June 20, 2018 - Orange Beach, AL - (OBA®) — Mayor Tony Kennon, local writer and historian Margaret Childress-Long, city staff, residents and members of the Orange Beach City Council gathered in front of Orange Beach City Hall on Tuesday, June 19 to unveil the community’s newest historical marker.
The Orange Beach Municipal Complex marker highlights the history of the incorporation of the city in 1984 and the community-changing land donation made by John M. Snook and his wife Marjorie. It also details the growth that followed.
June 19, 2018 Gulf Shores, AL - (OBA®) - Plans for a new luxury hotel and mixed-use development have been unveiled in Gulf Shores.
Mayor Robert Craft announced Tuesday that the City has reached an agreement in principle with DD Partners, LLC, a development team led by Birmingham-based developer Ron Durham and Marietta, GA-based developer Ron Day, to construct a new $85 million mixed-use development on a 1.93-acre parcel at the corner of West Beach Boulevard and West 1st Street.
The 398,000-square foot project will be anchored by a 229-room Embassy Suites hotel and will include a fine dining restaurant, street front retail and a 23,000-square foot outdoor rooftop featuring a pool, bar, lounge and event terrace overlooking the recently renovated Gulf Place beachfront. Additional hotel amenities will include nearly 12,000-square feet of conference space including a 7,800-square foot ballroom, full-service spa, indoor pool and fitness center.
June 14, 2018 - Gulf Shores, AL - (OBA®) The Annual National Shrimp Festival presents artist Loran Chavez of Fairhope, Alabama as the 2018 Poster Contest Winner.
The Annual National Shrimp Festival has been hosting the Poster Contest since 1981. Artists must incorporate the festival themes of art, food, and music, the festival location of Gulf Shores & Orange Beach, Alabama, and the year and name of the festival.
This year, the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber received 32 entries from all over the country. The entries are judged by a sub-committee made up of members of the Chamber staff, the retail committee, the fine arts committee, and the Festival Chairman. They select they top 5 posters from the whole. Then, the entire Shrimp Festival Committee vote on the winner.
June 13, 2018 – Orange Beach, AL (OBA®) –On June 12 at approximately 7:10 p.m. Orange Beach Police and Orange Beach Fire Rescue responded to the report of four swimmers in distress at Perdido Pass. Two swimmers made it out of the water and two remained.
An Orange Beach police officer with floatation devices entered the water to assist the two remaining. One swimmer was up and attempting to help the other but that swimmer was under the water. The swimmer that was struggling while attempting to help the other swimmer was given a floatation device and assisted by personnel on jet skis.
The officer pulled the second swimmer up to deploy a second floatation device. The second swimmer was unresponsive and loaded on an arriving police vessel. Resuscitation began, and the swimmer was transported by vessel to the dock at marine headquarters at Perdido Pass and medics began treating the swimmer. The swimmer was flown to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola for treatment where he remains at this time.
The responding police officer took on water and was also transported by ground to South Baldwin Regional Medical Center for treatment and evaluation. The officer was released from South Baldwin Regional Medical Center after he was treated.
Most of Hazel's breakfast staff are now working mornings at the new Cactus Cantina.
Cactus Cantina is using Hazel's pancake recipe.
By John Mullen
June 11, 2018 – Orange Beach, AL (OBA®) – Cactus Cantina has quickly established itself as a tradition with its popular cuisine of Tex-Mex with a Southern twist including its light, crispy chips and fresh-made salsa and guacamole.
But with its newest location on beach road in Orange Beach, it is keeping alive the longstanding tradition of a good ol’ breakfast at Hazel’s – with a Tex-Mex twist.
It’s the only one of the five Cactus Cantinas serving breakfast in the long-time Hazel’s location. Serving you that familiar breakfast will be some familiar faces with dishing up familiar recipes.
“I think we kept 13 out 14 from Hazel’s,” co-owner Michael Lane said. “They’re the same people here that you are used to getting that friendly service with. It’s the same building and the same crew and a lot of the same ingredients they used at Hazel’s.”
