Since its founding in 1971, Hard Rock International has been committed to its "Save the Planet" motto, with the goal of making the earth a safer, healthier and better place to live. Continuing its mission, Hard Rock has partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation for the launch of its new Lil' Rockers Menu, featuring delicious kid's meals packaged with fun activities that show youngsters how they can help protect the environment.

Beginning this past Arbor Day (April 25th), each kid's meal at the Hard Rock Café in Myrtle Beach, and at Hard Rock restaurant locations throughout North America and Puerto Rico, now includes tree seed packets, encouraging lil' rockers to plant trees and help produce more oxygen and preserve wildlife habitats. Hard Rock International has also teamed up with the Arbor Day Foundation, making the commitment to plant at least 25,000 trees this year. Additionally, with the help of the new Lil' Rockers menu, Hard Rock and the Arbor Day Foundation hope to help plant an additional one million trees in 2008.

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... You've seen a sellout. And at last week's Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am at The Dye Club at Barefoot Resort & Golf in North Myrtle Beach, Hootie & The Blowfish lead singer Darius Rucker saw a media throng waiting to greet him at the first tee.

Rucker's six-person team, led by LPGA great Annika Sorenstam, survived a one-hole chip-off to take home the 2008 title. Rucker and his band mates hosted the tournament, which over the past 13 years has donated more than $3.5 million to the Hootie & The Blowfish Foundation - supporting the educational needs of South Carolina and the South Carolina Junior Golf Foundation.

Beach Blog photo by Frank Endres

In a press conference held earlier this week, Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday and the National Prostate Cancer Coalition (NPCC) announced that former Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ken Griffey, Sr. (pictured, right) will serve as the honorary chairman of the “Know Your Score” campaign. Griffey will help spread awareness about the importance of prostate cancer research and testing through national and regional interviews and by participating in “Know Your Score” events throughout the year.

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The Rotary Club of Pawleys Island hosts its annual “Fried Chicken for Charity” fundraiser tomorrow – Thursday, April 17 – from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. at two locations:

* Pawleys Island Realty – Hwy. 17 and N. Causeway Road

* Georgetown Kraft Credit Union at International Paper

Cost is $6 per plate, with all profits supporting a variety of local charitable causes. For tickets or more information, call Kathi Grace at 843-235-5507.

Like all Rotary clubs, Pawleys Island Rotary members perform yeoman’s work in helping others in need, with recent efforts to fight Alzheimer’s disease and support our brave men and women serving in the armed forces.

The Rotary Club of Pawleys Island is part of Rotary International, the world's first service club organization. Its more than 1.2 million members volunteer their time and talent to further the Rotary motto, “Service Above Self.” For more information about Rotary and its activities worldwide, visit Rotary.org.

Wanna be known forever more as “Led Zeppelin – The First”?

As of Friday night, the honor will cost you at least $600. That’s for Row 1, Seat 1 – right next to Hard Rock Park CEO Steven Goodwin – on the maiden voyage of the theme park’s eagerly anticipated “Led Zeppelin – The Ride.”

Here’s the cool part: All the proceeds will go to a very deserving charity.

Online agency Auctionwire is coordinating the auction through eBay, with proceeds from the sale of this and 14 other seats on the coaster’s first-ever run to benefit the Sarah Goodwin Memorial Foundation and its Rock My World Children’s Village.

Working with hundreds of established charities from across America, Rock My World Children's Village provides a once-in-a-lifetime, cost-free experience for young people to visit "The World’s First Rock 'n' Roll Theme Park" where they can live, learn, play and grow within the Rock My World Village.

Designed to accommodate kids of all ages and backgrounds, Rock My World Children's Village has facilities designed to cater to the needs of children with life-threatening illnesses, programs to help troubled kids who have lost their way or simply kids who have lost their loved ones. The Village gives them a helping hand towards a more fulfilling life by introducing them to the empowering energy of rock music and the rejuvenating pastimes of the surf, sun and sand.

Beyond their historic seats, the winning bidders also receive a signed Led Zeppelin poster; a commemorative certificate; and a photo taken at the event. Each of the 15 seat auctions ends Monday evening, April 7, and the first run of “Led Zeppelin – The Ride” takes place on April 15, the first day of the park’s soft opening event.

