Lagniappe: Oct 12 - Oct 18, 2017 by Lagniappe

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WEEKLY

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LAGNIAPPE

OCTOBER 12, 2017 - OCTOBER 18, 2017 | www.lagniappemobile.com ASHLEY TRICE Co-publisher/Editor atrice@lagniappemobile.com

ROB HOLBERT Co-publisher/Managing Editor rholbert@lagniappemobile.com GABRIEL TYNES Assistant Managing Editor gabe@lagniappemobile.com DALE LIESCH Reporter dale@lagniappemobile.com JASON JOHNSON Reporter jason@lagniappemobile.com KEVIN LEE Associate Editor/Arts Editor klee@lagniappemobile.com

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BAY BRIEFS

Hurricane Nate impacted coastal Alabama as a Category 1 storm Oct. 8, resulting in high storm surge and some damage to coastal structures.

COMMENTARY

Turning 50 actually is pretty nifty.

BUSINESS

Truland Homes raised more than $100,000 to build a girls’ home for Under His Wings in Baldwin County.

CUISINE

ANDY MACDONALD Cuisine Editor fatmansqueeze@comcast.net STEPHEN CENTANNI Music Editor scentanni@lagniappemobile.com

J. MARK BRYANT Sports Writer sports@lagniappemobile.com STEPHANIE POE Copy Editor copy@lagniappemobile.com DANIEL ANDERSON Chief Photographer dan@danandersonphoto.com LAURA RASMUSSEN Art Director www.laurarasmussen.com BROOKE O’DONNELL Advertising Sales Executive brooke@lagniappemobile.com

COVER

Responding to a letter from Presiding Judge John Lockett, the Mobile County Commission is asking the local legislative delegation to seek more money for overburdened courts.

Depending on whether you’re eating them raw or cooking them for pies, relishes or homemade applesauce, choose your apple variety wisely.

BETH WILLIAMS Advertising Sales Executive bwilliams@lagniappemobile.com ALEEN MOMBERGER Advertising Sales Executive aleen@lagniappemobile.com RACHEL THOMAS Advertising Sales Executive rachel@lagniappemobile.com MELISSA EDGE Editorial Assistant events@lagniappemobile.com

ARTS

MMoA’s “Posing Beauty in African-American Culture” features historic, passive subjects and modern agents of their own expression.

MUSIC

ROSS PRITCHARD Distribution Manager delivery@lagniappemobile.com JACKIE CRUTHIRDS Office Manager jackie@lagniappemobile.com CONTRIBUTORS: Ron Sivak, Jeff Poor, Asia Frey, Brian Holbert, John Mullen, Tom Ward, Nancy Adams, Mike Thomason ON THE COVER: LADY JUSTICE BY LAURA RASMUSSEN POSTMASTER: Send address changes to P.O. Box 3003 Mobile, AL 36652. Editorial, advertising and production offices are located at 1100B Dauphin St. Mobile, AL 36604. Mailing address is P.O. Box 3003 Mobile, AL 36652. Phone: 251.450.4466 Fax 251.450.4498. Email: ashleytoland@lagniappemobile.com or rholbert@lagniappemobile.com LAGNIAPPE is printed at Walton Press. All letters sent to Lagniappe are considered to be intended for publication. Member: Association of Alternative Newsweeklies and Alternative Weeklies Network All rights reserved. Something Extra Publishing, Inc. Nothing may be reprinted, photocopied or in any way reproduced without the expressed permission of the publishers. Individuals may take one copy of the paper free of charge from area businesses, racks or boxes. After that, papers are $3 per issue. Removal of more than one copy from these points constitutes theft. Violators are subject to prosecution.

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Paul Thorn reflects on the 20 years following his breakthrough album “Hammer & Nail,” and discusses his forthcoming gospel record.

FILM

Some of the most mordantly hilarious comedians working on screen make “The Little Hours” an outlandish, bawdy farce worth watching.

GARDENING

Plant ornamental grasses in autumn and winter in areas with full sunshine and adequate drainage.

SPORTS

The 29th annual Polo at the Point, benefiting Thomas Hospital and Mitchell Cancer Institute, returns to Point Clear Sunday, Oct. 15.

STYLE

Boozie got blown away during Nate’s hurricane parties and spotted several celebrities last week.

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GOING POSTAL

Demand an end to gun violence Ms. Toland-Trice: I just finished reading your column “There are ways to prevent this” (Oct. 5). Thank you for capturing and articulating my thoughts and those of so many people. As you said, “Until the silent majority — rational, thoughtful Americans who just shake their heads in disbelief and disgust but say nothing — stand up together and say, ‘Enough is enough,’” nothing will change. It seems that the extremists have found a way to bind their loud, shrill voices together so they have a significant impact in the delivery of their message. Please give some thought and guidance as to a means by which OUR voices can be gathered together — a petition or something that is easily available to everyone — so that we can begin to gather the thousands and thousands and, yes, millions of voices to demand a way to protect innocent people from gun violence. Thank you for your help. Sue Cato Winter Mobile

The Republic of FloraBamaSippi

You can do better

Mr. Holbert: In regard to your column “South Alabama needs more clout” (Sept. 28), one possible solution to the problem of the Alabama and Mississippi Gulf Coast areas, along with the Florida Panhandle, being treated like redheaded stepchildren by the rest of their respective states would be to form a new state. This new state could consist of the area south of 31 degrees latitude, east to the Chattahoochee River and west to the Pearl River. The new state could incorporate the best features of all three areas, the shipyards, casinos and “laid back” lifestyle of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the burgeoning industry and port of Mobile, and the beautiful beaches of both Baldwin County and northwest Florida. We could also adopt the no sales tax on groceries, no state income tax and lottery from Florida. How would we financially support this new state? By taxing the tourists and snowbirds already flocking to the area. Simply starting serious public conversations about this new state, and requesting that this be placed on the ballot for the 2018 November general election, will rattle cages in Montgomery, Tallahassee and Jackson. Where could the state capitol be? To make it unattractive to be a professional politician, and to keep the lobbyists out, how about a one-room shanty, with outhouse, in the middle of the Mobile River delta with no roads allowed and access only by kayak while surrounded by alligators and mosquitoes. Paul Moses Irvington

Dear Ashley: The hate speech employed in your “Holy Shiplap” column in the Sept. 28 issue of Lagniappe was, of course, offensive. Referring to the Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate in such coarse and crude terms was disrespectful and ignorant. Former Chief Justice Roy Moore is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and served as a company commander in Vietnam. He completed a Juris Doctor degree from The University of Alabama and went on to become a circuit court judge then a supreme court judge in Alabama. You give no factual reason for your hatred of Moore other than you feel “embarrassed” by his manner of dress on election eve and his pulling out of a “teeny little gun” on stage. How shallow can you be? The only factual reason you gave for your hatred of Luther Strange was what you allege as “the shadiness surrounding his appointment” by Gov. Bentley. I emphasize this is only your allegation because Strange’s request to suspend the Bentley investigation came a week before Donald Trump was elected president. So there was no possible way anyone could have known at the time that Jeff Sessions would be vacating his senate seat. In summation, you exempt the Democrat candidate from the “nasty excretions” category in which you placed the two distinguished Republican candidates and state your sadness that Doug Jones could not win in Alabama. This is a man who I heard state in an interview in the past week that he is basically in favor of aborting a child up to the minute before it is born. Therefore your readers must take note not only of the hate, disrespect, crudeness, ignorance and shallowness you displayed in the column but also the lack of good judgment. I believe you can do better. G. Smith Davis Mobile

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BAYBRIEF | MOBILE COUNTY

Rising tide HURRICANE NATE LEAVES FLOOD, WIND DAMAGE IN ITS WAKE BY JASON JOHNSON

After the storm, Commission President Merceria Ludgood praised the county’s road and bridge employees and the Mobile County Emergency Management Agency for its preparedness. “This is the first time we’ve actually activated when I’ve been president, and I had the privilege to be inside and really watch the level of preparation and professionalism from our EMA staff, which coordinated these functions, as well as all of the other agencies,” Ludgood said. “Even in a small event like this, we operated as if it were [a more severe] category. We were ready.” Most damage assessments are still ongoing, so there’s not currently a reliable estimate of what repairing damages from the storm might cost. Dauphin Island Mayor Jeff Collier told Lagniappe damage assessments must be turned over to EMA officials by Tuesday, Oct. 10. While coastal Alabama didn’t take a direct hit from Nate, Collier said the western tip of Dauphin Island is “only a stone’s throw from the Mississippi line,” which is one of the reasons recovery on the barrier island could take longer than in other areas. “One the most important things we do after a storm is get ourselves reattached to the mainland so people and utilities can get back and forth, which we were able to accomplish in record time,” Collier said. “Once we had that done, it allowed us to focus on the other things we have to do.” According to Collier, the east end of Dauphin Island reported damage to a number of public and private boat ramps, docks and piers. Flooding was a problem throughout the island, including reported damages to a number of homes and vehicles. However, the biggest issue officials are facing is on the west end, where three and a half miles of

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Photo | Courtesy MCSO

hough Hurricane Nate made landfall in Mississippi, the Category 1 storm caused its share of damage in Mobile County, especially on Dauphin Island, where several miles of sand on one of the main roadways has continued to hamper some recovery efforts. One of the most notable impacts of Nate was storm surge, which caused localized flooding on Water Street in downtown Mobile. But aside from wharfs and seawalls, there was little in the way of structural damage when the waters receded. First responders in Mobile evacuated four people in areas affected by minor flooding and responded to nine calls for assistance during the storm. The city will be collecting limbs and debris from the storm during regularly scheduled trash pickups during the next two weeks, and waiving the normal size limit. “We are thankful Mobile only experienced light damage from the storm,” Mayor Sandy Stimpson said. “Thanks to the hard work of our city employees and partnering agencies, we have cleared the streets, cleaned storm drains, fixed traffic lights and removed fallen trees.” In all, Nate dumped five to six inches of rain across the area on Oct. 7 and brought with it sustained winds exceeding 85 mph and up to five feet of storm surge in some locations. Up to 56,000 Alabama Power customers were without power in the Mobile area at the height of the storm, though service had been restored to all but 3,900 as of 2 p.m. Monday afternoon. Mobile County reported flood damage to Bayfront Park, the Dauphin Island Airport and at least three bridges — one on Shell Belt Road and two on Coden Belt Road that will remain closed until assessments and repairs are completed.

Hurricane Nate caused a 5-6 foot storm surge along coastal Alabama, resulting in minor flooding in downtown Mobile. Bienville Boulevard is covered in up to six feet of sand in some places. “That’s going to be a big task, but our first approach is to start trying to clear the roads so people can get to their houses,” Collier said. “More importantly, we’ve got to get utilities down there because power, water and sewer services can’t be reset until they can get down there safely.” Island police have established a temporary checkpoint at Raphael Semmes Street, and as of Monday only property owners, contractors and utility services were being allowed westward. The Dauphin Island Water and Sewer Authority has also issued a “boil water” order until further notice for residents from St. Denis Court and Stephens Street westward. Additional information is available through the water authority at 251-861-2363. Collier said the boiling requirement would likely be lifted as efforts to clear sand from the road progress westward. While the sand removed will be screened and returned to the shoreline, he said that would likely take some time to accomplish.

