Terry’s Top 10: Signs Spring Has Sprung in Myrtle Beach
By Terry Massey
Spring officially sprang at precisely 1:32 p.m. Saturday, but those of us who were on the Grand Strand didn't need a calendar or a clock to know that meteorological fact.
With sunny skies and a high temperature of 75, a thermometer would have done the job. Or better yet, a pair of shorts, flip-flops and a tank top would provide a good hint.
But for Myrtle Beach natives and longtime locals, you could lock us in a climate-controlled room with tinted windows and we could still tell when the clock strikes spring.
The familiar sights, sounds and smells of the season are as predictable as April showers and May flowers. Here are the top 10 signs it's spring on the Grand Strand:
10) Your 5-minute commute magically becomes a 10-minute drive, but it still beats the heck out of the half-hour it takes to make the same trip in the summertime rush.
9) You suddenly start seeing a lot more skin around town, which isn't always a good thing. We all pack on a few extra pounds and turn a little pasty during the winter.
8) The signs "Closed for the Winter" come down and are replaced by friendlier phrases like "Vacancy" and "All You Can Eat" and "Welcome (fill in the group name)."
7) The annual invasion of Canadians always means it's spring. They're easy to spot: they're the only ones in the ocean without wetsuits and surfboards this time of year.
6) Huntington Beach State Park and Brookgreen Gardens go from being two of the most beautiful places on the planet to THE two most beautiful place on the planet.
5) You go from being alone on the beach with the seagulls and sand crabs to hanging out with actual fellow human beings on the beach – and the seagulls and sand crabs.
4) The empty field at the old Myrtle Square Mall site is suddenly filled with car shows and circuses – you know, things that are a lot more fun than shopping at the mall.
3) The sound of the crack of the bat, the smell of hot dogs and cotton candy, the taste of a cold beer and boiled peanuts and the welcome sight of Pelicans' baseball games.
2) The shrimp get bigger, the oysters get juicer and the fresh catch of the day was actually caught that day.
1) The long-awaited return of the color green to the Grand Strand, both on the trees and in the cash registers.
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