Myrtle Beach

Yesterday's resultsTriple-A International LeagueSyracuse 3, Rochester 0: Pat Lennon drove in two runs and Billy Koch combined with two relievers on a six-hitter as the SkyChiefs beat the host Red Wings.Syracuse scored two unearned runs in the sixth inning to break up the duel between Koch and Rochester starter Terry Burrows (0-1), who allowed only two hits over six innings.Lennon broke up Burrows' no-hit bid with a single in the fourth. He had a sacrifice fly in the sixth and homered in the ninth.

South Carolina has its own version of heaven: the pristine white beaches, unrelenting Atlantic surf, luxury hotels and ubiquitous golf courses of Myrtle Beach-Grand Strand.Golf. Swim. Golf. Swim. Golf. Swim. Such are the hard choices faced by 12 million vacationers here every year.Throw in great dining, imaginative shopping and family-style theater night life, and it's easy to see why, in 1995, Myrtle Beach was ranked the second most popular U.S. summer destination by AAA and the Travel Industry Association.

Janice Moodie didn't come out on the LPGA Tour this year with Kelli Kuehne's corporate bankroll or the international hype of Korea's Se Ri Pak. Nor was she a total unknown, having been a four-time first-team All-America at San Jose State.But three months into her rookie season, the 25-year-old from Scotland has done much more than Kuehne, who has made just two cuts. She has also accomplished more than Pak, who has yet to finish in the top 10, or any of the 19 other players who beat her at the tour's qualifying school last fall.

Standing at the base of a fake volcano in North Myrtle Beach, S.C., I plan my putt around a stream dyed electric blue. Sixties' surfer rock blares from hidden speakers, and the rest of my golf party waits. My powers of concentration evaporated long ago. Only instinct will see me through this miniature-golf hole.Just as I swing my club, I hear and feel a low tremor. The volcano that gives the Hawaiian Rumble course its name is erupting on its three-times-an-hour schedule. Flames shoot to the sky, my stomach shakes with vibrations from rock-concert-sized speakers.

Low-cost carriers come and go at BWI. This time, another one's coming, hoping to capitalize on the popularity of Savannah, Ga., and Hilton Head, S.C.Starting May 16, Jet Express, a regularly scheduled charter service, will begin offering nonstop flights from Baltimore to Savannah every day except Tuesday, for as low as $69 one way. The fares are unrestricted, with no Saturday stay-over or advance ticket purchase requirements. Tickets are nonrefundable, but can be changed for a $25 fee.Not every seat is $69, however.

Just one week after beginning daily service at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, another discount airline is calling it quits.Jet Express started flying from Baltimore to Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Savannah, Ga., hoping to capitalize on the popularity of golf and beach resorts in those areas. But company officials said yesterday that a surprising lack of interest is prompting them to scrap the short-lived, public charter air service after today."It just shocked us about BWI," said Hank Ernest, a spokesman for World Technology Systems, the Atlanta-based tour operator that owns Jet Express.

If you don't play golf and hate country music, is there any reason to vacation in Myrtle Beach?This strip of beach on the South Carolina strand is golf heaven. With nearly 100 courses and a cooperative climate, Myrtle Beach draws millions of duffers each year to its fairways.Even in early May, weeks before the season began, planeloads of weekenders and weeklong visitors emptied out of Myrtle Beach's compact airport to hit the links. More than 30 golf bags rolled off the conveyor belt from my flight alone, and foursomes piled into rental cars for the short drive to the center of town.

BWI to Myrtle Beach for $59 one wayStarting May 24, Jet Express, a regularly scheduled charter service, will begin offering nonstop flights from Baltimore-Washington International Airport to Myrtle Beach, S.C., for as low as $59 one way.The company's decision to serve the popular beach and golf resort came shortly after it announced plans to offer service from Baltimore to Savannah, Ga., starting May 16.The flight to Myrtle Beach will leave BWI every day...

The coming holiday weekend will see yet another enactment of the bumping game at major airports.This drama usually takes place in the gate area before boarding, although a second act may come when the plane has been fully boarded.Airlines' gate agents will say something along these lines: "We have an overbooking situation this evening and would welcome volunteers who would be willing to wait for a guaranteed seat on the next flight, which leaves in two hours, in return for a voucher for $300 good for later travel on our airline."

Bette C. HernandezMedical secretaryBette C. Hernandez, a Baltimore native and former medicasecretary at Johns Hopkins Hospital, died Tuesday of a brain tumor at a nursing home in Myrtle Beach, S.C. She was 55.Mrs. Hernandez, who had lived in Atlanta since 1987, had joined her mother, Hazel V. Cammarata, in Myrtle Beach about seven months ago.The former Bette Cammarata was a graduate of the Institute of Notre Dame and earned an associate's degree at Villa Julie College. She moved to Miami after her marriage in 1967 to Celestino Antonio Hernandez, who resides there.

They were leading their respective caravans to beaches in the Carolinas, a midsummer's vacation for two Maryland families that would end in a horrific accident on a two-lane North Carolina road. Carney resident Cristina Sonn had driven to Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Sunday and picked up her best friend, her friend's daughter and another teenager. The four were headed to the Outer Banks in North Carolina along with Sonn's teenage son and three of his friends, who were riding in another car. Loriann Bobotek, her two daughters and their friends were headed to a beach house in Myrtle Beach for the week.

