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Orange Beach to unveil Romar Beach historical market

The Romar Inn at Romar Beach in Orange Beach.

By Angela Bateman, City of Orange Beach

September 27, 2017 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA) - On Tuesday, Oct. 3, at 2 p.m. on the site of the Original Romar Beach Bed and Breakfast Inn, Orange Beach will honor its historical heritage by unveiling another marker. All are welcome to attend the unveiling ceremony. The historical marker was written by local author Margaret Childress Long.

The Marker details the history of Romar Beach named after 1920’s homestead located along the three-mile stretch of beachfront between the Gulf State Park and Highway 161 in Orange Beach. The original owners were Spurgeon Roche and Carl “Zeke” Martin. The roadway to the homestead is now what is called “Power Line Road.”

The unveiling of the historical marker is part of the City of Orange Beach’s participation in Alabama 200. According to the official website, Alabama 200 is “the state’s official bicentennial commemoration and will consider a rich and complex history made every day by people like us.

Johnt to display at GCAA Art Market Oct. 7

Sept. 26, 2017 – Gulf Shores, AL (GSA) - Mark your calendars for the Oct. 7 Art Market, an event of the Gulf Coast Arts Alliance.

The Art Market, 9 a.m-3 p.m. at 225 E. 24th Ave. in the Waterway Village of Gulf Shores, will feature dozens of local and regional artists who will be displaying their original works of art. Great music and food along with activities for children will top off the day.

Baldwin Pops returns to Orange Beach Oct. 15

The Baldwin Pops will be back for the ninth straight year for a concert in Orange Beach.

September 25, 2017 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA) - The City of Orange Beach invites you to a free concert featuring the Baldwin Pops Concert Band. The event will be Sunday, Oct. 15, 4:30-6 p.m. on the lawn behind the Orange Beach Senior Center, located at 26251 Canal Road, less than a quarter mile east of Alabama 161.

Bayes brings elevated Southern cuisine and hospitality

Bayes Southern Bar and Grill at The Wharf in Orange Beach, Alabama.

By John Mullen

September 23, 2017 – Orange Beach, AL (OBA) – There’s something folksy about being Southern and Bayes Southern Bar and Grill embraces the reference in the name.

“We put a big emphasis on the word Southern,” General Manager Daniel Unda said. “Southern, in our opinion, comprises kindness, hospitality and good food, some of the best things that you hear whenever the word Southern comes into play. With the term Southern, we want to make sure we provide that to our guests. A good environment, being hospitable to them and put out great food.”

County OKs new $15 million middle school for Orange Beach

Baldwin County Schools — The new middle school in Orange Beach will be located at the site of the old wastewater treatment plant on Canal Road.

By John Mullen
September 22, 2017 – Orange Beach, AL (OBA) – Mayor Tony Kennon patiently waited as other council members made a few customary announcements near the start of the Sept. 19 meeting.

Kennon didn’t let on he was like a kid on Christmas, almost bursting with excitement with an announcement and guest he was about to introduce.

Fill up with unique fare offered by the Intracoastal

By John Mullen

Sept. 19, 2017 – Orange Beach, AL (OBA) – First, you get a big ol’ hunk of Monterrey Jack cheese.

“Everybody comes to eat our fried cheese,” owner Bobby Graves of the Intracoastal says. “It’s not frozen. That cheese is sliced in the back and battered here.”

“I buy a fresh 40-pound block and we cut it ourselves,” Manager Pat Wilkenson said.

Luna’s restaurant celebrates annual Oktoberfest

September 19, 2017 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA) – Local restaurant Luna’s Eat & Drink, located on Canal Road, will host its Second Annual Oktoberfest on Sunday, Oct. 1 from 2-6 p.m.

They will feature German-inspired food as well as beer, polka music, stein hoisting and games. Tickets are on sale now at Luna’s Eat & Drink as well as on their website; tickets can also be purchased at Cosmo’s Restaurant & Bar, Cobalt, GTs On The Bay and Maggie’s Bottle n’ Tail.

They will feature a firkin tapping from Gulf Shores’ Big Beach Brewery. Other brews available include Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams, Goose Island, Blue Pants and Yellowhammer.

Team BuzzCatz headed to compete in World Food Championship

September 21, 2017 –Orange Beach, AL (OBA) – BuzzCatz Coffee & Sweets is proud to announce that Juanita Hendrix, one of their managers, will be competing in the World Food Championships Nov. 14-18 at The Wharf in Orange Beach with a chance to win a $300,000 prize purse and the title.

BuzzCatz’ team is one of about 500 from across the world who will be seeking the ultimate food crown. Hendrix earned her spot with her Southern Fried Dog: a Nathan hot dog wrapped in Conecuh Bacon with ButterKase cheese, sautéed jalapeno, onions, garlic and fried green tomatoes, topped with Wild Bill's Sauce.

“I am very proud to be representing BuzzCatz Coffee & Sweets in this renowned competition,” Hendrix said. “I am so thankful for the love and support I have received from my team members and the creativity I am allowed to experience in my job.”

Sister restaurants include Cosmo’s Restaurant & Bar and Luna’s Eat & Drink located on Canal Road, Cobalt, The Restaurant, nestled under the Perdido Pass Bridge next to Caribe Resort, and GTs On The Bay overlooking Wolf Bay also located off Canal Road.

Your team is playing at the Intracoastal and Daiquiri Bar

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 $5,000 football drawdown party set for Sept. 15

September 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.

City of Orange Beach encourages condo associations and rental properties to allow pets

Sept. 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

Doing what it takes at Live Bait

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.

Orange Beach City Council Meeting for Sept. 5th

By 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.

Clean fuel and system for better performance, fewer breakdowns

By 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.

Car of the future: Perdido Key man fascinated with his Tesla

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.”

Cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Considering 2% Lodging Tax Increase

Sept. 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.”

Waterway Village GCAA art market resumes

September 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 On The Bay to host End of Summer Celebration

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.

Native plants topic at Sept. 6 Gulf Shores Garden Club meeting

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.

Local Relief Efforts for Hurricane Harvey Victims

August 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 ...

Orange Beach to consider fiber optic project with CenturyLink

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.

City of Orange Beach Joins Effort to Help Stray Cats

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 improving entrance, parking at arts center

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.”

Fishing the Reefs from Orange Beach

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.

Three manatees spotted in Terry Cove this morning

Orange Beach exploring ordinance to protect seagrass beds

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 Class in Orange Beach on August 5th

July 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's Culinary Diplomacy trip to Cape Verde

By 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....