Music & Mullets

It’s a busy weekend on Pleasure Island. This Friday & Saturday Widespread Panic hits the stage in the Amphitheater at The Wharf. It’s sure to bring a plethora of Widespread Panic fans to the area for the weekend. And while they’re here they should check out the annual Mullet Toss at the world famous Flora-Bama. The Mullet Toss is the annual event where contestants of all shapes and sizes try to toss a mullet from a spot in Alabama across the state line into Florida. It’s a huge weekend of partying, and of course Beachin’ Bob will be there. I’ll be staying at Phoenix X, which is a short walk from the Toss. And that’s a good thing, since the consumption of adult beverages runs rampant at the Mullet Toss.
See you at the Panic, the Toss and the ‘Bama.

Road Trip

After a brief one week sabbatical, Beachin’ Bob has returned.
I took a business trip last week to New York City. It’s a great place with many things to see and do. And great food, especially the Italian food in Little Italy.
However, as always, I couldn’t wait to get back home. Back home to the beaches, the golf courses, the great weather and the Southern hospitality. There’s really no place like home, especially when home is the Alabama Gulf Coast. Here’s what I think: make my home your home for a week (or more!). The weather is great, the golf courses are green and the time is right. Check with my friends at Brett Robinson and visit before Memorial Day to cash in on their free night specials.

Strawberry Festival

I’ll make the short drive to Loxley this weekend for the Strawberry Festival. The festival has arts & crafts, multiple food vendor booths, antique auto show, animal riding and petting exhibits and live music. Of course, strawberry shortcake is still king! The 2006 festival was a record breaker with over 80,000 people in attendance over the two day period. The festival raised approximately $50,000 for its two beneficiaries, . The festival has become one of the largest and is considered by many one of the best organized festivals in the area. In addition to the festival, the Little Miss Strawberry Beauty Pageant is held. Saturday's event hours have been extended to 7:30 PM for the extended celebration of the Town of Loxley's 50th Anniversary. Fireworks will be displayed at dusk that evening near the festival site.

Red Snapper World Championship

The Red Snapper World Championship is April 21 - May 20 2007 along the Alabama Gulf Coast. Test your fishing skills, and if they are sharp, you could win thousands of dollars in prize money. The big prizes are $500,000 for a world record and a new Ford truck for an Alabama state record. Register at Zeke’s Marina, just down the road from Phoenix East, and for $5 a day you’re eligible for prizes. Come on out and enjoy Spring on the Alabama Gulf Coast.

Surf’s Up …All the Time

Cowabunga Dude!! The surf will be up all summer, day or night, in Gulf Shores.
As part of a $2 million off-season renovation, Waterville USA water park has added a Flowrider, a surf machine that produces a steady, thin sheet of water by forcing up to 40,000 gallons of heated water over a bouncy slope of vinyl each minute. The Flowrider is the main feature -- about $1.5 million worth -- of the 21-year-old park's winter makeover, Warrington said. In addition to the surf machine, the 20-acre facility is in the process of adding two water slides to an existing platform and has increased seating capacity, shaded areas and food offerings, operations manager Adam Stewart said Friday on AL.com.
Of course, you can also surf in the Gulf of Mexico, when the conditions are right. Check the surf and look at the surfers by viewing the Phoenix East webcam by clicking here.