What about summer makes us yearn for the next great book to read? Beaches and tranquility are the answer. Who better to advise us than our local, independent bookseller? I recently stopped by three independent bookshops, The Haunted Book Shop in Mobile, Page and Palette in Fairhope, and Bodacious Bookstore and Cafe in Pensacola, to discover their take on the summer reading list.

As a third grader, Caroline Carithers experienced an event that changed her life and set her on a career path she envisioned as a young girl. 

My boyfriend, Jack Mayson, and I recently tried Brother Fox for the first time on my birthday, and we absolutely loved it! When you first walk into the restaurant, you get a groovy vibe with a calming and zen feel. Upon taking our seats, our server greeted us and took our drink orders while we perused the menu. We didn’t know where to start, the menu was so pleasantly different from typical fare at other local restaurants. 

There is a new event production company in the Scenic 98 Coastal community, and the largest 3-day RockaBilly Music Festival, Car Show, and Pin-Up Pageant in Alabama are set to take place June 30 through July 2 at the Robertsdale Coliseum, Arena, and Fairgrounds.

If you ever need firefighters to show up on your property to save lives or to help solve a serious issue like the one we had in our home recently, I can attest to the professional, courteous, and thorough job accomplished by the team at Fairhope Volunteer Fire Department, the FVFD. 

Linda and I attended Bryant Whelan’s retirement party on Memorial Day at the Eastern Shore Art Center. Her husband, Patrick, made all the arrangements. As we arrived, we saw this great vintage 1966 Ford Econoline van parked out front. It’s an eye-catcher painted in a beautiful blue and cream motif. It was the Brew Bus. How cool!

Downtown Mobile has lots of great options for good food, drink, and atmosphere. One of my favorite places is The Noble South. As the tagline says, it’s A Taste of the South in a beautiful old building at 203 Dauphin Street in the heart of Mobile’s Entertainment District.

There are a lot of great things happening right under our noses that we are just learning about at Scenic 98 Coastal. We need to get out more…