Greg Rowles had an idea, and saw it come to fruition on a sunny Wednesday morning, Nov. 12.
Family, friends and dignitaries gathered to partake in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the colorful mural that now adorns the Greg Rowles Legacy Theatre on Main Street in downtown North Myrtle Beach.
The new mural celebrates the City of North Myrtle Beach, Rowles’ 60th birthday and the 800-seat theater, which opened in April 2024.
Greg Rowles speaks during the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 12.
“Again, I’ve always said how much we love North Myrtle Beach,” Rowles said. “We’ve been part of this community for 25, almost 26 years now. And the roots continue to grow, not wider but deeper.”
Rowles had a long residency at the Alabama Theatre before he opened the Greg Rowles Legacy Theatre.
A native of Fredericksburg, Va., Rowles has been a musical performer since about early age. He was also a longtime performer at Opryland USA and was the 1994 Star Search male vocalist of the year.
The mural has vivid orange, blue and other colors. It was painted by Michelle L. Robert, who did “an incredible job,” according to Rowles.
“This is something we’ve dreamed of,” Rowles said. “Everywhere we go, every town we go to, we find a mural in that particular town and take pictures of ourselves in front of these murals and we have a collection of them.”
And now there’s one just outside the theater’s front door.
“It came out even better than I ever could have fathomed. My hope is … anybody that comes here and they’re driving down Main Street, they’ll stop and take a picture of something representing our beautiful community here in North Myrtle Beach.”
Brad Alexander, who is a business partner of Rowles, and Rowles’ daughter Courtney, worked with Robert on the design of the mural.
“It was more their inspiration,” Robert said. “I just brought their inspiration into reality.”
Another partner, Tom Cochran and his wife, Debbie, also came to the microphone.
“We just wanted to say, Debbie and I are really excited about the mural, Greg Rowles Legacy Theatre and the city of North Myrtle Beach,” Cochran said.