Linda and Tommy Tucker, left, on their wedding day June 8, 1968. At right are red roses she received for her 50th anniversary.
Linda Tucker
By John Mullen
June 11, 2018 – Orange Beach AL (OBA®) – Linda Tucker wanted to do something special for her 50th wedding anniversary on June 8.
So, she stopped at one of her favorite restaurants, Doc’s Seafood Shack, and got a to-go plate of her favorite dishes. There she chatted at the counter with a couple on one side and a man on the other as she waited.
“We started talking about how it was my anniversary and I stopped in to get some food that I thought I really wanted,” Tucker said. “I came for fried chicken and onion rings and this is the best place for onion rings.”
Before the day was over she was treated to one of the nicest surprises springing directly from her counter conversation with new acquaintances. And ended up with a dozen red roses at her door. The same type of flowers her husband gave her for many of their 46 anniversaries during their marriage.
Though it was her 50th wedding anniversary, it was her fourth without husband Tommy who passed away in 2014. The Tuckers retired after 33 years each in education and moved to Orange Beach in 1998.
Containers like the ones used at The Gulf near Perdido Pass will be used in the food court./Michelle Stancil Photo
By John Mullen
June 8, 2018 – Orange Beach, AL (OBA®) – West Beach is not the place for outdoor music in Orange Beach.
While approving an outdoor food court plan for beach road east of Lartigue’s Seafood on June 5 as part of the Beach Village planned unit development, it was made clear music would not be part of the attraction.
Also, during the meeting, the council began the process of taking over maintenance and control of Canal Road from Alabama 161, or the Doc’s Seafood Shack intersection, to its end at Perdido Gate subdivision.
“With the staff conditions implemented and, on the record, as being included, especially outdoor music shall not be permitted,” Councilman Jeff Silvers said in his motion to OK the project.
June 6, 2018 - Orange Beach, AL - (OBA®) - On June 19, 2018, at noon at Orange Beach City Hall, the city will honor its heritage by unveiling a municipal complex historical marker. All are welcome to attend the unveiling ceremony. The historical marker was written by local author Margaret Childress Long.
The marker details a brief history of the incorporation of the City of Orange Beach and the community-changing property donation made by John M. Snook and his wife Marjorie. It also details the growth that followed. From the introduction of the nation’s first wireless telephone service, to the building boom following Hurricane Fredric, to the movement to incorporate in 1984, Orange Beach continues to grow to this day with the municipal complex as its hub.
Bailey Kennon, left, and Alexia Williams from Orange Beach are Miss Alabama contestants.
By John Mullen
June 4, 2018 – Orange Beach, AL (OBA®) – Two contestants from Orange Beach will be competing this week in the Miss Alabama Pageant starting Tuesday at Samford University in Birmingham.
Alexia Williams is the reigning Miss Coastal Alabama and will be competing in her first state pageant. A former Miss Coastal Alabama and reigning Miss Leeds Bailey Kennon will be competing in her third straight Miss Alabama.
“I ‘ve actually been able to be excited about it,” Kennon said. “In past years I’ve just been so nervous. I’m prepared, I’ve done the work and I’m ready to enjoy the week.”
May 31, 2018 - Alabama Gulf Coast – (OBA®) - Since 2009, the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) has crowned numerous Global Sports World Series champions and left behind millions in economic impact for south Baldwin County. During the summer of 2018, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach will welcome 968 teams to the area for more sluggers and summer fun.
Over the years, USSSA has attracted thousands of youth athletes and their families to Alabama’s beaches. The event series’ room night numbers have grown tremendously from 8,013 in 2009 to more than 67,718 in 2017. Additionally, USSSA contributed $80.44 million in direct visitor spending to the area’s economy in 2017.
“USSSA reflects the core of our beach visitor base – families,” said Beth Gendler, vice president of the Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Sports Commission. “Each summer, we have the privilege of welcoming thousands of the families to Alabama’s beaches to experience quality competition on the fields and new adventures in the destination. Those guests take home lifelong memories and leave behind economic impact.”
