With the warmer weather upon us, outdoor events and festivals are everywhere in the Scenic 98 Coastal footprint. It’s also the start of baseball season. Two kid-friendly events this weekend are the Boat Show on the Bay in Mobile and the Blue Wahoos opening weekend in Pensacola. WKRG News 5 is the exclusive broadcast sponsor for both events, and the focus is definitely on the kids.

Sunday evening, Linda and I had a great time attending the Sunday Supper at The Hope Farm. Held in the Barn, the newest addition to The Hope farm’s dining options, the idea is to recreate the Southern tradition of Sunday family dinners. 

Six senior sen̂oras in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, are enjoying lunch at a gorgeous rooftop restaurant, eating the freshest guacamole, sipping tequila drinks, and chatting about all the fun we are having. At the table next to us are two young gentlemen from Chicago, who are shopping for a house to buy in the area. Many Americans and Canadians have homes here and after spending some time in this colonial area in Mexico’s central highlands, I get it. ‍

With their new and permanent location at 809 Nichols Avenue, the Baldwin County Youth Orchestra (BCYO) is tuning up for its spring concert. Planned for May 7th, this concert with its theme of “Classical Favorites” will be held at 7:00 pm at Foley Civic Center. 

Who remembers the story we did called Fish Christmas? Probably not many, I’d guess… It was early in our life as a newsletter. Ever since, I’ve wanted to catch up with Dr. Sean Powers, Director of the University of South Alabama's Stokes School of Marine & Environmental Sciences to learn more about their impact on the Scenic 98 Coastal area.

When two students decide that college isn’t their thing, but know that they have always wanted to own their own business, what would be an appropriate name to call their business? Dropout Bakery is the answer. 

Grilled oysters, fried oysters, raw oysters, oyster stew; I sound like Bubba Gump and his shrimp choices, yet this is what we tasted at the Annual Fort Morgan Oyster Festival, held the weekend of February 24- 25 at the Beach Club. Since festivals of every kind are held in our area, I expected long lines and crowds, but this festival was like a big private party, in a beautiful setting, with music, games, and incredible oysters!

A few weeks ago, Linda and I ventured north to attend the Monroeville Literary Festival. This two-day event is held annually in the upstairs courtroom of the Monroe County Courthouse, the setting of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. By all measures, it exceeded our expectations.