BAYBRIEF | GULF SHORES

Breaking away

GULF SHORES VOTES TO FORM BALDWIN COUNTY’S FIRST CITY SCHOOL BY JOHN MULLEN

Photo | John Mullen

In July, Kevin Corcoran of the Island Task Force for Education made a presentation before an overflow crowd in support of a Gulf Shores independent city school system.

ity officials believe, based on a report compiled by the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, Gulf Shores would receive enough revenue to fund a city school system without new taxes. On Monday, after an hour of presentations and public questions and comment, the Gulf Shores City Council voted 6-0 to begin the process of forming a school board. The overflow crowd erupted in a standing ovation. Gulf Shores is the first breakaway city system in Baldwin County. Because there is no need to raise taxes, a vote of the people is not required. Baldwin County Superintendent Eddie Tyler issued a statement questioning the budget projections in the PARCA report, saying the fivepage report showed funding at a bare minimum. “While I have hope, and I wish them well, I am also concerned for these families and their future education,” Tyler’s statement said. Gulf Shores officials believe they have done their homework on funding. “While the expense projections do not detail line-item costs, they absolutely are factored in appropriate funding for administrative personnel, operations and maintenance and auxiliary services,” Economic Development Coordinator Blake Phelps said. While the budget includes revenues from certain sales taxes levied in the county for education, Phelps said the PARCA study didn’t include any revenue from a controversial sales tax first levied in 1983. In 2007, when an island school was being considered, an attorney general’s opinion ruled that no city systems would be eligible to receive revenue from this source. “Other legal experts believe it is a certainty that a city system would receive a pro rata/average daily membership share because of prevailing equal protection law,” Phelps said. “Regardless, any final decision will have to be worked out through the process and we felt it would be most responsible to exclude any revenues from the 1983 sales tax for [the PARCA report].” On top of the revenues that would allow the city to start off “doing what the county is already doing, based on 2017 numbers,” Coun-

cilman Jason Dyken said the city could possibly use annual budget surpluses to raise academic excellence in city schools. The plan to raise academic standards and achievement to higher standards, he said, could cost up to an additional $2.1 million. “How are we going to fund that deficit if we, as a city, want the best schools in the state?” Dyken asked. “That’s how we looked at it. Can we afford that, does our city want that? And if our city wants that, can we do it and does it require us to go to a vote to raise additional funds to make that happen? “If we want to do better, we feel like we have sources of revenue to cover that without raising taxes any further.” The city currently has about $24.7 million in surplus, which equals about 70 percent of its annual budget. Dyken said city officials discovered that the bond rating of the city would not improve by having more than 70 percent of the operating budget in reserve. “We went back to Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s and asked them what is the optimal number of reserves we need to get the best rating,” Dyken said. “They said 70 percent. If we went to 80 percent, 100 percent or 120 percent it would not improve our rating.” Dyken says the money belongs to the citizens and using the annual surplus for education would be reinvesting it back into the community. “It just so happens that the amounts we are putting into reserves every year cover the $2.1 million cost,” he said. “We get a better return on our investment.” The PARCA report, Dyken said, is based solely on revenue for 2017, even when projecting school funding for future years. “Our growth has been close to about 8 percent for the last 10 years,” he said. “We calculated our budgeting based on zero percent growth in our revenue. We feel very comfortable and confident that we have been responsible from a financial standpoint for the city. We can take over the school as is and create a surplus and run it just as well. I feel like our school system will be in pretty good shape.” O c t o b e r 1 2 , 2 0 1 7 - O c t o b e r 1 8 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 7

BAYBRIEF | COURTS

‘A crown jewel’ ALABAMA SETTLES GULF STATE PARK LAWSUIT BY JASON JOHNSON

Photo | Gulf State Park

The state agreed to spend $65 million in Gulf State Park over the next 20 years on such things as dune maintenance, free parking, public trails, pedestrian paths, research and education facilities and a free tram system.

fter nearly three years in court, the Gulf Restoration Network (GRN) has settled the lawsuit it filed against the state of Alabama over its use of $58 million of BP monies to rebuild a hotel and “convention center” at the Gulf State Park in Baldwin County. Specifically, the lawsuit was filed against trustees representing a number of federal departments tasked with approving early restoration projects for Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) funds after the 2010 oil spill. In their most recent decision, the trustees allocated $58.5 million to the Gulf State Park Enhancement Project. Of that, around $48 million was for the construction of a lodge and conference center — leaving just $10 million for the

construction of public access amenities. The project was temporarily halted last year after U.S. District Judge Charles Butler found its early implementation phases failed to follow laws governing the use of NRDA funding, which is paid by the responsible entity in the immediate wake of an environmental disaster. Since the 2010 spill, the NRDA process has been overseen by a group of trustees comprising department heads from several federal agencies and representatives from the five Gulf states affected by the spill. It has secured $1 billion from BP for a number of early restoration projects. In exchange, BP was given credit for those early contributions against its total liability from the oil spill, which

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means that money was subtracted before the $20.8 billion BP settlement was finalized in a federal court in Louisiana in 2016. Outside of procedural issues related to the NRDA process, one of GRN’s biggest concerns with the Gulf State Park project was that only a small percentage of the $85 million approved for the project was dedicated to public access to the waterfront and environmental restoration efforts. With last week’s settlement, GRN’s attorney Robert Wiygul said the state agreed to spend $65 million in the park over the next 20 years on such things as dune maintenance, free parking, public trails, pedestrian paths, research and education facilities and a free tram system. “This settlement guarantees that public dollars will go to ensuring better public access to Alabama beaches. That’s what was supposed to happen in the first place,” Wiygul said. “In case anybody missed the message, if you try to spend natural resource damage money on things like hotels or convention centers, we will take you to court.” While the lodge at the center of the lawsuit has already been constructed, the settlement with GRN will ensure state officials maintain public access to lobby restrooms as well as access to the park’s public beach from the lodge itself. It will also prevent the state from building a north-south connector road through the park over the next 20 years — alleviating one of the primary environmental concerns GRN highlighted throughout the course of the lawsuit. “This is a huge win for Alabamians,” GRN Executive Director Cynthia Sarthou said in a statement last week. “At a time when the state is closing parks and cutting services, this settlement guarantees that BP disaster funds will go toward providing free beach and park access to Alabama residents for the next 20 years.” Calls to Chris Blankenship, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources commissioner, seeking comment on this report were not immediately returned. ADCNR was brought into the lawsuit in 2015 because of its role overseeing the project. When the settlement was approved by U.S. Judge Ginny Granade last week, Blankenship told the Associated Press he was “pleased” with the outcome, adding that it would alleviate some of GRN’s concerns while ensuring public access amenities in the park are “taken care of.” Despite the back and forth of the lawsuit over the past three years, the state has forged ahead with construction at the park, including a 350-room Hilton hotel that will feature a beachfront ballroom, pool, restaurant and bar. In Baldwin County last month, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey told reporters the hotel and conference center would be “a crown jewel” for the state and said the project remains on budget and on schedule to open by fall 2018. Information about the project and periodic updates are available at mygulfstatepark.com.

BAYBRIEF | MOBILE

A penny earned DEVELOPERS REAPING MILLIONS IN RETAIL TAX INCENTIVES

BY DALE LIESCH

hrough an agreement with developers of the McGowin Park shopping center, the city has refunded more than $3.9 million in sales tax revenue since 2015. The agreement, which created an improvement district, guaranteed that a percentage of the sales tax paid by retailers to the city would come back to the developers over a 20-year period. An example in the agreement says that if a customer at a sporting goods store bought a football for $100, the city would receive $3.60 from the city’s 5 percent sales tax and the developer would receive $1.40. During the same period, from 2015 to 2017, the city took in more than $13.7 million in tax revenue in an area that produced more than $358 million in sales because of the shopping center. “I think people like it,” Councilman John Williams said of the development. “It offers a different venue with stores that have never been in Mobile before. Those are easily a step up in our retail community.” Part of the McGowin Park development is in the district Williams represents. He said the McGowin developers paid upfront costs for the infrastructure, which he appreciated. “That’s something we need to do more of,” WIlliams said. “We took the less risky route.” The center has introduced retailers like Costco, Field & Stream and Dick’s Sporting Goods to Mobile. However, it has also poached stores like Old Navy and Best Buy from other malls in the city. The agreement does somewhat protect the city’s interests in terms of attracting stores from other retail centers and, thus, just moving revenue around instead of adding new revenue. The agreement makes clear that the McGowin developers only receive the incentive if the stores poached from other areas perform better in terms

of sales than they did during their last month at a previous location. While the McGowin deal was pursued under the previous administration, Mayor Sandy Stimpson’s administration has also given incentives to retail establishments, most notably the Shoppes at Bel Air and Westwood Plaza. Executive Director of Finance Paul Wesch said the three incentive agreements differ from one another in some specific ways. For instance, he said, the deals at Westwood Plaza and Bel Air both have caps and thresholds for the incentive, while the McGowin deal does not. The Bel Air agreement allows the mall owners to recoup up to $500,000 per year for 15 years to help pay for renovations to the mall. The renovations have attracted retailers such as H&M and new restaurants such as P.F. Chang’s to the area, but the mall has also poached from other areas. The current Belk store moved to Bel Air from Springdale Mall after the renovation, for example. Wesch said the city entered into the deal with Rouse to keep the city’s only enclosed mall from shutting down. He said they were trying to avoid a nationwide trend. In the Westwood Plaza deal, the city gave developers an incentive to help defray the costs of an initial $25 million investment. The developers of Westwood Plaza will receive a total of $9.5 million in incentives over 15 years if sales exceed 40 percent of what they were before the renovations took place. Wesch said that deal was attractive to the city because the intersection of Airport Boulevard and Schillinger Road served as a “gateway for the city.” “In each of these incentive deals, there was something at play that is a positive for doing the incentive,” Wesch said.

Bumping up tourism

TOURISM INCENTIVE DISTRICT CLOSER TO BECOMING REALITY BY DALE LIESCH

ocal hotel owners are moving closer to approving an initiative that would provide millions more in funding to Visit Mobile. The Mobile Area Lodging Association has already voted to approve a tourism incentive district, or TID, which would add more than $1 million to tourism marketing coffers by adding a $1 charge to area hotel rooms, Visit Mobile President and CEO David Clark said at the organization’s annual meeting last week. “It could mean $1.4 million more in marketing reach if it comes to fruition,” he said. “There are 165 [TIDs] in North America and they change the landscape of communities.” The Mobile Area Lodging Association has voted to allow for the creation of the TID, but now must go before the Mobile City Council with legal petitions of establishment, said association President Kent Blackinton. Before the council can vote on the measure, the lodging association must turn in a series of petitions showing support from a majority of hotel owners. “It’s not an easy process,” Blackinton said. “We have to get a certain number of signatures to put it in front of the City Council.” The signatures on the petitions must meet two different thresholds before the council can act, Blackinton said. First, the association must receive consent from hotel owners representing 60 percent of the parcel value of area hotels. The

group must also receive 50 percent approval from lodging association members via the petitions, Blackinton said. Blackinton said he was confident the association had the signatures to support the move because members approved the creation of the TID through a vote, but he added it’s difficult to be 100 percent sure. For hotel owners, the upside of a TID is that it increases the city’s tourism budget without costing taxpayers; the downside is it adds another $1 fee to itemized bills. Blackinton said he doesn’t believe the council will have an issue with the TID’s creation. In the 2018 budget passed last week, the city gave Visit Mobile level funding compared to 2017, a total of $2,650,000. There was discussion before the 2017 fiscal year budget was finalized that TID funds could supplement Visit Mobile, as Mayor Sandy Stimpson slashed its budget by $650,000 during his first term. That thinking has apparently changed. Stimpson has charged Visit Mobile with attracting 6 million visitors to Mobile. The group has reached an all-time high in tourism with 3.2 million visitors this year, Clark said at the meeting. Visit Mobile, which has previously focused on convention business, will look toward leisure travel as well to hit that mark, he said. The group will be 100 percent focused on both. O c t o b e r 1 2 , 2 0 1 7 - O c t o b e r 1 8 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 9

