October 11, 2011 -- Orange Beach, AL (OBA) – The City of Orange Beach invites you to a ‘Free Concert’ featuring the Baldwin Pops Concert Band.

The event will be Sunday, Oct. 23, 4:30-6 p.m. at Waterfront Park in Orange Beach. The Park is located at 26425 Canal Road, about ¼mile east of Alabama. 161. This will be the “Pops” third concert in Orange Beach.

Everyone is encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets, picnics and beverages.The “Checkered Tablecloth Award” will be presented to the group judged to have themost interesting picnic setup.

The “Pops” will perform all types of music includingClassical, Broadway, Big Band, Dixie, Jazz and Marches.

This free event is brought to you by the City of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores and OrangeBeach Tourism. For additional information please contact the Orange Beach Parks and Recreation Department, 251-981-6039.

October 10, 2011 -- Orange Beach, AL (OBA) -- The Byzantine Iconography of Balpha Noojin will be on display at the Orange Beach Arts Center through Nov. 12. Noojin, a native of Alabama, has been writing icons for more than 15 years, studying under master iconographer Phillip Zimmerman, founder and director of St John of Demascus Icon Studio.

Among the icons on display are Our Lady of Tender Mercies, The Good Shepherd and St. Francis. There is also St. Euphrosynos, the Cook. It is said that hanging the icon of St. Euphrosynos in your kitchen could greatly improve your cooking

Characterized by vivid colors, the subjects depicted in icons seem to float unbounded with exaggerated features: long hands, necks and noses to remind the viewer that the image is not human.Gold leaf is used to represent the nimbus or halo surrounding the head.  Everything shown in an icon is symbolic.  For example, the ears of Christ are large and his mouth is small signifying that he hears everything but that he only speaks words of wisdom.

Oct. 7, 2011 GULF SHORES, Ala. (GSA) — The 40th Annual National Shrimp Festival is just a few days away, and this year’s lineup of entertainers, seafood and arts promises to make this oneas memorable as any other.

Produced by the Alabama Gulf Coast Area Chamber of Commerce, this year’s festival will take place Oct. 13 – 16 where Ala. Hwy. 59 meets the Gulf. What began as an event to bring a few extra people to the beaches in 1971, the festival is now widely recognized as one of the strongest festivals in the south, regularly attracting more than 250,000 people to Alabama’s beaches.

While the festival is named for the tasty Gulf shrimp that are featured in numerous food vending booths, many come for the top-flight entertainers that grace two stages from morning to night for four straight days.

Orange Beach, AL – October 4, 2011 (OBA) – HEAR THE THUNDER ROARING IN THE DISTANCE?Race Teams and Fans are counting down the hours to come to the sugar white sands of Orange Beach, AL.

Gulf Shores & Orange Beach.com proudly presents the Gulf Coast PowerboatAssociation’s Ninth Annual Thunder on The Gulf Championship Powerboat Festival. In an effort to deliver on their promise to make this year’s event BIGGER and BETTER than ever,the Gulf Coast Powerboat Association has reached out to our brave men and women who havefought for our country and been wounded in action.

Oct. 6, 2011, Orange Beach, AL (OBA) -- The Orange Beach Public Library will host an Author Open House with Jim Tinker, Oct. 20 from 3-5 p.m. Mr. Tinker's first book, "My Last Will and Testament," uses the format of a "will" to share valuable life lessons learned from a parade of real-life characters.

The book explores the ways in which our lives are shaped by the individuals we encounter.

Oct. 5 -- Orange Beach, AL (OBA) -- Founder Gary Nichols says the Thunder on the Gulf committee is geared up for a special weekend as the races return to Orange Beach for the 2011 world championships this weekend.

“We’ve been working real hard for the last year to put on the best Thunder on the Gulf that we’ve ever done in the past,” Nichols said. “We’ve got hopefully about 40 boats coming from all over the United States. We got all sorts of festivities.”

Nichols caught the powerboat bug and was racing all over the country, including taking at world championship himself in 2006. He couldn’t wait to bring the event to his home waters.

September, 30, 2011 -- Orange Beach, AL. (OBA) -- The Orange Beach Lions Club will hosts its 4th Annual Rubber Duck Race on Saturday, Oct. 22 at the Oasis at the Wharf in Orange Beach.

Gates open at 9 a.m., and races begin at 10 a.m. Prizes, including a $500 grand prize,will be awarded for the top finishing numbered ducks, but winners need not be present to win.

Adopt a Ducks are available for a donation of $5 each, or you can purchase a "6 quack" for $25. Ducks are available for purchase at the following Orange Beach locations: Orange Beach Public Library, Orange Beach Municipal Court, Computer Backup, Hartley & Hickman Law Office, Regions Bank, Orange Beach,Vision Bank or from any Lions Club member.

For more information about buying ducks or sponsorship opportunities, contact John Sadlis, 251-923-6066.

The Orange Beach Lions Club, now in it's 27th year, meets the first and third Wednesdays of the month at noon at Cobalt Restaurant. Visitors and new members interested in working together to serve their community are always welcome. For membership information, contact John Sadlis at 251-923-6066.

September 29, 2011 -- Gulf Shores, Ala. (GSA) -- The South Baldwin Chamber Foundation has received a $50,000 grant from BP that will enable important program delivery at the Baldwin Business Support Center. The BSC provides South Baldwin County businesses with the necessary skills to meet the challenges of today's economic environment and to prepare for a more resilient future. Services are available to area businesses regardless of chamber affiliation.