May 31, 2018 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA®) - The 52nd Annual Orange Beach Volunteer Fire Department BBQ will take place on Saturday, June 9 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. - or until the 'Que runs out - at the Orange Beach Community Center, located at 27235 Canal Road, across the street from Fire Station No. 2.
This year it was decided to change up the BBQ fundraiser to reduce costs and waste. The fire department will be selling 4,500 pounds of pork, as follows:
Tacky Jacks has been an island instutition since the 1980s.
By John Mullen
May 30, 2018 – Orange Beach, AL (OBA®) – Tacky Jacks offers a triple-play of options when it comes to good food and good times for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at three waterfront locations accessible by land or by sea.
Hit a home run with breakfast on Cotton Bayou at the original Tacky Jacks in Orange Beach, find family fun and a hearty lunch on the Intracoastal Waterway in Gulf Shores and watch the sunset over Mobile Bay with a world famous bushwacker in Fort Morgan.
May 25, 2018 - Gulf Shores, AL - (OBA®) - Yesterday, Governor Kay Ivey introduced two major parts of the Gulf State Park Enhancement Project, the Interpretive Center and East Pedestrian Bridge. The first look took place at the newly constructed Interpretive Center located at 22250-A East Beach Boulevard, adjacent to the Beach Pavilion. These facilities create a gateway to Gulf State Park, inspiring visitors to explore the park’s 6,150 acres and connect to nature.
“There is simply no place like Alabama’s beautiful Gulf Coast, which is why I’m committed to protecting its natural beauty and furthering its growth. Today, I am glad to join Conservation Commissioner Chris Blankenship and Tourism Director Lee Sentell at Gulf State Park to receive a first look at the progress we’re making on the construction of the Interpretive Center and Pedestrian Bridge,” Governor Ivey said. “The Gulf State Park is a crown jewel in Alabama tourism, and I very much look forward to the success these enhancements will bring.”
May 24, 2018 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA®) - Brian and Jodi Harsany have built a solid reputation for community involvement in more than 20 years of being in the restaurant business in Orange Beach.
But there’s a really good reason for that, Brian says.
“We’re just very fortunate and happy the locals have been in our favor, the community,” Brian said. “People say ‘you do so much for the community’ and I say because the community does so much for us. If we take care of each other then we’ll all be all right.”
Harsany was relaxing in the bar area of his iconic Cosmo’s restaurant on Canal Road, the flagship of the five restaurants he and Jodi now own in the city. They took over the Ivan-ravished courtyard-type building in 2006 and built it into an icon of the Gulf Coast culinary scene.
May 21, 2018 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA®) - Thanks to funding approved by the Orange Beach City Council, the Sea, Sand, & Stars Science and Nature Center at Orange Beach Elementary School will be open to the public for free for the third summer in a row.
The center will be open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., June 11-28 and July 9-26. Staff members will offer the public a rotating schedule for guided tours, night sky presentations and IMAX type movies in the planetarium.
The facility features a 6,000-gallon saltwater aquarium, 1,500-gallon marine life touch tank, 800-foot nature boardwalk with a weather station, the planetarium, a microscope lab, a library and a gift shop.
May 23, 2018 - UPDATE - Video from the release by Ben Taylor...
May 21, 2018 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA®) - A rehabilitated Green sea turtle, named Obi, is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 23rd in Orange Beach, according to the Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network.
Obi was rehabilitated at the Gulfarium C.A.R.E Center in Fort Walton Beach, Florida after being being rescued in Orange Beach in December 2017 by Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network volunteers Cathy O’Brien Howle and Lisa Graham, who are also part of the Orange Beach Coastal Resources Department.
May 21, 2018 - (OBA®) - Below are all of the links we could find for everyone running for office in the upcoming primary in two weeks. The primary will be held on June 5th. The runoff election will take place on July 17th and the general election takes place on November 6th.
There are a few at the bottom of this list that we could not find a website or a social media page for. If you have the links please share them with us and we'll update this page.
