Soulful electric blues plays in the background as the kitchen staff gets a few orders ready. First up are two half-pound hamburgers fully dressed with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and onions served with sides of jambalaya, red beans and rice.

The South Alabama Land Trust (SALT) announces the return of its annual Gulf Coast Nature Expo, a free community event celebrating conservation, environmental education, and family fun. This year’s Expo will take place on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, from 9-2 p.m. at the picturesque Weeks Bay Plantation in Fairhope. 

Cam Marston is a man of many talents. His latest creation, Alabama Writers Showcase, is on Alabama Public Radio and features writers like John Nielson, telling his fictional story set in John’s hometown of Evergreen, Alabama.

This year’s Labor Day weekend was also the twentieth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The almost 1400 lives that were lost, reduced from the original 1800 estimated in Mississippi and Louisiana, are a reminder that Mother Nature is undefeatable. Realizing that Labor Day is in the middle of prime storm season, it is hard not to recall the hurricanes that have been part of my life since childhood.

Having lived in Fairhope since 1977, before it was chic, I have seen many changes. Often, my husband and I talk about the old days and try to remember what was where in town. The lovely home at 63 South Church Street has been a special landmark for us for a long time, and now, as The Fairhope Inn, it is one of the jewels of Fairhope. 

Two and a half years ago, we wrote a story about Courtney Dombroski, her start-up business, Feed the Fish, and her non-profit, Eco Clean Marine. I was impressed with Courtney’s passion and drive, and wished her much success as she ventured down her entrepreneurial road. 

“It’s like someone just plopped a town down in the middle of a National Park”, says the driver of the shuttle. This is true as the city is surrounded by towering, sculpted red rock formations that are incredibly vivid against the clear blue sky. Compared to the Gulf Coast, I felt as if I were on another planet. Every driver we had, and we had a lot of them, marveled at the landscape and called sites to our attention. “ Look at the Spaceship clouds!’ Becky, with Intown Rides, said. Known as lenticular clouds, they are stationary and appear to hover in the sky. 

Anyone who's been to Gulf Shores knows there are beautiful beaches there, but sometimes that's just about all they know. A visit to the city's museum can fill in many blanks.