P. Nicole King
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- March 2014
- ISBN:
- 9781617032516
- eISBN:
- 9781617032523
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781617032516.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, Social History
This chapter presents the story of Alan Schafer, South of the Border’s controversial owner. The tale of South of the Border is mainly Schafer’s story, because he obtained the power to construct the ...
More
This chapter presents the story of Alan Schafer, South of the Border’s controversial owner. The tale of South of the Border is mainly Schafer’s story, because he obtained the power to construct the physical and rhetorical space of his tourist empire through his innovative business practices, accrued wealth, and political connections. South of the Border exemplified trends in mid-century American roadside culture and tourism, such as bright billboards, gigantic designs, and “modern” attractions.Less
This chapter presents the story of Alan Schafer, South of the Border’s controversial owner. The tale of South of the Border is mainly Schafer’s story, because he obtained the power to construct the physical and rhetorical space of his tourist empire through his innovative business practices, accrued wealth, and political connections. South of the Border exemplified trends in mid-century American roadside culture and tourism, such as bright billboards, gigantic designs, and “modern” attractions.
P. Nicole King
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- March 2014
- ISBN:
- 9781617032516
- eISBN:
- 9781617032523
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781617032516.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Social History
In 1949, Alan Schafer opened South of the Border, a beer stand located on bucolic farmland in Dillon County, South Carolina, near the border separating North and South Carolina. Even at its ...
More
In 1949, Alan Schafer opened South of the Border, a beer stand located on bucolic farmland in Dillon County, South Carolina, near the border separating North and South Carolina. Even at its beginning, the stand catered to those interested in Mexican-themed kitsch—sombreros, toy piñatas, vividly colored panchos, salsas. Within five years, the beer stand had grown into a restaurant, then a series of restaurants, and then a theme park, complete with gas stations, motels, a miniature golf course, and an adult-video shop. Flashy billboards—featuring South of the Border’s stereotypical bandit Pedro—advertised the locale from 175 miles away. An hour south of Schafer’s site lies the Grand Strand region—sixty miles of South Carolina beaches and various forms of recreation. Within this region, Atlantic Beach exists. From the 1940s onward, Atlantic Beach has been a primary tourist destination for middle-class African Americans, as it was one of the few recreational beaches open to them in the region. Since the 1990s, the beach has been home to the Atlantic Beach Bikefest, a motorcycle festival event that draws upward of 10,000 African Americans and other tourists annually. This book studies both locales, separately and together, to illustrate how they serve as lens for viewing the historical, social, and aesthetic aspects embedded in a place’s culture over time. In doing so, the book engages with concepts of the “Newer South,” the contemporary era of southern culture.Less
In 1949, Alan Schafer opened South of the Border, a beer stand located on bucolic farmland in Dillon County, South Carolina, near the border separating North and South Carolina. Even at its beginning, the stand catered to those interested in Mexican-themed kitsch—sombreros, toy piñatas, vividly colored panchos, salsas. Within five years, the beer stand had grown into a restaurant, then a series of restaurants, and then a theme park, complete with gas stations, motels, a miniature golf course, and an adult-video shop. Flashy billboards—featuring South of the Border’s stereotypical bandit Pedro—advertised the locale from 175 miles away. An hour south of Schafer’s site lies the Grand Strand region—sixty miles of South Carolina beaches and various forms of recreation. Within this region, Atlantic Beach exists. From the 1940s onward, Atlantic Beach has been a primary tourist destination for middle-class African Americans, as it was one of the few recreational beaches open to them in the region. Since the 1990s, the beach has been home to the Atlantic Beach Bikefest, a motorcycle festival event that draws upward of 10,000 African Americans and other tourists annually. This book studies both locales, separately and together, to illustrate how they serve as lens for viewing the historical, social, and aesthetic aspects embedded in a place’s culture over time. In doing so, the book engages with concepts of the “Newer South,” the contemporary era of southern culture.
