The GREAT GULFCOAST ARTS FESTIVAL is about to take off again on November 1-3 in downtown Pensacola as it has, almost uninterrupted, since 1973. As always, the all-volunteer committee will put their heart into organizing a beautiful 3-day event and the fine artists who grace Historic Seville Square will provide the soul with their amazing creativity.

One yellow cat is responsible for creating the Hound Dog Music Festival benefitting the Baldwin Humane Society and Beth Fugard, chairman of the event for the last 8 years, is the mastermind behind it. She had a rental property in Silverhill with a nice tenant who had a yellow cat. The cat looked out the window when she walked her property, which was once the Woodhaven Dairy.

When Rob Holbert has some downtime, you might find him at the end of his backyard pier on the west side of Mobile Bay. But don’t expect him to linger too long out there. Being co-publisher of the Lagniappe newspaper, something he’s done for 22 years now, demands a lot of hours

Along Scenic 98 in Fairhope lies a gem of a restaurant that is sure to please the most demanding epicurean. Called “R Bistro,” owned by Misty Rider, this restaurant you will say is “tres magnifique” after tasting some of their offerings.

Felder Rushing is a celebrity: an author of eighteen books, thousands of newspaper and magazine articles, a radio talk show host (The Gestalt Gardener) on Mississippi Public Broadcasting, and a guru to plant people all over the United States. He lives in Jackson, Ms., and is a horticulture specialist. Recently, I met and heard him speak in the Daphne Senior Center courtyard. Why? A Plant Swap!

A day trip or extended stay along the Mississippi Gulf Coast is always entertaining, especially when you add fine dining to the equation. On a recent visit, I met a friend for lunch at Mary Mahoney’s Old French House Restaurant and the experience was outstanding. Eileen Mahoney Ezell runs the restaurant with her brother, Bobby Mahoney, and cousins Tony Cvitanovich, Andra Osman, and JoAnna McAdams. It’s a family affair with lots of history dating back to 1737!

I wasn’t surprised to learn that Lynn Oldshue was born and raised in Yazoo City, Mississippi. Many famous people are from Yazoo City, including Willie Morris, Jerry Clower, and Zig Ziglar, to name a few. As the author of the blog and book Our Southern Souls, Lynn has earned a reputation of her own, capturing the essence through her storytelling, of thousands of everyday people living among us.. 

I wasn’t surprised to learn that Lynn Oldshue was born and raised in Yazoo City, Mississippi. Many famous people are from Yazoo City, including Willie Morris, Jerry Clower, and Zig Ziglar, to name a few. As the author of the blog and book Our Southern Souls, Lynn has earned a reputation of her own, capturing the essence through her storytelling, of thousands of everyday people living among us.. 

It’s pretty ironic that Beth Anne McCormick started The Eat Beat in part because she wanted to meet people. More than two decades later, she is a familiar face in most of the area’s restaurants.

Cherish Lombard is a busy lady. It's in her DNA. In addition to anchoring the 4:00, 6:30, and 9:00 p.m. newscasts on WRKG, she is the mother of two young children, balancing home and work life like a champ! 

If you live in or around Fairhope and want to enjoy a pizza without buying a whole pie, and maybe fit in a great salad or soup, you’re in luck! On the corner of Magnolia Avenue and Bancroft Street, Nini Squares (named after owners Chris and Rachel Cullen’s daughter, Nina) has offerings to satisfy the pickiest eater. 

It’s late September, my weather app says the wind is blowing 17 MPH out of the Northeast, it's 76 degrees and it feels chilly. (Full disclosure, a hurricane in the Gulf exacerbates these conditions.) My first visit to May Day Park at the end of College Avenue in Daphne blows my mind and the wind blows my hair and the Spanish Moss in the ancient oak trees. 

For eight days, from one side of Mississippi to the other, antique cars and trucks, celebrities, food, music, and contests await you along the Gulf Coast. Any day and every day is a good time to go and see the spectators lined up and down U.S. Highway 90 watching a steady stream of all the cars and trucks you have ever loved!

Summer 2024 is officially in the rearview with October bringing visions of Fall, Festivals, and Football. Dramatic sunsets paint vivid hues of red, orange, yellow, pink, and sometimes purple across the sky, as Autumn days grow shorter and the sun sinks lower. Sun rays have a larger distance to travel before reaching our eye, interacting with more air molecules, while the dryer, cooler fall air allows more of these colors to pass without being scattered by water molecules.

Some people were born to be restaurateurs. Count Bo Hamilton, owner of Ox Kitchen Fairhope, and newly opened Ox Kitchen Pensacola, located at The Garden at Palafox and Main, as one of them. Both restaurants serve a limited menu, including a perfect burger. Bo’s food philosophy is simple, fresh, and delicious, and his story is an interesting one.

Perdido, Alabama sits at the Northeast corner of Baldwin County, Alabama, near the Northwest corner of Florida to the east. The headwaters of the Perdido River are nearby. The river that runs through this area’s northern exposure toward the south is clean and cold and empties into Perdido Bay near Lillian, Alabama.

Jennifer Knight, owner of End of the Live Café in Pensacola, is wrapping up a three-year renovation and expansion with a full bar offering, and a new kitchen, and is bringing back many of the events and community projects that make End of the Line Cafe more than just a great restaurant. You may remember Scenic 98 Coastal’s story from a year ago.

When Elener and Joe Kralik brought their grandmother from Ukraine to live with them in 1946, she buried a chicken wishbone under the carpet of the small farmhouse on County Road 32 in Baldwin County. Little did she know that the farm would one day become an upscale vineyard and winery. Dawn Fletcher tells me that when she was renovating the house to be fashioned into an office, she found a pearl earring and a wishbone as she pulled up the flooring.

Summer fishing trips are a favorite pastime for locals and visitors to the Scenic 98 Coastal area. The Orange Beach Billfish Classic kicks off the Gulf Coast Tournament Fishing season every year in May, and the Zeke’s Landing Charter Boat Billfish Tournament closes the season in early September. 

Almost 2000 years ago, the first frozen milk and cream served with honey and flavored with fruits were brought to the Roman Emperor Nero. Thus, the summer edible delight, ice cream, was popularized and perfected. In the Scenic 98 Coastal communities, the delectable ice cream of choice is Cammie’s Old Dutch Ice Cream.

Chloe Salinas took some painting classes a few years back, but the lessons didn’t really take. She loved the experience of being around so many creative people, though, and it pushed her into a new direction. For the last year and a half, she’s served as the executive director of the Foley Art Center, which serves as an inviting and accessible gallery for local artists and artisans. 

While chatting with Joy Turner at a coffee shop, her phone rings,“ Entertainment Management Services, This is Joy, How may I help you? “ When she finishes the call and turns her attention back to our interview, she says,” That was someone calling about a Santa booking. I book Santa, Mrs. Claus, a little elf, the Dickens Carolers, and anything Christmas for Holiday events. I used to do about 30 Christmas parties a year. One time, I had 12 New Year's Eve bookings and about killed myself, running from one to the other! A lot has changed over the years with events.”

United Cerebral Palsy has its 15th annual Food and Folly event on Thursday, September 19 at Ft. Whiting Reception Hall in Mobile, and you are invited! This year’s Presenting Sponsor is the Whiting Bradford Wealth Management Group, an office of Merrill Lynch in Mobile.

Just about a half mile east of County Road 32 on Boothe Road in Fairhope is a charming little place that offers every diner a delicious experience.