley Memorial UMC headed out on their first trip to North Myrtle Beach, SC. We had a great group of kids, some outstanding adult leadership (Hal & Joanne Gastler) and lots of genuine excitement. To make things even better, 3 of my favorite FUMC-Kissimmee youth- Adam Hill, Josh Fry and Sarah Crudele- joined us. I was excited to have them along to help show my new youth group "The Carl Way."  The Betsy B was no long available, so I found another Ocean Drive beach house to rent. It was brand new and had many more amenities than the Betsy B, but it was not oceanfront. We had a great trip with lots of great moments. But it was very different because of how nice the house was. Sound odd? Let me try to explain...

North Myrtle Beach is a very special place to me. My family would camp there for a couple of weeks each summer when I was a kid. I travelled there with friends as a high school and college student. My youth group took trips there. When I started as a youth director at New Garden Friends Meeting in 1979, we started taking trips to NMB. For the next 20+ years I often spent at least one week every summer there with youth groups and my family. For all of those years the main attraction was always the beach. Wide, sandy and beautiful with just the right amount of waves, we would be out on the beach or in the Atlantic for hours every day. And we loved it.



Sean Bell & Nina Mock enjoy the pool table.

 In 2002 we stayed at the beautiful new Ocean Surf Club (see picture at top). We had TV and stereo in the house. We had use of golf carts we could use to explore the little village of Ocean Drive. We had a billiards table in the house. And we had to cross Ocean Blvd. to get to the beach. All of those things, plus a bit of rainy weather, turned the group into land-lovers. They just didn't go to the beach. They watched movies, played pool, explored the local shops and hung out. A couple of the guys (Ken & Philip?) got pulled for illegally driving a golf cart on the street (it wasn't their fault; the realtor had told us it was OK). We played mini-golf and went to the Pavilion. We ate great food. They had a great time. But it all seemed so odd to me that I wasn't convinced they were having any fun. Finally toward the end of the week it got warmer and sunny and we spent more time in the ocean. The trip accomplished much of what I wanted it to- relationship building and gaining the trust of the students. I just wasn't sure they thought the trip was great. And I wanted it to be great. I needed it to be a culture changing event for a youth ministry that was in rebuilding mode.

A few weeks later at our regular Sunday evening youth fellowship I was presented with a gift. The students who presented it said it was a "thank you" for taking the group on that trip. It was a t-shirt that read, Abreadcrumb & Fish- He Still Works Miracles. The scripture from Matthew 15:36-38 was also included. Those youth will never know how much that meant to me. No one had had ever given me a gift simply for planning a trip. The fact that they had spent their own money to buy it while we were in NMB made it even better. After being in Tampa for 9 months, I finally felt like I was a part of the family. Acceptance is a wonderful thing. We were on our way to becoming a real family.

Because of Jesus,

Ch-ch-ch-Changes (Myrtle Beach Edition)

Ocean Drive Beach, 7:30 am

The Grand Strand of South Carolina (Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, and beyond) has been a part of my life for longer than I can remember, and I can remember getting pre-school age gifts from the Easter Bunny gifts while camping there. For years I went with my parents, then later with friends, youth groups (that I was in and that I led) and then with my own family. It is safe to say that I have as many cherished memories of the beach (when I grew up all you needed to say was "THE beach." Nothing else was needed. There was only one beach that mattered- Myrtle Beach!) as of any place on earth. And I have been so excited to return there after so many years of being away.

So I arrived at THE beach last Monday after a 10 year absence to find that a great deal has changed since my last visit. While this was not a surprise, it was still a shock. Since I had a great deal of time to kill before Marilyn and her family arrived from NC and we could check in to our resort, I decided to take myself on a little tour of some of my favorite memories. My first stop was the former site of the Myrtle Beach Pavilion, home to so many great nights of my youth and my ministry. I knew the Pavilion had been closed and demolished in 2006, reportedly to be replaced with condos. So I was stunned to arrive downtown and discover what you see pictured here- NOTHING! Thinking they had demolished my memories to put up condos was one thing- I understand that money rules. But to tear down so many happy thoughts built over so many years for no apparent reason left me standing by the newly remodeled Boardwalk with my jaw on the ground. The arcades were gone. Many of the t-shirt shops were gone. The whole area seemed depressed. This was not a good start.

