The OBA Community Website

Covering the Alabama/Florida Gulf Coast (AFGC)tm since 2006!

 
By John Mullen
September 15, 2017 – Orange Beach, AL (OBA) – Do you want to watch your favorite team play in a sports bar atmosphere, but also want a full menu featuring fresh Gulf seafood?
 
Or maybe you want an icy daiquiri when your team takes the field? You can have the best of both worlds and they are right across the street from each other on the east end of The Wharf entertainment complex.
 
The Intracoastal has more than 50 TVs on the north side of the street and Island Time Daiquiri Bar offers about a dozen more on the south side. Owner Bobby Graves says he has the largest sports restaurant/bar on the island. Both also feature NFL Sunday Ticket.
 
“When football season gets here we’ll go through thousands of wings,” he said.

 Sirens Stormy the bandSeptember 14, 2017 – Orange Beach (OBA) – Football Season is upon us, so mark your calendar for the Sirens of the Sea “Football Tailgate Party” Drawdown. The Band “STORMY’ from Louisiana will provide the musical entertainment for the evening.
Stormy’s song list is as versatile as their musical abilities. They are composed of a solid rhythm section, horns, and keyboard with male and female vocalists, all of which offer a great variety of music for the entire crowd.
Sirens of the Sea, a local women’s Mardi Gras krewe, has lots more than great music in store for this fun filled event. It is their annual drawdown fundraiser and is going to be at the Orange Beach Event Center at The Wharf on Sept. 15. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. The Grand Prize is a hefty $5,000.

OB new logoSept. 9, 2017 – Orange Beach, AL (OBA) – Due to the large numbers of evacuees associated with Hurricane Irma from across the State of Florida, we are encouraging and requesting that all condo associations and rental properties temporarily modify their policies allowing evacuees with pets to find accommodations here on the Alabama Gulf Coast. In conjunction with the City of Gulf Shores, we make this request due to the magnitude and forecast affecting the entire State of Florida as we anticipate many evacuees during this time. It is crucial we help our neighboring states during the current evacuation of Hurricane Irma and those displaced from Hurricane Harvey in Texas. We encourage and request all the condo associations and rental properties to waive any pet policies to accommodate evacuees during this time.

For the City of Orange Beach,

Sincerely,

Tony Kennon

Mayor

live bait logo
By John Mullen
Sept. 8, 2017 - Orange Beach (OBA) – Ida Blake is not afraid to step into any role where she’s needed at Live Bait in Orange Beach.
 
She’ll wash dishes, sweep floors and drive the shuttle bringing customers to and from the back parking lot when there’s a big crowd for dinner. She’s worked for the restaurant for six years, which is fast becoming a favorite family dining and entertainment destination.
 
But she’s mostly known and needed for her cooking skills, particularly bread pudding, house-made sauces and dressings, and her delicious gumbo.
 
“Four days straight this summer I made 28 quarts of gumbo a day,” a smiling Blake said. “Whatever I need to do, I do.”
 
When she gets behind the wheel of the shuttle, she’s checking out how Live Bait is doing from the diner’s perspective.

Harbor Cove parking lotBy John Mullen
September 7, 2017 – Orange Beach, AL (OBA) – A city contractor working to fix seepage and improve drainage behind Fire Station 2 had to do some extra repairs in the parking lot of Harbor Cove Condominiums.
 
“If you’ll recall, we had seepage through the retention pond at Fire Station No. 2,” Community Development Director Kit Alexander said. “It was coming through the pond bank on the south side and the east side. It was crossing their parking lot and causing damage.”
 
During the course of constructing a 10-foot wide drainage underneath the parking lot at Harbor Cove, two underground utility lines were severed. The city discussed paying about $5,500 to repair the damage during a council work session on Sept. 5.

American Clean FuelBy John Mullen
 
September 6, 2017 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA) - Now, more than ever, your generator needs to be running on clean fuel that is stored in a clean tank. Same for boats and other watercraft.
 
And chances are if it’s been sitting idle for months or years, the inside of the tank probably needs a good cleaning.
 
As Hurricane Irma churns in the Atlantic and has coastal residents anxious, a healthy fuel system is vital to keeping a generator running in emergencies.
 