BAYBRIEF | MOBILE

Bayfront property PROPOSALS LOOK TO USE USA FOUNDATION LAND AS PARK, BROOKLEY EXPANSION BY DALE LIESCH the land is not on the public market. In the proposal, Ernest has asked for money from the BP settlement to acquire the land and additional funding to manage it. The acquisition price is still up in the air, though, as it would be determined by a federal appraisal, he said. Ernest has estimated the project would require more than $8 million in funding. While Ernest believes the project could fit into any of the buckets of Gulf Coast Recovery Council funding available, he said National Fish and Wildlife Foundation funding was probably the most appropriate. In a letter to the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, Ernest wrote in support of the city acquiring the funds for the project. Projects funded through NFWF do not need recovery council approval and would be subject to approval from the federal government based on a recommendation from Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey. NFWF proposals typically have an ecological or environmental component, council Executive Director Eliska Morgan said. Morgan said the recovery council is currently reviewing submissions for its third bucket of money. Once the field is narrowed down, the council will begin to ask for in-depth evaluations of the projects selected. Requests for evaluations have gone out on 30 projects selected for funding through the council’s first bucket of money from the BP settlement. The Mobile Airport Authority has also submitted a plan

Photo | Lagniappe

he old University of South Alabama golf course could become Mobile’s newest bayside attraction, if plans submitted to the Gulf Coast Recovery portal come to fruition. One such plan submitted by Pelican Coast Conservancy Director of Operations Walter C. Ernest IV would set aside the land and preserve it. Ernest said his plan, which the city would have to support, would preserve the 150 acres but could allow some public access. He said he envisions a greenway similar to what is being built at Three Mile Creek. The project goes hand in hand with others the city is currently focused on. “There would be some kind of public access,” Ernest said. “The ‘Bring Back Broad’ initiative could easily tie into this.” The project also “aims to preserve this remaining undeveloped property … restore and conserve priority habitats, connect the community to our natural surroundings and foster an overall environmental ethic,” according to the project description. In addition to being a great natural habitat for migratory birds, the land could be linked to local biking and recreation trails, Ernest said. “We do need more public access to the waterfront,” he said. “At the same time, we need more conservation.” As for the property’s current owners, the USA Foundation, Ernest said he believes they are willing to sell, even if

Two different organizations — one representing conservation and the other business development — are seeking BP oil spill funds to purchase the USA Foundation’s bayfront property near Brookley Aeroplex. for the USA Foundation land through the public portal. The MAA’s plan would use the land to expand the Brookley Aeroplex footprint, but also would be used to connect parklands, according to the proposal. “In order to optimize the use of this Aeroplex for current and potential future tenants, key adjacent parcels have been identified for acquisition,” the project description reads. “Land acquisitions for industrial and potential commercial use will increase economic potential of this Aeroplex, attracting aviation and aerospace businesses and jobs. In addition, some potential acquisitions for buffer lands will connect and consolidate greenspace/parks owned by the city of Mobile and enhance much needed public access for surrounding communities.” The project calls for acquisition of 750 acres in total and an estimated cost of $62 million. The amount of money requested for each project could be a limiting factor as to whether it is selected by the council for further review, Morgan said. “There is an incredible number of projects and not enough money to fund them all,” she said. In projects concerning the city, Morgan added, the council might look to Mayor Sandy Stimpson for a nod toward any project.

BAYBRIEF | POLITICS

Seeking the vote 10 CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR BALDWIN COUNTY COMMISSION SEATS BY JOHN MULLEN

Photo | Facebook

With the exception of Commission President Chris Elliot (second from left), the other three members of the Baldwin County Commission are seeking re-election.

here will be at least one new face on the Baldwin County Commission after the 2018 elections and three incumbents are seeking to retain their seats. District 1’s Frank Burt and District 4’s Skip Gruber are seeking to retain their seats, as is District 3’s Tucker Dorsey. District 2’s Chris Elliott has announced he is running for the Alabama Senate seat Trip Pittman will voluntarily

leave next year. Baldwin County’s primaries aren’t until June 5, with runoffs set for July 17 and the general election Nov. 6. All of the declared candidates are Republicans; no Democratic candidates have decided to run. Each of the four commission seats has at least two candidates, with three vying for the southernmost District 4. In that district, Christopher Callaghan and Orange

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Beach Councilman Jerry Johnson are seeking to beat three-term incumbent Skip Gruber. Gruber says the county faces several infrastructure challenges in roads and in the county school system and he wants to stay on to help find solutions to those issues. “The citizens voted down the toll authority for the county, which would have helped us a lot finishing up the beach express from I-10 to I-65,” Gruber said. “We could’ve been moving along with that project a lot better. Tax dollars are just not there to do a $200 million project. We need to look at alternatives.” Callaghan — a lawyer who sits on the Orange Beach Planning Commission — said his decision is an exciting, serious step. “I believe that my skill set makes me uniquely qualified for this opportunity,” he said. Johnson is in his second term on the Orange Beach City Council and says leadership is a key to the commission seat. “Leadership is not about the leader; it is about the people they serve,” Johnson said. “I espouse servant leadership, which means I will work to help the county employees and the residents.” In District 1, longtime commissioner Frank Burt is seeking re-election to his ninth term on the commission, having served every term since the 1988 election. Burt has served on countless boards and panels during his 29 years of service. Running against him is Jeb Ball, program director for Baldwin Substance Abuse Services Inc. in Bay Minette. He has served in the Baldwin County District Attorney’s office from 1998-2007. Ball founded Baldwin Substance Abuse Services Inc., a company certified by the Administrative Office of Courts to provide court-ordered Level 1, Level 2 and educational classes involving drugor alcohol-related crimes. In District 2, a sitting Daphne councilman and former Daphne councilman are vying to fill Chris Elliott’s seat. Joe Davis, who was appointed to the council in 2013, said he knows how important continued economic development and job growth are for the county, and wants to continue his focus on those key areas. John Lake was on the Daphne City Council for 24 years before running for mayor in 2016 when he lost to incumbent Dane Haygood. Meanwhile in District 3, Tucker Dorsey is a real estate developer who has served, and continues to serve, on several boards and commissions throughout Baldwin County. Running against him are Billie Jo Underwood and Will McDaniel. Underwood is a certified public accountant from Summerdale, where she has served on the city’s planning commission. In June, the Alabama Legislature passed a bill to award pay raises to Baldwin County commissioners, from their previous salary of $33,600 per year to the county’s median family income, $50,240. The new salary goes into effect in November 2018 and will be reviewed every four years.

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COMMENTARY | DAMN THE TORPEDOES

Ain’t it nifty, look who’s 50 ROB HOLBERT/MANAGING EDITOR/RHOLBERT@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

IT’S HARD TO KNOW WHAT TO MAKE OF BEING 50 THESE DAYS. WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, 50 WAS OLD. EVERYONE SMOKED AND THEIR HAIR AND TEETH FELL OUT.”

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the previous owner — a gastroenterologist, to keep the theme going — converted a garage to a really cool “man cave.” Speaking to some younger friends the other night I likened it to “The Honeycomb Hideout.” Pretty funny, right!? Just a lot of polite smiles, just like you’d give your grandpa when he starts talking about what a dame Zelda Fitzgerald was. I realized my friends had never seen those commercials where people sequestered themselves in a cereal-themed clubhouse so they could scarf down delicious Honeycomb cereal without fear of interference from their parents or the cops or the government. My friends hadn’t been children in the ‘70s when almost all breakfast commercials centered on someone trying to steal delicious cereals or otherwise prevent kids from enjoying them. But maybe that’s their problem, not mine. I was a kid in the cereal-stealing, helmetless-bike-riding, Bruce-Jenner-was-stilla-dude 1970s. And I went to high school in the one-rotary-phone-in-the-kitchen, sleeveless-shirt-mullet-wearing, Dukes-ofHazzard-loving 1980s. I lived through dialup and actually having to develop photos if you wanted to see them. That’s all part of being 50. So I’ll just wear it as well as I can and try to dumb things down for those people who don’t know anything about The Fonz, Night Ranger or “Road House.” I’ll survive the approaching colonoscopy with dignity and honor and keep looking on the web for some kind of stem cell cream for my crackly knee and wrinkled forehead. I shall endure.

THEGADFLY

or 80, for that matter. People are just in better overall shape than they were a generation or two ago. My own parents, both in their 70s, are in far better shape than their own parents at the same age. My first memories of my grandparents were when they were in their 50s and already smoked so much North Carolina made them honorary citizens. So there’s hope. As I turned 50 I have to take stock: I still have all my hair, which is a bonus. All my teeth as well, minus the two a baseball knocked out when I was 14. I haven’t become morbidly obese — yet. All positive developments. I’ll admit, there are a few troubling issues. I have a knee that sounds like a bowl of Rice Krispies when I bend it — courtesy of running 10,000 miles through Mobile’s broken streets while wearing high-tops. As an aside, it seemed like a smart way to keep from twisting my ankles on our jacked up sidewalks, but I’m pretty sure cheap high-top shoes wasn’t the right way to go. The gray hair is slowly making its way in, although for some strange reason it tends to come and go — and no it’s not Just for Men! But I do take great pleasure in the fact my brothers five and seven years younger have heads full of gray. Looks like you boys done lost the genetic crapshoot. Smiley face emoji! Without doubt the biggest physical reminder of hitting the half-century mark, though, is my eyesight. I had eagle eyes my whole life — 20/15 vision. I could have been a sniper or at least a great Peeping Tom, but now everything from about three feet in is fuzzier. I have three or four pairs of “cheaters” scattered around my house and office so I can read. I always forget to bring

them out with me, so if any wait staff reading this have gotten either a 200 percent tip or a 2 percent tip, you can thank or blame the ravages of time. Perhaps surprisingly, there are some things about turning 50 I’ve really been looking forward to. The colonoscopy that typically serves as a rite of passage for those entering their sixth decade is tops on that list. It seems like a great opportunity to be highly embarrassed in front of a bunch of medical professionals. For some reason, in my mind the colonoscopy machinery will look like the giant laser in the James Bond movie “Goldfinger,” when 007 is strapped to a block of gold spread-eagle (although face up) and the long, silver contraption slowly works its way toward his crotch, shooting out a deadly laser beam. Bond (the Connery Bond!) says, “Do you expect me to talk?” Goldfinger retorts, “No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!” I imagine it’ll be a lot harder to deliver my lines with my face shoved into a pillow. The truth is I’d talk anyway. Just call off the machine! The previous few paragraphs are a fine example of perhaps the biggest challenge age brings about — the inability of younger people to understand what the hell you’re talking about. There probably aren’t many people under the age of 40 who have any idea who “Goldfinger” was or why he wanted to cut Sean Connery’s crotch in half and why in the world that would somehow remind me of getting a colonoscopy. I have to understand that, but it’s hard. I recently bought a new house in which

Cartoon/Laura Rasmussen

t had to happen. There was only one way to stop it, and I didn’t want to go that route. I turned 50 a couple of weeks ago. I know, it’s hard to believe. If I still had my column picture from 15 years ago plastered next to this article you’d be amazed as well. “Gosh, he doesn’t look a day over 35,” is what you’d probably think. Or “Who’s this guy trying to fool?” It’s hard to know what to make of being 50 these days. When I was growing up, 50 was old. Everyone smoked and their hair and teeth fell out. These days lots of 50 year olds are doing CrossFit and are in better shape than they were when they were 30. Hell, I’m not THAT much older than the quarterback who won the Super Bowl last year! That has to mean something, right? Everybody asks, “Well, how does it feel to be 50?” I guess the same as it did to be 49 … at least so far. I do have some trepidation. My back went out for the first time about three weeks after I turned 40 as I was getting into my car carrying a Red Bull. It’s hurt off and on ever since. So I’m not completely discounting the march of time and the dangers of “0” years. One of the things that comforts me as I start the downhill run to 100 is that this has to be the very best time in the history of humanity to be 50. Or 40 or 60

HURRICANE NATE’S LACKLUSTER PERFORMANCE LEFT MOBILIANS WITH AN OVERABUNDANCE OF SUPPLIES. NOT THAT WE ARE COMPLAINING.

