16-foot-tall tree approved for Holidays on the Boardwalk in Myrtle Beach
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas along the Myrtle Beach boardwalk where Santa Claus, the Grinch, winter princesses like Elsa and Anna of Frozen fame and an 16-foot-tall tree - which organizers weren’t sure they would be allowed to have - will soon take center stage.
Lights and decorations were going up last week along the boardwalk as crews prepared for the six-week festive tradition Holidays on the Boardwalk. The yuletide event opens at noon Saturday with several new features this year, including more lights, new characters and a tree that stirred up a little pre-show excitement Tuesday.
Peggy Iverson -- executive director of the Oceanfront Merchants Association, which hosts the event -- said organizers learned Monday that the towering evergreen they planned to use was not listed in their event permit.
The tree was on its way from Virginia on Tuesday as organizers hoped and waited for permission from the city.
Iverson said they learned shortly after 12 p.m. Tuesday that the tree had been approved.
The evergreen will be the largest one yet to be showcased at the 4-year-old event. Organizers planned to start setting it up Wednesday. The tree lighting ceremony will be held at 5:30 p.m. Saturday in Plyler Park at North Ocean Boulevard and Mr. Joe White Avenue.
DeAnn Sarver founded the Holidays on the Boardwalk event with her husband Rick Sarver in 2012.
“We just felt like off-season, there wasn’t anything going on and it’s such a beautiful time year,” she said. “We needed something here to make it festive and fun for the snowbirds and the locals.”
So the boardwalk was transformed into a holiday winter wonderland alive with trackless train rides, camel rides, entertainers and Santa on a Harley. The Sarvers have seen the event grow each year.
Now, more than 30,000 lights will illuminate a 2,000-foot stretch of the Myrtle Beach boardwalk as children line up to see Santa and Boardwalk Elvis rocks in a “White Christmas.”
“It excites your spirit because you see the lights and you see the fun and … you see all the kids” with their faces aglow and dressed up dogs doing tricks, DeAnn Sarver said. And “who doesn’t like cookies and hot chocolate on a cool evening?”
DeAnn Sarver’s favorite event will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. Dec. 20 – the Community Candlelight Caroling in Plyler Park. The event will feature a nativity scene and a scavenger hunt that encourages traffic through local businesses.
The six-week holiday festival kicks off at noon Saturday with camel rides and Polar Express train rides and Hi Striker Games at Ninth Avenue North and Ocean Boulevard.
The “Lighting of the Boardwalk” will start with appearances from Mrs. Claus, the elves, superheroes and winter princesses near the I Love Sugar Stage in Plyler Park at noon Saturday. Santa is set to arrive on his motorcycle with the Grinch causing mayhem at 6:30 p.m. to kick off the lighting ceremony with Ripley’s Ruckus Drum Line at 7 p.m.
Saturday evening’s entertainers on the I Love Sugar Stage include Pamela Cannon-Cook with Next Level Showcase Talents, Carolina Vocals and a special performance from Charity Elise.
Santa Claus will be on the boardwalk each Saturday until Dec. 19, according to the Holidays on the Boardwalk lineup.
Iverson said that the festival will feature new games for kids and more characters than in years past. Live music will be held on the Oceanfront Stage at Ninth Avenue North and Ocean Boulevard and on the stage at Plyler Park.
Elvis will be offering a “White Christmas” at 5:30 p.m. every Sunday on the oceanfront stage, Iverson said.
Talented pooches will be on parade in the Santa Paws Doggie Costume contest from 2 to 4 p.m. Dec. 5 in Plyler Park. Proceeds from the contest will benefit the Grand Strand Humane Society.
A Christmas movie with popcorn and hot chocolate is set to be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 12 in Plyler Park.
“We plan it pretty much all year long,” Iverson said, and for all of the volunteers who bring Holidays on the Boardwalk together, it’s a labor of love.
“You can’t help but get into the Christmas spirit when you start seeing everything come together,” Iverson said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
To see a lineup of the Holidays on the Boardwalk events, visit http://bit.ly/1PMl2Od.
Weaver: 843-444-1722; @TSNEmily
This story was originally published November 24, 2015 at 9:55 AM with the headline "16-foot-tall tree approved for Holidays on the Boardwalk in Myrtle Beach."