The Story of Dr. James Andrews's Challenge for the America’s Cup

Sometimes, we meet people who’ll rescue us from that earthly purgatory of sameness. 

Scenic 98 Coastal was officially launched on April 14, 2022, when our first newsletter was emailed to 142 subscribers made up of family and friends. Over the last two years, we have enjoyed telling stories and sharing experiences with our readers, now over 5,000 strong. Telling stories is what we are all about! With everything going on in the world right now, we hope to be a positive voice that celebrates this community and all it has to offer.

Jackson’s Steakhouse, a Pensacola fine-dining establishment, hosts a media-tasting event twice a year. Founding Executive Chef Irv Miller introduces his seasonal menu each spring and fall. Scenic 98 Coastal was fortunate to be included. 

In July of 2018, Rachel Hadley was 22 weeks pregnant when her organs started shutting down. On July 4, doctors performed an emergency C-Section and delivered twins Scarlett and Jesse at USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital. The babies went immediately to the NICU, where they would stay for more than six months.

In modern medicine, getting back on your feet after orthopedic surgery means spending time before and after with a qualified physical therapist. They are crucial to recovery. The good news is we’ve come a long way with less invasive surgeries and trained specialists who work diligently to get you back to doing what you love.

Scenic 98 Coastal enjoys supporting small businesses and telling their stories. Small business owners bring unique aspects to the area and enrich the community with positive direction. Every small business has to start somewhere; often, a good idea comes to fruition in an incubator program.

After having lunch at Catrinas de Rosy in Silverhill, I had to do some serious googling. It is an authentic Mexican restaurant, and the menu had items I needed to familiarize myself with. So I started with the place’s name. Catrinas are clay skeletons, also known as Day of the Dead figures and Rosy is Rosy Gallardo, who opened the first taqueria in Baldwin County in 2020. She has three locations now, Mobile, Daphne, and Silverhill.

This is turkey season- a rite of Spring that gets the blood flowing and adrenaline pumping like no other hunting season. For turkey hunters everywhere, the story of how Mossy Oak camouflage came into being and revolutionized the sport is an important and historic milestone. 

With Spring in full swing, it’s a great time to get out and enjoy all the natural beauty in the Scenic 98 Coastal area. Many festivals and other events are scheduled for April, both in our area and across the Gulf Coast region.

With the warmer weather upon us, outdoor events and festivals are everywhere in the Scenic 98 Coastal footprint. It’s also the start of baseball season. Two kid-friendly events this weekend are the Boat Show on the Bay in Mobile and the Blue Wahoos opening weekend in Pensacola. WKRG News 5 is the exclusive broadcast sponsor for both events, and the focus is definitely on the kids.

Sunday evening, Linda and I had a great time attending the Sunday Supper at The Hope Farm. Held in the Barn, the newest addition to The Hope farm’s dining options, the idea is to recreate the Southern tradition of Sunday family dinners. 

Six senior sen̂oras in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, are enjoying lunch at a gorgeous rooftop restaurant, eating the freshest guacamole, sipping tequila drinks, and chatting about all the fun we are having. At the table next to us are two young gentlemen from Chicago, who are shopping for a house to buy in the area. Many Americans and Canadians have homes here and after spending some time in this colonial area in Mexico’s central highlands, I get it. ‍

With their new and permanent location at 809 Nichols Avenue, the Baldwin County Youth Orchestra (BCYO) is tuning up for its spring concert. Planned for May 7th, this concert with its theme of “Classical Favorites” will be held at 7:00 pm at Foley Civic Center. 

Who remembers the story we did called Fish Christmas? Probably not many, I’d guess… It was early in our life as a newsletter. Ever since, I’ve wanted to catch up with Dr. Sean Powers, Director of the University of South Alabama's Stokes School of Marine & Environmental Sciences to learn more about their impact on the Scenic 98 Coastal area.

When two students decide that college isn’t their thing, but know that they have always wanted to own their own business, what would be an appropriate name to call their business? Dropout Bakery is the answer. 

Grilled oysters, fried oysters, raw oysters, oyster stew; I sound like Bubba Gump and his shrimp choices, yet this is what we tasted at the Annual Fort Morgan Oyster Festival, held the weekend of February 24- 25 at the Beach Club. Since festivals of every kind are held in our area, I expected long lines and crowds, but this festival was like a big private party, in a beautiful setting, with music, games, and incredible oysters!

A few weeks ago, Linda and I ventured north to attend the Monroeville Literary Festival. This two-day event is held annually in the upstairs courtroom of the Monroe County Courthouse, the setting of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. By all measures, it exceeded our expectations.

The 72nd Annual Fairhope Arts & Crafts Festival took place this past weekend, and the exclusive broadcast partner was the news and weather team from WKRG News 5. On Friday, I was invited to tag along to watch a full day of festival reporting. By all measures, it was a fun-filled experience!

Market by the Bay has always been a go-to for me because of the delicious fried seafood and gumbo. With two locations in Fairhope and Daphne, I was a frequent visitor. A few years ago, the Fairhope restaurant closed (now the OX Kitchen), and then the Daphne store closed a year later. I was sad to see them go.

Lila Pennington Ryals’s mother died in 1931, just days before her ninth birthday, and her dad didn’t want to care for the last of his six children. She and her younger brother, Buddy, were left to their own devices to feed themselves, manage their health care, get through school, and provide for their safety. 

Meeting up for lunch at The Barn at Hope Farm with the dynamic event coordinator, Tonya Dalhaus, was an exciting hour for both of us. We discovered we have a mutual friend, Heather Mitchell, a sketch artist. 

Having just returned from my third cruise in Belize, I can report that it is still one of the most beautifully pristine pieces of water a sailor can visit in this part of the world. 

You may recall that we did a piece on David Cooper’s book, The Laundry Man for the holiday gift-buying season. When I got a call from my friend, Joe Brown at Portside Advertising about a story on a commercial laundry, I thought there must be something in his water. “Seriously, it’s an incredible story. You should meet Sean Chappell and check it out,” he told me.