After the drama, North Myrtle Beach says St. Patrick’s Day event ‘went very well’
After back and forth between local restaurant owners and the City of North Myrtle Beach over a parade permit, the St. Patrick’s Day pub crawl went well, the city said.
Thousands of people, mostly without masks and dressed in green, packed Main Street for the event starting at 10 a.m. Saturday. It was billed first as a parade, then a bar crawl, aimed at supporting local shops and restaurants. Leading up to the event the city warned organizers about hosting an unpermitted golf cart parade.
But the event went on without any major complaints about health and safety from the city or police.
North Myrtle Beach spokesman Pat Dowling told The Sun News that “overall, it went very well.” He thanked the North Myrtle Beach police and public works employees who kept the event safe and clean.
No parade allowed
In February, the city called off its St. Patrick’s Day parade and festival because of the pandemic. The event was also canceled last year.
Weldon Boyd, who owns Buoys on the Boulevard, started planning his own parade down Main Street, until the City of North Myrtle Beach issued a warning, saying the parade he planned was not permitted by the city, and therefore, is illegal.
“What started out as a ‘St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl’ with golf carts as transport has now escalated to a parade featuring all manner of entries,” a letter sent to Boyd states.
In two Facebook videos, Boyd admitted to organizing a golf cart parade but said the city was aware of his plans. In his second video, which garnered more than 600 comments and 244 shares, Boyd played an audio recording of him talking to city employees at city hall when he went there seeking a permit. He left without one but said two city employees gave him verbal permission to have the event, including the parade.
In the audio, which was recorded on a phone, you can hear Boyd talking with two people about his event, including what he refers to as a “golf cart parade.” Boyd can be heard explaining the pub crawl and then asking about where golf carts are allowed to be driven.
Dowling said Boyd referred to the event in many different ways during the conversation with the employees.
“That wasn’t a discussion about a parade,” Dowling said of Boyd’s audio recording. “That was a discussion about what golf carts are allowed to do on Main Street. And in the middle of it, he decided to use that as getting permission to hold the parade.”
Under the city’s Code of Ordinances, an individual must fill out an application and get approval from council to have a parade. Boyd did not leave town hall with a permit, Dowling said.
Businesses needed the event
In his first video on the subject, Boyd said St. Patrick’s Day is a crucial day for small businesses since Main Street does not have much traffic during winter months.
“When we lost the parade last year, it hurt. It did hurt. But when you lose the parade this year, it hurts beyond what a lot of us can understand,” Boyd said, noting that businesses still have bills to pay and need the revenue to stay afloat.
The city also posted the contents of the letter on Facebook to warn people that the parade is unpermitted, Dowling said. The statement, along with the letter, states that the city has not granted permission for anyone to have a parade.
In his first video, Boyd said the event was not planned in defiance of the city but is something small businesses need.
Saturday’s event
On Saturday, Main Street was packed with people and golf carts making their way from restaurant to restaurant.
There was no organized parade, but restaurants were packed all day. The city recently lifted its rarely enforced mask mandate inside restaurants and few people wore masks inside or outside during the event.
A heavy police presence monitored the area, making a few arrests for public intoxication, driving under the influence and consumption of alcohol by minors.
