Park opens with a smash

The Sun News' Jessica Foster reports:

Hard Rock Park kicked off its official season this morning with a smash.

County Council Chairwoman Liz Gilland and the wife and a son of Gov. Mark Sanford attended the opening ceremony.

Park CEO Steven Goodwin and others bashed acoustic guitars onto the ground before the gates opened at 10 a.m.

The last time Goodwin smashed a guitar at an event, he used an electric guitar and had a bit of trouble. (See the video of the christening of the Led Zeppelin coaster.) “Everyone tells me it’s a lot easier to smash an acoustic guitar,” Goodwin said.

The hour before the opening saw bouts of rain but the sun peeked out just in time for the ceremony.

“We pre-ordered good weather,” Goodwin said.

Gilland said it’s been a long road since she first saw the park plans seven years ago.

“These guys had dreams but more than dreams they had an incredible vision,” she said.

Goodwin said he was elated and exhausted at the park’s opening, and that it was a team effort.

“It's not just the few of us that built it, it's the entire community,” he said.

Comments

[Calib]

wow, great comments from the guy who was quoted as drinking a beer on property in a previous article. I wonder if they let all their employees drink beer while working?

[Mary Lane]

Calib,

I do not live in Myrtle Beach so can you point me to the article about Goodwin drinking beer on the Hard Rock property? I live in Tennessee. Really need this information.

[Nick]

Calib, that's something Moofy would do. Instead of just saying you read it in a previous article, why not provide a link to the article to back up your so-called facts?

[Doobie Brother]

I think it's this article. He was doing a tasting at the park.

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/679/story/417222.html

"This is the time to talk to guests, taste the food at the park's restaurants and food stands, and figure out how to make traffic flow as smooth as possible.

That's what park CEO Steven Goodwin was doing on Monday.

He ordered a bunch of food at The Whammy Bar to taste the quality, and sat at the bar and had a beer as he watched the final preparations for the opening."

[madmacks]

So he had a beer! He deserves it because he brought thousands of jobs to the Myrtle Beach area, good luck to him, if I see him down there again I would like to buy him one myself.

[Nick]

Hmmm, tasting.... different than having a drink. Beer is for sale, it needs to be good. If it's not good, that affects the sale too, just like food. Go someplace and get a flat soda? Same thing, you're unlikely to order more soda.

Oh, and my job routinely provides beer for all company events, which are usually cookouts during lunch hour. No, we don't get the rest of the day off. And yeah, some of us drink more than 1 beer.

As beachguy would say, welcome to the beach.

[Calib]

It's still not a great example to set for your employees. Would he condone the operator of the Led Zeppelin ride having a casual beer on his/her break and if he/she did have a beer on break, how could he reasonably expect to discipline that person for that action when he did it himself. Admittedly, his direct responsibilities do not put amusement park guests at risk but BOTTOM LINE it is a dangerous precedent to set for someone who is supposed to be a leader. Drinking beer on his personal time is much different than consuming alcohol in an "on the clock", work setting when he is supposed to be leading and setting an example for the so-called 3,000 employees the park employs.