"What It's Worth" at Premier Resorts, Myrtle Beach What's the deal?: So, what's your vacation worth to you? Premier Resorts at Barefoot Resorts in Myrtle Beach, S.C., is asking guests to come up with a number and that's what you'll pay. Seriously. Even if you low-ball the price. "If a guest says their stay was worth an extremely low amount, then that is what they pay at checkout," a spokeswoman said in an e-mail. The deal is good throughout August. Lodging options include a standard hotel room or two-bedroom villa.

JOHN "PIANO MAN" PROPALIS, 83, of Waverly, NY died July 4, 2009. Surviving are: his wife of 61 years, Doris Krul Propalis; Son, Derek Propalis of Baltimore, MD; Daughter and Son-in-law, Donna Kahn and Dr. Ronald Kahn of Waverly, NY; Grandsons: Ben Kahn of Bozeman, Montana Zach Kahn of Myrtle Beach, SC a brother and sister, nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by 3 brothers. Arrangements by Alteri-Bowen Funeral Home.

Myrtle Beach, the largest city along the Grand Strand, is an ideal vacation destination for families on any budget, attracting nearly 14 million visitors per year. Beyond the white beaches that blanket the coast of the Atlantic Ocean lies a sea of entertainment, activity and nature. Although Myrtle Beach is already firmly established, the variety of new theme parks and resorts prove that the region is still blooming. 1 Ride through Freestyle Music Park : This 55-acre amusement park, formerly Hard Rock Park, features roller coasters, play areas, restaurants, stores and an amphitheater for live shows.

CELESTE 93 widow of Dr. Leonard Hecht passed away Sunday, May 17, 2009, at National Health Care in Murrells Inlet, S.C. Mrs. Cohan was born July 26, 1915, in Baltimore, MD the daughter of the late Leon S. and Sophie Brown Hanline. She was a resident of Myrtle Beach for the past twenty-five years. She was a member of Coastal Carolina Doll Collectors and former member of Temple Emanu-El. Survivors include two daughters, Eleanor C. Schiller and husband Hugo of Myrtle Beach, Joanna Cohan Scherer and husband Noel P. Elliott of Silver Spring, MD; five grandchildren, Sonia S. Kahn of Basking Ridge, NJ, Frank A. Schiller of Raleigh, NC, Nina Celeste Scherer of Salisbury, NC, Lisa Emmy Mulchay and Anna Marie Scherer both of Ijamsville, MD; six great-grandchildren, Adam, Evan and Alex Kahn, Maddox Wolfgang Scherer McCloud, Sean and Colin Mulchay; and a nephew, Barry Cheslock of Funeral service were held at 3:00 P.M., Wednesday, May 20, 2009, at McMillan-Small Funeral Home with Rabbi Avi Perets officiating.

Walter Louis Witten, a retired phone company manager and slow-pitch softball fan, died Saturday of brain cancer at Harmony Hall, a Columbia assisted-living facility. He was 72. Mr. Witten was born in Louisville, Ky., and raised in Hyattsville. He was a 1953 graduate of Northwestern High School in Hyattsville and earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Southeastern University in Lakeland, Fla., in 1962. He began his career in 1953 with Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co. as a messenger and pay phone coin collector.

Leo William Watts, A Memorial Mass will be held at 9:30 A.M. on Saturday, September 6th, at St. Joseph's Fullerton Catholic Church, 8420 Belair Road, Baltimore, Maryland, 21236 Memorials may be made to: American Cancer Society, 950-48th Ave N., Myrtle Beach, SC 29577. An online guest book is available at www.msfh.net

MAY BROADWAY'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION -- 1325 Celebrity Circle, Myrtle Beach / 843-444-3200 or broad wayatthebeach.com. 10 a.m.-10 p.m. May 30-31 and June 1. Live music, street entertainers, mascot appearances. Free cake and balloons May 31. JUNE SUN FUN FESTIVAL -- Various locations throughout Myrtle Beach / 843-626-7444 or sunfunfestival.com. June 5-9. Kids' activities, a beauty pageant, volleyball competition, fireworks, live music, arts and crafts and food vendors and more. Times vary.

A "hard rockin'" new theme park and welcoming wide beaches make Myrtle Beach a top pick for summer vacation. The Grand Strand, as the Myrtle Beach area is popularly known, stretches for 60 miles along the Atlantic coast, luring more than 14 million visitors annually. Tourist action zeroes in on commercial Broadway at the Beach with shopping, restaurants, hotels, bars and nightclubs, all bordering a 23-acre lake. Beyond the neon, you'll find public gardens, small amusement parks, and some of the most challenging and breathtaking golf courses in the world.

Is it possible to spend enough time at the beach? I don't think so. More often than not, whether your lounge chair is parked at Ocean City, Cape May, N.J., or the Outer Banks, N.C., you'll find that summer speeds by way too quickly. And even though the destination may be a perennial favorite, visited by generations of one family over many decades, each season dawns fresh with anticipation for both the well-tread path and the newly uncovered hot spot. The Sun's annual Beach Guide looks at what's old, new and improved at shore destinations from New Jersey to South Carolina.