Day: February 26, 2018

The Blue Angels and More Landing in The Market Common April 28 -29 by Melissa LaScaleia The Wings Over Myrtle Beach air show is coming to the Market Common for the first time this April with plans to become an annual event.  Organized and executed by Air Force veteran John Cowman, it will feature performances by the world famous Blue Angels Jet Demonstration Squadron, the USAF F-16 Viper Demo Team, and GEICO Skytypers Air Show Team.  John owns his own air show management company based out of Rome, Georgia and produces multiple air shows per year. “I was in the Air Force for thirty-seven years,” he tells the Insider in an interview.  “I’m retired now.  I was one of five crew members on C-130’s.  I worked as a loadmaster, and my job was to take care of the weight and balance for the plane— all of the loading and unloading.  I was also the air-drop guy.  I managed everything that gets dropped out of the plane from the air onto the ground.”  “I also did big air shows in the military,” John continues.  “I was kind of like a projects officer.  In the military, they have events called open houses, in which people can come in from the outside to see what’s going on, and they include air shows.  And I helped to organize a lot of these.”  John was born in Brunswick, Georgia.  After he retired from the Air Force, he stuck close to his Southern roots and decided to put his skills to work by opening his own air show management company.  He created Wings Over North Georgia in Rome and Wings Over Golden Isles in Brunswick, and is now adding Myrtle Beach to his list.  A view from the ground. What’s in store for spectators next month. – Photo courtesy of Blue Angels. “There’s more than 300 air shows that take place in North America every year,” he tells me.  “But there’s very few people who would undertake the risk that I do.  Most are military or community events; ours is private, and there’s a lot of liability involved.”  To build a show in which a private company is responsible for everything is very unique, but John believes it’s the trend of the future, that veterans like him will begin to follow.  “It’s a business,” he says, “and you have to treat it like one.  It’s a very expensive undertaking to produce a show of the magnitude and caliber that we do.  It’s much like Nascar coming to town.  And few people have the skill set to know what to do in terms of creating a world class air show.”  To hold a show, John and his company basically build a city from scratch.  He hires performers, and organizes all of the logistics with their travel, accommodations, and other services that they’ll need during the show.  He organizes the vendors, handles the marketing, sales, advertising, as well as tending to what is needed for the practical implementation of a large scale event in terms of patron services.  He also organizes all of the Federal Aviation Administration regulations, and works with the community as well as the medical, law enforcement, and firefighter teams to ensure the smooth running the weekend of the event.  Retired USAF veteran John Cowman is putting his skills to work to bring a top-tier show to Market Common. – Photo courtesy of Blue Angels. “It’s a lot of work,” John says.  “But with my career in the military, it was like I put myself through air show school.”  The Myrtle Beach show will see representation from all five branches of the military as well as civilian aerobatic performers.  The Blue Angels are the United States Navy active duty premier jet demonstration team.  They are the recruitment and marketing leg of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.  “We have the ‘who’s who’ of the world aerobatic performers at this show,” John adds.    Wings Over Myrtle Beach Wings Over Myrtle Beach will take place at 1250 Airdrome Ave, in the Market Common, April 28-29, 11am-5pm.  Same show both days.  Visit their site for tickets and more info.   Internet-explorer

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day Here by Melissa LaScaleia There’s a great way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year in the Market Common— with Irish Fest.  Mike Shank envisioned and organized the start of the festival here nine years ago. Mike owns his own company called Festival Promotions.  He has been organizing and promoting popular events in Myrtle Beach for the past twenty years— events like the Turkey Trot, Oktoberfest, the Wine Festival, and the Myrtle Beach Marathon. He says of Irish Fest: “It’s something that wasn’t happening that I thought people would enjoy.  St. Patrick’s Day seemed like a natural time to have a festival to me.  It’s a built-in holiday, a time when people like to get together and want do something. The traditions of Irish Fest live on: (from top to bottom) beer, green smiles, and live music “At the time when I first created it, Market Common had just been built, and they created a great space for events.  I saw an opportunity to add some events in Myrtle Beach, because there weren’t a ton at the time.” Mike began working with the Market Common as a way to bring people from the outside to its doors. “People love coming to festivals at the Market Common, they love coming to the Market Common in general, experiencing the restaurants and the shopping,” he says.  “I saw the longterm potential of Market Common in terms of its growth— the amount of people and businesses that would be out here.  Nine years ago, I envisioned what we see today, people bringing golf carts to the events, and support for these festivals coming from those who live here.” This year’s event will feature live music all day.  Three bands will take turns on one stage— a mix of Irish music by Paul Grimshaw as well as other artists from different genres. There will be inflatable bouncy zones, a petting zoo, and face painting for the younger set or the young at heart, a variety of craft beers, and over forty vendors offering crafts, food, and an assortment of beverages.  Some of the food vendors will be selling authentic Irish food. The main sponsors of this year’s Irish Fest are: the Market Common, The Sun News, Maguire Law Firm and PNC Bank. “The response has been great,” Mike says.  “It’s exceeded all my expectations.  It’s a really family oriented event, and the sponsors have been great.” Festival-goers enjoying the Springtime weather at last year’s Irish Fest. – Photo courtesy of Katherine Taylor. Wondering when to go?  In the past, retirees come both early and later in the day; families more towards the middle; and a younger crowd arrives later in the day. Don’t forget to show your spirit and wear green. What does Mike appreciate the most about his own event? “I like that it’s outside, and it’s festive,” he says. “People come to have a good time and they can relax.  It’s a positive atmosphere.  It’s different every year– the crowd makes it, and their energy shapes the event.” Irish Fest Irish Fest, at Grand Park in the Market Common, Saturday, March 17, 11am-7pm.  Family friendly event.  Free admission.  Free parking in the garages.

