February 2009, Volume 2, Issue 2

Sing out with spring songs, all along the Grand Strand! Songs called "Spring," "Springtime Garden," and "Spring at the Beach" are popping out everywhere across the coastal terrain. Wildlife is stirring, birds are chirping, and green leaf-tips are emerging on the trees.

Highlights of spring include increasing daylight, aquatic birds milling around the quiet places of the shoreline in their search for nesting areas, and the deepening blue of the Carolina sky. While temperatures still fluctuate, so typical of the changing of the seasons, we see some guests in shirt-sleeves and others in jackets, depending on what their comfort zone is.

Around Horizon at 77th, much work is taking place to make the place shine brightly for the guests planning visits during 2009. Our grounds-crew has its garden tools sharpened, well into their planting efforts for spring greenery and flowers. Engineers, housekeepers, and administrative personnel work busily with tasks to ensure that your stay will be the best one ever.

As emerging colorful wildflowers appear on everything from sand dunes to grassy hillsides, as the gentle weather replaces winter, and as events move from indoors to outside, we look forward to your arrival this year.

Until then,

Your Friends at The Horizon at 77th

Valentine's Day at Horizon!

Love was in the air, stewn with rosepetals, and shaped into symbols of "amour" for Valentine's Day at Horizon. Here are just a few images of what our creative staff generated in a short amount of time for our treasured guests.

What is Going on Around Horizon at 77th?

• Sign up and Save. February guests had their own reasons for celebrating, and most of them centered around Valentine's Day. Horizon was virtually sold out, with guests planning everything from champagne-and-chocolate arrivals to romantic dinners at the Shoreline Café to rose-petal turn-down in the evening. Indeed, our creative staff offers many ingenious "specials" with keepsakes including wine/champagne glasses, cheese baskets, and other souvenirs of your time spent at Horizon. This year Valentine's Day fell on a weekend with President's Day on the following Monday, so many people made this a long weekend, a great reason for taking a mini-vacation to the beach! Hey, no reason is too big or too small when you just want to come to the beach!
  
  
• Relay for Life. The staff at Horizon are also in tune with the community in which we live and work. As part of the American Cancer Society's national effort called "Relay for Life," we and our sister property Grande Shores have been participating in efforts to raise money in the fight against cancer. Some efforts include sales endeavors, such as candy bars, "foot print" emblems, and drinking cups with "Relay for Life" insignia which have totaled so far $1,068. Other efforts include website donations and company staff "dress down" days which amount to $181 for a total of $1,249.
  
  
• Maintenance in and around Horizon. Brand new and in perfect order for its 2009 guests, Horizon awaits you! Horizon's staff work day in and day out to ensure that all guests' needs find satisfaction. Watch for our staff to decorate common areas in celebration of the year's seasons and holidays, such as the recently noted Valentine's Day. Horizon's creative and festive workforce enjoys seeing people's smiles as they come in the front lobby and notice a new special touch that they have added.
  
  
• Early Plans for Canada/America Week, Spring Break, Spring Safari SOS, and Bike Week. The festivities for Canada-America Week in Myrtle Beach begin March 14, lasting for about a week, but already our warm relationship with northern neighbors is in "party" mode. We understand that everyone had a fabulous time at the "Can-Am" reception held on February 13th at the North Myrtle Beach Chamber, and other organizations around the Strand are celebrating our northern guests. If you are meeting friends here for Can-Am Week in March, give us a call to secure a beautiful ocean vista with comfortable accommodations!
  
  Then, come on back around April 17 to 26 for shag dancing at the SOS Spring Safari. As usual, the action occurs around Main Street and Ocean Boulevard, easy to get to from Horizon, plus see all the Grand Strand sites and activities to the north, west, south.
  
  Between now and the end of the school year, we expect to see people staying with us for their "spring breaks." You are invited to our relaxing location for your own personal get-away! No need for a special reason, either!

