January 16, 2012 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA) - What started as a joke between friends Debra Rosenfield and Sharon George grew into a real fundraiser that has benefited many women throughout the county. These women from Fairhope made a calendar featuring the pink fire truck from Orange Beach, motorcycles, and local women- many breast cancer survivors or those with family and friends effected from breast cancer. These calendars have been sold over the last several months at many events throughout Baldwin County. The proceeds are being given to local foundations that benefit Baldwin County women fighting breast cancer. Pictured here are some of the women who made this calendar presenting a check to the Pink Heals Foundation in Orange Beach. Left to right: Michele Bringuier, Debra Rosenfield, Asher Michon, Sharon George

January 10, 2012 - Gulf Shores, AL (GSA) - Ann Motes, Special Events Assistant at the Alabama Gulf Coast Area Chamber of Commerce, has been named Director of Special Events for the Chamber.

Ms. Motes, who has been with the Chamber since 2009, will be responsible for directing the staff activities for the National Shrimp Festival and other Chamber events, and will work with the Shrimp Festival Committee leadership and volunteers in planning and executing this important signature event for the Chamber.

She will also be responsible for staffing other Chamber events, including the Annual Christmas Lighted Boat Parade, the Shrimp Festival Restaurant Challenge (formerly known as the Shrimp Festival Chef’s Challenge), and others.

“We are so excited that after an rigorous search that resulted in some extremely highly qualified applicants, Ann emerged as the candidate with the most direct and recent hands-on staffing experience not only with the festival, but with other Chamber events,” said Chamber President Ed Rodriguez in making the announcement. “Ann has developed terrific relationships with our volunteers, vendors, and leadership and she has the technical and people skills we need to help ensure the future of what is one of the world’s greatest festivals.”

January 6, 2012 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA) - In late January, Orange Beach Public Library will host a number of programs exploring ecosystems in Alabama.

On Jan. 25 Philip West, Coastal Resources Manager for the City of Orange Beach will present After the Fire: The Backcountry Trail. His presentation will discuss the damages and after effects of the Gulf Coast State Park Fire of June-July 2011 on the Backcountry Trail.  His presentation will be held at the Senior Activity Center at 6 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. Registration is recommended and may be done online at the events calendar at www.orangebeachlibrary.org.

December 8, 2011 -- GULF SHORES, Ala. (GSA) -- The Gulf Shores Garden Club will celebrate their 21st Annual Spring Garden Seminar on Feb. 8.  

The doors will open at 9:30 a.m. followed by the Program at 10.  A light lunch, along with opportunities to win floral arrangement doorprizes, round out this fun-filled morning. Our guest speaker is Marie Harrison, with her topic, “Reaching New Heights in Floral Design”.

This year, for the first time, the Garden Seminar will be held at the Erie Meyer Civic Center in Gulf Shores to accommodate the growing number of guests attending this very popular event.

Tickets of $15 each, sold in advance, cover the cost of lunch and prizes, with the proceeds supporting the Gulf Shores Scholarship Fund. Tickets may be purchased at the Gulf Shores Library after Jan. 3, or contact Diane atdinowicki606@yahoo.com or (251)974-6606 for Tickets.

December 6, 2011 - Gulf Shores, AL (GSA) - On December 12th the Marine Resources Division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will break ground on a new laboratory and administration building for the Claude Peteet Mariculture Center in Gulf Shores. The Marine Resources Division is responsible for the management of Alabama's marine resources and the Claude Peteet Center has contributed to that mission for over thirty years with its research into marine and estuarine ecology.

Krebs Architecture & Engineering teamed with Lord Aeck & Sargent to provide architectural and civil engineering services on the 31,500 square foot project. The laboratory houses tanks and open raceways that hold over 100,000 gallons of water for fish, fry, algae, and zooplankton. Infrastructure to support these marine environments includes modifications to the salt water pipeline from the Gulf of Mexico and the brackish water pipeline from the intracoastal waterway."

