Myrtle Beach: New Amusement Park Ready To Test Waters In North Myrtle

[The Interpreter]

That's what the headline and article says. Sounds more like a relatively permanent carnival, though:

...The park, which includes a Ferris wheel and small roller coaster, will be open through Labor Day weekend, Lazarus said. Plans are to operate a full summer schedule next year, he said.The park is a joint venture with H.G. Worley Jr., who owns the land with his family and is the son of Horry County Councilman Harold Worley. The rides are provided by a firm called Dreamland Amusements and will be taken down when the park closes.

Marc Jordan, president and CEO of the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber plans to work with the park planners to see about making the park site a permanent location as they prepare for next season....

Name | O.D. Pavilion and Amusement Park

...Address | 90 S. Ocean Blvd. (at the Horseshoe), North Myrtle Beach

Hours | 4 to 11 p.m. daily (park times may vary with seasons)

Cost | $1.25 per ticket; can buy a book of tickets

Rides | Ferris wheel, swing, slide, carousel, bumper cars, circus train, kiddie roller coaster, tea cup ride, dino ride, games

Food | Funnel cake trailer, popper stand with candy apples and cotton candy

Web site | www.odpavilion.com

http://www.thesunnews.com/news/local/story/1003065.html

Lots more on this:

http://www.wmbfnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=10823458

[The Interpreter]

North Myrtle Beach Amusement Park opens with strong attendance:

...One of the great things about the O.D. Amusement Park was that it was wide open with no entry fees. Neither high fences nor barriers obscured the view from the outside. Passer-byers were able to not only smell the pop corn popping and the funnel cake cooking but also hear the screams of delight from the city side walks but also to walk in, watch the fun and participate.

The view from the top of the Ferris Wheel was spectacular. The sky was blue and the day was sunny. Off in the near by distance the ocean could be seen as an emerald green with white wave crests washing upon the beach. Swimmers were enjoying the water and children were skimming down the City’s three story water slide. ...

http://www.northmyrtlebeachonline.com/modu...hp?storyid=1693

[The Interpreter]

A new amusement park in North Myrtle Beach is boosting business in the Grand Strand.

The O.D. Pavillion and Amusement Park on Ocean Drive opened up a few weeks ago and several business owners nearby say it's already helping them reel in customers.

The owner of Wheel Fun Rentals, Duke Hagestrom, says he has seen a dramatic increase in sales since the park opened. Other business owners, like Roy Baransky, who has an ice cream shop next door, agrees.

Baransky and Hagestrom said the park is a great way families can bond while helping the economy....

http://www.wmbfnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=11011124

[violakat03]

It's interesting to see how well the no entry fee parks are working out. It seems that they are really good at attracting people but they only attract each family a limited number of times per summer (instead of places you can buy a season pass to). I know as an enthusiast, I like no-entry-fee parks because if I just want to ride the coaster once for the credit, I can buy the necessary number of tickets, ride it, and move on. Rather than paying the same admission as a person planning to spend the entire day, which is why we skipped Kiddieland in Chicago. We felt that $20 a person was a bit much to get a junior coaster credit. Had we been able to buy tickets for it, we'd have gone for it.