Celebrate Myrtle Beach MayFest/Military Appreciation Month

To help visitors, locals and military personnel save money from April 27-May 31, your Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce is asking businesses to send in two different discounts:

• One discount for visitors/locals
• One discount for active/retired military
  (Discounts must be different to be posted.)

Log on to Myrtle Beach MayFest to submit your discounts for Myrtle Beach MayFest/Military Appreciation Month. Discounts will be posted on MyrtleBeachMayFest.com, distributed at military bases within our 3-6 hour drive range, and handed out at our chamber welcome centers. Free to participate! Deadline to send in discounts is April 13, 2012.

Surfside Beach Candidates Forum

March 29 ~ 4-6 p.m.
Holiday Inn Oceanfront at Surfside Beach, 1601 N. Ocean Blvd.
Go and hear what your candidates running for mayor and Surfside Beach Town Council have to say about issues affecting your business and community. General election is Tuesday, April 3. Free event. Register online.

2012 Memorial Day Weekend Parade

May 26, 2012
10 a.m.–12 p.m.
The Memorial Day Weekend Parade begins at 27th Avenue North and continues south to 9th Avenue North in downtown Myrtle Beach. Everyone loves a parade especially one with military units, high school marching bands, antique cars, walking groups, floats and more! Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce is seeking businesses interested in sponsoring floats for military and veteran groups. To sponsor a float or enter the parade and promote your business or group, go online today!

Parade Grand Marshal
Major General Robert E. Livingston, Jr. serves as head of the Military Department of the state of South Carolina. He administers the affairs of the South Carolina Army and Air National Guard, Emergency Management Division, State Guard, Youth Challenge and Americorp.

GrandStrandRestaurants.com Culinary Event f.l.a.v.o.r. Returns April 5 to Myrtle Beach Convention Center

MBACC presents free event featuring more than 30 Myrtle Beach area restaurants, celebrity chefs Bobby and Jamie Deen and more.

The Grand Strand’s premier spring culinary event, f.l.a.v.o.r, will return for its second year to the Myrtle Beach Convention Center on April 5. The culinary event f.l.a.v.o.r. stands for fresh, local, appetizing, valuable, original, restaurants, and is presented by the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by GrandStrandRestaurants.com and Myrtle Beach Mobile. This year’s f.l.a.v.o.r. will feature more than 30 area restaurants serving up a variety of samples from their menus and welcomes The Cooking Channel and Food Network stars Bobby and Jamie Deen for event attendees to meet and greet.

Enjoy beer and wine gardens, wine tastings as you sample food from along the Grand Strand. Those attending will also have the opportunity to take a photo with and receive signed autographs from Bobby and Jamie Deen – sons of Southern cooking queen Paula Deen.

Bobby Deen’s show on The Cooking Channel, “Not My Mama’s Meals,” brings some of his family’s favorite Southern recipes to the table with his healthier, lighter approach to cooking, and  Jamie Deen recently shot his first solo pilot “Home For Dinner with Jamie Deen” for The Food Network. Together, the two have published four books, “The Deen Bros. Cookbook-Recipes from the Road” released in 2007, “Y’all Come Eat” in 2008, “Take It Easy” in 2009 and “Get Fired Up” in 2011, available for purchase at the event.

The Deen brothers will be involved in the judging aspect of the event, where participating chamber restaurants will have the opportunity to compete for the title of “Best Flavor” along with a $1,000 cash prize and bragging rights. Proceeds will help benefit four lucky culinary students from Horry Georgetown Technical College with a scholarship donation.

The event, taking place in Exhibit Hall A, is free and open to the public from 5-8:30 p.m. Food tickets for samples are $1 each, with most samples ranging from one to three tickets.

For more information about f.l.a.v.o.r. visit GrandStrandRestaurants.com or call (843) 626-7444.

Hospitality Day at the Statehouse

The hospitality industry’s day to network with state legislators and showcase the industry’s importance on the state’s economy is set for April 18 from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Statehouse. All hotel and restaurant operators are encouraged to attend to make sure lawmakers understand how the laws and regulations they are debating will impact their businesses. Hospitality Day at the Statehouse, featuring a ”Taste of South Carolina,” draws restaurants from all across the state to serve a taste of their menu specialties. Transportation to and from the event will be provided. Learn More

Trio Dinner

April 16 ~ 6:30 p.m.
Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Hotel
Trio Dinner partners a local chef with culinary arts students to create some memorable entrees. The event is important to the Grand Strand culinary arts programs as a portion of the proceeds go to MBAHA scholarship funds directed at hospitality and culinary education. More than $18,000 has been contributed to MBAHA’s educational endeavors since the program’s inception. Tickets are $85 per person; $160 per couple; $600 table of eight; $750 table of 10 (includes reserved seating and sponsor recognition on table). Sponsorship opportunities start at $750. Learn More

f.l.a.v.o.r. – A Sampling of the Grand Strand’s Cuisine

f.l.a.v.o.r.
Thursday, April 5, from 5-8:30 p.m.
Myrtle Beach Convention Center, Exhibit Hall A
f.l.a.v.o.r., which stands for Fresh, Local, Appetizing, Valuable, Original, Restaurants, will feature more than 30 restaurants featuring their most appetizing menu items. There will be a beer and wine garden, and wine tastings. The event is free and open to the public. Food samples will average one to three tickets, with each food ticket costing $1.
Reserve Your Free Space Today!
1) Participating restaurants will receive 50 percent of the cash total of the tickets they collect.
2) $275 registration fee is comped for MBACC restaurant members.
3) Opportunity to promote your restaurant to chamber members and 5,000+ locals and visitors.
4) Free advertising in a two-week print ad in the Waccamaw Publishers papers with coupon space.
5) Opportunity to have one of your food samples judged with winner receiving $1,000 cash prize and bragging rights!
6) Registration deadline March 16. Register today.

Myrtle Beach Celebrates Annual Canadian-American Days March 10-18

2012 Can-Am Days features events, concerts throughout entire Grand Strand

This March the Myrtle Beach area is celebrating the 51st annual Canadian-American Days by welcoming Canadian and American visitors with a lineup of fun events, giveaways, discounts and concerts taking place along the Grand Strand.

From March 10-18, Can-Am Days attendees can choose from a variety of largely free events and activities including band concerts, the festival celebration expo, St. Patrick’s Day parade and dance and much more. Discounts and special offers are also available for area attractions, restaurants, golf and services.

”Can-Am Days celebrates our snowbird visitors, who escape the cold and snow for the moderate climate and wealth of attractions in the Myrtle Beach area,” said Brad Dean, MBACC president and CEO. ”Many of these visitors have been traveling to our destination for decades, and we strive to create new memories for each generation with community festivals and events.”

Can-Am Days draws as many as 100,000 Canadian visitors and snowbirds. The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce introduced Canada Days in 1961 to attract Canadian families during their spring school break. The name was changed to Canadian-American Days in 1963, and it is regarded as the first international festival organized in South Carolina.

A complete event listing for the 51st Annual Canadian-American Days can be found on GrandStrandEvents.com/CanAmDays.