The American Pride Show will be replaced with Celebration '97 on February 17. It will be the same general style of show, and be produced by the same company, Opryland Productions. Alligator Adventure is closed until February 13. The popular attraction is readying several new exhibits, including one for a Komodo Dragon, one of the largest lizards in the world at ten feet long and 300 pounds. The owners of the Durham Bulls minor league baseball team are still taking a close look at Myrtle Beach.
Myrtle Beach is one of three cities being looked at.
Wilmington, N.C., just 70 miles from Myrtle beach, and Williamsburg, Virginia, are the other two locations. The team would like for its new city to build it a stadium, but Grand Strand area governments have been reluctant to commit any money, since other needs such as roads are more critical. The new expanded convention center in Myrtle Beach has been doing a booming business, with 1996 seeing twice the traffic as the previous year. Officials are talking about the need to double the center's size again, and build an adjacent hotel facility to further expand convention visits. South Carolina's conservative governor David Beasley, elected with much help from the Moral Majority, doesn't care for gambling, and wants to do something about the proliferating mini-casinos of video poker in the state, particularly along the Grand Strand.