New mural to celebrate Myrtle Beach history

As Myrtle Beach kick-starts efforts to revitalize its downtown center, a new mural will celebrate the history of the area.

Jack Thompson has photographed life on the Grand Strand since he hitchhiked to Myrtle Beach in 1951 at age 13. Soon, his studio may feature a mural of one of his classic images on its front wall, which faces Nance Plaza off of Kings Highway and Ninth Avenue North.

The photograph in the mural shows four silhouetted figures — one young man followed by three women, all in bathing suits — walking on the beach. The first figure, the man, holds a surfboard as low sunlight glances off the waves.

The image easily caught the eye of Tom Pardue, who originally offered to paint the mural. Pardue, more commonly known as Tomtom in Myrtle Beach’s artistic community, said he thought the black and white image was a timeless representation of life on the Grand Strand.

“What I thought about this piece was rather than the Skywheel or something like that to describe the beach — that kind of says it all right there,” Pardue said. “That’s not ever going to change, you know? As long as we have a beach, generation after generation after generation after generation is going to be doing this very same thing.”

Though the image gives off a summery feel, the conditions in which it was taken were markedly different. In 1968, Thompson said, the Associated Press bureau in Columbia called him, asking for a photo that would illustrate the fact that women then outnumbered men three to one. The war in Vietnam had created the skewed demographics.

But Thompson received the call in November, so when he selected models for the photo from Myrtle Beach High School, they were working in chilly conditions and came to the beach in their winter coats.

“So when we got ready, I said, ‘OK, drop your coats here and I want to get a shot of y’all running down the beach, and it’s got to be quick before the goose pimples show up,’” Thompson said.

The photo was widely syndicated. “That picture went all over the world, and that’s become a favorite of mine. Out of 100,000 pictures that I’ve taken, I have about 100 that I would classify as classic, like that. That’s a classic,” Thompson said.

Pardue’s gallery, where he works on stained and frosted glass, paintings and repurposed found objects, is just a few storefronts down from Thompson’s, and also faces Nance Plaza. Pardue’s gallery said he originally offered to paint the mural for free to help improve the plaza’s environment. He said in the mornings he often finds meth bags and needles around his storefront.

Despite the offer, Pardue will receive $2,000 and funds to cover expenses like paint and scaffolding from a grant from the Coastal Carolinas Association of Realtors. The Better Block Grant focuses on reinvigorating downtrodden areas, according to John Krajc, president of the Five Points Business Association.

Krajc said the mural, which will take two to three weeks to paint, will be officially unveiled Sept. 24 at an event called Plaza City Market. The event will shut down a portion of Ninth Avenue and bring food trucks, craftsmen and artists to the area.

The mural, which still needs official approval, will be discussed Thursday at a Community Appearance Board meeting. The panel’s chair, Larry Bragg, said he is generally supportive of murals, as long as they are not advertising anything specific.

“I think (murals) can bring a lot of light to different areas of town, and we have a lot of blank walls that could use some lightening and something to bring some interest to them,” Bragg said.

This story was originally published July 20, 2016 at 6:12 PM with the headline "New mural to celebrate Myrtle Beach history."