Sunlight on our shoulders! We feel the warmth and want to share it with you, too!

Early spring sunshine shines brightly on Avista Resort this February. It is as if the sun beams are announcing emerging warmth and possibilities in 2009! Anyone, anywhere can join in! If you have an eye for bright opportunities of fun and activity, your 2009 vacation season lies just over the horizon.

Avista Resort stirs with life, not only from the emerging sun, but also from our own enthusiasm and activity. As we help people plan their 2009 get-away vacations and greet our visitors, we continually seek ways to improve our abilities to serve them and all of our guests. Certainly, our comfortable, clean, and enjoyable surroundings, as well as extraordinary customer service are already outstanding, but our goal includes constant improvement. Whether through team-building efforts or community cooperative efforts, such as our participation in the Relay for Life with the American Cancer Society, we strive to offer guests and the community we live in a higher level of accomplishment. This newsletter outlines some of the ways that we are involved in bringing quality service to our guests and bringing them closer to the Grand Strand's spring events such as the Valentine's Day special this month and affiliation with many of the Grand Strand region's happenings such as SOS. Spring Safari, Mayfest, and Bike Week, to name only a few.

Now is none too early to plan for the events of 2009. Avista Resort encourages everyone to experience the sun's warmth this year and come here to enjoy our special brand of fun! Hoping to see you soon!

Your Friends at Avista Resort!

• Avista's Presence at the SCSAE Trade Show. In January Jennifer Morse and Nancy Leska represented Avista Resort and Myrtle Beach Seaside Resorts at South Carolina's Association of Executives' meeting. Their participation illustrates our many on-going networking efforts to stay in touch with area and industry business opportunities, plus learn about new products and innovations that, in the end, benefit our guests.
  
  
• Valiant Fight Against Cancer. As mentioned in the previous newsletter, Avista is participating in a nation-wide effort to raise money in the fight against cancer. Many dedicated volunteers such as ours at Avista and at each of our sister properties are helping towards a goal of $2,000 by April 24th. At that date, our teams plan to meet at The Ripken Experience in downtown Myrtle Beach for a rally.
  
  
• Important Fund-raising for Disadvantaged Youth. Avista Resort contributed a 2-night's stay as part of a silent auction fund-raiser for the Ontario Motor Coach Association's (OMCA) Mary Lynn Higgins Youth Fund. OMCA of Toronto, Ontario, is one of the largest travel and tourism associations in Canada, making it one of the more important sectors in the tourism industry in North America. With 100% of the proceeds going toward the children, this fund provides scholarships and other encouragement to disadvantaged Canadian youth under the age of 18. Avista helped the organization reach $4,000 in this effort.
  
  
• Support of the community in which we live. Avista's has been heavily involved in providing assistance in the community, not only through out efforts in the Relay for Life, but for the needy families during Christmas, sponsorship of many community festivals held on Main Street in North Myrtle Beach (the next is Mayfest on May 9th), and others. Read more about our efforts in the community participation in future newsletters. To date, our hard-working Avista volunteers have raised hundreds of dollars through a breakfast biscuit and book sale, Valentine's gift boxes, bake sale, and other endeavors.
  
  
• Team-building Training. Continued training at Avista and its other sister properties has proven to be a key factor in our relationships with our guests. Team building and customer service are two key aspects of the latest training efforts here. Communication, listening, solving rather than explaining away problems, building a better "service" culture among the staff, and more effective use of technology are all part of this on-going process. Most recently, the Departments of Engineering and Food and Beverage took time from their busy schedules to participate, and other departments will follow, with the ultimate goal to improve the stay of each and every guest.
  
  
• Avista's Bake Sale Benefits Relay for Life. Saturday, January 31st, Avista's volunteers in the Reservations Department held a property-wide bake sale with proceeds going toward the Relay for Life. With many hours of preparation, this event earned over one hundred dollars toward Avista's Relay team in American Cancer Society fund raising.

Avista spells "team"! For the purposes of community fund raising, everyone is doing his and her part, either out on the center "stage" where you might see them in a public setting or behind the scenes. Each person is working hard on behalf of you, our guests, and on behalf of the community in which we live.

Congratulations to Avista's Pennsylvania guests, Deborah Carmack and her family, who have won the 2008 Sweepstakes prize of a 42" HDTV 2008. When AVISTA proudly notified the lucky winner about the delivery date for her award, she said that her entire family was elated! She, her husband Ed, and their youngest son Joey, a special-needs teen who absolutely loves the beach, are all eagerly looking forward to its arrival. Well done, Carmack family!

You, too, can be a winner! The sweepstakes prize for 2009 is a new aluminum 13-inch MacBook computer with 2.0 GHz, Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GB DDR3 Memory, and 160 GB hard drive among its exciting features. Click here to enter Avista Sweepstakes. Entries are accepted until December 31, 2009, with the drawing date on/about January 1, 2010. You must enter to win, so don't delay!

A hush falls over the tee box as you gaze out across the fairway on a clear blue morning. Faint chirps of birds echo in the distance, as if applauding your big "win" - the Road Trip prize. This golf adventure could be your reality!

