MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) -- On a fading afternoon as summer wanes, a small girl looks anxiously into the Haunted Hotel, trying to decide whether she will risk entering the ride where a sign promises "Doom Service Available."

A cool breeze brushes in from the ocean as a middle-aged woman waves to a friend snapping her picture as she rides a zebra on the Pavilion Carousel. Down the way, past lemonade stands, the log flume and ring toss games, teenagers shriek as they spin on swings high in the air.

These are the sights and sounds of the final summer of a piece of Americana. After nearly a century, the Myrtle Beach Pavilion is closing, and along with it the amusement park that has been part of the fabric of this oceanside resort for more than 50 years.

Generations from the Carolinas, Georgia and beyond spent summer nights dancing to a jukebox, and later live bands; screaming as they braved the heights of the roller coaster.

"When I think of Myrtle Beach, this is what I think of, this is what Myrtle Beach is," said Jane Turpin, of Siler City, N.C. "When this is gone, what are people going to remember about Myrtle Beach?"

"There are not enough people loving it economically," said Tim Ruedy, vice president of operations for the sports, entertainment and recreation division of Burroughs & Chapin Co., which operates the Pavilion. "Although the Pavilion helped Myrtle Beach to grow, Myrtle Beach has outgrown the Pavilion," Ruedy said. "There are a lot more things to see and do, and it is a much more competitive market."

The carousel dates from 1912, while the park's 2-ton pipe organ was first exhibited at the 1900 World Exposition in Paris. The first Pavilion opened in 1908 and was a wooden structure used for entertainment and dancing. It burned in 1920 and again in 1944, and the existing reinforced concrete structure was built four years later. That year, a traveling carnival was purchased by Burroughs & Chapin, creating the Pavilion amusement park.

The last rides at the Pavilion will run on Sept. 30. Plans for the 11 acres of valuable real estate in the heart of downtown have not been set.

"It won't be like Myrtle Beach anymore," said 62-year-old Brenda Woodle, of Norwood, N.C. "Everything is going to high rises and stuff like that."

Woodle remembers as a teenager leaving home in North Carolina late at night, parking on the strip and staying at the Pavilion until 2 or 3 a.m. When they got tired, they'd sleep in the car and at daylight, they'd go to the beach.

MYRTLE BEACH PAVILION: http://www.mbpavilion.com/ or 843-913-5200. The park is located on Ocean Boulevard and is open Sept. 1-4, 8-10, 16-17, 23-24 and Sept. 30. Times vary. Entry to the park is free. All-day ride passes are available: children ages 3-6 and senior citizens, $15.95 plus tax; adults and children older than 6, $24.95 plus tax; go-karts not included. Rides require between two and five tickets. Ticket packs cost $35 for 40 or $50 for 60. An individual ride ticket is $1.

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