John Mason-Smith flew onto the Stennis aircraft carrier aboard a plane like this Grumman.By John Mullen
May 18, 2018 – Orange Beach, AL (OBA®)- Landing on an aircraft carrier is unlike any landing 99 percent of the population will ever experience. The plane is not slowing down to gently light on the runway.
Oh, no. It’s speeding up, going all out just in case.
“They’ve got one chance to catch the hook so you’re accelerating into your landing because they want to keep going if they miss,” John Mason-Smith of Perdido Key said.
Mason-Smith was enjoying a specialty coffee at BuzzCatz Coffee and Sweets one bright morning reveling in the memories from a trip landing aboard and taking off from the USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier.
Mason-Smith’s once-in-a-lifetime experience came from simply being a fan of the Navy’s Blue Angel Flight Demonstration team. Well, maybe not a simple fan.
“I follow the Blue Angels,” he said. “I’m just a huge, fanatical fan of theirs. I follow them so close – I follow all the social media for the Blue Angels, the navy, naval aviation and all that.”
May 16, 2018 – Orange Beach, AL (OBA®) - Educational opportunities continue to grow in Orange Beach and the city council continues to provide a helping hand with programs for the local school which is part of the Baldwin County system.
Mayor Tony Kennon
During the May 15 meeting, the council voted to give Orange Beach Elementary School $54,500 to expand its Guided Reading Program. During the same meeting, the council also voted to spend $175,000 to fund the city’s free afterschool program Expect Excellence through the end of the year. That program provides tutoring, athletics and instruction in more than 20 fields at the Recreation Center.
Both actions come on the heels of a groundbreaking for the new seventh-through-12th-grade school on Canal Road in Orange Beach on May 11. The city donated 40 acres the city says is valued at $5 million to the Baldwin County Board of Education.
Mayor Tony Kennon said its all a part of the city’s ongoing commitment to make Orange Beach schools top notch. He was ready to move forward immediately on the reading program, one he hadn’t known about.
May 16, 2018 - (OBA®) - If you are looking for some afternoon fun this summer then look no further than Tacky Jacks in Gulf Shores. The Summer of Fun series will feature different events to include regional artists, local organizations, and musicians each Tuesday through Friday this summer beginning June 5. A monthly schedule of events is online at www.tackyjacks.com and below.
Tuesdays Hands on Habitat is a fun and educational hands on nature series presented by Gulf State Park Nature Center, Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, Share the Beach, Orange Beach Wildlife Center, Birmingham Audubon and more! Kids & adults alike can learn about our ecosystem and interact with the animals that live here with us. The event is free for all ages from 11am-12pm (arrive 15 minutes early), no RSVP required.
May 15, 2018 – Orange Beach, AL (OBA®) - The Baldwin County Commission announced on May 15 it is looking to buy a piece of property on the north side of the Intracoastal Canal and west of the Foley Beach Express toll bridge for recreational use.
According to post on Commissioner Chris Elliott’s website, the county has executed a letter of intent to purchase parcels totaling about 45 acres. Preliminary plans are to build 12 boat ramps with parking for 450 boat trailers and parking for about 50 vehicles. The site would also include two kayak launches.
A map released by the county shows some other areas for development of future amenities including picnic pavilions along the water. It is expected to be a more than $10 million dollar project paid for with money from oil and gas lease proceeds from the Gulf of Mexico Energy Securities Act to purchase and develop the land.
May 14, 2018 - Orange Beach, AL - (OBA®) - What a difference a year can make. Before September 2017, officials in Orange Beach, Alabama, didn’t have a procedure in place for addressing people’s concerns about outdoor cats. Today, the city has a thriving Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program. The Orange Beach Animal Care and Control Program (OBACCP) has spayed or neutered more than 150 cats and kittens and adopted out at least 30 to date. The amazing turnaround is due to the hard work of Tom Conerly, Orange Beach’s newest animal control officer.
Conerly, a former military colonel, began his work with TNR in January 2017 — after he and his wife spotted three kittens in their driveway. Three kittens became five, and then nine. Conerly knew something had to be done. Read An Amazing ACO: Tom Conerly Changes City’s Approach to Community Cats on Alleycat.org.
