The Myrtle Beach FAME Festival has finally arrived! It will be held
at 5th and Broadway on Saturday, April 24 in historic downtown Myrtle
Beach where our forefathers first settled. After months of intense groundwork by a multitude of interested
citizens, things are coming together smoothly for one of the most unique
festivals ever promoted in Myrtle Beach. Unique in the fact that no
money goes to promoters or administration. Unique in the fact that all
music and talent performing on the stage is a gift to our community and
its charities. Unique in the fact that our sponsors are giving without
the expectation of anything in return. Unique in so many ways that it is
certain that the Myrtle Beach FAM
E Festival will be successful for many
years to come.
Our stage is set. Our cup runneth over. The festival will open
Saturday at 10 a.m. with an invocation and blessing of the festival
followed by the Carolina Forest Elementary School Steel Drum Band under
the direction of Dr. Tim Peterman. You will be carried away by their
rhythm and sweet music. The children will be followed by Misspent Ukes
and Margaret Curry. Coming on stage at Noon will be our own singing
prodigy, Gabby Rae who will sing and perform “The WOW Factory”.
Warming up the afternoon at 1 p.m. will be Sista Otis who has
gathered a lot of fame worldwide with her Detroit sound. Sista Otis will
be followed by more live entertainment by local popular musicians Doug
Fankhouser and Houndog Hanson. At 3 o’clock, our own South Carolina
Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Sybil Fischer, will
perform her Miss Myrtle Beach routine. Sybil has just undergone surgery
to correct her inability to lift her arms above her shoulders. Her dream
is to be able to lift her arms above her head so that she can remove
her tiara.
The first annual FAME Idol Showcase will present the area’s best
vocalist in a sing off competition at 3:30. The winner of the showcase
will receive recognition and prizes. Coming on at 4:30 will be “Acoustic
Johnny” / Dan Junk who will entertain the audience until Angelina
Greene and Johnny Guitar come onstage at 5:30. Angelina and Johnny will
be followed at 6:30 by DC Clark’s New Deal Band. My Buddy Todd will warm
up the audience for Refried Blues coming on stage at 8. Ending the
first annual FAME festival will be the dynamic band Area 51.
On the food side you can expect grilled steak and peppers from
Angelo’s Steak and Pasta; fish and chips, fried shrimp, blue crab claw
fingers, Gator Aid and iced tea from Mr. Fish; genuine shish kabobs from
Habibi’s Lebanese Market and Grill, assorted meats and vegetables from
Gaucho’s Brazilian Steakhouse and other popular foods from various other
grills. Gordon Biersch will have a beer garden set up to wet your
whistles and accompany your delicious food from the various vendors
throughout the day and night.
The street will be filled with more than 30 local artists. The genres
and forms will range from arabesque to textile art with media from
acrylics to watercolor. Some of the local artists participating are:
Bill Strydesky, Nichole Davis, Pam Davis Guthrie, Arielle Teer, the
Artisians of Tidewater, Bill Leaseburg, Carl Kerridge, Elken Grate,
Emily Estes, Jeff Norris, John Sherlin, Michael Slater, Neva Campbell,
Studio K, Sybil Alfano, Tina Athinson, Dan MacLosbe, Margaret Clemmer,
Rome Flores, Kim Dawn Clayton, JJ Casey from Lake Murray Artists, Matt
Silk, Rick Spivey, Casey Jawenski, and the artists from Howard Gallery.
There will also be plein air artists with their easels on the street
painting what they see. All artwork will be original (no prints) and
will be for sale. This is another area where this festival is unique.
On the back side of the stage the Myrtle Beach Rotary club and the
Boys and Girls Club of Myrtle Beach under the direction of Don Hall will
have a variety of inflatables and children’s games. There will be face
painters, clowns, mimes, chalk the walk and assorted other games for
children of all ages. There will be city fire trucks and EMS vehicles on
display. There will be lots and lots of things to entertain all that
come.
Most of the businesses on Broadway will be open for your shopping
pleasure. Many will have open houses and special offerings for the
public as well. A crepe myrtle tree will be planted at 5th Avenue and
Broadway and dedicated to the festival. If you play an instrument and
want to perform on the street, please bring it and join the fun.
WBTW Channel 13 news will be at the FAME festival as well as Q-Rock
Radio and Easy 105.9 and 100.7. Come and meet the radio and TV
celebrities. The Hampton Inn Oceanfront will shuttle passengers from the
City Parking Garage throughout the day with their mini-van. There will
also be free parking at the Myrtle Beach First Baptist Church and other
nearby churches and businesses.
At this point I would like to thank Karen Holck of the Broadway Café
and Gourmet and Bill Strydesky of GIFU Art Exchange for their undying
devotion and dedication as co-chairs of this, the first of many Myrtle
Beach FAME Festivals. Without their enthusiasm, sacrifices of their
time, and their hard work, this festival would never have taken wing. I
would also like to thank Elken Grate of Grate Creations for his many
hours of creative influence and attention to our web site,
www.myrtlebeachfamefestival.com and our facebook page of the same na
me.
Dr. Joe Moyer of the Allergy, Asthma, and Sinus Center, spent countless
hours of his very valuable time to solicit and bring to our stage, the
formidable lineup of musicians and talent we have. Dr. Moyer also
sponsored the stage and sound equipment. Aiding Dr. Moyer in this
endeavor was local and national entertainment lawyer Craig Snook who
also dedicated innumerable hours to make this festival a success. I
would also like to thank Don Hall of the Boys and Girls Club of Myrtle
Beach along with the Rotary Club of Myrtle Beach for taking charge of
our children’s activities. There have been many others that have
contributed their time, thoughts and energies to this festival. Their
effort will be rewarded by a successful festival.
I would also like to thank Assistant City Manager Jon Pederson for
his faith in our endeavors and the city police, fire, sanitation, parks
& recreation and others that have cooperated so well with us. We also extend a special thank you to Dave Seabock and Kori Brett
Turner-Vaught of the Downtown Redevelopment Corporation for their belief
in our mission.
There are lots of festivals going on Saturday all over this county. I
encourage you to get out early and enjoy the day. Attend as many
festivals as you can but please come to Broadway and experience the most
art, music and food of any of them.
Article by TBone Terry
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The
festival is set for Saturday, April 24th 2010.
On this day we will celebrate the
first annual FAME
Festival located in Historic Downtown Myrtle Beach on Broadway Street
between 4th and 6th Avenues
North. The street will be filled
with food vendors, artists, musicians and entertainers. Each vendor,
musician and entertainer has been hand selected to represent the best of
their professions. Special features will include FAME Idol Showcase and
the young singing sensation Gabbie Rae (http://www.gabbierae.com). We also have Sista Otis, Re- Fried Blues and so much more just for YOU! and every member of your family.
The festival will run from 10:00AM
until 10:00PM on Saturday. The stage will be continuously occupied by
local musicians, dancers, theatre, children’s shows and other talents. Feel free to navigate around to see all in store for a
wonderful experience!
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