November 26, 2011 -- Pensacola, FL (OBA) – It is Christmas time in Tuna… Texas, that is! Tuna is the third smallest town in Texas, where the Lion’s Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies.

With only 24 hours before Christmas, all comic hell is about to break loose as Theatre West presents “A Tuna Christmas”. This mad-cap comedy consists of two actors and twenty-four hilarious characters.

The show has some of the quickest costume changes, biggest hair-do’s (and hair don’ts) known to man and is guaranteed to put a jingle in your sleigh!

November 10, 2011 -- ORANGE BEACH, Ala. (OBA) -- The 2011 Frank Brown International Songwriters’ Festival presented by the Flora-Bama has something for everyone!  One of a series of special events planned is a Songwriting Showcase for Teens from 11 a.m.-2 p.m, Friday, Nov. 18.

The event was organized by LuLu’s at Homeport Marina and the Frank Brown Foundation For Music, the 501(c)3 organization that coordinates this Top 20 Southeastern Tourism Event. The luncheon/seminar will bring together select students from Foley High, Foley Middle, Elberta Middle and Daphne Middle Schools and industry professionals to discuss the art and business of songwriting.

The professional panel will include powerhouse songwriting duo Hal and Rachel Newman.  Among Hal’s many recorded songs is George Strait’s “Baby Your Baby” from the movie Pure Country. Also on the panel is CJ Watson, songwriter and author of The Everything Songwriting Book (copyright 2003, Adams Media); John Briggs, CEO of Briggs Entertainment and former Vice President of ASCAP; and singer/songwriter Karen E. Reynolds who heads up an independent record label and is Host and Program Director of “Writer’s Block” a radio program and concert series showcasing independent artists.The highlight of the seminar is the teen stars of tomorrow that have been selected to perform their original songs for this prestigious panel. Among those selected are:

Brittany Cole, a 14-year-old freshman at Gulf Breeze High School. Brittany began playing guitar when she was 7 and began writing songs at the age of 10. Her music style is Contemporary/Pop. Brittany says she “writes songs that encourage and inspire”.

November 4, 2011 -- Pensacola, Fla – It is not unusual for a mother and daughter to stay home on a Saturday night, spending time with each other, getting a manicure, and chatting.  But something is different about this night.

At the beginning, the daughter makes an off-handed, yet surprising, announcement that becomes the driving force behind Marsha Norman’s powerful Pulitzer Prize-winning play. “night, Mother” is a revealing look at the lives of two women, a mother and a daughter, who live together but know virtually nothing about each other.

The daughter, Jessie, played by Allison Winschief, is a 30-something divorcee who finds herself with a life full of failure. Epilepsy has kept Jessie hidden away, unable to hold a job or conduct a social life of any kind. And if that weren’t enough, Jessie’s drug-addicted son has turned to a life of crime and Jessie has given up hope for his future. In fact, Jessie has given up hope, period.

October 31, 2011 - ORANGE BEACH, AL (OBA) - The Flora-Bama presents the 27th Annual Frank Brown International Songwriters’ Festival Nov. 10-20, 2011 featuring nearly 200 songwriters in multiple venues along the Florida/Alabama Gulf Coast.

During this exciting 11 day festival, seasoned and aspiring songwriters and musicians from all over the world perform at 25 venues, including Perdido Key, Florida, Bon Secour, Silverhill, Elberta, Orange Beach and Gulf Shores with performances featuring Grammy Award winning songwriters and the up and coming stars of tomorrow.  (Most performances will be free to attend, although some venues may have a cover charge).

In addition to the music scheduled, the festival has a full line up of special events planned.

Wednesday, Nov. 9 the festivities begin with progressive “Kickoff Parties East & West” Local songwriters will begin performing at 7 p.m. at Flippers Sports Bar in Orange Beach and the Sports Bar of Perdido in Perdido Key.  Then East meets West at 9 p.m.0 for more fun and local entertainment on the Florida / Alabama line at the Silver Moon Lounge across from the Flora-Bama.