“This is one of those things people don’t want to think about and they don’t want to spend the money, but now’s the time to really start looking at it,” Jeramie Bentley of Fuel Pro said. “Especially with this storm coming in and all those condos.”
 
Bentley’s is one of two businesses operating on Alabama’s Gulf Coast that cleans fuel tanks on generators and boats and just about anything else that burns diesel. Chase Cooper of American Clean Fuel cleans both diesel and gas tanks from 30 to 25,000 gallons. Both have offices in Baldwin County and work all over the Southeast and Midwest.
 

By John Mullen
Sept. 15 2017 – Perdido Key, FL (PKF) – With all of the stories about electric self-driving cars delivering pizza from Dominos and people from Uber and Lyft, we wanted to focus on where the technology is currently.
 
Electric cars are the future, but there are more of them than we realize already on the roads, including Perdido Key resident Bill Eshelman's 2016 Tesla Model S 90d. Eshelman is completely fascinated by the technology in his Tesla.
 
That fascination was fomented as he read about the feats of engineer Elon Musk who has pioneered a multitude of advances in rockets, solar power, and now, electric cars.
 
“He started this electric car company that I just marveled in,” Eshelman, a Perdido Key resident, said. “I thought ‘I’d like to try one of these cars.’ The technology on them is way, way out there and I wanted to be a part of it.”

OB new logoSept. 4, 2017 - Gulf Shores, AL (GSA) & Orange Beach, AL (OBA) – Mayor Robert Craft of Gulf Shores and Mayor Tony Kennon of Orange Beach are united in their consideration of a 2% increase in lodging tax to fund critical infrastructure improvements and cleanup for Alabama’s beaches.

“Transportation improvements are needed to solve challenges affecting us all. Investing in our infrastructure will help to ensure the sustainability of our vital tourism economy and improve the quality of life of our residents,” states Mayor Craft. Mayor Kennon adds, “As it becomes more difficult to obtain federal and state infrastructure dollars, it has become apparent to us that matching monies are needed. Hurricane Harvey has just shown us that a storm can pop up very quickly in the Gulf with devastating effects, thus reinforcing the need for evacuation infrastructure for the beaches of Alabama.”

Kevin CobbSeptember 3, 2017 – Gulf Shores, AL (GSA) - The Gulf Coast Arts Alliance Art Market is back starting Sept. 9. Lots of original works of art will be on display and for sale by dozens of local and regional artists.
 
The Art Market will be from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at 116 E. 24th Ave. in the Waterway Village District of Gulf Shores.
 
One of the many artists exhibiting their work will be Gulf Shores artist, Kevin Cobb. Kevin grew up in Evansville, Indiana and moved to Gulf Shores in 2015. It was at that time that he began to turn his childhood love into reality by setting up an art studio at his home.

GTs end 
August 30, 2017 – Orange Beach, AL (OBA) – Local restaurant GTs On The Bay is hosting their Inaugural End of Summer Celebration on Sunday, Sept. 10 from 2-6 p.m. This is their way of commemorating the great summer that everyone here on the island had with locals and visitors alike.
 
In addition, there will be games and contests for adults and kids as well as paddle boarding courtesy of the Gulf Coast Paddle Board Company. Music will be provided by Broken Down Car.
 

GS garden club Fred Nation
August 29, 2017 – Gulf Shores, AL (GSA) - Daphne based master gardener Fred Nation will present a program titled “Gulf Coast Natives for World-class Landscapes” during the Gulf Shores Garden Club’s Sept. 6 meeting at the Harry Roberts Community Center located at 300 E. 16th Ave. in Gulf Shores. Refreshment/social time begins at 9:15 a.m., the program is presented at 9:45 a.m., with a business meeting following the program. Guests and new members are always welcome.

Nation (pictured), a master gardener, is a field botanist, freelance writer and photographer who lives in Daphne. He teaches environmental subjects and Plant Nomenclature for the Baldwin and Mobile County Master Gardener intern classes, and for the Adult Learning Center in Fairhope.