That is indeed possible, but first you must enter. Avista's Ultimate Myrtle Beach Golf Road Trip Sweepstakes is now in progress! See our website www.AvistaResort.com to find the Ultimate Road Trip icon (shown above) where you can see details and instructions for you to apply for a chance to win.

The prize includes a 4-day/4-night accommodations package for you and three of your best friends, plus four rounds of golf on four courses from "America's 100 Greatest Public Courses" list, limo service, airfare, a new custom-fitted driver, a half-day lesson at one of the areas premier golf schools, and dinner with the host of Golf Channel's "Road Trip: Myrtle Beach."

Look down that fairway. The person with the golf club could be YOU out there!

Friends for over 75 years, Elisabeth A. Smith and Nelson Hall first knew each other as school chums decades ago (we won't say just how many). They shared youthful adventures but never imagined getting together later in life as a couple. With nearly as much vim and vigor today as then, they gallivant around the Carolinas and beyond visiting family and friends, dancing up a storm with fellow shaggers, and generally having way more fun than most everyone else on the planet. Notice Elisabeth's handbag in this photo, something she calls "Looking for Johnny Depp" in one of her friskier moods!

After high school, Nelson graduated from Clemson University as an engineer, later serving as purchasing director for several decades at Milliken and Company, a textile and chemicals manufacturing company in Spartanburg, SC. Not far away, Elisabeth had graduated from Winthrop University with a degree in journalism and married a dentist. Elisabeth's high school reputation as the dancing belle of the balls never wavered, and her feet kept moving decade after decade of raising a family.

Later, after their respective children had grown and became involved in lives of their own and their spouses had passed on, Elisabeth and Nelson seemed to encounter each other at social events such as the SOS. events. With time, their long-lived friendship grew into a deeper relationship which includes, of course, shag dancing. Now, as a couple, they visit North Myrtle Beach at least four times a year to enjoy SOS. events and renew long-standing relationships with their many shagging friends.

Elisabeth and Nelson are eager to share their many stories of 40 years' worth of change around the Grand Strand. She lived along the Strand in Pawleys Island for a number of years and has first-hand knowledge of the building when it was called "Helms Vista". Then, she said, the property had a two-level design with "rondells" (round homes with picture windows) on top. The coastline was little more than dunes in what we today know as the town of North Myrtle Beach.

Their Avista of 2009 rises high above the ocean, allowing Elisabeth and Nelson plenty of wide-open views of the seashore and horizon beyond. In describing their visits here, they include rave reviews about the great the breakfast buffet at Just Off Main with its delicious food, delightful staff, and plenty of chances to continue long-standing friendships with the locale and its people.

Today, as they sit side by side on the couch in Avista's mezzanine, holding hands, they tell us about their 40 years of visiting Avista and how they have been with us over the past 40 years because of the personal attention and services that they can rely on here at this resort. Radiating life, they recount exciting narratives during their stay here, experiences that demonstrate how much they enjoy their stays here. Their enthusiasm is contagious! We hope that you have the chance to meet them during one of your own visits here to Avista!

Elisabeth and Nelson, you are the epitome of true Southern grace and fortitude!

This recipe takes about 20-30 minutes to prepare and makes 12 servings.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers, drained
• 1 (2.25 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
• 1/4 cup sliced green onion
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 pound peeled and de-veined small shrimp
• 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese

Directions

• In a bowl, mix mayonnaise, green chile peppers, black olives, and green onion.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
• Place shrimp in skillet and cook 2 to 5 minutes, until opaque.
• Stir in the mayonnaise mixture and continue cooking 2 to 5 minutes, until mixture has heated through.
• Remove skillet from heat.
• Gently fold in blue cheese.
• Transfer dip to a serving bowl.
• Serve on your favorite crackers or small bread toasts.
• [Optional - garnish with crispy cheese wedges, toasted chiles, or fresh cilantro or other favorite topping.]

This month, our newsletter focuses on Sabrina McLamb, Daytime Supervisor, and Debbie Seward who direct their services to customers' dining needs at Just Off Main. This week, they were both on duty with the breakfast and lunch meals when quite a number of golfers and members of the annual meeting of the South Carolina Litter Control Association were enjoying the breakfast buffet. Despite being extremely busy with everything from greeting guests, serving meals, and everything else in between, they maintained their characteristic poise, flexibility, and cheerfulness. No waiting lines here. Sabrina and Debbie made certain that everyone's meals went smoothly and pleasantly here at Just Off Main.

Originally from this area, Sabrina and her family with their 2 children have spent several decades traveling the globe with her husband's career in the Navy. Her role here at Avista includes reconciling proceeds in the register, maintaining the serving process in the seating area, and working closely with the chef and kitchen staff to deliver food orders in a timely manner.

Supporting Sabrina in this capacity, Debbie comes to the Carolina from New Jersey originally, but she is well established now, having been here with her family for over 17 years ago. Life in the South especially appeals to Debbie's love of beach life, warm weather, and friendly people. Both ladies enjoy this coastal area for its laid-back atmosphere and comfortable weather.

The next time you visit us at Avista Resort, stop into Just Off Main for a meal and enjoy a chance to meet Sabrina and Debbie. They enjoy getting to know Avista's guests and hearing their vacation experiences.

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.