The 2010 Boating Season is just around the cornor

Be prepared with a refresher course on safe boating...

February 4, 2010 - Orange Beach, AL - The schedule for the USCG Auxiliary Boating Safely classes for 2010 has been set. Classes have been scheduled for March 6th, April 10th, May 8th, June 5th and August 14th.

All classes will be held at the Orange Beach Community Center from 7:45 AM to 4:00 PM. Cost of the course is $35.00 which includes lunch. Class size is limited to 25 so sign up early. Please call John Griggs at 955-1443 to register for the March 6th class.

Qualified instructors from the USCG Flotilla 3-10 will be covering navigation, rules of the road (water), personal safety equipment, trailering boats, boating laws and boating for hunting, fishing and waterskiing. They will also provide hands on instruction on tying basic knots.

Open to everyone over the age of 12, the U.S. Coast Guard Approved Boating Safely
Course meets all qualifications for the Alabama Boat Operator’s License.

Click here to visit the USCG Auxiliary Flotilla's Website.

Gulf State Park Pier - Soft Opening TODAY

July 20, 2009 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA) - The Alabama Gulf State Park Pier will have a soft opening today, July 20, 2009, at 11am.

The Grand Opening takes place at 7am on Thursday, July 23rd. Officials from the State of Alabama will be present at the grand opening ceremony.

Pier Related Links from The OBA Website:

Gulf State Park Pier Information Page

June 30, 2009 Article Announcing Pier Opening Date

Rum Runners Opening Wednesday at The Wharf

June 29, 2009 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA) - Rum Runners USA announced it’s newest location at The Wharf in Orange Beach, Alabama will open the first week in July.

As part of the grand opening week Rum Runners will be giving away 2 Free Front Row tickets to the Montgomery Gentry Concert. The tickets will be given away on Friday night (7/3/09) for the live concert at the Amphitheater at The Wharf on Saturday night (7/4/09). The drawing will be done by the World Famous Dueling Piano Players around 11pm.

“We are very excited to be adding this new store to our growing family of locations that feature Great Food, Great Music and Great Fun for customers of all ages,” said James Auerbach, Vice President of Rum Runners USA.

Click here to read the full article.

Christmas Boat Parade Winners

January 11, 2009-- Orange Beach / Gulf Shores, AL-- The 23rd annual "Nautical Night of Lights" Christmas boat parade, sponsored by the Alabama Gulf Coast Area Chamber of Commerce, featured 17 decorated boats. The parade route began at LuLu's at Homeport Marina to the Intracoastal Waterway to Zeke's Landing Marina in Orange Beach.

Each boat was judged on a combination of creativity, lighting, theme, music and crew attire.

Following the parade, participants and guests gathered at the Down Under Seafood and Oyster Bar at Zeke's Landing for the post-parade party and awards presentation.

In the "Power Boat 33 feet and Above" division, first place was awarded to Capt. Craig Kayda and crew aboard the Independence. Second place was awarded to Capt. Mark Mallet and crew aboard the Bama Lady. Third place was awarded to Capt. Seth Wilson and crew aboard the Rip Tide.

In the "Power Boat 32 feet and Under" division, first place was awarded to Capt. Mike Authemant and crew aboard Da Boat. Second place was awarded to Capt. Mike and Capt. Lori DeAngelis and crew aboard the Dolphin Queen. Third place was awarded to Capt. Bob Pitts and crew aboard Hurricane.

In the Sailboat Division, first place was awarded to Capt. Adam Langston and crew aboard On Call. Second place was awarded to Capt. Robert Clark and crew aboard Leave A Message. Third place was awarded to Capt. John Bozeman and crew on Caddy Wampus.

The Alabama Gulf Coast Area Chamber of Commerce, established in 1981, is a 1,000-member strong business organization serving Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Fort Morgan.

Inaugural Kayak Fishing Tournament Paddles Its Way to AL Gulf Coast

January 10, 2009-- Gulf Shores / Orange Beach, AL-- Breath-taking coastal destinations throughout the nation are starting to experience an upsurge in kayak fishing tournaments as this highly competitive yet friendly sport quickly gains popularity. The abundant waters of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, AL, will host the Inaugural Alabama Coastal Inshore/Offshore Kayak Fishing Tournament on September 18 and 19, 2009.

Presented by the Alabama Gulf Coast Sports Commission in partnership with the Mobile Bay Kayak Fishing Association (MBKFA), this tournament promises to be one of the largest tournaments of its kind in the state and attract anglers from around the Southeast, who will fish for king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, redfish, speckled trout and flounderin the gulf waters and back bays. Held at the Orange Beach waterfront park, this event will also feature conservation exhibits, children’s activities and live music, all of which is free to the public. Tournament proceeds will benefit Covenant Hospice of Mobile and Baldwin Counties.

