Top Five Events in July!

Sponsored by Chuck’s Fish (Mobile) and Dharma Blue (Pensacola)

The month of July always kicks off in high gear with Independence Day celebrations across the country. Communities and venues throughout the Scenic 98 Coastal area are hosting events to commemorate the holiday, so be sure to check out the Tidbits & Best Bets section at the end of the newsletter for all of this weekend’s events. 

The following links highlight where you can watch fireworks displays throughout the area.

Battleship Memorial Park – Causeway

Cooper Riverside Park – Mobile

Henry George Park & Fairhope Municipal Pier – Fairhope

Al Trione Sports Complex – Daphne

Blakely State Park Fireworks Cruise – Spanish Fort

Memorial Wall & Public Beach – Dauphin Island

Gulf State Park Fishing & Education Pier – Gulf Shores

Bayfront Parkway / Pensacola Bay - Pensacola

In addition to all the 4^th of July Celebrations, the beaches and bays have come alive with activity as everyone tries to beat the July heat.  There are many different concerts, family events, summer day camps / educational activities and so much more happening this month. Be sure to check out the honorable mentions list after our Top 5 picks for several other great events to keep in mind.

Blue Marlin Grand Championship, July 11 – 14

Blue Marlin Grand Championship, The Wharf, Orange Beach, AL

The Greatest Show in Sportfishing is unlike any other fishing tournament with huge fish and even bigger purses. It is the final leg of the Gulf Coast Triple Crown Series, so don’t miss the chance to witness this year’s tournament fleet and prized catches. Amidst all the action, a deeper reason is a top priority. The BMGC has raised over $200,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Come early to enjoy industry-related vendors and try your hand at the St. Jude Fighting Chair Challenge — a real sport fishing fighting chair like “tug-o-war” against a friend while raising money for the kids at St. Jude.

Registration for the tournament is open until Wednesday, July 10^th at 9 PM and the tournament kicks off at noon on Thursday with a shotgun start in Perdido Pass. The Greatest Show in Sport Fishing has a tournament weigh-in Friday at 5 PM and a final weigh-in is Saturday at 5 PM.

There is no admission cost to view the weigh-in.

91^st Annual Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo, July 19 – 21

Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo, Dauphin Island, AL

The Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo, a Project of the Mobile Jaycees, is the largest fishing tournament in the world. Founded in 1929, the fishing rodeo now attracts over 4,000 anglers and 75,000 spectators to Dauphin Island.

The ADSFR is a 3-day Captain’s Choice tournament and a Southern Kingfish Association (SKA) sanctioned event featuring 33 categories with prizes awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in all categories. The total awards package is valued at up to one million dollars in cash and prizes and anchored by boat, motor, and trailer packages. One Master Angler is also awarded along with cash prizes for King Mackerel, Speckled Trout, and Big Game Jackpots.

The Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo continues to be conservation-minded in all its efforts as we continue to seek input from the Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences, regarding the state of the fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico. The Dauphin Island Sea Lab will be on site again this year collecting valuable scientific data on numerous species of fish. The Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo has donated $500,000 over the past nine years towards this fund with the University of South Alabama Foundation matching our contribution each year.

Click Here for Registration / Ticketing Information.  

13^th Annual Running of the Bulls Pensacola, July 20

13^th Annual Running of the Bulls Pensacola, Seville Square, Pensacola, FL  

The Running of the Bulls Pensacola is modeled after the world-famous Festival of San Fermín in Pamplona, Spain. To maintain the thrilling spirit of the Pamplona bull run without the hazard of live animals, however, our “bulls” are skaters from West Florida Roller Derby and guest skaters from leagues far and wide! The menacing derby bulls will be equipped with roller skates, horns, and plastic bats, ready to lovingly tap runners along the roughly two-mile course. The after party and award ceremony will follow at Seville Quarter.

When you register for this FUN run, you can run, jog, or walk the route, or (as participants have done in the past,) simply stroll on into Seville Quarter to enjoy complimentary beer while you wait to party with the bulls at the after-party!

Click Here for Ticket / Registration Information.

Buddy Guy w/ Tom Hambridge: Damn Right Farewell Tour, July 23

Buddy Guy w/ Tom Hambridge, Saenger Theatre, Mobile, AL

At age 86, Buddy Guy is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a major influence on rock titans like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, a pioneer of Chicago’s fabled West Side sound, and a living link to the city’s halcyon days of electric blues. Though Buddy Guy will forever be associated with Chicago, his story begins in Louisiana. One of five children, he was born and raised on a plantation near the small town of Lettsworth, some 140 miles northwest of New Orleans.

In 1957, he took his guitar to Chicago, where he would permanently alter the direction of the instrument, first on numerous sessions for Chess Records playing alongside Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, and the rest of the label’s legendary roster, and then on recordings of his own. Many years later, Buddy Guy remains a genuine American treasure and one of the final surviving connections to a historic era in the country’s musical evolution.

Tickets are Still Available

Gulf Coast Ethnic & Heritage Jazz Festival, July 27

Gulf Coast Ethnic & Heritage Jazz Festival, Saenger Theatre, Mobile, AL

The Gulf Coast Ethnic & Heritage Jazz Festival (GCEHJF) is founded on the belief that “ethnic” means everybody and “heritage” is not some fixed point in the past. GCEHJF seeks to present Jazz through a declaration of its evolution at every turn. We are a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation whose mission is to further the preservation and growth of Jazz music for future generations. Our goal is to encourage young musicians to play Jazz by educating them about its history and music.

GCEHJF provides a vibrant mix of entertainment and education. The Festival is known for the Marcus Johnson Summer Jazz Camp, its venue for the “telling” arts, An Evening of Poetry and Jazz, and at the heart of it all, an incredible main-stage jazz concert! GCEHJF has presented nationally and internationally acclaimed jazz musicians, some of whom have roots in Mobile and Baldwin counties. Many are alumni of those school systems. These artists have contributed to the success of this Jazz Festival.

Tickets are Still Available

Honorable Mentions:

Red, White, and Blues Pensacola Beach Air Show featuring the Navy’s Blue Angels, July 12

Battleship Rugby 7’s Tournament, Battleship Memorial Park, Mobile, AL – July 13

Mark Normand: Ya Don’t Say Tour, Saenger Theatre, Pensacola, FL – July 13

Air Supply, Saenger Theatre, Mobile, AL – July 18

Parker McCollum in Concert, The Wharf, Orange Beach, AL – July 19