The Shaggers are Back!
By Christina Knauss
Rhythm-and-blues and beach music blasting from dozens of speakers, through the open doors of clubs all along Main Street in North Myrtle Beach.
Men and women driving by in convertibles with license plates reading "LUV2SHAG" and "SHAG4LIFE."
Crowds spilling out of open doorways, and people holding drinks, hugging each other and calling out to friends.
This has been the scene in the Ocean Drive section of North Myrtle Beach for days now, and they mean only one thing - the shaggers are back in town.
The annual Society of Stranders (S.O.S.) Fall Migration began Sept. 11 and continues through Sunday Sept. 20.
An annual tradition since 1980, the S.O.S. spring safari and fall migrations bring lovers of beach music and the shag dance to North Myrtle Beach from all over the Carolinas, the East Coast and beyond. This year's fall migration had drawn dancers from as far away as the Midwest, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
The Fall Migrations' first weekend kicked off with a bang as several thousand people packed in along Ocean Drive and Main Street to enjoy live music, dancing, and people-watching during Fun Sunday and Fun Monday, a now-annual tradition that raises money for charity and gives migration visitors a chance to enjoy the early September weather (this year, it seemed more like summer ...without the humidity!)
Beginning mid-morning and continuing until 2 or 3 a.m. each day during the Fall Migration, music and dancing is the program at the well-known shag clubs up and down Main Street, including Duck's, Duck's Too, Pirate's Cove and Fat Harold's.
One of the most popular locations for all-day dancing and partying is the O.D. Pavilion, located at the end of Main Street. Shaggers filled the Pavilion from the first morning of the migration, enjoying the sounds played by D.J. Jim Waye of Greensboro, N.C. while also catching the breeze from the nearby beach. The Pavilion is one of the few open-air dance clubs still to be found on the east coast. "You see most of the people here are the baby boomers, and for them, this is a chance to come to North Myrtle Beach and act like it's spring break for a little while," Waye said.
H. Lee Brown, who runs the O.D. Pavilion, said the economy might put a small crimp in the number of people at the Fall Migration this year, but organizers were still hoping for 10,000 to 12,000 people to visit North Myrtle Beach and the surrounding areas. He said some people come for the first weekend of the migration, and others plan their stay around the second weekend.
"It's like a big family reunion - everybody gets to see people they haven't seen since last year, or in some cases 10 years or more," Brown said. "S.O.S. offers a gathering place for people who are just here to play and party and have a good time. Nobody bothers you."
Les and Jan Southall of Raleigh, N.C. were practicing their shag moves near the beach side of the O.D. Pavilion. The Southalls said they've been coming to S.O.S. events for about 15 years.
"We come down here with friends every year - it's just a chance to get together and have a good, clean time," Les Southall said.
"We like beach music in general, and this is just the best place to experience the music and the dancing," Jan Southall said. "All levels are accepted. You have the really great dancers who show up, but even beginners can come down here and just have a great time."
Jim Wood of Gaffney and his friend John Gaffney said they have been coming to the beach for good times together for 60 years - and shagging has played a big part.
"It's just a fun time, to come here to Ocean Drive every year," Wood said. "It's like going back to school again every year. You see your old friends and kick back."
"I absolutely love it here," Gaffney said, during a conversation punctuated by shouted greetings to friends passing by and a few hugs from women in shorts and flip flops who squeezed through the crowd to greet him. "My advice to anybody who hasn't been here to S.O.S. before is to just go with the flow, hear the beat of the music and go where it takes you!"
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