A rendering of the future Wolf Bay Bridge in Orange Beach.Mayor Tony Kennon
By John Mullen
May 4, 2018 – Orange Beach, AL (OBA®) – Mayor Tony Kennon wants a Wolf Bay Bridge and he wants it now. But he’s not is so much of a rush to move forward without making sure all parties are on board and understand the process.
Orange Beach is poised to spend a little over $3 million on survey work as well as design, engineering and permitting to kick off the process leading to construction of the long-awaited span. During the May 1 work session, the council also discussed funding for the Expect Excellence after-school program through December.
Kennon said before moving forward with the preliminary spending to start the bridge project he wants to sit down with property owners George Barber and David Lawrenz and officials with the state.
May 3, 2018 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA®) - Jay Schenck has been serving up scrumptious seafood platters in Bubba’s Seafood House on beach road since 1998. And while he wants the seafood to draw ‘em in, he wants them to have fun during their visit.
“We wanted it to be just a good ol’ place to go,” Schenck said. “Everybody knows a Bubba.”
But the veteran restaurateur knows it’s more than food bringing people in the door and keeps ‘em coming back. He has been running restaurants in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach for the better part of 30 years and has owned or been a partner in a dozen or more. Today he’s pared it down to Bubba’s.
“There are four or five things in the restaurant business you have to do to be good,” he said. “Your food has got to be good, but the food is the third or fourth thing. The first thing is the presentation and environment of the building outside.”
May 2, 2018 - Ornage Beach, AL (OBA®) - Baldwin County Public Schools Superintendent Eddie Tyler and City of Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon invite citizens to the groundbreaking for the new Orange Beach Middle and High School on Friday, May 11 at 10:30 a.m. The architectural renderings will also be unveiled during the ceremony at the construction site.
The public is invited to the event at the site off Williams Silvers Parkway at the entrance of the Orange Beach Sportsplex. The address for parking is 23908 Canal Road.
“We are ecstatic to reveal the artist renderings and to break ground,” said Superintendent Tyler. "This is a historic, exciting moment for Baldwin County Public Schools."
Mayor Tony Kennon called the new county school facilities a "game changer for the citizens of Orange Beach."
April 23, 2018 - Perdido Key, FL. (OBA®) - Tens of thousands of folks from throughout the nation & all walks of life will descend upon the crystal white sands of this iconic roadhouse for a three day frenzy of food, fun and frivolity to throw fish at the 34th Annual Interstate Mullet Toss & Gulf Coast's Greatest Beach Party, April 27-29th. Designed to attract tourism during the "bumper" season, it's now a 3-day event and one of the busiest weekends of the year contributing over $10 million to the local economy while raising over $25,000 for local schools and charities.
The week long event starts off with the Mullet Man Triathlon Saturday, April 21st benefiting Leukemia Lymphoma Society and the Mullet Swing Golf Classic Wednesday, April 25th benefiting Multiple Sclerosis Society. A special performance brought to you by 95KSJ with the James Barker Band keeps the bash going in the tent Wednesday night. Then the party kick off to Mullet Toss begins Thursday with people flocking in to listen to the popular sounds of Wes Loper, Red Clay Strays, Velcro Pygmies, and Lee Yankie & The Hellz Yeah.
April 19, 2018 – Orange Beach, AL (OBA®)- Finally, all seemed to be in order for the transfer of land. And then it wasn’t.
Since a meeting in December, an action to transfer land from Orange Beach to the Baldwin County Board of Education has been ever present on every city council agenda. And every time it was postponed.
Also, during the April 17 regular meeting City Administrator Ken Grimes announced an upgrade in the city’s bond rating to AA1 by Moody’s Investor Service, one step below the top rating available.
When land transfer came up, Councilman Jeff Silvers began a motion the council has approved every meeting since Dec. 12.
“Move to postpone consideration …” Silvers began but was interrupted by City Clerk Renee Eberly and City Attorney Wanda Cochran.
“We’re ready,” Cochran said.
Cochran said the deed was prepared and the conditions of use agreement was ready to go as well. But the councilmembers hadn’t received those documents.