COMMENTARY | THE HIDDEN AGENDA

The tropical bookends of Gulf Coast living ASHLEY TRICE/EDITOR/ASHLEYTOLAND@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

hen you’ve been with someone for nearly a decade, it’s rare to find out something new about that person. You’ve heard most of each other’s stories. You can finish each other’s sentences. You can communicate by just looking at each other in some cases. But every now and again, something you’ve never seen before emerges from that person. And that something emerged from my husband as Hurricane Nate came “barreling” toward our neck of the Gulf Coast last weekend. My sweet, amazing husband is a hurricane junkie. A total weather nerd. I did not realize this because the last storm where “hunkering” and “battening” was required around here was Katrina — several years before we met. The last time I was gathering batteries and bottled water my life was a whole lot different. During Ivan, I went to my mom’s house and stayed with her and a bunch of my extended family. Lots of family in a confined indoor space can make for an “interesting” night. Let’s just say, my uncle and I were out the door about a second after the last rain band moved through so we could “assess the damage.” I rode out Katrina in midtown with one of my best friends and my dog, Bella. We made margaritas and when I let Bella outside to use the bathroom she ran off, so we spent a good amount of time out and about in the storm getting her back in, which was probably frowned upon by the folks on TV who were out in the weather saying, “don’t get out in the weather.” But no injuries were sustained, so all was good. Obviously, we all know what Ivan did to our friends just east of us when he made his famous “jog” and the absolute devastation Katrina caused to the west. Mobile was largely spared in both of those storms. Little did we know it would be over a decade before we had to prepare for another possible direct hit, though one that would pack a much smaller punch than those major storms. If you had told me as I was out chasing Bella during Katrina that during the next storm I would be married and chasing around my almost 6- and 8-year-old kids, I would have said you had had too many margaritas. But a lot happens in 12-plus years, so I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised. It’s just kind of strange how our lives on the Gulf Coast have these tropical bookends. I will now always remember just how much energy my husband put into our Nate preparations. On Thursday morning, I got a text that read, “Batteries, check. Candles, check. Lighters, check. Bug Spray, check.” On Friday morning I received, “Propane, check,” followed by “Make sure to fill up with gas today.” For a Category One, Frank? Really? “Prepare for the worst and hope for the

best,” he said. I teased him that I thought his best was that we would get the worst. But I’m not going to act all like Mrs. Too Cool for School, I was secretly excited too. Well, I don’t know if excited is the right word, but there is a nervous energy you get when preparing for a hurricane — some sort of primal need to protect one’s space and young. And too, we knew this one wasn’t going to be all that bad. Or was it? After all, Cantore was in Orange Beach (insert chilling horror film music). Also, while we are on Cantore, is he beefier than he used to be or has he always looked like he works for the WWE when not working for TWC? Anyway, we were up at 6 a.m. on Saturday. I walked around the yard and secured everything that might possibly fly through the air and crash through windows and kill us — you know, soccer balls and Nerf guns. Frank went and borrowed a generator from his parents who were out of town and filled up four coolers full of ice (just in case). Of course we got other provisions — Chunky Chicken Soup, bread, chips, water, instant coffee and plenty of beer and wine (just in case.) Then we waited, and, in the immortal words of the late, great Tom Petty, that is “the hardest part.” Flipping back and forth between The Weather Channel, Alan Sealls, Jason Smith, Chris Dunne and SEC football had my poor thumb plumb tuckered out. Frank took a nap so he would be fresh for the midnight or so landfall and formulated backup plans involving ESPN apps and 92ZEW in case the power went out during the Alabama game. It did not. #priorities I fell asleep some time around the third or fourth quarter of that game, but Frank woke me up for the main event. I am referring to the hurricane, not the Tide. We got the 8-yearold up some time after midnight and made him look out the window so he would have a memory of his first hurricane (but he has no recollection of us doing that). A little wind. A little rain. It was pretty anti-climatic to say the least. Thank goodness. Though Nate damaged numerous piers and wharfs and caused quite a bit of damage to Dauphin Island, it could have been much, much worse. Thankfully, no lives were lost. Once again we were lucky. As I packed up all of the candles that were never burned and large flashlight batteries still wrapped in plastic, I wondered how long it would be before we would be pulling these out again. Will it be next season or another 12 years? Would the kids be home with us or off at college? Would we be as lucky again? Or would it finally be our turn to get a direct hit? There is no way to tell, as Mother Nature has a mind of her own. I guess really all we can do is prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

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COMMENTARY | THE BELTWAY BEAT

Sen. Shelby and establishment couldn’t settle for half-pregnant BY JEFF POOR/COLUMNIST/JEFFREYPOOR@GMAIL.COM

t will go down as one of the biggest political head-scratchers of all time. Luther Strange had everything going for him. He was the de facto incumbent. Supporters literally spent millions of dollars on his behalf. He had the support of a sitting president and vice president. And he had statewide name recognition. Despite this seemingly strong wind at Strange’s back, Roy Moore trounced him in the Republican primary runoff election. With that defeat, Strange is likely to go down as one of the more tragic figures in Alabama political history. There was something pathetic to seeing the 6-foot-9 former Shades Valley High School basketball standout announce it was over at his election night event last month. It could be the closing chapter of something he worked toward his entire career: a seat in the United States Senate. (There is some speculation Strange could run again for Senate if Richard Shelby retires in five years). There were curious circumstances surrounding Strange’s candidacy. Why was the so-called Republican establishment pushing so hard for him? What was it that was so magical about Big Luther that made him the guy? Out of some 4 million people in Alabama, why did the GOP elite see Strange as the state’s most qualified individual to be a U.S. Senator? The answer everyone seems to be going with is that Strange was preferable to Roy Moore. Senate leadership likely — and probably rightly — saw and sees Moore as a possible obstructionist at worst, or at best somebody unlikely to smile and get with the Washington, D.C., Republican agenda. One would have to assume Alabama’s senior U.S. Senator Richard Shelby was a driving force in the effort to rally behind Strange. It’s not as if Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) or any of the other power brokers in D.C. Republican politics stumbled upon Strange by happenstance and decided he was their man. Shelby’s decision to back Strange was not entirely unexpected, but to formally support him in a crowded primary was unprecedented. Shelby had very public presence working on Strange’s behalf. He hosted fundraisers and appeared alongside the candidate on the campaign trail at numerous events. When asked about Shelby’s involvement in the race during the primary, Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks — then a Senate candidate himself — chalked it up to Shelby always supporting the incumbent. Reasonable. But not “always” true. In 2009, Shelby backed an incumbent’s challenger — ironically, perhaps — in Strange during his initial bid for attorney general. At the time, Alabama already had a Republican attorney general: Troy King, who announced he was running for re-election earlier that year. To add insult to injury for King, Shelby supported him three years earlier in his initial run. Strange wound up defeating King for the GOP nod and won the general election in a contest against James Anderson. The rest is history. Why Luther Strange? By being so committed to Strange, the Republican establishment in this state, led by the likes of Richard Shelby, are the reason Roy Moore is the nominee. Birmingham talk show host and former Bob Riley aide Leland Whaley described Moore as a “suicide bomber” and has low expectations for him as a senator, given he tends to come out on the losing side of all of his major battles. “Roy Moore is a bomb-throwing suicide

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bomber that will go up there and raise cane and not get much done,” Whaley said on his show in August on the eve of the primary. “He would not be able to work with and build consensus in that role if he keeps the same tactics. And he’ll lose. He’ll always lose. I heard this campaign ad — ‘I stood up for marriage and I stood up for the Ten Commandments.’ He did, and he got beat. And the Ten Commandments aren’t in the lobby of the Supreme Court anymore, and gay marriage is legal in Alabama. You got to fight to win, and you got to fight smart, and he’s not really a fighter — he’s a self-made martyr. You throw yourself in front of a train, make yourself a victim and set up a charity and fundraise.” Even with Moore’s potential ignitability, the former judge as a candidate this cycle seemed to have many of us reflexively re-checking the date on our calendars. Moore was the in-thing last decade, but over time seemed to lose relevancy. Today, Alabama Republicans are expected to vote for the MySpace of candidates against Democrat Doug Jones. It did not have to be this way. There were a number of other possibilities. It was a crowded field. Was Rep. Mo Brooks too much of a threat to the orderly proceedings of McConnell’s Republican-led U.S. Senate? Did they really believe Brooks would not fall in line for an earmark for Huntsville’s Marshall Space Flight Center or Redstone Arsenal? There were others who flirted with a run, such as State Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, but they quickly received the message to not bother. Marsh saw this result coming back in May, when he was asked to react to Cornyn’s NRSC discouraging consulting firms from working with U.S. Senate candidates other than Strange. “All I would ask is that they let Alabama choose its senator,” Marsh said in an interview with the Montgomery Advertiser. “They said ‘Well, we protect our incumbents.’ I said ‘Well, I don’t consider Gov. Bentley’s hand-chosen senator to be the incumbent. I think the people will choose that in an election cycle.” No, you guys had to have Big Luther. There was no room for compromise. No chance of being open to half a baby or even the rarest of outcomes — half-pregnant. There was no way to find the guy who could straddle the fence like Jeff Sessions — one that would talk the talk and walk the walk, but sort of play by the rules and keep everyone as happy as possible. What was the thought process? No need to entertain other candidates. Why let the primary process play out and see what happens? Instead, we’ll hire a bunch of ringer consultants, sink a bunch of money into this race (because it worked so well for Jeb Bush in the presidential election) and that U.S. Senate seat is as good as owned for a generation. So what if Luther Strange was an empty suit? Who else can run against him? Mo Brooks? No statewide name recognition. Trip Pittman? Everyone knows he’s just using this race to launch his bid for the next statewide race. Roy Moore? He’ll be strong in the primary, but hit a ceiling in the runoff. Moore never hit that ceiling, and now he is the nominee. Barring some miracle, Moore likely is the next U.S. senator from Alabama. In a quote often misattributed to Alexis de Tocqueville, 18th century philosopher Joseph de Maistre once said, “Every country has the government it deserves.” This time, the national and Alabama Republican establishments got the candidate they deserve.

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BUSINESS | THE REAL DEAL

Under His Wings opens new home for girls BY RON SIVAK/COLUMNIST/BUSINESS@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

obertsdale-based nonprofit Under His Wings has opened its new home for girls in Baldwin County, builder Truland Homes recently announced. Alongside parent company 68Ventures and supporting trade partners, the builder held a grand opening and ribbon cutting Sept. 27, including a tour of the completed project. The home was completed after eight months of renovations and includes a kitchen, study, covered back patio, basketball court, swing set and activities yard. The project is valued at approximately $400,000 and was provided to Under His Wings at no expense to them thanks to the collective contribution efforts of the surrounding community, which included Impact 100, Cox Family Foundation, developers of the Stonebridge community and the Truland Homes staff. Under His Wings is a 501(c)(3) social services organization that focuses on supporting families with teen girls struggling from physical or mental abuse or from broken homes. Truland Homes and affiliated companies have supported Under His Wings through multiple efforts, including fundraisers, golf tournaments and workdays. More than $100,000 was raised for the project in addition to the construction of the new property. • Arcadis U.S. Inc. is leasing 2,267 square feet of class A office space in One St. Louis Centre, located at 1 St. Louis St. in Mobile. The company provides design, consultancy, engineering and project management services worldwide. Justin Toomey, broker associate with Stirling Properties, represented the tenant. Jeff Barnes, also with Stirling Properties, worked for the landlord.