As I continued my tour- first down Ocean Blvd. and later on King's Highway- I was overwhelmed by memories of things that simply were not there anymore. Favorite motels, favorite restaurants and favorite night spots were simply no longer there. Myrtle Square Mall is no longer there, and just like the Pavilion it has been replaced by nothing. The site is a concrete field. The more I drove and the more sites I visited, the older I felt. The little motel where I once spent a few days alone to rest and recover from a wild youth ministry summer was now a parking lot for public beach access. The movie theaters where I once saw Stripes and History of the World Part 1 on the same day have been torn down. Some of these things happened a long time ago, but all of the change had never really hit me until this trip. My mind was picturing much further back than the 10 years I had been away, and to be honest it was a bit depressing.

Heading into what is now the incorporated city of North Myrtle Beach- there was a time when Windy Hill, Crescent Beach, Atlantic Beach, Ocean Drive and Cherry Grove all had very distinct personalities, but for the most part those days are LONG gone- I was suddenly very aware of all of the changes I had witnessed to that area in my lifetime. The campgrounds of my childhood- The Ponderosa, Lake Arrowhead and Sherwood Forest- which were in the Windy Hill section of the beach, have been gone for years. Camp Pla-Mor, where we had some amazing youth group adventures when I was a teenager, is still there but under a different name and was barely recognizable. The Jungle Golf where Steve Semmler and I (along with countless other friends) played hundreds of rounds of miniature golf over the years was leveled in favor of a CVS a long time ago. The Cherokee Trading Post (or something like that) next door where we used to go cool off and stare at hermit crabs and tacky t-shirts is history as well. Meanwhile, across Hwy. 17 is a monstrous shopping area called Barefoot Landing. Outlet stores, major restaurants, the Alabama Theater and a House of Blues are just a few of the attractions there. That is today. In my mind, it is still the Village of the Barefoot Traders, with around 6 stores that all sold trinkets or used books. 35 years ago we used to walk over from The Ponderosa. Now you would be risking your life to cross that highway on foot. Most of these changes are not necessarily for the worse (except losing The Ponderosa and the Pavilion)- they are just so very different. And on this day I was having a hard time with different.

As a last resort I turned to three very special and familiar sites to restore my faith in the section of North Myrtle Beach known as Ocean Drive. The first was the beach itself. Still so wide, so smooth and so busy with happy people having the time of their lives. The pier is long since gone, but the OD Pavilion has been re-opened at the intersection of Main & Ocean Blvd. and classic night spots like Fat Harold's and The Spanish Galleon are still open for business. The second was the Betsy B (at right), the past home of many adventures over a 20 year period and future home (in my dreams) of my Hall of Fame. It has been remodeled and is missing the famous outside shower stalls, but it's still there and it is still called the Betsy B. Maybe I was not so old that everything had changed. There was still one final test. I headed back up to Kings Hwy. and drove a little south, past the Kroger store that had provided so many Big K sodas, past the Krispy Kreme that had served us so many "hot doughnuts

NOW!" and up to the site of Painter's Original Homemade Ice Cream. Still operating out of an old, dilapidated white building, the place famous for the best ice cream anywhere since 1952 was still alive and kickin! The sign was new but everything else was exactly as I remembered it from when I was 10 years old and their maple nut ice cream was the best stuff I had ever tasted. Some things had not changed. My spirits were lifted. The following day I would return to Calabash (see previous post) and discover another favorite place that was still keeping my memories alive. And all-in-all I had another great vacation at THE beach.

So my point? I'm not really sure there is one. It may be that I'm getting old, ready for dinner at 4 and yelling at kids to "Get off my lawn!" It may be that it's true that "change changes things-and we don't like it!" Or it may be that despite the truth of those 2 things, it is important to let the past remind of what was rather than remind us of what is NOT now. Memories are great, but NOW is for new adventures, new lessons and new blessings. That's a lesson I am very slow to learn- but I would learn a lot faster if people would quit changing my memories! Spoken like a true geezer, huh?  Be well, my friends!

Because of Jesus,

Return to Calabash!

