“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.
There is a paw print in the logo of Cosmo’s Restaurant and Bar, and I never knew why. While lunching there with girlfriends, I learned that the restaurant was named for the owners, Brian and Jodi Harseny’s, beloved black dog. His portrait is prominently displayed on an outside mural and on a particularly nice silhouette painting of Cosmo and his cat friend, Junior Mint, looking at the moon. Junior Mint is still alive, living the good life with the Harsenys, but Cosmo is in Dog Heaven.
Katrina McLeod is the kind of person who is always up for a new challenge, and for the upcoming Air Race Classic, she's found a well-suited flying partner who shares her love of adventure.
Without question, we have some of the most spectacular sunsets in the world. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. I challenge anyone, anywhere, to prove me wrong. I’ve seen many beautiful sunsets in other places, but consistently, the spectacular Scenic 98 Coastal sunsets are incredible.
Kerrie Benson is a dynamo. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. She has found her calling through a lifetime of enthusiasm, love, and patience. As a development coordinator for Children’s Hospital of Alabama, she has brought many donors to the table, and the golf course, among other fun venues. All in the name of love for helping others!
Reading the obituaries every day is something I do. In the old days they would print, ‘she died of natural causes’ meaning, she got old and up and died. Not anymore, they say nothing about the cause of death. The best I can do to figure out what happened is to read between the lines of the suggested ‘in lieu of’ donation.
A lot is happening in Mobile these days and the buzz is getting louder every day. A few of the projects underway include a new airline terminal being built at Brookley Field, and a well-deserved and much-needed Hall of Fame Walk on Water Street downtown, honoring the five Major League Baseball Hall of Famers, and one National Football League HOFer, Robert Brazille. The statues of Satchel Paige, Henry Aaron, Willie McCovey, Ozzie Smith, and Billy Williams display the most HOFers from any city in the United States. Pretty amazing!
Rock music fans all over the world know Roger McGuinn as the leader of the groundbreaking '60s band called the Byrds, but he's been playing mostly solo shows for the last several decades.
One of the best things about Fairhope is that it has a Film Festival. Like the Sundance Festival, Tribeca, South by Southwest, and many others, the Fairhope Film Festival, held on the second weekend in November, features forty of the best films. This year will be the thirteenth annual event, and a new Executive Director will be at the helm.
The train depot in Foley was the first stop for many of the city’s earliest residents and visitors. It’s still a great place to start when you want to learn about Foley’s history and the people who have made the place what it is.
Now it’s everywhere. Throughout the Scenic 98 Coastal communities, Mardi Gras is a celebration everyone can enjoy. In fact, Mardi Gras masks were originally worn so that people of all classes could mingle freely. The colors of Mardi Gras, purple, green, and gold represent justice, faith, and power, respectively.
On August 1, 2023, local musician Molly Thomas was on her way to Pensacola with her dog in tow, when tragedy struck. It was 9:30 am and Molly was crossing U.S. Highway 98 just south of Fairhope when another driver T-boned her. Her car flipped several times, and Molly had to be cut out of her vehicle and life-flighted to the University of South Alabama Hospital in Mobile. She was there for one week before facing a year-long recovery.