• Urban Air Adventure Park, an indoor trampoline park and family entertainment center, is leasing 20,245 square feet of retail space in Spanish Fort Town Center at 31000 Bass Pro Drive in Spanish Fort. It will occupy the building soon to be vacated by Kangarooz Family Fun Center, which is closing permanently at the end of the month. Plans are in place to open in the spring of 2018. This will be the second location to open in the state, with another play center in operation in Homewood. Jeff Barnes with Stirling Properties represented the landlord. David Milstead with Bellator Real Estate & Development LLC worked for the tenant. • Meineke Car Care is hosting a grand opening of its new location, 1370 N. University Blvd. in Mobile. The ribbon cutting will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, and the celebration will include free food, giveaways, child entertainment and vendors from the automotive industry. Mobile’s 97.5 WABD will be onsite from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; the event will conclude at 3 p.m. • Three lots totaling 1.09 acres fronting U.S. Highway 98 on South Greeno Road in Fairhope sold for $324,000, according to Heather Huffman of NAI Mobile, who represented the sellers. The buyers plan to develop the property for medical use. Jamie Cooper of Exit Realty Lyon worked for the buyers. • Local investors have sold 58 acres along Halls Mill and Cypress Creeks to Alabama Shoreland Properties LLC of Jasper for $1,441,000. The buyers intend to sell the previously subdivided property to individual purchasers for single-family residential developments. NAI Mobile

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brought the two parties together and managed the transaction. Legal services were provided by the Lyon Law Firm. Surety Land Title provided title research. • Bob Isakson, president of Lafayette Land Co., recently announced the acquisition of the Gulf City Lodge, a 19th century post-Reconstruction Second Empire Victorian-style structure at 601 State St. The property was originally used as a brothel when Mobile had a Red Light District around the turn of the century. In 1918, at the demand of the U.S. Army, the district was outlawed and the brothel closed. In 1920, the Mobile Elks lodge bought and expanded the house into a 10,000-square-foot event center. Lafayette Land Co. has an option on the building and plans to restore the property to an entertainment venue. The site is currently home to monthly gatherings of MOJO, the Mystic Order of the Jazz Obsessed. • Local firm Fulcrum Construction recently made Inc. magazine’s 2017 list of the 5,000 fastest-growing privately held companies in America, coming in at number 345 with 1,300 percent growth experienced over the past three years. Completed in January 2017, the firm’s new office building received the Daphne Beautification Award. It is also in the process of completing its LEED certification, with solar panels on the roof to offset power consumption as well as reportedly recycling unused energy back into the city’s power grid.

Mobile Chamber’s 2017 Eagle Awards

According to a news release, Gaines Plumbing and Harper Technologies are the 2017 Eagle Award winners. The annual event is held by the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce and honors minority-owned businesses that demonstrate business growth and outstanding community involvement. The awards ceremony will take place Thursday, Oct. 17, at 11:30 a.m. at the Renaissance Riverview Hotel. Stedman Graham will be the keynote speaker. Gaines Plumbing is recognized for adopting a model for a traditional trade with year-round service agreements. Harper Technologies is a locally owned, comprehensive IT support and consulting firm with a regional reach. The company relocated to downtown Mobile last year to join the business district’s burgeoning tech corridor. Additionally the Chamber will recognize WALA FOX10 with the Rev. Wesley A. James Minority Business Advocate award for two decades of support of the Eagle Awards and its outreach to the minority community through its programs. According to Susan Rak-Blanchard, the Mobile Chamber’s director of communications, the initiative was first launched in 1998, making 2017 the 20-year anniversary. Since its inception 91 awards have been presented to 81 companies. More information is available on the Mobile Area Chamber’s website.

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1808 Old Shell Rd. • 473-7872

DUNKIN DONUTS ($)

DONUTS, COFFEE & SANDWICHES 1976 Michigan Ave. • 442-4846 3876 Airport Blvd. • 219-7369 505 Schillinger Rd. S. • 442-4845 29160 US Hwy 98 • 621-2228 $10/PERSON • $$ 10-25/PERSON • $$$ OVER 25/PERSON

E WING HOUSE ($)

COMPLETELY COMFORTABLE

EUGENE’S MONKEY BAR ($)

ALL SPORTS BAR & GRILL ($) 3408 Pleasant Valley Rd. • 345-9338

AL’S HOTDOGS ($)

CLASSIC HOTDOGS, GYROS & MILKSHAKES 4701 Airport Blvd. • 342-3243

ATLANTA BREAD COMPANY ($-$$) SANDWICHES, SALADS & MORE. 3680 Dauphin St. • 380-0444

BAKE MY DAY ($)

OLD-FASHIONED SOUTHERN BAKE SHOP 156 N. McGregor Ave. • 219-7261

BOB’S DINER ($)

GOOD OLD AMERICAN COOKING 263 St. Francis St. • 405-1497

BRICK & SPOON ($)

3662 Airport Blvd. Suite A • 525-9177

BUCK’S DINER ($)

CLASSIC AMERICAN DINER 58 N. Secion St. Fairhope • 928-8521

CAFE 219 ($)

SALADS, SANDWICHES & POTATO SALAD 219 Conti St. • 438-5234

CAMELLIA CAFÉ ($-$$$)

CONTEMPORARY SOUTHERN FARE 61 Section St. • Fairhope • 928-4321

CAMMIE’S OLD DUTCH ($) MOBILE’S CLASSIC ICE CREAM SPOT 2511 Old Shell Rd. • 471-1710

CARPE DIEM ($)

DELI FOODS, PASTRIES & SPECIALTY DRINKS 4072 Old Shell Rd. • 304-0448

CLARK’S KITCHEN ($-$$) CATERING 5817 Old Shell Rd. • 343-0200

CHAT-A-WAY CAFE ($)

QUICHES & SANDWICHES 4366 Old Shell Rd. • 343-9889

CHICK-FIL-A ($)

107 St. Francis St. • 415-1700 3244 Dauphin St. • 476-0320 3215 Bel Air Mall • 476-8361 4707 Airport Blvd. • 461-9933 435 Schillinger Rd. • 639-1163 1682 US HWY 98 • Daphne • 621-3215 30500 AL 181 • Spanish Fort • 621-3020

CHICKEN SALAD CHICK ($)

CHICKEN SALAD, SALAD & SOUP 2370 S. Hillcrest Rd. Unit R • 660-0501 5753 Old Shell Rd. • 408-3236 1802 US Hwy 98 Suite F• 625-1092

CHI-TOWN DAWGZ ($)

195 S University Blvd. Suite H • 662-1829 15 N Conception St. • 433-2299

FATHOMS LOUNGE

SMALL PLATES AND CREATIVE COCKTAILS 64 S. Water St. • 438-4000

FLOUR GIRLS BAKERY ($) 809 Hillcrest Rd. • 634-2285

FIREHOUSE SUBS ($)

HOT SUBS, COLD SALADS & CATERING 6300 Grelot Rd. • 631-3730

FIVE GUYS BURGERS & FRIES ($) BURGERS, MILKSHAKES & FRIES 4401 Old Shell Rd. • 447-2394 4663 Airport Blvd. • 300-8425 5319 Hwy 90 • 661-0071 1225 Satchel Page Dr.• 378-8768

FOOSACKLY’S ($)

FAMOUS CHICKEN FINGERS 29181 US Hwy 98 • Daphne • 375-1104 7843 Moffett Rd. • 607-6196 1109 Shelton Beach Rd. • 287-1423 310 S. University Blvd. • 343-0047 2250 Airport Blvd. • 479-2922 7641 Airport Blvd. • 607-7667 2558 Schillinger Rd. • 219-7761 3249 Dauphin St. • 479-2000

FOY SUPERFOODS ($) 119 Dauphin St.• 307-8997

GULF COAST EXPLOREUM CAFE ($) HOMEMADE SOUPS & SANDWICHES 65 Government St. • 208-6815

GUMBO SHACK ($-$$)

SEAFOOD & SANDWICHES 212 ½ Fairhope Ave •Fairhope • 928-4100

HOOTERS ($)

3869 Airport Blvd. • 345-9544 5470 Inn Rd. • 661-9117 28975 US 98 • Daphne • 625-3910

JAMAICAN VIBE ($)

MIND-BLOWING ISLAND FOOD 3700 Gov’t Blvd. Ste A • 602-1973

JERSEY MIKE’S ($)

AUTHENTIC SUB SANDWICHES 7449 Airport Blvd. • 375-1820

JIMMY JOHN’S ($)

SANDWICHES, CATERING & DELIVERY TOO 6920 Airport Blvd. • 414-5444 9 Du Rhu Dr. • 340-8694 62 B Royal St. • 432-0360

JOE CAIN CAFÉ ($)

PIZZAS, SANDWICHES, COCKTAILS 26 N. Royal St. • 338-2000

JONELLI’S ($)

CHICAGO STYLE EATERY 1222 Hillcrest Rd. • 461-6599

1252 Govenment St.• 301-7556

CONNECTION FROZEN YOGURT ($)

HOME COOKING 4054 Government St. • 665-4557

1880 Industrial Pkwy. • 675-2999

CREAM AND SUGAR ($)

COFFEE, BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DESSERT 351 George St #B • 405-0003

DAUPHIN ST. CAFE ($)

HOT LUNCH, DAILY MENU (INSIDE VIA) 1717 Dauphin St. • 470-5231

D’ MICHAEL’S ($)

PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS, GYROS & MORE 7101-A Theodore Dawes Rd. • 653-2979

D NU SPOT ($)

HOTDOGS SANDWICHES & COOL TREATS 3371 Dauphin Island Pkwy • 300–4015

MOMMA GOLDBERG’S DELI ($) SANDWICHES & MOMMA’S LOVE 3696 Airport Blvd. • 344-9500 5602 Old Shell Rd. • 287-6556

LODA BIER GARTEN ($) PUB FOOD AND DRAFT BEERS 251 Dauphin St. • 287-6871

MAMA’S ($)

SLAP YOUR MAMA GOOD HOME COOKING 220 Dauphin St. • 432-6262

MARS HILL CAFE ($)

MARY’S SOUTHERN COOKING ($) 3011 Springhill Ave. • 476-2232

MICHELI’S CAFE ($)

6358 Cottage Hill Rd. • 725-6917

STEVIE’S KITCHEN ($)

SANDWICHES, SOUPS, SALADS & MORE 41 West I-65 Service Rd. N Suite 150. • 287-2793

SUGAR RUSH DONUT CO. ($) 4701 Airport Blvd. • 408-3379

SUNSET POINTE ($-$$)

AT FLU CREEK 831 N Section St. • Fairhope • 990-7766

THE BLIND MULE ($)

MOON PIE GENERAL STORE ($)

THE GALLEY ($)

FRESH CARIBBEAN-STYLE FOOD & CRAFT BEER 6601 Airport Blvd. • 634-3445 225 Dauphin St. • 375-1576 107 St Francis St #115 • RSA Bank Trust Building

MOSTLY MUFFINS ($)

DAILY SPECIALS MADE FROM SCRATCH 57 N. Claiborne St. • 694-6853 OPEN FOR LUNCH, INSIDE GULFQUEST 155 S. Water St • 436-8901

MUFFINS, COFFEE & WRAPS 105 Dauphin St. • 433-9855

THE HARBERDASHER ($)

NEWK’S EXPRESS CAFE ($)

THE PIGEON HOLE ($)

OVEN-BAKED SANDWICHES & MORE 1335 Satchel Page Dr. Suite C. • 287-7356 7440 Airport Blvd. • 633-0096 30500 State Hwy 181 #132 • 625-6544

NOURISH CAFE ($)

HEALTHY WHOLE FOODS & MORE 101 N Water St. (Moorer YMCA)• 458-8572

O’DALYS HOLE IN THE WALL ($) 562 Dauphin St.• 725-6429

OLD SHELL GROWLERS ($) GROWLER STATION AND BITES 1801 Old Shell Rd. • 345-4767

PANINI PETE’S ($)

