Good evening. Thank you for having me, Dr. Kevin Scott, English department faculty. Graduates, welcome.

For ace guitarist Corky Hughes, the long road to a satisfying life in music got off to a rocking and rolling start at Skate Haven. Back in those days, in the mid-70s, lots of young people in and around Mobile were more interested in the rock 'n' roll that was being played there than lacing up skates and circling around the rink.

This month, Gambino’s Italian Grill is celebrating its 50th year, and not just its 50th year to be in operation, but to be operated by three generations of the same family.

50 years ago, in 1976, Fairhope had a population of about 6,600 people. It was a sleepy little town where everybody knew everybody, and Fairhope Avenue was where the residents did most of their shopping. Jeanne Byrd opened a store, Jeanne’s, and later called Fantasy Island Toys, with an inventory of primarily dolls and dollhouses. I moved to Fairhope in 1977, and I remember that the store was small, quaint, and charming, just like Fairhope!

If you're looking for a graceful old mansion with tall, white columns at Weeks Bay Plantation, you won't find it. The scenic property just west of Magnolia Springs is a lot of things, but it's really never been a "plantation" in the traditional sense.

Crawfish bread, Cochon de Lait po’boy, boudin balls, catfish almondine, softshell crab po’boy, crawfish enchilada, crawfish strudel, rosemint herbal iced tea. And so much more food.

A few weeks ago, I ran into Paul Harriman at a St. Patrick’s Day party, and then again shortly after at a restaurant on a Sunday evening. We were having dinner with good friends, T.K. Jackson and Jeanie Miller. Paul greeted Jeanie and mentioned that he had recently come across an old article written by Vivian Cannon about her grandfather’s soft-shell crab farm on Weeks Bay. It had appeared in The Mobile Press-Register’s Sunday Magazine on September 2, 1962.

I love stories about women who turn setbacks into opportunities, making lemonade out of lemons, if you will. In Sally Stringfellows case, she made a champagne crab bisque! A single mother with 2 young girls, she needed to figure out a way to make ends meet.