Last night, after a 10 year absence, I returned to Calabash. For the uninitiated, Calabash is a little fishing town about 30 minutes north of North Myrtle Beach that is comprised of a few shops and a LOT of seafood restaurants. They specialize in fried seafood. A trip to Calabash has been a part of my beach routine for has long as I can remember, and last night was long awaited and often dreamed about. Marilyn, her mom, her 2 sisters and one brother-in-law joined me at Captain John's, my personal favorite since it opened in 1976. My expectations were unreasonable. And every one of them were met or surpassed!

First came the hushpuppies. If you don't know what a hushpuppy is I can't really explain it- except to say they are a delicious gift from the heavens! You can see Marilyn preparing to devour one in the picture above. A basket of hushpuppies would be a wonderful start to any meal. But as the prelude to my first Calabash seafood platter in 10 years, those little pieces of fried dough were like manna. And they led me to this...

The Captain John's Deluxe Seafood Platter. Fried oysters, clams, flounder, and deviled crab- because real men eat deviled crab. And loads of those tiny fried shrimp that most of the wold know as popcorn shrimp, but that true believers know as Calabash shrimp...because it is their home. It was all amazing. And to answer the obvious question, YES. I ate every bite. But not the french fries.

So my return to Calabash was everything I dreamed it would be and more. And I'm already pushing for trip #2! Have a blessed day!

Worthless Wednesday

You know that thing where you wake up knowing you are going to have an unproductive day because both your heart and your mind were somewhere else? Yeah...that...

I think I'll be spending today in North Myrtle Beach. Wanna' join me? 

Missing the Myrtle Beach Pavilion

Many of you know that I am in the process of writing a novel. The events of the book take place almost exclusively in present day Myrtle Beach, SC. As I write, I find myself wishing over and over again the the Myrtle Beach Pavilion, site of so many adventures for myself and my friends as well as for many youth groups I served, was still standing in downtown MB. It would be another "character" I could add to the cast. Because the sights, the sounds and the people made the Pavilion quite a character indeed...

It's sometimes difficult to believe how many trips, retreats and conferences I took part in over my 28 years in youth ministry. There is something special about getting away together that bonds a group in a way no "group building exercise" could ever do. While the list of places we traveled to is quite long, there were only a few places we returned to over and over again; places that became iconic to the groups I served. Quaker Lake Camp, New York City and Walt Disney World were among our favorites. But no place received more visits from me, as a family, as a youth youth and as a youth pastor, than Myrtle Beach, SC. We stayed in a variety of places over the years, mostly in North Myrtle Beach; Camp Pla-Mor, The Ponderosa Campground, the Betsy B, The Spinnaker and others. We even took a "Mystery Trip" from Kissimmee to downtown Myrtle Beach one weekend, spending more time in the vans than we did at the beach! No matter where or how long we stayed, there were always three constants about MB- the Atlantic Ocean, Jungle Golf and the Myrtle Beach Pavilion!

My relationship with the Pavilion goes back to my childhood, when my family would camp at Lake Arrowhead or The Ponderosa for a week or two each summer, and one of the highlights of the trip was traveling downtown one night to visit the Pavilion. Actually, the term "Pavilion" came to mean much more to us than the actual building (with its' arcade games, food, and magic mirrors) and amusement park. It meant everything in downtown Myrtle Beach.  The T-shirt shops, the arcades, Castle Dracula, the Gay Dolphin (for years billed as the "worlds' largest gift shop") and the miniature golf courses were all part of the Pavilion in our thought process. And every year we could not wait to go! I rode my first roller coaster at the amusement park; I played "Pong" for the first time at the arcade; I made stupid jokes with my friends about the Gay Dolphin; and I walked the boardwalk, looking at the moon and the stars and dreaming of romance and the future. The passing of the years and my becoming a youth minister changed almost none of that. The rides still seemed cheesy, the arcades fell a little behind the times and the Gay Dolphin lost its' luster, but still the Pavilion called to us all. Each summer we were at the beach major planning went into which night we would go to The Pavilion. Part of the allure of the place (most of it, in my case) was simply watching the people, wandering around the park, the stores and cruising on Ocean Blvd. Our teens were usually quite normal, so if they were going to be in contact with that many other people their age, they wanted to look GOOD! Wardrobes were planned, hair was done, showers were taken all in preparation for that one night.  In later years there was even a dance club for those 17 and under called The Magic Attic, and some would partake of that excitement. I remember on one of the earliest youth trips with New Garden taking Kathryn Burris, Beth Edgerton and Terri Johnson to Castle Dracula, only to have the "monsters" try to pick them up!  I remember some of the guys from Springfield falling in love about every 5 minutes with some beauties they had spotted by the Swiss Bobs ("Do you wanna' go faster?  Do you all wanna' go faster?  SWISS BOB!"). I remember taking Jim Fry from Kissimmee to get a hot dog at the Corner Bar on the beach and getting him hooked on chili and slaw footlongs. I remember students going into the t-shirt shops to buy shirts featuring their favs, just like I had done when buying Beach Boys and Chicago shirts years before. But mostly I remember walking around, seeing the students I loved with huge smiles on their faces as they ran from ride to ride or from game to game, knowing EXACTLY how they felt because I had felt the same things!