ORIGINAL SANDWICH AND BAKE SHOP 42 ½ Section St. • Fairhope • 929-0122 102 Dauphin St. • 405-0031

113 Dauphin St.• 436-0989

SOUTHERN COOKING & THEN SOME 1716 Main St. Daphne • 222-4120

THE SUNFLOWER CAFE ($) INSIDE VIRGINIA’S HEALTH FOOD 3055 A Dauphin St • 479-3200

THYME BY THE BAY ($-$$)

33 N Section St. • Fairhope • 990-5635

TIME TO EAT CAFE ($)

DOWN-HOME COUNTRY COOKIN 7351 Theodore Dawes Rd. • 654-0228 13665 N. Wintzell Ave. • 824-1119

TIN ROOF ($-$$)

SOUTHERN CASUAL FAMILY DINING 10800 US HWY 31 • Spanish Fort• 621-4995

PAT’S DOWNTOWN GRILL ($)

TP CROCKMIERS ($)

PDQ ($)

THREE GEORGES CANDY SHOP ($)

POLLMAN’S BAKERY ($)

TROPICAL SMOOTHIE ($)

PUNTA CLARA KITCHEN ($)

UNCLE JIMMY’S DELICIOUS HOTDOGS ($)

BAR FOOD 271 Dauphin St • 438-9585

CHICKEN FINGERS, SALAD & SANDWICHES. 1165 University Blvd. • 202-0959 BAKERY, SANDWICHES & MORE 750 S. Broad St. • 438-1511 4464 Old Shell Rd. • 342-8546 107 St. Francis St. Suite 102 • 438-2261 FUDGE, PRALINES & MORE 17111 Scenic Hwy 98 • Fairhope • 928-8477

R BISTRO ($-$$)

334 Fairhope Ave • Fairhope • 928-2399

REGINA’S KITCHEN ($-$$) SANDWICHES, SUBS & SOUPS 2056 Gov’t St. • 476-2777

ROLY POLY ($)

WRAPS & SALADS 3220 Dauphin St. • 479-2480

ROSHELL’S CAFE ($)

2906 Springhill Ave. • 479-4614

ROYAL KNIGHT ($)

3915 Gov’t Blvd. • 219-7922

CUPCAKE BOUTIQUE 6207 Cottage Hill Rd. Suite B • 665-3003

MONTEGO’S ($-$$)

LICKIN’ GOOD DONUTS ($)

DELISH BAKERY AND EATERY ($)

CLASSIC BURGERS, HOTDOGS & SETTING

MIKO’S ITALIAN ICE ($)

ROSIE’S GRILL ($-$$)

22159 Halls Mill Rd. . • 648-6522

DEW DROP INN ($)

AUTHENTIC IRISH PUB 101 N. Bancroft St.• 990-5100

JUDY’S PLACE ($-$$)

GREAT SANDWICHES, COFFEE & MORE 1087 Downtowner Blvd. • 643-1611

GREAT DESSERTS & HOT LUNCH 23 Upham St. • 473-6115

MCSHARRY’S ($-$$)

SANDWICHES, SOUTHWEST FARE, 7 DAYS 1203 Hwy 98 Ste. 3D • Daphne • 626-2440 LUNCH & DINNER 3004 Gov’t Blvd. • 287-1220

AMERICAN RESTAURANT & BAR 250 Dauphin St. • 476-1890 LIGHT LUNCH WITH SOUTHERN FLAIR. 226 Dauphin St. • 433-6725

GREAT SMOOTHIES, WRAPS & SANDWICHES. Du Rhu Dr. • 378-5648 570 Schillinger Road • 634-3454

2550 Dauphin Island Pkwy S. • 307-5328

WAREHOUSE BAKERY & DONUTS ($) COFFEE AND DONUTS 759 Nichols Avenue, Fairhope • 928-7223

WEDGIE’S ($)

GOURMET GRILLED CHEESE 5955 Old Shell Rd. • 287-6134

WILD WING STATION ($)

5401 Cottage Hill Rd. • 591-4842

MOE’S ORIGINAL BAR B QUE ($) BARBEQUE & MUSIC Bayfront Park Dr. • Daphne • 625-RIBS 701 Springhill Ave. • 410-7427 4672 Airport Blvd. • 300-8516

SAUCY Q BARBQUE ($) AWARD-WINNING BARBQUE 1111 Gov’t Blvd. • 433-7427

SMOKEY DEMBO SMOKE HOUSE ($) 3758 Dauphin Island Pkwy. • 473-1401

DROP DEAD GOURMET BAY GOURMET ($$)

A PREMIER CATERER & COOKING CLASSES 1880-A Airport Blvd. • 450-9051

BRIQUETTES STEAKHOUSE ($-$$) GRILLED STEAKS, CHICKEN & SEAFOOD 720A Schillinger Rd. S. S2. • 607-7200 901 Montlimar Dr • 408-3133

CHUCK’S FISH ($$)

SEAFOOD AND SUSHI 551 Dauphin St.• 219-7051

‘CUE

SATORI COFFEEHOUSE ($)

BRICK PIT ($)

SERDA’S COFFEEHOUSE ($)

COTTON STATE BBQ ($)

HOME COOKIN’ LIKE MOMMA MADE. 2804 Springhill Ave. • 473-4739

BBQ, BURGERS, WINGS & SEAFOOD 19170 Hwy 43 Mt. Vernon. • 839-9927 A FAVORITE BARBECUE SPOT 5456 Old Shell Rd. • 343-0001

COFFEE, LUNCHES, LIVE MUSIC & GELATO 3 Royal St. S. • 415-3000

DOWNTOWN LUNCH 101 N. Conception St. • 545-4682

SIMPLY SWEET ($)

DICKEY’S BARBECUE PIT ($-$$)

17111 Scenic HWY 98 • Point Clear • 928-4838

A LITTLE VINO DOMKE MARKET

WINE, BEER, GOURMET FOODS, & MORE. 720 Schillinger Rd. S. Unit 8 • 287-1851

FOOD PAK

FOOD, WINE & MORE 5150 Old Shell Rd. • 341-1497

POUR BABY

WINE BAR, CRAFT BEERS & BISTRO 6808 Airport Blvd. • 343-3555

FIREHOUSE WINE BAR & SHOP 216 St Francis St. • 421-2022

RED OR WHITE

323A De La Mare Ave, Fairhope • 990-0003 1104 Dauphin St.. • 478-9494

ROYAL STREET TAVERN

LIVE MUSIC, MARTINIS & DINNER MENU. 26 N. Royal St. • 338-2000

SOUTHERN NAPA

BISTRO PLATES, CRAFT BEERS & PANTRY 2304 Main St. • 375-2800

FALAFEL? TRY SOME HUMMUS 7 SPICE ($-$$)

HEALTHY, DELICIOUS MEDITERRANEAN FOOD. 3762 Airport Blvd. • 725-1177

ABBA’S MEDITERRANEAN CAFE ($-$$) 4861 Bit & Spur Rd. • 340-6464

DAUPHIN’S ($$-$$$)

JERUSALEM CAFE ($-$$)

DUMBWAITER ($$-$$$)

MEDITERRANEAN SANDWICH COMPANY ($)

HIGH QUALITY FOOD WITH A VIEW 107 St. Francis St • 444-0200 9 Du Rhu Dr. Suite 201 167 Dauphin St. • 445-3802

AUTHENTIC TURKISH & MEDITERRANEAN 3702 Airport Blvd. • 461-6901 MOBILE’S OLDEST MIDDLE EASTERN CUISINE 5773 Airport Blvd. • 304-1155

FIVE ($$)

GREAT & QUICK. 3702 Airport Blvd. • 308-2131 274 Dauphin St. • 545-3161 2502 Schillinger Rd. Ste. 2 • 725-0126 6890 US-90 • DAPHNE • 621-2271

KITCHEN ON GEORGE ($-$$)

MINT HOOKAH BISTRO ($)

LAUNCH ($-$$)

OLLIE’S MEDITERRANEAN GRILL ($-$$)

GREAT FOOD AND COCKTAILS 609 Dauphin St. • 308-3105 CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN FOOD 351A George & Savannah St. • 436-8890 HIGH QUALITY FOOD & DRINKS 251 Government St. • 432-8000

MAGHEE’S GRILL ON THE HILL ($-$$) GREAT LUNCH & DINNER 3607 Old Shell Rd. • 445-8700

NOBLE SOUTH ($$)

OSMAN’S RESTAURANT ($$)

AUTHENTIC FOODS FROM HIMALAYAN REGION 3210 Dauphin St. • 287-0115 400 Eastern Shore Center • 459-2862

THE WASH HOUSE ($$)

ISTANBUL GRILL ($)

HIGH QUALITY FOOD & DRINKS 251 Government St • 460-3157

YAK THE KATHMANDU KITCHEN ($-$$)

85 N. Bancroft St. Fairhope • 990.8883

Battle House Hotel, Royal St. • 338-5493

CORNER 251 ($-$$)

NOJA ($$-$$$)

BAR-B-QUING WITH MY HONEY ($$)

18 | L AG N I A P P E | O c t o b e r 1 2 , 2 0 1 7 - O c t o b e r 1 8 , 2 0 1 7

MEAT BOSS ($)

THE WINDMILL MARKET ($)

SALLY’S PIECE-A-CAKE ($)

COFFEE, SMOOTHIES, LUNCH & BEERS. 5460 Old Shell Rd. • 344-4575

RIBS, SANDWICHES & GREAT SIDES 3314 Old Shell Rd. • 479-9898

LOCAL INGREDIENTS 203 Dauphin St. • 690-6824

BACKYARD CAFE & BBQ ($)

BAKERY 5638 Three Notch Rd.• 219-6379

DREAMLAND BBQ ($)

1500 Gov’t St. • 287-1526

ROYAL STREET CAFE ($) HOMEMADE LUNCH & BREAKFAST 104 N. Royal St. • 434-0011

BBQ AND MORE Jubilee Sq.Ctr. Hwy 90, Daphne • 210-2151 McGowin Park Ctr. Satchel Paige Dr. • 471-1050 7721 Airport Blvd. • 380-8957

INVENTIVE & VERY FRESH CUISINE 6 N. Jackson St. • 433-0377 SUPREME EUROPEAN CUISINE 2579 Halls Mill Rd. • 479-0006

ROYAL SCAM ($$)

GUMBO, ANGUS BEEF & BAR 72. S. Royal St. • 432-SCAM (7226)

GREAT MEDITERRANEAN FOOD. 5951 Old Shell Rd. • 450-9191

MEDITERRANEAN RESTAURANT & HOOKAH 1248 Hillcrest St • 634-9820

TAZIKI’S ($-$$)

MEDITERRANEAN CAFE 1539 US HWY 98• 273-3337

FAR EASTERN FARE ANG BAHAY KUBO ($$) 4513 Old Shell Rd.• 473-0007

BAMBOO STEAKHOUSE ($$) SUSHI BAR 650 Cody Rd. S • 300-8383

BANGKOK THAI ($-$$)

DELICIOUS, TRADITIONAL THAI CUISINE 28600 US 98 • Daphne • 626-5286 3821 Airport Blvd. • 344-9995

RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE ($$$)

BANZAI JAPANESE RESTAURANT ($$)

SAGE RESTAURANT ($$)

BENJAS ($)

VON’S BISTRO ($-$$)

CHARM ($-$$)

SEAFOOD, ASIAN & AMERICAN CUISINE 69 St. Michael St • 375-1113

THAI KITCHEN & SUSHI BAR 960 Schillinger Rd. S • 660-4470

TAMARA’S DOWNTOWN ($$)

CHINA DOLL ($)

3966 Airport Blvd.• 343-5530

EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE & TASTE 271 Glenwood St. • 476-0516

