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Date	ArticleType
12/18/2008
Myrtle Beach Area Chamber Announces Spring, Summer 2009 Festival Dates
The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce announces the 2009 dates for its Canadian-American Days®, Sun Fun Festival® and Beach, Boogie & BBQ Festival®. These free, family-friendly festivals add even more fun to the already diverting and playful destination. In 2008 alone, Myrtle Beach earned such distinctions as Top 10 Family-Friendly Destinations (Weather.com), Top Family Destinations (Ask.com) and Top 10 Places for Families to Visit in the U.S. (Yahoo!). “Our peak-season festivals entertain crowds of more than 100,000 with free, top-notch performances and events,” said Brad Dean, MBACC president and CEO. “Visitors and locals alike can’t beat the national acts, activities, events, contests and spectator competitions—all without digging into their wallets.” The 48th annual Canadian-American Days will be held March 14-22, 2009, throughout the Myrtle Beach area. The nine-day line-up will feature events, activities and discounts, including welcome receptions, military band concerts, athletic tournaments and wildlife and history days. For more information, call (800) 356-3016 or visit CanAmDays.com. Canadian-American Days draws as many as 100,000 Canadian visitors and snow birds from Northern states. The MBACC introduced Canada Days in 1961 to attract Canadian families during their spring school break. The name was changed in 1963 to Canadian-American Days. It is regarded as the first international festival organized in South Carolina. The 58th annual Sun Fun Festival will be held June 4-8, 2009, throughout the Myrtle Beach area. The core festival, June 5-6, will take place at Grand Park across from The Market Common on the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base. The festival will feature live entertainment, Kids Zone, food and arts/crafts vendors and much more. For more information, call (800) 356-3016 or visit SunFunFestival.com. A popular festival, Sun Fun draws between 30,000 and 40,000 attendees. The first Sun Fun Festival, held in 1951, was conceived to attract vacationers during the period between the end of the school year and the July 4th holiday. That year, a handful of regional beauty queens, riding in Nash Ramblers, arrived in Myrtle Beach to add some luster to the 14 events that comprised the inaugural festival. The fourth annual Beach, Boogie & BBQ Festival will be held September 4-5, 2009, at Grand Park across from The Market Common. This Labor Day weekend festival, which draws between 50,000 and 60,000 attendees, will feature the official barbeque competition of South Carolina, Wheels at the Beach car show, live entertainment and Kids Zone among other events. For more information, call (800) 356-3016 or visit BeachBoogieBarbequeFestival.com. Events and activities for each festival are still unfolding. Check the Web sites for the most current information. The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce reserves the right to make changes to festival line-ups without notice.