The “Know Your Score” campaign to fight prostate cancer seeks volunteers for its closest-to-the-pin contests being held each Saturday in April.

Visit KnowYourScoreMB.com to sign up and get more information.

In the meantime, check out this message from someone who knows exactly how much it means for you to get involved:

Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday and Myrtle Beach area golf courses have teamed up with the National Prostate Cancer Coalition (NPCC) to kick off the “Know Your Score” campaign to benefit prostate cancer research. Through events and tournaments scheduled in Myrtle Beach during 2008, Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday hopes to raise more than $250,000 for the NPCC and their prostate cancer research efforts.

The “Know Your Score” campaign officially kicks off in April, with closest-to-the-pin contests held each Saturday during the month of April at 34 Grand Strand-area golf courses. By making a $20 donation to the NPCC, golfers can compete against all other closest-to-the-pin participants to win prizes.

The following Grand Strand area courses will participate (see after the jump):

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Two big “thumbs up” to local bike shop owners Homer Wright and Deborah Raymond (both pictured), whose tremendous act of generosity was reported earlier today by the Newport News (Va.) Daily Press and Associated Press:

STAFFORD, Va. - Homer Wright and his fiancee, Deborah Raymond, are out to dispel stereotypes, and help the Virginia Tech Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund in the process.

"We're not your average motorcycle people," Wright said. "Our new slogan is 'Building Bikes and Lives.’”

The couple, who own Milwaukee Iron 2 in Myrtle Beach, are donating proceeds from a custom-built motorcycle to the university and victims of the April 16 killings.

In October, the motorcycle will go on the auction block in Las Vegas. They are hopeful it will fetch at least a $100,000 donation to the fund.

All the parts for the bike have been donated by companies from across the country that want to do a little something for a good cause, Wright said.

He estimated a custom bike like the one he's building would cost $70,000 to $150,000.

The only major part that wasn't donated is the motor, a 113-cubic-inch S&S engine. That was paid for mostly by donations to the project, Wright said.

Razor Custom Paint Shop in Stafford worked last week to put its special touch on the bike.

Kenny Dean, who is painting the bike, has the most important job in the project because his work is what people will actually see, Wright said.

"It's a constant challenge to come up with new ideas," Dean said of the custom paint job, which should be completed over the next couple of days.

He said his ideas have included Tech's colors and the famous Hokie Stone pattern. He didn't do a sketch of what the bike might look like.

"The ideas are all up here," Wright said, pointing to his head.

Painting the bike takes about five days. It's then clear-coated and put in an oven-like room to bake at 140 degrees after painting.

It will be unveiled in Lynchburg in April at a charity event to raise additional donations.

Then, it will go to Virginia Tech to put on display for the one-year anniversary of the tragedy, which left 33 dead, including the gunman.

The university didn't endorse the bike, Wright said, so it can't have any Tech logos or emblems. But he said representatives at the school did tell him they were in full support of the project.

The bike's construction is being filmed, and Raymond said they hope to interest a television network in a pilot for a new show about their Myrtle Beach shop.

Score an ace for local education, and for the group of businesses who recently rallied on their behalf in impressive fashion.

Presented by the Myrtle Beach Golf Gurus and SunCruz Casinos, the First Annual "Golf Fore Education" outing at Long Bay Golf Club on Feb. 2 raised more than $5,000 to benefit North Myrtle Beach High School students. Making the initiative all the more telling is the fact that the fund-raiser essentially came to fruition in only one month's time.

"Our sponsors, and so many individuals and other local businesses, came together quickly and willingly to make this happen," said Kish Gohil of Myrtle Beach Golf Gurus. "Raising that amount of money in such a short amount of time is a testament to a true community-driven effort that we're not only proud of, but also gives us tremendous encouragement that we will grow this event significantly to benefit even more local kids in the future."

Half the proceeds will go toward education scholarships awarded annually to graduating seniors, while the other half will benefit the North Myrtle Beach High School Band in support of continued musical education.