Clorinda Bassolino Meadlock and family.
By John Mullen
April 18, 2018 – Orange Beach, AL (OBA®) - Clorinda Bassolino Meadlock wants you to feel like you’ve stepped into a cozy family place when you visit Franco’s Italian Restaurant. All over the walls are pictures of her family – parents, grandparents uncles and cousins from the 1930s to the present.
It’s her family’s tradition that continues today. On a recent afternoon, she following her toddler daughter around the restaurant and chatting up a tableful of diners who were exchanging smiles with the youngster.
At Franco’s you could easily think you’ve stepped into a ristorante tucked away in a borough of New York City. Precisely the feeling Clorinda wants you to have visiting Franco’s.
Fish will be flying, Joe will be smiling and a good time will be had by all. Just like Joe has wanted and expected since he took over a shack on the beach and turned it into one of the world’s most famous beach bars.
Happy 76th birthday to Joe Gilchrist, the lifeblood, heart and soul of the iconic Flora-Bama Lounge, Package Store and Oyster Bar. After Joe took over in 1978 the Bama has started and grown several must-see events, parties and holiday celebrations.
One of the most famous, the Interstate Mullet Toss, is just a week away. It’ll be a 4 day celebration of the mullet – the fish and the hairdo – also known as the Gulf Coast’s Greatest Beach Party. It’s also been likened to an adult spring break.
April 13, 2018 - Fort Morgan, AL (OBA®)- The 102’ tugboat Gladys B was built in 1937 and donated to the Alabama Marine Resources Artificial Reef Program by Steiner’s Shipyard from Bayou la Batre, AL. The Gladys B was scuttled in the Tatum-Winn North reef zone approximately 20 nautical miles south of Fort Morgan, AL in 100’ of water with the superstructure of the vessel at approximately 62’ below the surface.
by Orange Beach Police
May 31, 2018 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA®) - The 52nd Annual Orange Beach Volunteer Fire Department BBQ will take place on Saturday, June 9 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. - or until the 'Que runs out - at the Orange Beach Community Center, located at 27235 Canal Road, across the street from Fire Station No. 2.
May 21, 2018 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA®) - Thanks to funding approved by the Orange Beach City Council, the Sea, Sand, & Stars Science and Nature Center at Orange Beach Elementary School will be open to the public for free for the third summer in a row.
May 21, 2018 - (OBA®) - Below are all of the links we could find for everyone running for office in the upcoming primary in two weeks. The primary will be held on June 5th. The runoff election will take place on July 17th and the general election takes place on November 6th.
By John Mullen
By John Mullen
May 16, 2018 - (OBA®) - If you are looking for some afternoon fun this summer then look no further than Tacky Jacks in Gulf Shores. The Summer of Fun series will feature different events to include regional artists, local organizations, and musicians each Tuesday through Friday this summer beginning June 5. A monthly schedule of events is online at www.tackyjacks.com and below.
By John Mullen
May 14, 2018 - Orange Beach, AL - (OBA®) - What a difference a year can make. Before September 2017, officials in Orange Beach, Alabama, didn’t have a procedure in place for addressing people’s concerns about outdoor cats. Today, the city has a thriving Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program. The Orange Beach Animal Care and Control Program (OBACCP) has spayed or neutered more than 150 cats and kittens and adopted out at least 30 to date. The amazing turnaround is due to the hard work of Tom Conerly, Orange Beach’s newest animal control officer.
May 2, 2018 - Ornage Beach, AL (OBA®) - Baldwin County Public Schools Superintendent Eddie Tyler and City of Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon invite citizens to the groundbreaking for the new Orange Beach Middle and High School on Friday, May 11 at 10:30 a.m. The architectural renderings will also be unveiled during the ceremony at the construction site.
By John Mullen
May 31, 2018 - Alabama Gulf Coast – (OBA®) - Since 2009, the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) has crowned numerous Global Sports World Series champions and left behind millions in economic impact for south Baldwin County. During the summer of 2018, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach will welcome 968 teams to the area for more sluggers and summer fun.
Logo to