The OBA Community Website

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

by R. Ken Cooper with photos by Michelle & Dylan Stancil
 
July 21, 2017 - Foley, AL (OBA) - The Park at OWA has officially opened this morning at 10am in Foley Alabama. The 520 acre property features a 14-acre amusement park with 21 rides, 44,000 square feet of restaurants & shops, a 14 acre lake, a 90,000-square-foot indoor events center and much more. (As a comparison, the Orange Beach Event Center is  just over 18,000 square feet.) 
 
After only nine months of hard work, the 14-acre amusement park is ready to welcome the public. Festivities for opening weekend include nightly firework shows, a multitude of entertainers and live music throughout The Park at OWA.

by R. Ken Cooper
 
July 13, 2017 - Pensacola Beach, FL (OBA) - We on the coast certainly love our Blue Angels. And here at the Orange Beach Community Website we love to keep you informed of their comings and goings because, well, we’re really big fans of the Blues, too.
 
We’re treated to practices and flybys throughout the year and we like to keep you informed when they are returning from shows around the country. And tell you what time they are likely to Buzz the Beaches her on the Gulf Coast on the way home. Thank you to our Blue’s Prognosticator John Mason-Smith for his calculations on the timing! 

Patriotic Spirit and Naval Fighter Jets Soar at Annual Pensacola Beach Air Show

Pensacola’s very own Blue Angels highlight Red, White and Blues Week with a spectacular air show over Pensacola Beach

Blue Angels PhotoJune 19, 2017 Pensacola, FL — Thousands flock to the sugar-white sand and turquoise water of this Gulf Coast destination each July to see the U.S. Navy’s elite flight demonstration squadron perform at their annual Pensacola Beach Air Show.

The Blue Angels — or “Blues,” as locals call their hometown heroes — are known across the country for their high-flying aerial maneuvers and laser-point precision. Started in 1946, the team celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2016 — a long legacy in a city whose reputation as a tourist destination is rivaled only by its military heritage.

Indeed, Pensacola is known as the “Cradle of Naval Aviation.” Naval Air Station Pensacola — located just west of the city’s colonial-era downtown — has trained generations of airmen and is the home base for the Blue Angels. In a city with such deep military roots, few things arouse more pride than the sight of the Blues soaring high above the Gulf of Mexico.

That pride will be on full display in days leading up to this year’s air show, to be held July 8 on Santa Rosa Island, just 15 minutes from downtown and a half-hour from the Navy base.

 
June 9, 2017 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA) - The 2017 Gulf Coast Dental Conference and 148th ALDA Annual Session is taking place at the Perdido Beach Resort this week.
 
As usual they're having their 4th-of-July quality fireworks show Saturday evening at 9pm (weather permitting, and it looks like beautiful weather this weekend).
 
At the Resort, it's a private show for the folks at the dental conference but, if you'd like to watch, here are some great spots: the decks of Tacky Jacks Grill & Tavern, Cobalt the Restaurant or out on Alabama Point East.
 
If you have pets that are spooked by fireworks, you'll want to secure them Saturday evening. We almost always get posts about lost dogs after this display.


Fresh off of the CMA Music Festival in Nashville, the largest country music festival in the world, Karen Waldrop is returning to the gulf coast with six performances. She'll be performing three shows in Panama City and three shows at the Flora-Bama between June 15th & 24th. Full schedule here: www.KarenWaldrup.com 
 
Karen WaldrupJune 14, 2017 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA) - Singer/Songwriter/Performer Karen Waldrup from New Orleans is currently living in Nashville Tennessee pursuing her music career. Karen has been performing gulf coast tours, including the Flora-Bama, with her band for the last 7 years.  
 
Karen says in her bio that the artists who have influenced her music include Alanis Morissette, Ingrid Michaelson, Sheryl Crow, Jewel, Otis Redding and Janis Joplin. I detetected a hint of a young Dolly Parton, with an (from her website) "in-your-face" style of country music. She's across the USA and Europe... her stage presence mesmerizes her audiences; often receiving standing ovations.   
 
Karen has made huge strides in her career over this last year. Since her last visit to the gulf coast she's been discovered by CMT and Country Rebel, exposing her to millions of new fans. Based on the views, likes and comments on Karen's videos, she's on the fast-track to national recognition. It's not unusual for Karen's videos to exceed 10 million views and several have received over 20 million.  

Kiel Thomas arrested at Hangout FestMay 24, 2017 - Gulf Shores, AL (GSA) - For the second year in a row, Kiel Thomas Sheppard, 32, of Newport, Florida left the Hangout Music Festival in handcuffs. Sheppard was arrested on Sunday, May 21, 2017 for doing business without a license after he was discovered selling Hangout Music Fest wristbands just outside the venue. Sheppard was also arrested in 2016 under similar circumstances.

His 2017 arrest is different and significantly more concerning to law enforcement. This year Sheppard was selling stolen Staff and Vendor wristbands. Police said these wristbands could potentially allow anyone that obtained one into secure areas. When apprehended by Gulf Shores Police Officers Sheppard had 9 authentic staff wristbands and 4 vendor wristbands. How many he sold prior to being caught on the last day of the festival is still unknown.

Kim Asbury International Biscuit WinnerMay 23, 2017 - Orange Beach, AL - (OBA) - The International Biscuit Festival took place last weekend in Knoxville Tennessee. Kimberly Asbury, manager of BuzzCatz Coffee & Sweets here in Orange Beach, not only participated in the biscuit competition... she walked away as the International Biscuit Grand Champion.
 
So if you live along the Alabama/Florida Gulf Coast or you're visiting our area, you can try out this world class biscuit every Saturday and Sunday at BuzzCatz Coffee & Sweets, 25689 Canal Road, Orange Beach (Cosmo's Courtyard).
 
Kim's Scotch Egg Biscuit is getting a lot of attention by the media as well as on social media...

May 17, 2017 - Foley, AL (FA) - OWA announced today that Wahlburgers will be one of the anchor locations at the new amusement park. Whalburgers is expected to open in mid-August. The roller coaster is expected to open in mid-July.

May 14, 2017 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA) - Lately when the Blue Angels are flying to their home base at Pensacola NAS they can be seen Buzzin' the Beaches along the Alabama Gulf Coast and Perdido Key. Below are videos and photos captured by our fans who have their cameras ready for their fast fly-bys.
Thank you to all of our fans who capture and share your great videos and photos with us.

May 14, 2017 - Gulf State Park (GSP) - Michael Thomas with MicDesigns took a 20 minute ride around Lake Shelby and recorded his trek.

By DAVID RAINER - Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

May 12, 2017 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA) - The old axiom that the more things change, the more they stay the same is certainly true when it comes to the fiasco that has become the red snapper season in the Gulf of Mexico.

Red SnapperNOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Fisheries announced last week that the private recreational red snapper season in federal waters would last a whopping 72 HOURS. That’s right three whole days from June 1 through June 3. Because of sector separation, which withstood a court challenge earlier this year, the charter industry will be able to fish 49 days, starting June 1.

One of the most extensive artificial reef systems in the world, about 1,030 square miles, sits just off the Alabama Coast. Those reefs produce unparalleled fishing for species like red snapper. Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) Commissioner N. Gunter Guy Jr. made a particularly salient point in a news release recently about the season.

May 9, 2017 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA) - Today the City of Orange Beach held a special called meeting for the mayor and city council to vote on a resolution to support the extension of the Federal Red Snapper Season for recreational anglers.
 
With about 100 people attending the meeting, the resolution passed with a unanimous vote. 
 
Here is the full resolution adopted by the Orange Beach City Council today...