“We are extremely excited to bring this emerging sport to Alabama’s beaches,” said Beth Gendler, director of sales for the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau. “With our plentiful waters and scenic views, anglers should expect to have a great time fishing for the top prize. When they are not in the water, we hope these individuals have a chance to enjoy our destination.”

On a similar note, Mike Bosarge, president of MBKFA, shares the enthusiasm.

“Kayakers will have a wonderful time fishing this area, and we cannot wait for them to discover that our area is the ideal location for this type of tournament. We look forward to working with the Alabama Gulf Coast Sports Commission as our organization plans its largest event for 2009.”

The tournament fee is $50.00 per person, and individuals register online at www.mbkfa.com. For more information on this or any other sporting event on the Alabama Gulf Coast, please visit www.alabamabeachsports.com.

Flora-Bama Polar Bear Dip

From Fox 10 News...

Principal's head shaven to help ease kids' worries

Student-issued haircuts raise more than $600 for Sand, Sea and Stars Learning Center
Friday, December 26, 2008
By FRANKLIN HAYES
Staff Reporter

When Orange Beach Elementary Principal Steve Baker learned he would need chemotherapy, his thoughts soon turned to his students and how they would react to seeing him without hair.

Baker, who was diagnosed with cancer in August, said he has a long-standing tradition of greeting each kindergarten through sixth-grade student as they enter the building every morning. Baker and his staff came up with a solution to pre-empt the inevitable questions from students and turn his sickness into a learning experience.

In early December, Baker, 52, explained his medical situation to the student body at an assembly and raffled off opportunities to shave his head for 25 cents each. One student for each grade level was chosen to give Baker's head a buzz. The teacher whose class had purchased the most chances was also given a turn with the razor.

Mobile Press-Register

Killer Whales Spotted in Gulf of Mexico

Orange Beach, AL - Capt. Eddie Hall had some serious competition on a recent tuna fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico. They were about 90 miles south of Orange Beach when they spotted hundreds of Orcas feeding on the yellow fin tuna they were targeting.

Click here for more photos and the full article by Steve Layton with Gary Finch Outdoors.

Gulf Coast, Ala.: A mecca of food, water, quiet beaches

By Christine Tibbetts

Water, water every which-way around Alabama’s Gulf coast gave my October beach vacation more dimensions than imagined.

Going to the beach generally offers up an inter coastal waterway as well as an ocean but this stretch of Alabama also has five bays plus the big Mobile Bay, several lakes and a lagoon named Little which looked pretty big to me.

Want to stay on the water? Better be specific when you book a condo or rent a house since there are so many kinds of water to enjoy.

Best I could tell, they all lend to sitting and staring, strolling and resting up to get ready for the next meal. The food is every bit as abundant as the waters and even though I concentrated on seafood every lunch and dinner, I saw plenty of beef choices on the menus.

Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are the big town names in Alabama’s enormous Baldwin County; Magnolia Springs is the tiny treasure and I never got to Foley to check it out.

I did get out in the waters, looking at the Gulf and bays from two of the many boating options.

Full article in the Tifton Gazette

Ala. coast summer room revenue about equal to 2007

By GARRY MITCHELL , 11.24.08, 10:20 AM EST

Alabama Gulf coast tourism officials are bracing for the effects of the financial meltdown on next year's vacation season, but were grateful this year's summer lodging revenue held close to the 2007 record.

They also don't expect to see a significant drop-off in "snowbird" arrivals this January.

About half of the visitors to Alabama beach resorts this summer came from the Southeast - more than a third of them from Alabama - and, despite high fuel prices on the drive down, they spent about the same on lodging as last summer.

Full Article on Forbes.com

Local markets can fill your Thanksgiving shopping list

Brian Kelly

November 21, 2008- Orange Beach, AL- efore you head off of Pleasure Island to shop for goods to cook your Thanksgiving feast, take a cue from snowbird Delores Stockwell. She'll be shopping Pelican country food markets that have exactly what she's looking for and more.

"We do Thanksgiving here on Pleasure Island in our condominium," said Stockwell from Wisconsin.

"I don't have much in the way of kitchen utensils and food, so I prefer to shop on a local level because it helps the local business owners, and I can generally find unique foods. I'd have to say Janna's Market is my favorite market. You never know what you'll discover there."

From the turkey and black-eyed peas to pecan pies, Pelican has listed a few notable markets to stock up on all things Thanksgiving.

Janna's Market

For one of the area's hippest and trendiest specialty markets, Janna's Market in Orange Beach is the place. If you want to wow your dinner guests with a cheese spread this Thanksgiving, then owner Janna Watkins can set you up with the usual and the truly exotic.

