Bikefest, floods, murders: Stories dominating the last decade in the Myrtle Beach area
Historic flooding that left sections of Horry County under water and Bikefest engines revving up in Myrtle Beach led headlines throughout the past decade around the Grand Strand.
Looking back at the last 10 years of news in the Myrtle Beach area, growth has been evident, hurricanes and floods have shaken communities and local sports teams have celebrated major championships.
Myrtle Beach headlines at the start of 2010 detailed that growth dominated the previous decade — and 2010 would be a recovery year for jobs and real estate. Tourism was beginning to bounce back following the Great Recession, but Horry County’s unemployment rate was still in the double digits, compared to less than 3 percent as of November 2019, the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce reports.
The Associated Press reported at the end of 2010 that it was the year shoppers came back out. And a Sun News article wrapping up 2010 states tourism in Myrtle Beach was better than expected. “It’s going to be a long time before the area booms again like it did in the mid-decade, but there are signs that the Grand Strand is on its way to a full recovery,” the December 2010 story reads. “Tourism far surpassed expectations this summer, despite a slow start.”
From there, growth carried on, including at a continuously expanding Market Common and new-home-filled Carolina Forest. But a lack of development still lingers in areas of Myrtle Beach at the Superblock, the empty mall site between Kings Highway and Oak Street and the empty former Pavilion site. However, there are new attractions and entertainment to the area: Carolina Country Music Fest, which started in 2015 and is held at the old Pavilion site, and the city’s annual food truck festival.
Over the last few years, more and more bikers are seen in North Myrtle Beach during Bikefest, as thinner crowds are riding down Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach. In 2014, three people died and several were injured in shootings during Bikefest. The following year, the City of Myrtle Beach implemented a 23-mile-long traffic loop to allow emergency vehicles to move easier and to help traffic to flow better along Ocean Boulevard.
The loop has led to the NAACP filing a lawsuit against the city, claiming discrimination against bikers. The case is ongoing.
During the last two Bikefest events, held over Memorial Day weekend, Myrtle Beach officials have called off the traffic loop, finding it unnecessary to use due to the low amount of traffic in the city.
Myrtle Beach has said goodbye to the Palace Theatre and Planet Hollywood near Broadway at the Beach — both were demolished mid-decade.
Storms, hurricanes, floods
At the start of the decade, the Myrtle Beach Marathon was canceled in February 2010 after a snow storm swept through the area. It was the first snow storm in a decade, bringing about four inches to the Myrtle Beach area.
Several years later, local government officials found themselves in conversations about flooding issues around parts of Horry County. Memorable floods from the decade happened after Hurricanes Florence and Matthew and during the Great Flood of 2015.
The devastation from the flooding caused millions of dollars worth of damage, putting families out of their homes, forcing them to rebuild or sell their properties.
Governments have held numerous meetings to discuss solutions to the flooding, but the lack of funding has held up any action.
A memorable cold snap from the decade was in January 2018.
Chief Meteorologist Ed Piotrowski with news partner WPDE said the extreme cold the area had in January 2018 lasted more than seven days.
“We never got out of the 30s and many nights were in the teens,” Piotrowski said. “It was the coldest seven-day stretch on record.”
Crime
The kidnapping of Heather Elvis in 2013 from Peachtree Landing in the Socastee area started a lengthy case that lasted into 2019.
Elvis’ disappearance almost immediately gathered local and national headlines. Within months, Tammy and Sidney Moorer were charged with her kidnapping. Prosecutors say Tammy Moorer grew jealous over an affair between Elvis and Sidney Moorer.
After four trials, both the Moorers were convicted of kidnapping and are now serving 30 years in prison. Elvis remains missing.
In 2017, a shooting on Myrtle Beach’s Ocean Boulevard went viral. There were no deaths, but a few people suffered injuries. The video, published in a live recording to Facebook, was shared to thousands of people.
Another shooting that gained national attention was after a 74-year-old man killed and injured police officers in 2018.
Fred Hopkins faces charges in connection to the murders of two Florence police officers and attempted murders of five other officers. Officers were going to Hopkins’ home where authorities were trying to execute a search warrant in connection to Hopkins’ son. Not long after law enforcement arrived, Hopkins began shooting at police, in which police returned gunfire.
First Floor saga
Drama in the local school district spanned a large part of the decade.
Horry County Schools’ board initially approved design plans for five new schools in September 2014, but after hearing a presentation from First Floor Energy CEO Robbie Ferris, the board changed its plans to seek the energy-efficient models Ferris presented.
The board then allowed four companies to bid on the projects in early 2015 with a budget set at $161.7 million, but awarded the contracts for all five schools to First Floor, despite it being the highest bidder at $220.6 million.
The district would later reveal that its selection process is the subject of an active state law enforcement investigation, as emails show Ferris communicated extensively with the district’s facilities director and an attorney contracted by the district prior to the approval of final design plans.
Sports
One of the biggest sports stories from the decade was Coastal Carolina University’s baseball team winning the College World Series in 2016. The Chants, who won the championship 4-3 against the Arizona Wildcats, did the improbable in its first trip to Omaha, Nebraska, for the College World Series, beating some of the nation’s top programs en route to the program’s first national title.
In other baseball news, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans ended a decade-plus-long affiliation with the Atlanta Braves as they lined up with the Texas Rangers from 2011 to 2014. In 2015, the Pelicans partnered with the Chicago Cubs, for whom they are the current Advance Class A affiliate.
The Myrtle Beach golf market experienced significant changes, as Founders Group International, led by investors from China, purchased 22 golf courses between September 2014 and April 2015 to take over approximately a quarter of the public-access courses on the Grand Strand.
Coastal Carolina alumnus and former Myrtle Beach resident Dustin Johnson reached the No. 1 ranking in the world in 2017 and held it for a total of 91 weeks over the next two-plus years.
When it comes to football, the Grand Strand has had its share of headlines, from high school to college to professional players who have been on area teams.
A pair of Coastal Carolina alumni made appearances in 2016 in the Super Bowl, as cornerback Josh Norman and fullback Mike Tolbert helped the Carolina Panthers to Super Bowl L, where they lost 24-10 to the Denver Broncos.
Two Horry County high school football teams won state championships in the same season in 2018. In Class A, Green Sea Floyds won its first-ever title, while Myrtle Beach claimed the Class 4A title.
This story was originally published December 30, 2019 at 12:56 PM.