Employee in the Spotlight - Heriberto Gómez

A member of our Myrtle Beach Seaside Resorts "family" where he works as groundsman for both Horizon and its sister property Grande Shores, Heriberto Gómez has accumulated 3 years of employment with the company. He is always willing, eager, and helpful in many ways. So adept he is at executing his own assigned tasks that he is often included in helping in a variety of projects around Horizon. In fact, his supervisor, Dennis Chestnut says, "it gives me great pleasure to see him 'running' from one task to the next when asked to help with things outside his daily duties." This is probably because Dennis is confident that the task is in Heriberto's capable hands.

An eager and hard working man, Heriberto is exceptional in his landscaping and exterior work, showing great care with every detail, always willing to learn new skills. From maintaining the exterior premises, plus the pool area and general environment, to working as room technician, Heriberto has earned the respect of his colleagues and bosses. In fact, one of his amazing feats is scaling vertical places.

Originally from Puebla, Mexico, Heriberto enjoys using his spare time for bicycle riding and playing soccer as a release from the difficulty of working two jobs (his second is at a local area restaurant) as well as growing too homesick for his wife and three children who live in Mexico. Thanks for all of your hard work, Heriberto!

Featured Recipe - Easy Breakfast Sticky Buns

This simple recipe from Cooks.com. Though it calls for pre-made dough, you can use your own bread dough if you prefer. The recipe produces a tasty breakfast treat for 6-8 people with little effort on your part.

Ingredients:

• 2 loaves frozen bread dough (white, thawed)
• 1 c. chopped walnuts (optional - pecans)
• 1 lg. pkg. vanilla pudding (not instant)
• 1/4 lb. butter, melted
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

• Grease 9 x 13 inch pan. Sprinkle chopped walnuts in bottom of pan.
• Tear bread into walnut size pieces and place the pieces in the pan in a single layer.
• Heat remaining ingredients and pour over dough.
• Cover the entire mixture with tin foil and refrigerate overnight.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
• Place a serving plate/platter face down on the top of the pan of buns. Invert and let buns fall onto the plate/platter. Cool slightly before serving.

Local Events Calendar

3/1 to 10/09. Coastal Kayaking, Huntington Beach State Park. Every week from Oyster Landing on Monday during this period, from 10 am to 12 noon. Call 843.235.8755 for more information. Participants should meet at the Education Center for this guided tour of the salt marsh (bring drinking water, sunscreen, and lace-up shoes for muddy conditions.)

3/1 to 10/09. Coastal Birding, Huntington Beach State Park. Every week on Wednesdays depend on fabulous birding experiences from the causeway through freshwater and salt marsh areas with experienced bird experts. Event lasts from 10 to 11 am. Call 843.235.8755 for more information. Participants should meet at the Education Center for this guided tour.

3/6-21 on selected days. Singles Speed Date Competition. From 7:00pm - 9:00pm Friday, Saturday - week 1, 2, 3 every month, the SOS Singles' Club has dedicated the month at the 2001 Night Club to this event for single people 25 to 65 years old. Participation is low cost, no pressure, and safe, designed to help people of like interests meet other people. See www.sossinglesclub.com (need not be a member to attend.)

3/6-8. Craftsmen's Classic™ Arts & Crafts Festival in Columbia, SC. Huge crafters' (over 300 artists) show and sale with something for every style, taste, and budget with items pleasing to the most traditional to the most contemporary. Located at the SC State Fair grounds at 1200 Rosewood Avenue. For more information, email contact@GilmoreShows.com or call 336.282.5550.

3/7. The Myrtle Beach Area I. C. E. (Incredible Customer Experience) Awards. Palace Theatre at Broadway at the Beach. 6 pm to 10 pm. Tickets $30 includes cocktail reception, awards ceremony, and after-party event. For more information, www.MyrtleBeachICEAwards.com.

3/14. Pine Lakes Country Club. Grand Re-Opening following renovations to the course and club house. See more information at www.PineLakes.com or book tee times with us at www.teetimesonly.com.

