Speaker: Sean Bailey, Marketing Assistant for Skywheel
Lauren Zuschlag, our Club’s Immediate Past President, introduced Sean Bailey, Marketing Assistant for Skywheel and Meteorologist for WMBF. Sean is a native of Illinois earning his bachelor’s degree in Meteorology from Valparaiso University in 2012. Sean moved to Myrtle Beach in 2017 and in February 2020 he started his marketing role for Skywheel. He is a graduate of Leadership Grand Strand.
The Myrtle Beach Skywheel is a 187-foot tall (57.0 m) that opened May 20, 2011. At the time of its opening, it was the second-tallest Ferris wheel in North America, after the 212-foot (64.6 m) Texas Star in Dallas, and the tallest wheel in the United States east of the Mississippi River. It is now the sixth-tallest Ferris wheel in the United States. It closed in January 2021 and was taken apart and shipped to Wichita, Kansas, where it was renovated for its 10th anniversary later this year. Upgrades include new floors and seats in the gondolas and a new logo and lights on the center globe. On May 19, 2021, first responders as well as other heroes from around the region were the first people to ride the SkyWheel before it officially opened to the public on May 20, 2021.
The wheel operates year-round except for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Each gondola is equipped with temperature-controlled air conditioner units with hatch windows that allow airflow into the gondola. The gondolas are also equipped with a red “Emergency” button that alerts the ride operator. Each gondola must be removed if high winds are predicted. The process takes around eight to ten hours.
Tickets for the Skywheel can be bought online at https://skywheelmb.com/tickets/