Empowering The Girls of The Grand Strand by Melissa LaScaleia Girls On The Run is a national, 501(c)(3) nonprofit, after-school program dedicated to the empowerment of elementary and middle school girls in the Grand Strand area.  Girls are taught fitness in a creative way that inspires them to be the best versions of themselves, is non-competitive, and fun.  They also learn tools to help them navigate social interactions with their peers. Kerri Oxendine and Paige Cribb are volunteer coaches for Girls on the Run at St. James Elementary School in Murrells Inlet and share with the Insider more about what the program does for these youngsters, as well as what it means to them personally. “I have a heart for young girls, and community is a big deal to me,” Coach Kerri says.  “When I found out about this program, I called and asked how I could be involved. “This has been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had.  Watching these girls grow over a ten-week period is one of the most exciting things I’ve ever seen.” The program uses running to motivate the girls to realize that they can set and achieve goals, and instills confidence through accomplishment.  At the end of the season, the girls are physically prepared to complete a celebratory 5k running event which they do with their families and other neighboring Girls On the Run teams. Before the start of the November 2017 5k. The girls get energized before the event by dressing up with face paint and hair dye. There’s a DJ to give it a real party atmosphere. “They can run, walk, dance or skip it, but they keep going, and they get it done,” Coach Kerri says.  “It’s a fantastic high-energy event.  A lot of the girls paint their face and color their hair. “When they complete the run, it’s a defining moment for them because it turns a theory into a tangible.  What seemed impossible at the beginning is now possible.” “The other aspect of the program, the really cool part,” says Coach Paige, “is that we’re teaching the girls life lessons with physical activity woven in, and through games that we play, we impart skills.  That’s the strong point of our program. “We address the challenges that face them at that age, and teach them techniques to help them better handle situations like bullying, peer pressure, gossiping, clicks and jealousy.  How to confront a situation in which you have a good friend and make a new one and the old one is jealous.  We teach them how to embrace each other’s differences rather than issuing put-downs.” Coach Paige, a golf professional at Coastal Carolina University, became involved in the program when her niece, a third-grader wanted to repeat the program.  There were no coaches available, so Paige volunteered. The girls at the Surfside Beach Christmas parade this past season. Kerri Oxendine far right. “It is a ton of fun,” she says.  “I get as much out of it as the girls do.” The program teaches the girls to be intentional in their choices, and reflective about the choices they make to learn about themselves.  They cover positive self-talk, and how to eliminate negative self-talk. “They try to instill gratitude as well as healthy habits.  They give lessons on nutrition and the importance of making healthy food choices, as well as getting adequate sleep and exercise, and getting away from too much screen time. “We teach compassion, caring, and especially confidence,” Coach Paige says.  “Because already at that age they think about not being pretty.  Already at this age they are afraid of taking action because they’re afraid to make mistakes. “We teach them to take responsibility for their actions and help them see what they can they learn from a situation and do differently next time, rather than seeking perfection. “We teach them realism, that every day won’t be their best, but as with anything in life, it’s about moving forward.  It’s not that different from living life as an adult with these 3rd and 4th grade girls.” “And there are a lot of teaching moments that aren’t in the curriculum,” Coach Kerri adds. St. James Runner Sophie after the 5k race, reminds us of wise words to live by. Another key element of the program is the community impact project.  The girls as a team choose a group of people or a cause that is important to them, and then come up with a way to serve those people or cause to make a positive impact.  The purpose is to give them a sense of empowerment— to choose, plan and execute the project. In the past, the girls voted to take better care of nature.  They collected pine cones, which they covered in peanut butter and rolled in bird seed to hang on the trees to help feed the birds— their way of compensating for natural habitat destruction. Another time, one of the program participants had cancer, which inspired the girls to be more aware of other children suffering from the same disease.  The situation gave them the idea to write letters of comfort and cheer to children at MUSC in Charleston. “We are trying to build more awareness of this program,” Coach Kerri says.  “We just want people to be aware that this is here, this is out here.” Girls on the Run   For more info, contact executive director Danelle Greer 412-480-7177.  Facebook Phone Internet-explorer