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Showing posts from September, 2017

5 things you need to know about the Harley-Davidson fall rally

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Welcome bikers! Bikers will be rolling into Ocean Lakes next week as the Hurricane Alley Fall Rally kicks into gear. The rally - which starts Monday, Oct. 2 and continues through Sunday, Oct. 8 - attracts thousands of bikers to the Grand Strand for rides and events, but is much smaller than the spring Harley-Davidson rally in May. We want all our guests who are here for the fall rally to have a fun, safe visit! Below are a few reminders about our rules, information about parking and tips to make your stay as smooth as possible. Motorcycle rules You cannot ride your motorcycle through the campground. Riding motorcycles past the designated area at the entrance (signs mark the boundaries of the designated area) or coasting (not under power but with a guest sitting on the seat) are NOT permitted. Rope and motorcycle dolly towing are permitted to and from your rental site or campsite. Three-wheel rides such as Can-Am Spyders and Polaris Slingshots must follow motor

Ocean Lakes water park to wrap up season; sets 2018 schedule

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Our water park will wrap up its 2017 season at the end of September, capping its second year of providing fun and thrills for Ocean Lakes guests. The Sandy Harbor Water Park , which has become one of our most popular amenities since its debut in May 2016, will shut down at the end of operation Sunday, Oct. 1 until next spring. “Our guests have had a blast at Sandy Harbor this year,” said Morgan Blackmon, our Aquatics Supervisor. “Guests would spend all day racing down the slides or relaxing while floating along the lazy river – then come back the next day for more.” The water park scaled back hours after Labor Day, when other area water attractions shut down for the year. But the Ocean Lakes team worked to extend our water park season beyond the traditional last hurrah of summer. This is the second fall for our water park, and we set a consistent schedule after learning a year ago what works best for this new amenity. “Last year was a trial run for everything

Ocean Lakes fares well from Tropical Storm Irma, clean up underway

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We’ve fared well from Tropical Storm Irma. Lots of leaves and limbs scattered throughout the campground, but overall we are in good shape. The recently completed beach renourishment was finished just in time to protect us from this storm. “Thank God we got the renourishment when we did,” Lance Thompson, Ocean Lakes General Manager and Vice President, said while standing on the beach Tuesday morning. “It could have been a lot worse.” There’s still some cleanup to do - mainly from downed leaves and limbs - and our team already has jumped on it. Our camper storage lots look good, no flooding or downed trees. DRAINAGE Our team has cleared outfall drainage pipes of sand the storm had pushed into them to get water flowing freely again. Lakes levels already are dropping, and the ponding around some of the lakes such as Sand Dollar Lake also is clearing. Horry County Stormwater crews were on site first thing this morning ensuring that drains are clear.

Ocean Lakes back to 'business as usual' as Hurricane Irma's projected path shifts away from Myrtle Beach area

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It’s back to business as usual at Ocean Lakes Family Campground on Friday morning as Hurricane Irma’s projected path shifted farther westward away from the Myrtle Beach area. Campground officials continue to closely monitor the powerful storm, which is expected to hit Florida and travel up the state toward Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee. The Myrtle Beach area is no longer in the projected path. “Now it’s just kind of business as usual and wait and see,” Lance Thompson, Ocean Lakes General Manager and Vice President, said Friday morning. The area could get between an inch to 5 inches of rain, and there's a slight chance of some tropical storm force winds late Sunday into Monday, according to the early Friday morning advisory from the National Weather Service in Wilmington, N.C. “A track across Florida would mean less in the way of impacts for this part of the Carolinas, but it is cautioned again that we can’t let our guard down at this time,” according to the

Governor plans to order evacuation ahead of Hurricane Irma starting Saturday morning in Myrtle Beach area, coastal SC

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Gov. Henry McMaster said Thursday that he likely will issue an evacuation order for coastal South Carolina including the Myrtle Beach area starting Saturday morning as the powerful Hurricane Irma continues heading toward the state. During a news conference Thursday afternoon, McMaster and other state officials urged residents and vacationers to make plans and be prepared for Hurricane Irma, which is expected to bring rain, wind and potential storm surge to coastal South Carolina on Monday and Tuesday. The intensity of the storm’s effects here still is uncertain because it depends on the path the storm ends up taking. McMaster said he is 99 percent sure that he will issue the evacuation order to begin at 10 a.m. Saturday and has another news conference planned for Friday, when he will give the latest on the evacuation plan. “As soon as he does [issue the evacuation order], we will get the word out to everybody,” said Lance Thompson, General Manager and Vice President o