Fred conducts regular classes on habitats and ecosystems for Weeks Bay Reserve. He has written informational brochures and constructed interpreted nature trails for the City of Daphne, Blakeley State Park, Weeks Bay Reserve, Baldwin County Parks and Camp Beckwith.

He has made many presentations for workshops and seminars for the USDA Forest Service, The Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Weeks Bay Reserve and the Alabama Forestry Commission. He is on the Board of Directors of Blakeley State Park and The Alabama Invasive Plant Council and is a past board member of the Mobile Botanical Gardens.

Hurricane HarveyAugust 28, 2017 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA) - As we all know Hurricane Harvey is wreaking havoc on our Texas neighbors. As a gulf coast community that has expierienced hurricanes we can relate to what they're going through. As usual our communities are coming together to help where we can.
 
Below is a list of drop off locations for relief supplies. If you know of other locations or useful information that will help us aid in the relief efforts please let us know so we can add it to this page. 
 
Drop off locations for relief supplies in ...

OB new logo
August 24, 2017 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA) – According to city documents, the Orange Beach City Council will consider partnering with CenturyLink to provide fiber optic technology to city residences.
 
On Aug. 28 the council will vote on putting up $1 million toward the project. If approved, CenturyLink will then have four customer forums in September at the community center with the goal of signing up 1,000 residents for a $25 deposit.
 
According to Councilman Jerry Johnson, CenturyLink has divided the city into seven zones. In addition to the 1,000 subscribers, the company also seeks to sign up 33 percent of the households in at least one of the seven districts. Johnson is chairman of the Telecommunications and Technology Committee for the city.

August 17, 2017 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA) - On Tuesday, the Orange Beach City Council and Mayor Tony Kennon expressed the city’s dedication as committed partners in the Trap, Neuter and Return program.
 
The Orange Beach Animal Care and Control Program (OBACCP) commends Mayor Kennon and the Orange Beach City Council for supporting this proactive, progressive and humane effort. This support will make Orange Beach a better place to live for our citizens and our cats. Trap, Neuter and Return is the only proven effective method of controlling the otherwise exponential growth in stray and feral cat colonies.

Orange Beach Art Center 2
By John Mullen
August 17, 2017 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA) – With the sparkling new Coastal Arts Center of Orange Beach a breath away from completion, the city is making some improvements to parking and entryways on the grounds.
 
During the regular session, the council approved work widening the main entrance, improvements on Nancy Lane, or the west border of the campus, and additional parking during the Aug. 15 council meeting.
 
“This does include the handicapped parking that we did away with at the north end to satisfy the building requirement,” Public Works Director Tim Tucker said. “It will be where the temporary trailer is. And there will be parking along Nancy Lane. In the future, if it becomes an issue, we’re set up to improve the grassy area.”

By Michael Badonsky, Badonsky Buccaneers

August 11, 2017 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA) - We make a trip out during the new extended recreational federal red snapper season, and end up fishing two of the Alabama Dept of Conservation recently deployed "super pyramids". Also in this episode, we talk to David Walter of Water Marine / The ReefMakers about these artificial reefs and the Alabama Public Reef System.

Remember, we also talk about these reef systems on past episodes- if you watch for the pop-up's during this video, you can click on links to these past shows.

By John Mullen
 
August 2, 2017 – Orange Beach, AL (OBA) – City leaders and law enforcement officials are meeting to discuss possibly enacting a new ordinance to better protect the sea grass beds around Walker Island in Orange Beach.
 
“Are y’all trying to have a meeting talking an ordinance about sea grass and motorized vessels in the sea grass and we don’t have one that’s enforceable?” Councilman Jeff Silvers asked. “When we discussed this about a year ago, were we relying on the state to enforce it.”
 
Police Chief Joe Fierro said he was arranging a meeting with an environmental group, Islands of Perdido Foundation, as well as state officials to better define laws and enforcement around the fragile beds. The beds provide protection to hatchling and juveniles of vitals species like redfish, trout, shrimp, crab and a variety of baitfish.

Boating Safety ClassJuly 31, 2017 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA) - The “About Boating Safely” Class is being presented by Flotilla 3-10 of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary on Saturday, August 5th, 2017 from 7:45 A. M. to 4:00 P.M. at the Orange Beach Community Center.
 