3/14. 21st Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival. Come see the parade at Main Street in North Myrtle Beach, starting at 9 am. The event lasts until 4 pm with bands, street festival, children's area, arts and crafts, food, vendors, and lots of fun. See more at www.StPatNMB.com or call 843.280.5570.

3/14-22. The 48th Annual Canadian-American Days in Myrtle Beach. The nine-day event 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 www.CanAmDays.com.

3/21. Taste of the Coast at Barefoot Landing. Affiliated with the Risen Christ Lutheran School, the event lasts from 10 am to 5 pm. For more information, see www.tocnmb.com or call 843.272.8163.

3/19-21. Pee Dee Street Rodders. Classic Car Rally at Waccamaw Factory Shops at 3200 Pottery Drive in Myrtle Beach. For more information, www.peedeestreetrodders.com or through the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce at 843.626.7444.

3/27. Brewers' Dinner. Affiliated with the Myrtle Beach Beer Festival. This event kicks off the festival shown below. Dinner from 7pm until 9 pm with admission $50 for dinner and sampling. For more information, please contact Andrea Hensley at 843.712.2618 or email andrea@festivalpromotionsmyrtlebeach.com.

3/28. Myrtle Beach Beer Festival at Market Common, from 12 noon to 7 pm. Plenty of food (including non-alcoholic beverages), live entertainment and more. This is a great opportunity to sample beer from all around the world, with tastes for every interest. Admission $25 in advance ($35 at the time). For more information, see www. myrtlebeachbeerfest.com.

Sharing your ideas and experiences can help others with their own plans for making a beach vacation unique to their own needs. Here are some of the recent comments we received by email, phone, and hand-written note:

~~~~~~~~~

I want to thank all the staff for a wonderful time. We booked a 3 bedroom for ourselves, 2 and 5 year old grandchildren and our daughter and her husband. The area in the 3 bedroom suite was great. It allowed our grandchildren to run off some of their energy and having TV's and bathrooms in all 3 bedrooms was really nice. I would recommend this hotel to anyone with a big family. It had a nice big kitchen that was stocked with plenty of dishes and pots and pans. It has multiple closets to put your clothes and baggage. It was clean and the best deal we have ever booked when you need 3 bedrooms due to a large gathering. Hope to return soon.

Email from Bill and Dawna and their family, January 3, 2009

~~~~~~~~~

Our family enjoyed a wonderful stay at Horizon at 77th last month. We booked two 2-bedroom suites and were impressed by the layout and space of each. It was our first time in Myrtle Beach, and we couldn't have selected a better place. And with 2 children in our party, the breakfast buffet was a great option. We plan to return and will be sure to stay at Horizon at 77th again! Our only problem was being locked out of our rooms….Despite the inconvenience, I am happy to say that the problem was quickly resolved with a new set of keys to both rooms. We look forward to staying in the future.

Email from the Owens family, February 8, 2009

~~~~~~~~~

My husband and I wanted to stay someplace clean, modern, and with professional and helpful staff [in Myrtle Beach]. The Horizon was lovely and new. Our suite was large and open, with lots of amenities (full kitchen, washer/dryer, 3 TVS, etc.) and a private balcony. My only complaint was that there wasn't much to the hotel OUTSIDE of our room, like a restaurant, or bar. The place felt kind of deserted, but in all fairness it was the Christmas holiday, and we had other things to do, anyway. Overall, it was a very peaceful retreat.

Email on Expedia.com from a Wilmington, NC, family, January 6, 2009.

Groups

Horizon at 77th makes a wonderful place to hold a group meeting or reunion. Some of the reasons why groups chose us include our proximity to all of the sites and entertainment of Myrtle Beach, our nearness to the beach, and our walk-ability to shops. Let Horizon make your next group meeting both pleasurable and practical!

For the month of February, we enjoyed hosting the New Direction Life Ministries who brought its group here for a meeting and social gathering.

Call us for your next group gathering. We can help with everything from accommodations to catering to planning the extra-curricular activities.

Fun Facts