I was last at Myrtle Beach in July, 2004, with a group from Tampa, and we once again visited the Pavilion. The summer of 2006 wound up being the final year of the place, as much of downtown Myrtle Beach was sold so developers could build high rise condos. Marilyn and Will got to see it one more time before it was leveled; I am left with hundreds of great memories.  And as always, the memories have less to do with the place than with the people I shared them with.  I treasure both. There have been many Myrtle Beach stories told in the pages of this blog.

One final story- in June of 2009 I walked into our local Papa John's Pizza to pick up an order, and while waiting another customer entered. She was wearing a bright yellow t-shirt that said Myrtle Beach Pavilion: The Final Summer 2006. I asked her about it, and she said she had been there for a family reunion and had seen the beginning of the destruction. She left, and as a thousand memories flooded my mind, I shed a tear or two for the old place right there in Papa John's. The Pavilion was an iconic place for teenagers when my mother was that age. I am so sorry that Will and other members of future generations will never again ask the question, "So are we going downtown tonight?" You are still missed, old friend.

Because of Jesus,

Throwback Thursday: The Legend of Big K

As of next week, it will be 20 years since Marilyn and I left Springfield Friends Meeting for Kissimmee, Florida. It's really hard to believe. The anniversary of the end of our 8 years of service there and the beginning of our lives at FUMC-K has me feeling quite nostalgic, and so for this Throwback Thursday I will share a post I originally shared in February of 2010. Because nothing makes me miss Springfield (or youth ministry in general) more than talking about trips...

1988 at the Betsy B

One of the first and longest-running reality TV shows is The Real World (When it began, MTV still showed music videos...). Their famous tag line that has opened the show for many years is "7 people, picked to live in a house..." The idea is that these 7 people will live life together and discover how tough it can be. We had our own "real world" experiences many times over the years, but the ones that stick out in my mind are the Myrtle Beach trips in which up to 45 of us shared a house for a week. There are many interesting stories that will be told from these adventures, but today, I want to talk about food.

In 1988, on our first trip from Springfield Friends Meeting to the Betsy B, I thought it would be smart to load the house with snacks to feed all those hungry teens. I told each of the participants to bring a sweet or salty snack to share, thinking this would last a good part of our week. I bought lots of cereal for breakfast, thinking I might have to shop one more time after our arrival. I already knew a great deal about travelling with youth, but I had yet to learn much about living with this crowd! The snacks I thought would last all week were gone by the second evening. I didn't understand that anything these kids could find, they WOULD eat! If it was in the house, it disappeared quickly. The cereal lasted through one morning. I didn't realize that guys like Jon Moran would break out the "Jethro Bowls" (mixing bowls, as used by Jetho Bodine on The Beverly Hillbillies) and eat an entire box at one sitting. Needless to say, the food budget for that week was in terrible trouble...and I wound up buying enough water, soda and lemonade to stock a 7-11. Something had to change...

The following year we returned to the Betsy B, and I this time I had a plan. I would get up each morning before anyone else was stirring and go to the local store, which was a Kroger.  I would buy all of the food and drink for THAT day. And when they ate it all, that was it- no more until the next day! I wound up buying lots of cereal and lots of snacks- Fudge Rounds, Opies (Oatmeal Creme Pies), Freeze Pops, chips and more. And I would up buying enormous amounts of Big K soda.