“BP has been a longtime supporter of education and workforce development programs and we believe our investments should extend beyond our business to the communities where our employees live, work, and play,” said Ayana McIntosh-Lee, BP General Manager of External Relations.

“We are proud to provide this grant to the South Baldwin Foundation. Funds from this grant will serve to strengthen business support training programs that will provide local businesses with the technical skills and operational best practices to succeed in today’s knowledge-based economy.”

September 28, 2011 - Pensacola, FL (OBA) - Theatre West presents the funny, moving and achingly real “The Only Thing Worse You Could Have Told Me” written by Dan Butler.

“The Only Thing Worse You Could Have Told Me,” is a fast-moving show where one actor portrays a variety of characters - from an overly conservative man questioning himself at the approach of his 20th year class reunion, to an overly flamboyant man who questions others.

September 28, 2011, Orange Beach, AL (OBA) – In the summer of 2003 a few friends and business owners decided that the Alabama Gulf Coast would be the perfect place to have an offshore powerboat race.

Gary Nichols, owner of Live Bait and Nichols Concrete, and a powerboat racer himself, incorporated the Gulf Coast Powerboat Association in August 2003.  The Board met with potential sponsors in the hospitality industry to determine the best dates for the race. The Inaugural Thunder on the Gulf was August 21-24 in Orange Beach.

The Gulf Coast Powerboat Association was formed as a nonprofit organization to produce Offshore Powerboat Races using a portion of the proceeds to give to local charities.

The first race was a giant success. Then governor Fob James stated that it was the second largest assembly of people, next to NASCAR races in Talladega, including the Iron Bowl!

Because of the overwhelming success of this event Thunder on the Gulf gained the support of the Alabama Dept of Tourism and the AL Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Board was contacted to have a World Championship race a few months later in November. In subsequent races they were able to gain sponsors in the Florida panhandle and the state of Alabama.

September 23, 2011, Orange Beach, AL. (OBA) – Gulf Shores & Orange Beach.com is proud to present the Gulf Coast Powerboat Association’s 9th Annual Thunder on The Gulf Championship Powerboat Festival which gets underway soon.

Spearheading this year’s race week are Event Coordinator Kathy Melson, Founder Gary Nichols and Executive Board Members Damon Collins and Marty McGreevy. This year’s event will offer many events more than five days for the entire family to enjoy.

New Events This Year Include: Two Ticketed VIP Race Viewing Areas, one at Race Central at Perdido Beach Resort on Saturday and Sunday Oct. 8 and 9 and at the Island House Hotel, the Official Host Hotel, for Friday and Sunday’s Race on Oct. 7 and 9.

An Official Welcome Party hosted by the Flora Bama Lounge and Perdido Key Chamber, Pre-Race Party at Happy Harbor on the Line, a Meet and Greet Reception and Bikini Contest at Live Bait II, a Boat Parade to Main Street on the Wharf where Race Fans can buy Race Programs and get autographs from all of their favorite Race Teams and a Gala featuring a Silent and Live Auction, as well as entertainment by the Fabulous Tip Tops at the Event Center at the Wharf! Race Village will feature Concessions, Vendors and a Kid’s Pavilion.

Sept. 23, GULF SHORES, Ala. (GSA) ¬— Almost everyone along the Alabama Gulf Coast has a favorite shrimp dish, and the best way to prepare the tasty crustacean is always a matter of taste and often leads to a heated debate.

Last week, chefs Levi Proffitt and Tony Luna of The Hangout put an end to the debate – at least for the next year.

The duo took part in the Fourth Annual Zatarain’s National Shrimp Festival Chef’s Challenge. The Challenge is part of the 40th Annual National Shrimp Festival presented by Zatarain’s and produced by the Alabama Gulf Coast Area Chamber of Commerce. This year’s festival will take place Oct. 13–16 in Gulf Shores where Alabama 59 meets the Gulf.

Chefs from 13 other top area restaurants did their best to make Proffitt and Luna work hard to earn the top prize. The rules for the challenge were simple. The winning dish had to feature Alabama Wild Shrimp and at least one of the more than 200 Zatarain’s New Orleans-style food products.

Zatarain’s is the presenting sponsor of this year’s festival and Alabama Wild Shrimp is a major sponsor as well.

The winning dish prepared by Proffit and Luna was Fiery Irie Island Shrimp atop Zatarain’s Caribe Cakes. The recipe consisted of mango and chile glazed shrimp infused with dark rum served on top of Zatarain’s Caribbean rice. The dish was served with arugula, pea tendrils and mint tossed in lime vinaigrette and topped with sweet potato hay.

Sept. 16, Orange Beach, AL. (OBA) -- Coming off a summer of record-breaking tourism numbers, business and community leaders in Orange Beach have started a new initiative to try to keep the good times rolling.

A campaign called “Market Days … Catch the Orange Beach Experience” kicked off Wednesday morning. This is a free community campaign for all businesses and organizations in Orange Beach. The idea is for the businesses in Orange Beach to set this time of year aside for their own special promotions and events to coincide with the popular National Events that occur in October.

Sept. 23, Gulf Shores, AL. (GSA) -- John Fitzgerald wears a big grin as he walks to the edge of a big hole in the ground that is being shaped into a boat basin.

Workers scurry about and huge machines move dirt around the site on the north side of Intracoastal Waterway in Gulf Shores.

Fitzgerald, the President and CEO of Saunders Yachtworks, is watching a dream come true. Where dirt and workers and equipment are now, he sees an eight-foot deep boat basin that tapers to 12-feet deep where it enters the canal.