Caching on Wednesday & a Hanging Around Thursday 10/15-16/2008

We set out on Thursday morning to do some caches in Myrtle Beach and to stop at A. C. Moore. Our first cache was at a small drive in hamburger joint called Ritzy's, behind a bush. The next cache was almost next door behind Hooter's in a tree. Next was a cache hidden in the playground at the Myrtle Beach Pelican's Baseball Field. Next was a cache 4 caches hidden off 21st Ave behind NASCAR Park. The first was located on a ridge in the woods, the second in a tree that had 4 trunks, third was in a fence post cap and the fourth was also on a fence post by a cell phone tower. Then we did a puzzle cache that had to do with the Pigpen Cipher and that was located off a dirt road in the woods. Next we did a cache at an oyster bar which was located under a bench on the front porch.
Our next cache was located on a back street in the heart of MB at the site of the still standing Rivoli Theater which opened in 1958. We fouund the cache in a palm tree and then read the history of the theater which was located on the front in the window casings. The Rivoli Theatre opened on Chester Street in Myrtle Beach on June 19, 1958. The first film shown was "This Happy Feeling" starring Debbie Reynolds. The property was owned by the Merle Investment Company of Charlotte, NC, and the theatre was operated by the Beach Corporation, headed by Wyatt L. Parker. James A. Porter was the first resident theatre manager. Costing $400,066, the theatre was designed by architect Harold J. Riddle and built by Crescent Beach contractor J.A. Baldwin. The two abstract figures, male and female, holding up the columns of the theatre facade, were commissioned by Mr. Riddle and created by artist Gerard Tempest. In the 70's Mr. Tempest left Myrtle Beach for New York and later Italy where he attained an international reputation in the art world. The figures are made of reinforced cement, and many coats of paint have covered them since their creation. Inside the Rivoli there also remains a bas-relief mural, artist unknown. With 1,078 seats, including a stadium-seating style balcony, the Rivoli boasted the latest in a four-channel stereophonic sound system, duplicated only in one other theatre at Ft. Collins, Colorado. Its screen measured 21 X 50 feet. The lobby featured terrazzo floors and walnut paneling. Of four other theatres in Myrtle Beach, the Rivoli alone featured a full-service refreshment stand. Youngsters were admitted to the Saturday matinee for five bottle caps, according to several Myrtle Beach natives. The high point in its history as a movie house came in 1967 with the world premiere of the movie "Don't Make Waves" starring Tony Curtis, Claudia Cardinale, Terry Moore, David Draper and Sharon Tate, who was murdered by the Manson family two years later. In 1999, the City of Myrtle Beach purchased the property for some $700,000 with intent to convert it to a 500-seat performing arts center, primarily as a venue for the many non-profit thespian, dance and musical groups in the community. Architect Steve Usry created a conceptual design for the new Rivoli and estimated the cost of construction at somewhat more than $3.5 million. According to the Usry design, the 200 stadium seats would be retained, and 300 orchestra seats would be added. The stage would be enlarged and an orchestra pit provided. The ceiling over the stage must be raised to provide for backstage flies. A wing added to the north side of the building would accommodate dressing rooms, rehearsal rooms or offices. In the front annex, adjacent to and accessible from the lobby, would be a visual art gallery. The theatre has undergone several reincarnations--most recently first as a children's theatre and then as a nightclub. Pursuing one of the strategies contained in the Arts Element of the City Comprehensive Plan, the City aims to convert it into a fledgling cultural arts center. Funds ($363,000) from the Carousel Horse auction will launch the effort to redesign and operate the landmark former moviehouse.
Our next 2 caches were located at the Original Myrtle Beach Colored School and the other one was at the Myrtle Beach Colored School Museum and Education Center. We found one on the sign and the other on a fence post. The Myrtle Beach Colored School, built in the early 1930s on Old Farm Road (now called Mr. Joe White Avenue) in the Booker T. Washington Community, provided a much needed educational center for rural African American studies in Myrtle Beach during the early twentieth century. African American students from surrounding areas would travel to the Myrtle Beach Colored School to get their education. The Myrtle Beach Colored School was a six-room frame building similar to the schools funded in part by the Julius Rosenwald Foundation. The school opened as early as 1932 with three teachers and 113 students in grades one through seven for a four month academic year from October to February. During the 1930s and 1940s, the school’s academic year expanded to eight months with as many as six teachers and 186 students in grades one through seven before World War II. Grades eight through twelve were added after 1945 and the school reached a peak of eight teachers and 241 students in 1953. Since its closure in the 1960s, a new school, Carver School, was built and the Myrtle Beach Colored School faded into the landscape of Myrtle Beach and the school eventually was used as a warehouse for Burroughs and Chapin Company, Incorporated. If you were not from the area or did not go to the school, you would never know that the old "warehouse" structure was an early 20th century African American educational center, and amid the growing Myrtle Beach economy, the forgotten icon began to deteriorate. In the summer of 2001, the Myrtle Beach Colored School was to be demolished to expand 10th avenue. Before the building was disassembled, a committee of former students and interested citizens formed The Historic Myrtle Beach Colored School Committee and began researching the history of the building and to determine if the structure could be safely moved to a new location. A local engineer studied the building (pro bono) and determined this would not be possible. The Myrtle Beach Colored School was disassembled in July 2001 to make room for the expansion of 10th Avenue North. The Committee secured donations from the City of Myrtle Beach, Burroughs & Chapin Co. Inc., Centex Homes, Horry County Schools and many other organizations that have funded the disassembly, relocation and rebuilding of the school. On June 15, 2005, the Myrtle Beach Colored School Museum and Education Center had its ceremonial groundbreaking with representatives from the City of Myrtle Beach, Burroughs and Chapin Company, Centex Homes, Horry County Schools, members of the community and former students of the school. On June 24, 2006, a ribbon cutting ceremony launched the opening of The Historic Myrtle Beach Colored School Museum and Education Center, located at the corner of Dunbar Street and Mr. Joe White Avenue, a block away from the school's original location. The building is a replication of the original four-room structure using some of the original building materials. We know it's not like some of the other historic places we have or as old as some of them but it was nice seeing some of the history of this area.
Those were our last 2 caches and we drove over to A.C. Moore and got a couple of things and then drove back to the house and had lunch. Mom did our cache logs and I worked on the blog and pictures. We went to dinner with Ed, Gina, & Steve to the Mellow Mushroom as we were looking for a place to have our goecaching Christmas party. The food was good but the restaurant itself won't work as it was noisy and the lighting stunk as you could hardly read the menu. After dinner we drove over to Logan's Restaurant, where we had had a previous meeting and decided to book them for the party on December 2nd. We went home took Muffy & raggs for a walk on the beach and I went to bed and Mom watched TV. Well until tomorrow we love you all. Mom & Dad


Picture List:1,2,3-Rivoli Theater, 4,5,6-Myrtle Beach Colored School Museum and Education Center, 7,8,9-Original site of the Myrtle Beach Colored School.