Veteran’s Day, Friday, Nov. 11th, a special tribute to honor Veterans will be held at the Legends Grill at Perdido Bay Golf Club beginning at 8 p.m.  This performance features songwriters who have served in the military or have written patriotic songs.

Saturday, Nov. 12 the Flora-Bama will host a tribute to the late great Rusty McHugh.  He played the Flora-Bama for more than a decade. Rusty was a talented comedy songwriter and musician whose body of work gained thousands of fans from all over the world. Get there early to see Rusty’s friends perform his hilarious, and irreverent songs.

October 28, 2011 -- Orange Beach, AL, (OBA) -- Whether it is enjoying meeting and listening to the music of hit songwriters or up-and-coming songwriters, you will have the opportunity to forge live musical memories that will last a lifetime at the 27^th Annual Frank Brown Songwriters Festival November 10 – 20, 2011.

The Flora-Bama is the presenting sponsor of the 2011 Festival.  The event is dedicated to the late Frank Brown, the 28-year Flora-Bama night watchman who retired in his 90’s after a long association with the musicians and patrons that have made this world renown roadhouse a launching pad for aspiring writers and performers.

October 20, 2011 -- Orange Beach, AL. (OBA) -- The Orange Beach Public Library is working with Toys for Tots for the upcoming 2011 holiday season. The Library is a collection site for dropping off new toys to be distributed by the Marine Corps Reserves to needy children in the area for the holiday season.

All toys will be distributed in Baldwin County. Toys can be donated during Library hours Monday, Tuesday and Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Items must be new, unwrapped and in their original packaging and for children ages 12 and under.

Toys for Tots has been collecting and delivering toys for children since 1947 when Major Bill Hendricks USMCR and a group of Marine Reservists collected and distributed 5,000 toys to needy children. Now in its 64th year, the organization boasts distributing almost 15 million toys annually serving more than 6 million children.

For more information on the Toys for Tots drive please contact the Library 251-981-2923 or Steve Fleming, South Baldwin Coordinator at 251-609-2562.

More information on the Toys for Tots program may be found at www.toysfortots.org, and more information on the Library at www.orangebeachlibrary.org.

October 19, 2011 -- Orange Beach, AL. (OBA) -- Once they got a little taste of life in Orange Beach, Glenn and Dale Beard of Georgia decided they wanted to make it home.

“We came down last year for the races,” Glenn said. “We didn’t come for the boat races, they just happened to be going on when we were here. My sister-in-law has a place in Bear Point and we got an invite for the weekend and we had a great time.”

The husband and wife team operate The Meat Mart butcher shop on Canal Road along the service drive. It shares the parking lot with Duck’s Diner and Coco Island Furniture.

October 18, 2011 -- GULF SHORES, AL. (GSA) ¬— The 40th Annual National Shrimp FestivalPresented by Zatarain’s is now in the books, and several of the food vendors - including the two that sold Cajun Pistols and the winner of the “Best of the Fest” award - have reported record sales.

Organizers from the Alabama Gulf Coast Area Chamber of Commerce, which produces the event, are busy compiling numbers, but preliminary indicators show vendors had a very good Festival.

“The crowds were outstanding. The weather was absolutely perfect,” Festival Chairman Ron Kutter said. “I’ve been a part of this Festival for 11 years, and this is my fifth as chairman. I have to say that overall this was one of the smoothest Festivals I’ve had occasion to be a part of.”

October 15, 2011 -- GULF SHORES, Ala. (GSA) — The 40th Annual National Shrimp Festival Presented byZatarain’s is in full swing, and the crowds have been outstanding. Organizers fromthe Alabama Gulf Coast Area Chamber of Commerce, which produces the event,optimistically forecasted that 300,000 people would attend this year’s event, but judgingfrom the first two days, that mark might be shattered.

“We’ve been very pleasantly surprised by the number of people that have come to theFestival Thursday and Friday,” Chamber Special Events Director Jan Umphrey said. “Ibelieve that after several years of economic uncertainty, people have just decided theywant to enjoy themselves in our beautiful beachfront setting, eat some of the best foodanywhere and look to the future with optimism.”