INSIDE THE MOBILE MARRIOTT 3101 Airport Blvd. • 476-6400

CASUAL FINE DINING 104 N. Section St. • Fairhope • 929-2219

THE TRELLIS ROOM ($$$) CONTEMPORARY SOUTHERN CUISINE

TRADITIONAL SUSHI & LUNCH. 312 Schillinger Rd. • 633-9077 THAI & SUSHI 5369 D Hwy 90 W • 661-5100

CUISINE OF INDIA ($$) LUNCH BUFFET 3674 Airport Blvd. • 341-6171

FUJI SAN ($)

3382 Hwy. 98 • 625-1947

GOLDEN BOWL ($)

UPSCALE DINING WITH A VIEW 1420 Hwy. 98 • 626-6710

HIBACHI 1 ($-$$)

DELI, MARKET AND CATERING. 4380 Halls Mill Rd. • 665-2266

THAI FARE AND SUSHI 2000 Airport Blvd. • 478-9888 HIBACHI GRILL & ASIAN CUISINE 309 Bel Air Blvd • 470-8033 2370 Hillcrest Rd. Unit B • 380-6062

ICHIBAN SUSHI ($)

JAPANESE & CHINESE CUISINE 3959 Cottage Hill Rd • 666-6266

KAI JAPANESE RESTAURANT ($-$$) QUALITY FOOD, EXCELLENT SERVICE 5045 Cottage Hill Rd. • 607-6454

LIQUID ($$)

AMAZING SUSHI & ASSORTMENT OF ROLLS. 661 Dauphin St. • 432-0109

RICE ASIAN GRILL & SUSHI BAR ($) 3964 Gov’t Blvd. • 378-8083

ROCK N ROLL SUSHI ($$)

273 S. McGregor Ave • 287-0445 6345 Airport Blvd. • 287-0555 940 Industrial Pkwy • 308-2158 6850 US HWY 98 • Daphne • 753-4367

STIX ($$)

610240 Eastern Shore Blvd. • 621-9088

TASTE OF THAI ($$)

9091 US-90 Irvington • 957-1414

TOKYO JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE ($$) UPSCALE SUSHI & HIBACHI 364 Azalea Rd. • 343-6622

WASABI SUSHI ($$)

JAPANESE CUISINE 3654 Airport Blvd. S. C • 725-6078

FROM THE DEPTHS BAUDEAN’S ($$)

FRIED, GRILLED, STEAMED & ALWAYS FRESH 3300 River Rd. • 973-9070

THE BLUEGILL ($-$$)

A HISTORIC SEAFOOD DIVE W/ LIVE MUSIC 3775 Hwy. 98 • 625-1998

BONEFISH GRILL ($$)

ECLECTIC DINING & SPACE 6955 Airport Blvd. • 633-7196

BOUDREAUX’S CAJUN GRILL ($-$$) QUALITY CAJUN & NEW ORLEANS CUISINE 29249 US Highway 98 Daphne. • 621-1991

FELIX’S FISH CAMP ($$) FISHERMAN’S LEGACY ($) HALF SHELL OYSTER HOUSE ($)

30500 AL-181 • Spanish Fort • 206-8768 3654 Airport Blvd. • 338-9350

LUCY B. GOODE ($$)

GULF COAST CUISINE, REINVENTED 200 E. 25th Ave. • Gulf Shores • 967-5858

BUTCH CASSIDY’S ($)

FAMOUS BURGERS, SANDWICHES & WINGS 60 N. Florida St. • 450-0690

HOUSE OF PIZZA ($)

3958 Snow Rd C. • Semmes • 645-3400

JONELLI’S ($)

1252 Gov’t St. • 301-7556

LA ROSSO ($$)

CALLAGHAN’S IRISH SOCIAL CLUB ($)

COMFORT FOOD 1716 Main St. Ste. C • Daphne • 281-2982

HEROES SPORTS BAR & GRILLE ($)

5055 Cottage Hill Rd. • 308-4888 2394 Dawes Rr. • 639-3535 2004 US 98 • Daphne • 265-6550

BURGERS & BEER 916 Charleston St. • 433-9374

SANDWICHES & COLD BEER 273 Dauphin St. • 433-4376 Hillcrest & Old Shell Rd. • 341-9464

MARCOS ($)

MELLOW MUSHROOM ($)

CINCO DE MAYO ($) MEXICAN CUISINE 260 Azalea Rd. • 375-1095

DAUPHIN ST. TAQUERIA ($)

FUEGO ($-$$)

SATISFACTION ($-$$)

763 Holcombe Ave • 473-0413 OUTSTANDING MEXICAN CUISINE 2066 Old Shell Rd. • 378-8621

HACIENDA SAN MIGUEL ($-$$)

MUDBUGS AT THE LOOP ($)

MANCIS ($)

NAVCO PIZZA ($$)

AUTHENTIC MEXICAN CUISINE 800 N Section St. • Fairhope • 990-0783 830 W I65 Service Rd. S • 378-5837 4663 Airport Blvd. • 342-5553

PAPA’S PLACE ($$)

QUAINT MEXICAN RESTAURANT 5556 Old Shell Rd. • 345-7484

RALPH & KACOO’S ($-$$) THE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT 1595 Battleship Pkwy. • 626-0045

EVERYTHING BAKED OR GRILLED 2617 Dauphin St. • 476-9464 1715 Main St. • 375-0543

MCSHARRY’S IRISH PUB ($)

R&R SEAFOOD ($-$$)

BRILLIANT REUBENS & FISH-N-CHIPS. 101 N. Brancroft St. Fairhope • 990-5100

RIVER SHACK ($-$$)

BAR & GRILL 29740 Urgent Care Dr. • Daphne • 662-9639 6255 Airport Blvd. • 447-2514

LAID-BACK EATERY & FISH MARKET 1477 Battleship Pkwy. • 621-8366 SEAFOOD, BURGERS & STEAKS 6120 Marina Dr. • Dog River • 443-7318.

THE GRAND MARINER ($-$$) LOCAL SEAFOOD & PRODUCE 6036 Rock Point Rd. • 443-7540

THE HARBOR ROOM ($-$$) UNIQUE SEAFOOD 64 S. Water St. • 438-4000

THE SEAFOOD HOUSE ($-$$) 751 Azalea Rd. • 301-7964

MUG SHOTS ($$)

WEMOS ($)

WINGS, TENDERS, HOTDOGS & SANDWICHES 312 Schillinger Rd. • 633-5877

BUCK’S PIZZA ($$)

CORTLANDT’S PIZZA PUB ($-$$)

IS THE GAME ON?

ITALIAN, STEAKS & SEAFOOD 18 Laurel Ave. • Fairhope • 990-0995

GREAT PIZZA. LUNCH & DINNER 4356 Old Shell Rd. • 342-0024

GAMBINO’S ITALIAN GRILL ($) GRIMALDI’S ($)

Bel Air Mall • 476-2063

GUIDO’S ($$)

FRESH CUISINE NIGHTLY ON MENU 1709 Main St. • Daphne • 626-6082

ROMA CAFE ($-$$)

PASTA, SALAD AND SANDWICHES 7143 Airport Blvd. • 341-7217

TAMARA’S BAR & GRILL ($)

WINGS, PO-BOYS, BURGERS 210 Eastern Shore Center, Hwy. 98 • 929-0002

TRATTORIA PIZZA & ITALIAN ($$) ITALIAN FOOD & PIZZAS 11311 US HIghway 31 Spanish Fort• 375-0076

VIA EMILIA ($$)

HOMEMADE PASTAS & PIZZAS MADE DAILY 5901 Old Shell Rd. • 342-3677

OLÉ MI AMIGO! AZTECAS ($-$$)

TASTE OF MEXICO 5452 Hwy 90 W • 661-5509

CAFÉ DEL RIO ($-$$)

MOUTH WATERING MEXICAN FOOD 1175 Battleship Pkwy • 625-2722

SOUTHERN FAVORITES BUFFET

HARRAH’S GULF COAST:

280 Beach Blvd. Biloxi • 288-436-2946

MAGNOLIA HOUSE ($$-$$$) FINE DINING, SEAFOOD AND STEAKS

FLAVORS BUFFET ($-$$) ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET

IP CASINO:

850 Bayview Ave. Bilox • 888-946-2847

THIRTY-TWO ($$$) SEAFOOD, STEAKS, WINE

TIEN ($-$$)

INTERACTIVE ASIAN DINING

HIGH TIDE CAFÉ ($)

CASUAL & RELAXING, EXTENSIVE MENU

OLÉ MI AMIGO ($-$$)

BEACH BLVD STEAMER ($)

3050 AL 181 • Spanish Fort • 621-7433

PIZZA & PASTA 107 Dauphin St. • 375-1644

EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE & TASTE

ISLAND VIEW:

PIZZERIA DELFINA ($)

IRISH PUB FARE & MORE 1108 Shelton Beach Rd •Saraland • 473-0757 3692 Airport Blvd • 414-3000

AMERICAN FARE & ROCKIN’ MEMORABILIA

MEXICAN CUISINE 3977 Gov’t Blvd. • 660-4970

LUCKY’S IRISH PUB ($)

FRESH SEAFOOD FOR OVER 75 YEARS 605 Dauphin St. • 432-4605 6700 Airport Blvd. • 341-1111 1208 Shelton Beach Rd. • Saraland • 442-3335 805 S. Mobile St. • 929-2322

WINGS, BURGERS & PUB GRUB 6880 US-90 #14 • Daphne • 625-4695

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN DISHES 312 Fairhope Ave. • Fairhope • 990-5535

MARIA BONITA AGAVE BAR & GRILL ($-$$)

HEARTY MEXICAN FARE 736 holcombe Ave.• 473-0413

WINTZELL’S OYSTER HOUSE ($-$$)

BAUMHOWER’S ($)

PINZONE’S ITALIAN VILLAGE ($$)

LOS ARCOS ($)

PIZZA, PASTA, SALAD & MORE 102 N. Section St. •Fairhope• 929-2525

DELIVERY 350 Dauphin St. • 431-9444

ED’S SEAFOOD SHED ($$)

A TASTE OF ITALY. BYOB. 28691 U.S. Highway 98 • 626-1999

LA COCINA ($)

RAVENITE ($)

BURGERS, DOGS & 27 BEERS & WINES. 19992 Hwy.181 Old County Rd. Fairhope • 281-2663

MAMA MIA!

