MYRTLE BEACH -- Hundreds of people turned out for the 51st Annual Canadian-American Days Festival Expo at Coastal Grand Mall in Myrtle Beach Friday.
More than 40 area businesses and organizations offered special deals and freebees to those who visited their booth, like Carolina Improv. Instructor Petra Sander said the expo is an excellent way to meet some of the customers who've gone to the theater and to promote the popular shows they offer.
"We do a similar show to Whose Line Is It Anyway? from TV, and almost all of the Canadians have heard of the show because Colin Mochrie is a Canadian, and he's one of the stars of the show. So it's a really neat way to meet some of the people who are going to come and see the shows and take advantage of giving them a chance to know what it's all about," Petra said.
This year's expo, which is sponsored by the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, seems to have drawn more snowbirds and Canadians than in years past. "We've been doing Can-Am Fest since the theater opened in 2009 and its definitely busier this year than it was last year. I'd say probably 40 or 50 people within an hours time come by the booth. It's been a steady flow. We have been having people hand out things pretty much all day," Petra added.
One of the biggest attractions was the live entertainment performing in the middle of the mall from Legends in Concert and The Andrew Thielen Big Band.
Can-Am Days, which runs from March 10 through March 18, draws as many as 100,000 Canadian visitors and snowbirds to the Grand Strand. The MBACC introduced Canada Days in 1961 to attract Canadian families during their spring school break. The name was changed to Canadian-American Days in 1963, and is the first international festival to be organized in South Carolina.
