We’re getting closer to finding out what’s happening with CCMF in Myrtle Beach. New detail
Myrtle Beach’s largest, most-anticipated event could get the boot if elected leaders and organizers feel the current health crisis poses too much of a threat to public safety, with the area still considered a COVID-19 hot spot.
The Myrtle Beach City Council will be providing an update on the status of Carolina Country Music Fest during its regularly scheduled meeting on Aug. 11. Currently, large gatherings and concerts are prohibited from being held, per S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster’s current orders.
Mayor Brenda Bethune has previously stated that conversations with festival organizers have been ongoing since the event was postponed from June to September due to the coroanvirus pandemic. In a July 8 email correspondence with The Sun News, she said they were considering whether the concert would be a good idea for the health of all involved.
Bethune also noted there would need to be a significant change in the number of new cases before the event could move forward.
“We are aware of the concerns and the fact that the concert isn’t allowed under the governor’s current orders,” she said. “We can’t predict when he might lift that restriction, but we must still act with safety in mind.”
Officials said festival runners would provide a presentation during the August meeting, with a plan on how to move forward.
Carolina County Music Fest has become a staple in Myrtle Beach since its inception in 2015, attracting more than 30,000 country music fans who come dressed to party in cowboy boots and country garb. The annual event is held at Burroughs & Chapin Pavilion Place on Ocean Boulevard between 8th and 9th avenues North.
The lineup for this year’s event features 30 country bands and artists, including headliners Luke Combs, Darius Rucker, Eric Church and Jake Owen. Kelsea Ballerini, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, and Joe Nichols are also scheduled to perform.
The annual four-day outdoor concert was originally scheduled for June 4-7, but the spread of COVID-19, and the passing of country singer Joe Diffie, who was slated to perform at CCMF and died of coronavirus complications, forced festival runners to postpone to Sept. 17-20.
However, since the postponement announcement was made in April, COVID-19 has only become more prevalent in Myrtle Beach with cases and deaths rising significantly shortly after the city reopened to tourism. The area was also labeled a coronavirus hot spot by S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on June 8.
While a recent face mask mandate in both Myrtle Beach and the surrounding areas has resulted in a slight downward shift in cases, the ongoing pandemic is still cause for concern with testing a priority and daily cases still regularly reported in the triple-digits.
“That’s true, and we are pleased that is the case,” City Manager John Pedersen said about the slight decline in cases. “I cannot anticipate whether the governor will change his position on such gatherings.”
Currently, there is no statewide mask order.
Horry County, which is home to Myrtle Beach, has reported over 7,000 since the start of June, only two weeks after the area reopened to tourism. In total, the county has had 7,548 confirmed coronavirus cases and nearly 104 deaths since the first was reported in mid-March.
Across South Carolina, cases have climbed to 82,071 and there have been 1,452 reported deaths because of COVID-19, DHEC reports, as of Mondy.
As it stands, all previously purchased tickets and parking passes will still be honored for the rescheduled dates.
However, tickets are non-refundable. Festival runners encourage those to sell their tickets to others if they can’t attend the new dates. A Facebook page has been created for ticket exchanges, with a link on the CCMF website for ticket authentication and transfers once a deal is made.
This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 1:20 PM.
