I first heard about Hope Community in 2021 while working on another local publication. The article quoted Shawn Graham, vice president at the time, “It's not about race when we speak of diversity. It's about the contribution of all people to our community.” I was delighted to hear about an organization dedicated to understanding, communication, and a future for all of its citizens, but the skeptic in me couldn’t foresee how this concept could be effectively implemented. Boy, was I wrong!
For going on three decades, the Baldwin Pops has provided the symphonic soundtrack for Fairhope's big Fourth of July celebration. It seems a shame that these hard-working musicians don't get to see much of the fireworks.
Like a hurricane, pickleball is sweeping across the nation. So much so, supply is trying to catch up with demand. Everybody I talk to is playing, and one group in Pensacola is seizing the opportunity to capitalize on the pickleball craze in impressive style. Get ready for Portside Pickle.
“At Little Roots, Big Adventures, I want to give children what I had as a child,” Maria Hoffman exclaims in a bright, enthusiastic voice. With Native American heritage, Maria grew up in the mountains of North Georgia and attributes her love of nature to her grandfather, who exposed her to the natural world while hiking and camping. She reminisces about walking barefoot in creeks, catching minnows, and chasing frogs and lightning bugs.
In the interest of full disclosure, I confess to being Sandy Stimpson's childhood neighbor and lifelong friend. Later, I met Jean, Sandy’s wife, in Tuscaloosa as students at the University of Alabama. To say that I’m an admirer of both would be a severe understatement.
Chad Kirtland knows that food lovers along the Eastern Shore are pretty savvy, but there's a certain segment of his clientele that he really wants to satisfy. He can spot them right away from the distinctive accents that he's known all his life, and that they have no trouble pronouncing the names of popular menu items such as jambalaya, muffaletta, or étouffée.
Did you know Andalusia, Alabama, is home to the World Championship Domino Tournament? I didn’t either until I met Riley and Reid Taylor at Provision in Fairhope a few weeks ago. Since 1976, the Andalusia Rotary Club has sponsored and produced the event. If you want to match your wits and Domino skills against the best players in the world, you can register here to compete on July 11 and 12 at the Kiwanis Fair Complex in Andalusia.
When we started this venture called Scenic98Coastal.com, I talked it out with lots of people I know and respect. The best advice I received was from a friend’s son visiting Fairhope from New York during the pandemic. We were having lunch at Sunset Pointe at Fly Creek when I told him about our idea to launch a newsletter for the area between Mobile and Pensacola.
I am not much of a Sports girl, I didn't attend big universities with all the Teams, but I am a very good eater and therefore enjoyed my experience with Tammy’s Bar and Grill in Fairhope. A ladies’ lunch at a Sports Bar is a bit of an oxymoron!
Joel Hamilton was destined to become a zoo director from the very beginning of his life. Born and raised on a defunct 125-acre farm in Connecticut, surrounded by an additional 800 acres of former farmland, he spent his youth stomping around outdoors. “If it was daylight, I was outside playing, fishing streams, and generally absorbing the environment.”
One of the main focuses of Scenic98Coastal.com is to help promote and market the small business community. Kassidy Gibson, helps small businesses improve their face to the public. In the digital-driven world, this is an important distinction that many businesses overlook.
The story of Bellingrath Gardens and Home is fascinating, and I plan to catch up with the Museum and Home Director, Tom McGeheet this spring to explore its auspicious beginnings when the gardens are in full bloom. His reputation as the area’s preeminent historian is legendary.
House concerts have become a thing. Private homes host musical artists with invited guests who help cover the expenses of the musical guests with a suggested donation.
As an author of 23+ books and contributor to 17 anthologies, I have garnered enjoyment from learning about all kinds of places and people and sharing stories about them with the reading public.
When my sister-in-law was visiting from Maryland, we decided to go on a field trip to the Africatown Heritage House, a museum that houses "Clotilda: The Exhibition" about the survivors and descendants of slaves transported on the Clotilda, the United States last known slave ship, many of whom established Africatown. The exhibit lets visitors share the experience of the journey to and from Africa, bringing stories of the 110 captives, showing artifacts of the burned and sunken shipwreck, and exhibiting how strength, optimism, and resilience created the community of Africatown.
If you’ve driven down Highway 59 through Loxley, Robertsdale, and Foley on the way to the beach, you’ve probably seen Hood’s Home Center. It’s hard to miss the giant colorful rooster guarding the various building supplies, hardscape, and yard swings that front the highway. It looks chaotic but I promise, it’s by design.