When Armand DeKeyser responded to our Scenic 98 Coastal Reader Survey and was chosen to receive a Scenic 98 coastal hat, I spoke to him on the phone. I learned, among other things, that he is the Board Chair for a nonprofit program called Shepherd’s Place. I then googled Shepherd’s Place to see what it is all about. It is a program that offers caregivers of cognitive-challenged family members a break from around-the-clock caregiving.

The young track and field athlete, son of sharecroppers and the grandson of slaves, stood with his feet at the line, ready for his first competition in the long jump. He was in Nazi-ruled Berlin, Germany. It was 1936. He was an African-American surrounded by a sea of Caucasian faces.

If you’ve ever attended a civic function on the Eastern Shore, you’ve probably run into Skip Jones. He may be the most civic-minded man I know. His interests run wide and deep. He is also an ‘Old Salt’, an endearing term for someone who knows their way around the waterfront.‍

We are asked this question all the time, “What are you reading, watching, new music, or podcasts you are listening to? So we asked our readers. Here are some of their responses:

Perhaps the most anticipated annual July event in the Scenic 98 Coastal area is the Pensacola NAS Blue Angel Air Show. Regardless of how many times you may have seen it, it never disappoints.

I've never met any of the Beatles, but I did talk to Ringo Starr on the phone for a short while, and it was certainly a thrill. I thought I'd tell the story in detail in honor of his 85th birthday, which is coming up Monday, July 7.

Walking into the Fairhope Recreation Center Pool on a Tuesday morning during the Fairhope Area Swim Team, aka FAST practice, I am stimulated by the sights and sounds of approximately 350 kids in matching team swimsuits, swimming laps. There are eight lanes with coaches on each side, loudly giving instructions to swimmers aged 7 to 17 years.

Bamboo Willie’s Beachside Bar has earned its stripes as one of Pensacola Beach’s famous landmarks. It is one of those iconic beach bars that define beach towns. Many such establishments dot the Scenic 98 Coastal landscape, harkening back to the youthful days of basking in the sun, catching a wave, or trying your luck casting from the beach.