January 2025 is here and Winter Storm Cora is bringing in the chilly new year with forecasts of ice and snow from Texas to the Carolinas. The Scenic 98 Coastal Community will be spared the worse of it, but temperatures above 60 degrees look to be few and far between in the coming weeks.

Poking around the shops in Downtown Fairhope last week, hoping to get an idea or two for gift-giving, I couldn’t help but notice how decked out the streetscapes were. Every store had a creative holiday decoration. 

Last week, we enjoyed four early Christmas presents at The Book Cellar in Fairhope. The first was Monday night listening to Phil and Foster. Always entertaining, they are the longest-running set every Wednesday evening at Callaghan’s Irish Social Club in Mobile. They started that gig over 10 years ago, and it’s always a treat to hear them play once a month on Monday night at The Book Cellar.

Jim Trainer seems to have hit his stride in terms of finding his creative side. His business, called Alabama Iron Works handles some big, rugged jobs and others that require a much more artistic sensibility.

If you’ve been reading our Scenic 98 Coastal newsletter for the last two years, you’ve noticed we have featured a “behind the scenes” look into WKRG News 5's on-air talent and their community service endeavors. This relationship has been fun, enlightening, and positive in every aspect.

It was the gentle hum of the plane’s engines that signaled the beginning of my adventure to Puerto Rico, a place I’d heard about for years but had never set foot in. As the plane descended toward San Juan, the island’s vibrant colors—lush greens, deep blues, and warm sands—appeared beneath the clouds, a stunning contrast to the gray of the city I had just left behind.

Have you ever been fooled by The Fairhope Inquisitor? Lots of people have over the last seven years, and it could very well be happening again right this moment.