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. 

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. 

With May Day upon us, we have lots in store. This week’s Top Five Things to Do in May is front-loaded for the first half of the month. Keep up with each week’s entertaining things to do throughout the Scenic 98 Coastal area featured in Tidbits and Best Bets in Wednesday’s newsletter and on our website at scenic98coastal.com. Thank you to the good folks at Chuck’s Fish and Dharma Blue for sponsoring Top Five each month!

Lots of people love the Alabama coast for its beautiful beaches, its many open-air restaurants, and its easy access to saltwater fishing, but it was something else that drew Norman and Jane Lindsey Thomas to the area. They were camping at Gulf State Park and set out on a bicycle ride that would change their lives. 

I love menu tastings: smaller portions, more variety. It’s the epicurean experience featuring the best creations from the resident chefs. I kind of wish every fine dining restaurant would offer “The Experience,” so I don’t have to make tough decisions.

I love menu tastings: smaller portions, more variety. It’s the epicurean experience featuring the best creations from the resident chefs. I kind of wish every fine dining restaurant would offer “The Experience,” so I don’t have to make tough decisions.

Today marks the beginning of our 5th year of publishing Scenic 98 Coastal. It seems like yesterday that we started on this adventure. On April 14, 2022, we launched the first issue without a clear path to what this newsletter would become. “Your readers will let you know what they want,” we were advised. And that’s exactly what has happened. Baby steps.

The Shuck Cancer fundraiser held at Oak Hollow last Thursday had all the elements needed for a great party: beautiful weather, beautiful people, a plethora of local oysters, and bourbon! Oak Hollow in Fairhope is a perfect venue for an event such as this, as guests could stay outside sampling oysters under a huge tent or go inside in the barn, where live music, delicious food, and bourbon tastings were enjoyed. 

This past weekend, we planted our spring vegetable garden. It’s a fun activity to do with the kids. It’s one of those things that you hope teaches them something beyond just the surface level of digging holes, putting plants in them, watering, etc. Indeed, tending a vegetable garden is ripe (pun intended) with potential lessons about life, growth, and death, responsibility and caring for things, and fostering a connection with nature and the food we eat. This spring planting has me reminiscing about our last growing season. For which I will provide a brief recap.

One of the more interesting and entertaining documentaries I’ve watched is Commanding the Table. It is a 2016 film by Academy Award-nominated director Leslie Iwerks about the life and influence of New Orleans Restaurateur Ella Brennan. The film chronicles her role in revolutionizing Creole cuisine, creating the jazz brunch, and launching the careers of celebrity chefs like Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse.

Spring turkey hunters have long held themselves in high regard. They are considered (by themselves) to be cerebral, spiritual even, when it comes to their craft. They are the higher order of huntsmen, the gentle woodsmen. 

Speaking of birthdays, numbers have a way of creeping up on us. Friday, April 3, was my father’s birthday; born in 1925, he would have been 101. Born and raised in North Carolina, he met my mother at Duke University. He graduated with a degree in civil engineering in just three years after enlisting in the Navy’s accelerated commissioned officers program during WWII. He served as a captain of a converted PT boat assigned to rescue downed pilots in the Pacific Theater.

This April is lining up as a great time to take advantage of the Spring weather with a variety of outdoor events and festivals. Be sure to check Tidbits and Best Bets each week for the latest music, live performances, and festivals in the Scenic 98 Coastal communities along the Gulf Coast!

It’s the early 2000s, and the Back Door Poets are hosting a poetry reading at Van Gogh’s coffee shop. Seating is couches from thrift shops or donated. Folk art hangs on the walls. Punk rockers, nerds, geeks, hippies, vegans, and other cast-asides of society gather to share stories and camaraderie, and outside they share beers and cigarettes. Many of the patrons walked around the corner from a house known as the 309 Punkhouse.

The word "stunning" is often used to describe the sounds of The Krickets, and it doesn't take long to understand why so many people feel that way. Even if their songs weren't captivating on their own, the beautiful blend of their voices would instantly make you want to lean in and listen.

Three years ago, I was fortunate to see the film, En Selle: The Kyrgyz Ride, when it was screened in Ashley Parsons' hometown of Mobile. It was an incredible tale of Ashley and her partner, Quentin Boehm’s, travels on horseback on the Ancient Silk Road, a 1600 kilometer (994 miles) journey through the mountains and steppes of Kyrgyzstan. 

Lexi Angeles’ shop on West Cervantes Street creates a space for vintage lovers and local vendors to grow together.