"We have a fantastic cheese department, perfect for that unusual cheese platter," Watkins said. "One of our most popular and best cheeses is Rembrandt Extra Aged Gouda, but we've got just about every type of cheese."

Once Janna Watkins has created the ultimate cheese platter, just turn around to the meat counter where Watkins' husband, Dave, will take care of that all-important course, the turkey. But these aren't just your run-of-the-mill Tom turkeys.

"We sell free-range turkeys, which is just a better quality bird," said Dave Watkins about turkeys that are raised in more humane conditions. "This year, we'll be able to deliver or folks can come here and eat. One thing we'll be doing this year is deep-fried turkeys, which are popular and very good."

Janna's also sells beer, wine, and it can prepare sandwiches at the deli counter if you just need to get out of the kitchen for a spell.

Janna's Market, Orange Beach Commons, Highway 161 and Canal Road, Orange Beach, Ala., 251-981-7467, www.jannasmarket.com. Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m., Sunday.

Pensacola News Journal

Fraud charge follows studentloans

Foley man accused of using bogus Social Security number to acquire thousands in federal student aid
Friday, September 19, 2008
By BRENDAN KIRBY
Staff Reporter

A Foley man who was fired this summer from his job at an online university based in Orange Beach has been charged with using a fraudulent Social Security number to take out tens of thousands of dollars in federal student loans.

In one case, according to a criminal complaint filed in Mobile, Christopher Adalikwu failed to attend the school that he listed on his loan application.

Law enforcement agents arrested Adalikwu, 47, on Wednesday at the Foley post office. He made an appearance Thursday in U.S. District Court in Mobile, and U.S. Magistrate Judge Sonja Bivins set a detention hearing for Monday.

Prosecutors have said they believe that he is a risk to flee if he is released from jail.

Adalikwu's lawyer Robert Ratliff said that he knew little about the case.

He said Adalikwu moved to the United States from his native Nigeria when he was about 18.

"Unfortunately, he comes from a different society where the rules are different," he said.

Mobile Press-Register

Patterson found guilty in Baldwin murder

Thursday, September 11, 2008
By VIRGINIA BRIDGES
Staff Reporter

BAY MINETTE — James Harris Patterson's face remained stoic Wednesday as the judge announced that the jury found Patterson guilty of murdering his former high school classmate.

After hearing nearly three days of testimony and deliberating for about an hour, the eight-woman, four-man jury convicted Patterson, 26, of killing Rene Ann Perez in her Orange Beach home two years ago.

Patterson testified Wednesday that he talked to Perez, 25, a former classmate at Robertsdale High School, for about five minutes at a local restaurant a month before her death.

Mobile Press-Register

Flatfish On The Bama Coast

The flounder: one of more popular and tasty fish found on our Gulf Coast. Here's where to find and how to catch them from Gulf Shores to Orange Beach.

By Phillip Gentry

The jig hit the water just inside the rip created by the current washing across the rocks along the seawall that my fishing partner, Jeff Chambliss, and I were targeting. I left the bail on the spinning reel open as the jig rolled along with the current on its way back toward Jeff's boat, which he held parallel to the wall with his trolling motor. I flipped the bail closed and started taking up slack, beginning to feel the bait as it bumped across the sandy bottom next to the rocks.

The bite was signaled by a distinct thump -- nothing more. No line-stripping run like a summertime redfish, no slash-and-grab like a speckled trout: just that thump. And then everything seemed normal.

Except that my line had stopped moving.

Quickly glancing up at Chambliss, a veteran inshore guide from Orange Beach, I remembered his earlier instructions about waiting for the fish to start chewing -- and after at least 10 seconds, I felt it. Maybe "chewing" isn't the right word, but that's sure what it felt like.

The fish had grabbed my jig as if it were an injured mullet being flung along by the current. Once it had a firm grasp on its prey, it settled back to the bottom while its dinner expired. The joke was on it, however: Its dinner wasn't dead -- merely playing the part.

As the unseen fish began devouring his meal, I tightened up the slack on my medium-weight All Star spinning rod and then arched back to cross my quarry's eyeballs with a long, backward sweep of the rod. The creature at the other end of my line exploded into action as the point of jig's hook drove home.

Lying flat on the bottom, the flounder has the laws of physics in its favor. Its broad, flat body can create enough drag to sometimes give the fish enough force to wrap the line around the closest obstacle and break it. Steady pressure on the head, however, angles a flounder's body like a Frisbee thrown into the wind -- and up it comes. After a brief struggle, the flounder's path altered to a course that eventually led it to a frying pan.