Big K was the Kroger brand, and it was cheap- around 49 cents for a two liter bottle. It came it pretty much every flavor imaginable, and most of them were pretty good. We liked the Lemon-Lime, Ginger Ale, Dr. K (Dr. Pepper rip-off), Root Beer, Cherry Lemon-Lime, Orange, Black Cherry and many others. One particular favorite was a bizarre little drink called Red Creme Soda. The only one we just could not stand was cola. I had to buy real Coke for the cola drinkers. Every morning I would visit the store and purchase 10-20 two liter bottles of Big K. And every day we would drink most of them. We would go through 80-100 bottles in a week. I became a legend in that store- every day the workers would gather to see how much I was buying FOR THAT DAY! It was amazing. People became fierce defenders of their favorite flavors. At one point on the Beach Break '89 video Heather Beggs says to Russell Farlow  "We love Big K, don't we Russell?" His response is classic. He lets out a very happy sigh, throws his head back and yells "UH-HUH!!!" He spoke for many of us.

Like so many things in student ministry, Big K was only special because of the people and the place. I never bought it to use in my home or anyplace else. It was simply part of the experience of our own little Real World. Over the years it helped us survive some Black Thursdays, some relationship nightmares, and more than a few long nights on the porch singing. Big K was never all that good- but when we were sharing life together as one big "family of God," it was as good as it gets.

Because of Jesus,

Magic Moments: A Myrtle Beach Surprise

On Tuesday of this week I read that it was snowing in Myrtle Beach, SC. That news led me to a Twitter conversation with Jill Gilbreth Bryant and Ashley Goad that brought back this wonderful memory full of Magic Moments for me to share on this particular Throwback Thursday. I'd love to hear from anyone else who was there...

In January, 1992, the Springfield Friends Meeting youth went on a retreat to Cherry Grove, SC (located just north of North Myrtle Beach). We rented a house (not the Betsy B) and had a great weekend, but there are three things I really remember about that trip. Here they are:

* Our program for the weekend was talking about our spiritual journeys, and included things like each student doing a written spiritual history. As part of this exploration, one morning I served Communion (the outward sacrament is not usually practiced among Quakers. For more on this read Communion Confusion) using orange juice and Krispy Kreme doughnuts. The experience was was very cool and quite meaningful. It really served to remind us all about the sacrifice of Christ. It's also part of the reason I continue to believe that hot Krispy Kreme doughnuts are the modern version of manna from Heaven!

* That particular group of kids (well, the girls anyway) were obsessed with the movie Grease. We could all tolerate Grease, and at times even enjoy it. But on that weekend someone (in my mind I have always blamed Jill, Erin Moran and Mandy Beggs) also brought Grease 2 (one of the worst sequels ever made!!!) and made us watch it. I wanted to gouge my eyes out. Jill estimates we watched each of the Grease movies 500 times that weekend- which may be only a slight exaggeration! Our greatest Grease moments would come in 1993 at The Beaches and Cream Soda Shoppe at WDW, but that is a story for another day!

* I very rarely lose my temper, but it does aggravate me when people are rude to others. Late one night while on that retreat suddenly my sleep and that of several others was interrupted by lights coming on, people talking and yelling and youth running around the house. I came out of my room screaming for them to get back to bed, issuing all kinds of threats and scaring them half to death. When I finally got around to asking what was going on, Ashley meekly told me "It's snowing, Carl." It was snowing at Myrtle Beach!  Now I was the one running around, looking out the windows, checking the beach, beside myself with excitement. This was something I had often dreamed of seeing! I apologized to everyone and we all stayed up a while, watching it snow. The pictures posted here are of the infamous Springfield blue van and the beach at Cherry Grove, both from the next morning.  It's still the only time I have ever seen it snow at the beach!

We had lots of great moments with lots of great people on trips from Springfield, and more than a few took place at Myrtle Beach. This particular weekend was a classic Magic Moment and a one of my favorite memories.

Because of Jesus,

Throwback Thursday

In honor of today being the birthday of both Nina Mock and Zach Wehr, today's #TBT pictures are from our 2004 Myrtle Beach trip with the youth of Wesley Memorial UMC of Tampa. As always in student ministry, great people make for great memories.  Have a great Thursday, everyone!

The group gathers outside Myiabi Kyotos

Zach- dancin' fool!

Nina, proving once again that SMITH is a game no one can win!

Happy birthday, Nina and Zach- and here's to the memories!

Because of Jesus,