Upon completion of this 8 hour boat safety course you will receive a boating safety education certificate that satisfies the Alabama requirements for a boating license.

Chris Sherrill in Cape VerdeBy Chris Sherrill
 
July 29, 2017 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA) - I've been thinking lately...I've been thinking about stress, life, the pursuit of happiness...Ive been thinking about all the World's problems. As many of you know I returned from an amazing trip to Africa. I was on a beautiful string of islands called Cape Verde. It was in the Middle Northwest quadrant off the coast of Senegal. I never touched the mainland of Africa.

I grew as a person while I was in Africa. I saw some amazing and rather life changing things. I saw a beautiful group of people that yielded to one another as they drove thru the city. I met people that were truly happy to be who they were. These incredible people made the best with what they had at hand and they enjoyed life. They lived by a rule in what Jim Hagengruber calls "What the spirit moves you"... I was moved....

By R. Ken Cooper - above photo is a whale shark captured by Capt. Greg with Last Cast on August 12, 2009. 
 
July 25, 2017 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA) - We recently shared a video of a whale sighting in the gulf about 80 miles south of Orange Beach. The video attracted a lot of attention and comments. We were a little surprised to learn that so many folks didn't know that there were whales in the gulf. We decided to add a collection of videos showing some of the sightings of whales in the gulf.
 
Below is the video we shared on July 24th. It was taken by Derek Taylor from Atlanta while he and his sons were out fishing on a calm day in the gulf. 

Big Beach BrewingJuly 24, 2017 - Gulf Shores, AL (GSA) - The inaugural National IPA Day celebration will take place at Big Beach Brewing Company on August 3rd.
 
The nine-month old independent craft brewery in Gulf Shores, Ala. plans to release three different versions of the sought-after IPA on August 3rd, 2017.
 
In an effort to put a humorous twist on the release, as many breweries do, Big Beach will be dedicating this release to the mullet hairstyle. Not sure what a mullet is? Just think “Party in the back and business in the front.” And that’s precisely what Big Beach plans to do with this triple threat beer release aimed at hop lovers on National IPA day.

Historic Charter Fishing Boat The Sea DusterBy John Mullen
 
July 24, 2017 – Orange Beach, AL (OBA) – There’s a history behind Earl Callaway’s effort to help Orange Beach retain an important piece of its nautical heritage: the vintage Walker charter fishing boat the Sea Duster.
“I tried to give it to ‘em one time and I had to buy it back to get it to ‘em this time,” Callaway said. “This is the second time I’ve owned it.”
 
Callaway, even though he sold the boat he had owned for 15 or so years, never gave up on his dream of it becoming part of the city’s folklore. On July 10 the city agreed to pay $6,500 for the classic 1935 custom-built boat.

Proposed Dollar General

By John Mullen

 

July 19, 2017 –  Orange Beach, AL (OBA) – A redesigned exterior for a more “coastal” look was not enough to sway a majority of Orange Beach Council members to give the go ahead for a Dollar General on Alabama 161.

“I applaud those changes,” Councilmember Annette Mitchell said. “I think that’s very attractive and I think it would look very, very nice anywhere in Orange Beach. Except there.”

4th annual food & wine festival to feature more than 20 chefs and restaurants, Sept. 14-16
 
The Wharf Uncorked 2017July 18, 2017 –  Orange Beach, AL (OBA) - The Wharf Uncorked Food & Wine Festival presented by Wind Creek Atmore, set for Sept. 14-16, will bring a dynamic roster of culinary talent from the Gulf Coast and beyond serving up samples of their signature dishes, demonstrating their skills and competing for the ultimate prize.
 
Thursday, Sept. 14 - VIP Kickoff + Chef Showdown
The three-day experience will begin at 4720 Main Street from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Reigning showdown champion, Brody Olive (Perdido Beach Resort), will be joined by two mystery chefs for this year’s competition to create the best dish with Alabama Gulf Seafood fueled with culinary challenges and roadblocks. James Briscione and Brooke Parkhurst, authors of The Couples Kitchen, will emcee as they race against the clock.