MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – This year’s 63rd annual Sun Fun Festival kicked off by showcasing one of the city’s newest oceanfront landmarks.
The Goddess of the Sea statue was dedicated Friday evening, along with the opening of Plyler Park, which is off North Ocean Boulevard and Mr. Joe White Avenue. The statue of a mermaid and two jumping dolphins was installed in April.
The people who wanted the statue say it will be an iconic part of the city and they hope it will encourage more public art works.
“It’s going to be a spectacular expansion of art in the city and I feel very blessed that my father’s name is attached to it,” said Justin “Buz” Plyler, who owns the Gay Dolphin Gift Cove and commissioned the statue.
“You see this monumental statue with the ocean in the background,” said Jay Bultz, who’s the president of the Myrtle Beach Downtown Public Art Initiative. “So it’s just gorgeous. It’s inspiring.”
Kristen Visbal designed the Goddess of the Sea. She’s well-known for creating the “Fearless Girl” statue on Wall Street in New York City.
Click here to learn more about the 2018 Sun Fun Festival, which goes until June 3.