Surge readers to pick story of 2015
It’s that time of year again — time to recap the stories of the year and allow our readers to vote for the best one.
2015 was a voyeur’s dream. Social media keeps growing by leaps and bounds and we’ve seen just about everything of those we follow: What they ate, where they’ve visited and what they look like in a bikini. Black bikers circled the area in May for Black Bike Week, and boot scuff marks were found throughout the old Pavilion site in June when the Carolina Country Music Fest came calling.
Our staff members saturated the Grand Strand, looking for the stories that meant the most to you. Some tackled a hot news topic while others opened our eyes to some great features.
Below is a narrowed down list of some of our top stories of the year and we would like our readers to pick the best of the year:
Vote for your favorite here.
COVER STORY | Anti-Social Media
Talking to those who have boycotted social media
Written by: Kevin Hoover
Over 2 billion social media accounts fill our world with 15.5 billion tweets, 2.2 billion images and 139.5 billion likes per month. The staggering amount of information that bombards us every day through social media is barely comprehendible. Even more numbing is that social media is reported to be the third largest source for news in America. Despite the vast popularity of sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, the latest trend is to boycott one or all of the sites altogether.
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COVER STORY | Atlantic Beach Bikefest: Beyond the Barricade
A deeper look at Black Bike Week
Written by: Derrick Bracey
There have been plenty of words said and written about the shootings of last May’s Atlantic Beach Bikefest. But since last year, new words and phrases have entered our national lexicon – Ferguson, Black Lives Matter and I Can’t Breathe. Names like Freddie Gray and Walter Scott have become common to daily discussions. More often than not, these discussions exist in a bubble, devoid of historical perspective or the logistics involved before and after an incident occurs. This is not one of those discussions. This discussion takes you into the history of Atlantic Beach, leading up to last year’s debacle, and heads into this year’s event on the Grand Strand. This discussion will also take a deeper look at color – the color green – the color of money.
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COVER STORY | Behind the Scenes: Opening Day of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans
A look at what goes in to making sure Opening Day in Minor League Baseball goes off without a hitch
Written by: Rebecca Robertson
Before the first crack of the bat rings out or the savory aroma of hot dogs waifs into the air, fans of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans only have one concern prior to opening day- getting a ticket. Opening day at TicketReturn.com Field typically sells out for the minor league baseball team, with nearly 6,600 fans in attendance. The staff projects no less on April 9th, when the Myrtle Beach Pelicans open the season against the Wilmington Blue Rocks.
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COVER STORY | Healing Hooves: Inside the Fedelis Foundation
A look at the Fedelis Foundation and its impact
For two hours on Sundays, magic happens at Jennifer LeFever’s JL Equine Center at Double C Ranch in Myrtle Beach. But you won’t find magicians or illusionists here – no levitation, no sleight-of-hand – no deception of any sort. What you will find are horses, children, volunteers and a group of remarkable women.
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COVER STORY | Hashtags and Hollandaise: Instagram and the Culinary World
Photoing your food before consumption
Kevin Levine, executive chef at Scatori’s Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant in Myrtle Beach, was perfectly content using Facebook as his go-to social media platform – promoting the restaurant and posting photos of his culinary creations there. He was comfortable with Facebook and frankly far too busy in the kitchen to think about much else. But at the prodding of friends and regular customers at Scatori’s, Levine took the plunge and tentatively opened an Instagram account. He had no idea what to expect. Nine months and more than 3600 followers later, Levine has become a de facto evangelist for Instagram when it comes to the art of food. He has since posted more than 1800 photos, a number that increases daily with multiple posts.
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COVER STORY | Home, But Not Forgotten
Programs and services for military veterans throughout the Grand Strand
Chris Tourtellotte, aka Turtle, has a heart for veterans because he is a combat veteran himself. Having served in the Army for eight years, including a total of 24 months in Vietnam, Tourtellotte is the recipient of the Purple Heart for injuries sustained as a result of a rocket propelled grenade explosion. He also holds a Bronze Star and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. In 1984, he said he went to the VA for help with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD] and later became a liaison between the VA and veterans to help make sure they got help too. But that was only the beginning.
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COVER STORY | When Country Comes Callin’
The inaugural year for the Carolina Country Music Festival
When the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce, the trademark owner of the now defunct Myrtle Beach Sun Fun Festival, announced in 2012 it would discontinue the event, at least for the foreseeable future, some nostalgic locals lamented the loss. This had been the “official” kick-off to summer every year, for more than a half-century, and many Myrtle Beach merchants, too, wondered how the City could celebrate instead. The closing of the 58-year-old Pavilion Amusement Park in 2006, along with a recession beginning in 2007, dealt additional blows to area business people wondering what might motivate new early-season visitation to Myrtle Beach, and keep some sizzle in the summer. The $7-mil Myrtle Beach Boardwalk helped, but would it be enough? Oddly, it was at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, held in Charlotte, N.C., where a pivotal meeting took place between entities hoping to revitalize the start to the summer season on the Grand Strand, and capitalize on the built-in crowds. Boy Howdy, did they come up with a grand plan.
Vote for your favorite here.
This story was originally published December 24, 2015 at 12:08 AM with the headline "Surge readers to pick story of 2015."