Continued on Alabama Game & Fish

Orange Beach Welcomes First of Two Racing Events for August

Orange Beach, AL—As a prelude to the upcoming Thunder on the Gulf Powerboat Races, Orange Beach will host the 11th Annual Sea-Doo Surf and Turf Championships on August 2-3. Perdido Beach Resort will become racing central as nearly 200 of the top watercross athletes coverage on the Alabama Gulf Coast for an exciting weekend of racing action.

Sanctioned by the American Power Boat Association, the Surf and Turf Championships feature events in the ski, sport and runabout divisions. Different from other competitions, this contest is set up to attract both experienced circuit racers and novice athletes.

Weekend events kick off Saturday morning as the first competitors hit the liquid race course at 11:00 a.m. Competition continues throughout the day until 6:00 p.m. Sunday holds the promise of more exciting racing battles from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Fans are welcome to watch the entire competition for free from the beach just in front of the Perdido Beach Resort.

Racing fans will also want to attend the autograph session slated for Saturday at 1:oo p.m. and then the Racers Party at 8:oo p.m. later that night at Night Reef, which is located on the bottom floor of the resort. There will also be a charity auction of action sports memorabilia on Sunday afternoon just prior to the 6:00 p.m. awards ceremony. Proceeds will benefit injured rider Trace Mills of Texas, who will be in attendance. Admission to all events is also free.

Adding to the excitement, I-Ball productions will be on hand to gather footage for two MAV Network shows that will air in September while Wizzard Media will produce a live podcast of the weekend.

“We are so excited to welcome the first of our two racing events for the month of August,” said Beth Gendler, director of sales for the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau. “In addition to being a widely respected racing league, the Surf and Turf Championships is packed with racing action. Between hosting this event and then Thunder on the Gulf two weeks later (August 14-17), the Alabama Gulf Coast is definitely establishing itself as a premier athletic destination complimented by family friendly accommodations, attractions and restaurants.”

Even more excited is event organizer Mike Young, the owner of Surf and Turf Promotions. He added that “I have a lot of pride in the race sites that I choose, and Orange Beach is a family-friendly, vacation destination with some of America's most beautiful beaches and clean water. Their southern hospitality is second to none. I am staying an extra week!”

The Sports Commission is a partnership between Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau, Alabama Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce and the cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. For information, please visit www.alabamabeachsports.com or www.apbaracing.com.

New rules affecting shark fishing

By David Rainer | Clanton Advertiser

Published Monday, July 28, 2008

Have any idea how far away a bull shark can pick up a blood trail?

Believe it or not, it’s one mile. That’s right, 5,280 feet.

And that is one of the reasons there has been a change in the way anglers in Alabama can fish for sharks.

After tweaking the language in the regulation to ensure safe fishing practices would not be hindered, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Marine Resources Division recently enacted a regulation to prohibit chumming or bloodbaiting for sharks in certain areas.

The regulation reads:

“It shall be unlawful within three hundred feet of the shoreline, or on a public pier, or on a private pier where an unsafe condition is created, on or in waters of Alabama under the jurisdiction of the Marine Resources Division as provided by Rule 220-2-.42, to fish for or target sharks or any species by those methods commonly known as ‘chumming’ or ‘bloodbaiting.’

Clinton Advertiser

Beach school boards will disband for now

Hollinger, Craft say resolution paves way for reconciliation
Friday, July 25, 2008
By JOSH BEAN
Staff Reporter

LOXLEY — The appointed school boards in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach will be dissolved, according to a resolution approved Thursday by the Baldwin County Board of Education, and the countywide system affirms the cities' ability to restart the city panels at some point in the future.

The two municipal school boards could be disbanded by the end of August, said Gulf Shores Councilman Robert Craft, who has been intimately involved in negotiations with the county school system over the last 15 months.

"I think this is the end of the Island School System," Craft said Thursday night.

Mobile Press-Register

Fishermen Feeding The Famished

From WKRG-TV5...

WKRG.com Video

Former Cop Found Dead

WKRG.com Video

Pick the right wine for the right event

This weekend The Wharf welcomes the Southern Breeze Wine + Culinary Festival. It's a cultural event that blends unique wines and Southern-inspired cuisine with stunning Orange Beach as a backdrop. Sure, many of the wines festivalgoers will be boutique wines, while others will be more available. But, what if you don't know a chardonnay from a zinfandel from cabernet sauvignon? What's all the wine jargon mean? Well, Pelican talked with Janna Simon, owner of Janna's Market on Canal Road just down the road from this weekend's festival. Simon gives us the skinny on what's hot, what's trendy and makes some sense of the crushed grape.

Click here to read the full article from the Pensacola News Journal.

Click here for more information about Janna's Market.