O.D. Pavilion Brings Seaside Amusement Back to North Strand
By Christina Lee Knauss
The spirit of the carnival is alive again in North Myrtle Beach.
Back in the '50s and '60s, the lights of amusement rides and the happy screams of children echoed over Ocean Drive in North Myrtle Beach when an amusement park existed at the old Ocean Drive Pavilion. Like most icons of that era on the Grand Strand, however, the park fell to development and changing times.
It came alive again on Aug. 1 with the opening of the O.D. Pavilion and Amusement Park, a collection of traditional rides, games and food stands located in the Horseshoe area near Main Street in North Myrtle Beach.
The park, which will be open until Sept. 7, is the brainchild of locals Mark Lazarus and H.G. Worley, who wanted to bring an amusement park back to North Myrtle Beach. Worley is the son of Horry County councilman Harold Worley.
For many years, Lazarus owned the North Myrtle Beach Grand Prix off U.S. 17 Business, which featured a popular small amusement park that included rides such as the Wild Mouse roller coaster. The park was a mainstay for visitors to the North Strand, especially those with young children. Unfortunately, it closed in 2004, followed shortly by the closing of Fun World, an attraction that combined amusement rides and mini-golf located further up U.S. 17 near the old Crescent Beach area.
"We met with Mayor (Marilyn) Hatley and councilman Harold Worley, and we all thought that North Myrtle Beach needed something for people to do," Lazarus said. After spending the days on the beaches, tourists were driving either to Family Kingdom on the south end of Myrtle Beach or to the new parks - first Hard Rock, now Freestyle Music Park - all the way over off U.S. 501. The goal was to revive the amusement park experience on the North Strand, to give both visitors and locals a reason to stay in the area. Planners also hope to bring more business to the restaurants and shops - many of them mom-and-pop ventures - in the Horseshoe area.
Also, organizers thought, putting the rides near the beach would offer a nostalgic return to the simpler days of small seaside parks, which were main attractions in beach towns up and down the East Coast before the days of glitzy theme parks.
The O.D. Pavilion and Amusement Park opened on Aug. 1 and has been drawing good crowds each night it's been open. Tourists and locals alike have been turning out to enjoy traditional rides such as the Tilt-A-Whirl, bumper cars and a giant slide, play games and sample amusement park fare such as corn dogs, candy apples and even fried Oreo cookies.
The rides are provided by Dreamland Entertainment, a company based in Delco, N.C. that also runs a similar seaside amusement park near Virginia Beach.
"We're going for the atmosphere of the old-fashioned seaside parks, and it's been really well-received," said Jody Cadwell, a Dreamland employee who is serving as the park's director. "We're seeing a pretty wide demographic, and also we've been able to provide employment to a lot of locals."
Lazarus said the park's location sparks memories for many visitors. "I've heard from older folks who remember when the O.D. Pavilion sat right here," he said. "Now they're coming out here with their grandkids."
On a recent Thursday night, cars started to fill parking areas near the park shortly after 6 p.m. The peak time for visitors is after sunset. Cadwell estimates about 2,000 people have been visiting the park each day, although numbers vary according to the weather.
http://www.mbsun.com/assets_c/2009/08/OD Pavilion box-thumb-300x128-2177.jpg"I think it's wonderful," said Emily Moore, 26, of Mocksville, N.C. "We've been coming to this area for 26 years and we've always had to go to the other end of the beach to have something like this to do. It's great that they put this right here because it's a convenient location."
Emily's daughter Brily, 15 months old, got a kick out of riding on the "flying dragons" and then took a trip down the giant slide.
The Moore group was a perfect example of the multi-generational families the park has been attracting. Their parents and grandparents accompanied Emily and her husband Brian.
"This park is a real nice place - perfect for families," Brian Moore said.
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