PIZZAS, PASTAS, & CALZONES 245-A Old Shell Rd. • 479-3278

PIZZA, SUBS & PASTA 1368 ½ Navco Rd.• 479-0066

TASTE OF MEXICO 880 Schillinger Rd. S. • 633-6122 5805 US 90 • 653-9163

OLD 27 GRILL ($)

TIN TOP RESTAURANT & OYSTER BAR ($$) SEAFOOD, STEAKS, & EXTENSIVE WINE LIST 6232 Bon Secour Hwy County Rd. 10. • 949-5086

PASTA & MORE 9 Du Rhu Dr. • 340-6611

SEAFOOD

RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE ($$$)

MIRKO ($$)

CAJUN KITCHEN & SEAFOOD MARKET 2005 Government St. • 478-9897

HALF SHELL OYSTER HOUSE ($-$$)

EL MARIACHI ($)

ISLAND WING CO ($)

WINGS, SEAFOOD, BURGERS & BEER 7721 Airport Blvd. Suite E-180 • 639-6832

777 Beach Blvd.Biloxi • 877-877-6256

HARD ROCK CAFÉ ($)

PIES & AWESOME BEER SELECTION 2032 Airport Blvd. • 471-4700 5660 Old Shell Rd. • 380-1500 29698 Frederick Blvd.• Daphne • 621-3911

LIVE MUSIC & GREAT SEAFOOD 200 E. 25th Ave. • Gulf Shores • 967-5858

HARD ROCK CASINO:

ENCHILADAS, TACOS, & AUTHENTIC FARE Ok Bicycle Shop • 661 Dauphin St. • 432-2453

HURRICANE GRILL & WINGS ($-$$)

ASHLAND MIDTOWN PUB ($-$$)

FRIED SEAFOOD SERVED IN HEFTY PORTIONS

BEST WINGS & SPORTING EVENTS 6341 Airport Blvd. • 378-5955

LULU’S ($$)

CRAVIN CAJUN/DIP SEAFOOD ($) PO-BOYS, SALADS & SEAFOOD 1870 Dauphin Island Pkwy • 287-1168

BUFFALO WILD WINGS ($)

POOR MEXICAN ($) ROOSTER’S ($)

LATIN AMERICAN FOOD 211 Dauphin St. • 375-1076

TAQUERIA MEXICO ($-$$) AUTHENTIC MEXICAN FLAVOR 3733 Airport Blvd. • 414-4496

NO GAMBLING CASINO FARE

3300 W. Beach Blvd. Biloxi • 877-774-8439 SEAFOOD

CARTER GREEN STEAKHOUSE ($$-$$$) RICH TRADITIONS, STEAK, SEAFOOD

C&G GRILLE ($)

LARGE BREAKFAST, LUNCH OR DINNER MENU

PALACE CASINO:

158 Howard Ave. Biloxi • 800-725-2239

MIGNON’S ($$$)

STEAKS, SEAFOOD, FINE WINE

PLACE BUFFET ($-$$) INTERACTIVE ASIAN DINING

STACKED GRILL ($-$$)

BURGERS AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

BEAU RIVAGE:

TREASURE BAY:

BR PRIME ($$-$$$)

THE DEN ($-$$)

COAST RESTAURANT ($-$$)

CQ ($$-$$$)

875 Beach Blvd. Biloxi • 888-952-2582 FINE DINING ESTABLISHMENT. BURGER, WINGS, PIZZA

JIA ($-$$)

EXOTIC CUISINE AND SUSHI

STALLA ($$)

ITALIAN COOKING

TERRACE CAFE ($)

BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER, LATE NIGHT

1980 Beach Blvd. Biloxi • 800-747-2839 INTIMATE & CASUAL WITH DAILY SPECIALS ELEGANT ATMOSPHERE & TANTALIZING ENTREES

BLU ($)

LOUNGE WITH COCKTAILS & TAPAS MENU

WIND CREEK CASINO:

303 Poarch Rd. Atmore • 866-946-3360

FIRE ($$-$$$)

PRIME STEAKS, SEAFOOD & WINE

GRILL ($)

CONTEMPORARY & OLD-FASHIONED FAVORITES

O c t o b e r 1 2 , 2 0 1 7 - O c t o b e r 1 8 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 19

CUISINE | THE DISH

Apples to apples BY ANDY MACDONALD/CUISINE EDITOR | FATMANSQUEEZE@COMCAST.NET

Photo | Washington Apple Commission

My Favorite Apple Pie

The Granny Smith (left) is the most popular cooking apple in the United States, while the Red Delicious (right) has become the most ubiquitous in supermarkets. But other varieties can be far superior.

here is a little corner of the grocery with my name on it right now. As you’ve guessed from the title of this piece, it’s the produce section, more specifically, the apples. Apple lovers will taste the difference over the next month or two as our northern states send us what they do best. Pink Ladies, Honeycrisp, Granny Smiths, McIntosh, too many to list are reaching their prime and I intend to take full advantage as I wait patiently for the Christmas citrus of Meyer lemons and our beloved Satsuma bounty. There are more apple varieties than you may realize, but our area seems to receive a select, sturdy few. Let’s not complain, though. They are good ones. Pink Lady apples are a warm-climate apple originating in Australia. Also known as the Cripps Pink developed by John Cripps in 1973, this is a cross between a Lady Williams and a Golden Delicious. I appreciate their long storage as much as I do their reddish/pink hue over a green background. You’ll notice the shape is ellipsoidal and the skin isn’t as always as smooth as other apples.

Ask any girl what her favorite apple is and you will more than likely hear of the Honeycrisp. It’s a Minnesota apple developed in 1974 and released commercially in 1991. This newer fruit does win over a lot of people with its sweet taste and firm flesh. Juicier by comparison, the Honeycrisp is best served raw. You can cook with it, but beware. Speaking of cooking, there is so much you can do with an apple. We eat them with peanut butter fairly often. Cheese pairings can be as satisfying with apples as they are with wine — well, almost as satisfying. Applesauce made from scratch is a thing you won’t hate, especially with the use of so many electrical products that can ease the pains of pulverizing. Putting the flame to the apple forces a seasonal change. It’s the flannel shirt under the corduroy jacket. Forget the Waldorf salad, let’s roast the redskin fruit and make something hot. Chopped apples in a relish with onions goes great with any pork. Cooked down with walnuts and a little bit of pineapple juice, a Golden Delicious will yield a sauce you won’t soon forget. Braised in butter and finished with red wine, it makes for an almost healthy side. Half-cored and stuffed with ham and cheese, then baked until tender can win friends in a hurry. But you know what the real score is: apple pie. I lifted this from a former Girl Scout who managed to get some ink in a Jones County cookbook a couple of decades ago. I tweaked the recipe mildly but the third-grade version from the 1980s is still a good one. Making crumbles with cheddar cheese really dresses it up. Don’t let the crust get overly brown. You can serve this with sour cream or ice cream!

The Granny Smith is also an Australian apple dating back to 1868. This is the most popular cooking apple, known for its crisp tartness and smooth green skin. Probably my favorite as a child, I love how bold this one is. It doesn’t sneak up on you. It crashes the party with gusto. You’ll know they are going bad when the green turns to yellow. We love Washington apples and the McIntosh is so great its name is on the computer I’m using to write this. But the variety actually was born in Canada around 1811 with the help of John McIntosh. It wasn’t very commercial until 1870 and became common in the American Northwest around 1900. I think of the McIntosh as an all-purpose apple, great raw or cooked. It screams fall and is perfect right now. I love the softer flesh of these smaller apples. Look for their cherry counterpart, the Rainier, which has a similar appearance. Braeburns are a New Zealand find that has increased in popularity over the past decade. It is red and orange with a streaky yellow background and is definitely a winter apple, peaking from October all the way to April. They keep well if you store them in temps that would give you goose bumps.

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1 cup sugar 2 tablespoons flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon dash of salt 6 apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced ½ cup flour ¼ cup sugar ½ cup grated cheddar cheese, packed ¼ cup butter, melted 2 (9 inch) pie crusts, unbaked Mix the sugar, 2 tablespoons of flour and cinnamon with the salt. Sprinkle apple slices with the mixture and place in one of the pie crusts. Mix the ½ cup of flour with the sugar, cheese and butter. Crumble the mixture over the apples. Cover with the second piecrust. Crimp the edges and vent with a knife, making four slits in the top crust. Bake at 400 F. for 30 to 35 minutes. Apples and cheese I believe to be a marriage made in heaven. Cheddar is my favorite option for this recipe but be open minded. Try other cheeses and apples. You don’t have to make several pies. Decide beforehand by trying a slice of cheese with a bite of apple. Maybe Gouda and Goldens, havarti and Honeycrisp, no matter what, it will be worth eating. Perhaps a bit of nutmeg or ground ginger could brighten this up a bit. If an apple a day keeps the doctor away then I’ll be set!

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CUISINE | THE BEER PROFESSOR

It’s come to this: ‘generic’ craft beer BY TOM WARD/THE BEER PROFESSOR

Photo | Flickr

Kirkland Signature beer, brewed in Wisconsin by Bricks and Barley Brewing Co. and distributed exclusively by Costco, toes the line of the definition of “craft beer.”

s the popularity of craft beer has grown over the past few years, it is not surprising that the world’s beverage mega-conglomerates have taken notice and sought to get in on the action as well. While craft beer was once identified with small, independent, regional microbreweries, the term now encompasses a wideranging number of beers that seem to include almost anything that is not a traditional macro-brewed American lager. Everyone, it appears, wants to be crafty. Some of the traditional macro-breweries entered the craft

WORD OF MOUTH

Cream & Sugar releases Halloween cake balls BY ANDY MACDONALD

You love their gumbo and grits, but the award-winning tiny coffee shop at the corner of George and Savannah has so much more to offer. Cream & Sugar Café is the Oakleigh destination for breakfast, coffee, tea and, of course, cake balls! I’ve gotten an inside peek at what they’re doing for the Halloween season, and it’s spooky delicious. Don’t be frightened by the red velvet cake eyeballs. Cookies and cream mummies are as delicious as the chocolate spiders, but it’s the pumpkin spice pumpkins that will go best with your latte. Call 251-405-0003 to check availability or to place a big order for your scarefest.

brewing arena by producing their own craft styles under a separate label, such as MillerCoors’ Blue Moon, while many others have taken to buying up successful microbrews. The acquisition of small, regional breweries by the brewing heavyweights has the great advantage, for beer drinkers, of distributing good (often great) beers from small brewers throughout the nation. We now enjoy unique beers from all over the country without having to make pilgrimages to their breweries. However, as more and more microbreweries are acquired by the major brewing conglomerates, the question of what actually

“Great Chefs of Oakleigh” postponed

It was a sellout event, but “Great Chefs of Oakleigh” had to be postponed from last week due to the weather. We told you about it in our previous issue and it sounded amazing. Luckily, the event has been rescheduled for Sunday, Oct. 15, 4-7 p.m. at Washington Square. With the change of date came conflicts for ticket holders and as a result there are now a few VIP tables available for $200 and a couple dozen individual tickets for $30. Good luck nabbing your second chance with all the great food, entertainment and libations. Search the social media.

Jersey Mike’s opens on Dauphin

There are a lot of sub shops out there, but the most recent to create a buzz of anticipa-

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defines a craft beer has begun to come to the fore. In the United Kingdom, small brewers have requested that the government grant a special seal for their beers so that consumers can distinguish a brew produced by an independent brewer from those produced by an international corporation. According to NPR, a similar move is underway in the United States, where the Brewers Association, a trade group of independent brewers, plans to issue an independent craft brewer seal for brewers that meet its definition of a craft beer, which includes being independently owned and producing fewer than six million barrels a year. Another question regarding the mainstreaming of craft beers hit me as I was picking up 10-pound bags of grated cheese at my neighborhood Costco. In the beer section was a case labeled “Craft Brewed Ales” under Costco’s Kirkland brand. Have we really come to this? Generic craft beer? Well, for $19.99 a case — less than a buck a beer, pretty good for any craft beer — I thought I’d give it a shot and see what Costco had to offer. To be fair, Costco has developed a good reputation for putting out a number of good wines under its signature Kirkland brand, and it is based in the Pacific Northwest, a haven for great beer, so I went in with an open mind (and palate). The case contained a selection of four brews: an Indian pale ale, a session IPA, an American pale ale and a German-style Kölsch. All the beers in the Kirkland line are brewed by Bricks and Barley Brewing Co. in Wisconsin — another place that knows good beer — which specializes, it seems, in producing beers for grocery stores in the Wisconsin market. As I had expected, the beers were certainly drinkable, if not very distinctive — in a word, they were pretty generic. The session IPA was the best — light with a hint of bitterness. The American pale ale was almost indistinguishable from the session IPA, but less bitter. The Kölsch was the most unique of the four, sweeter in a European mold. Along with the session, it was my favorite. The only one I really disliked was the IPA, which seemed to be bitter for the sake of being bitter, without any other distinguishing flavors. While nothing special to write home about, if you’re looking for some craft beers — whatever that means anymore — on a tiny budget, the Kirkland brand is worth a try.

tion is Jersey Mike’s at 3151 Dauphin St. The initial crowds seem pleased with the new midtown eatery between Interstate 65 and Sage. I can’t wait for a Big Kahuna Chicken Cheese Steak or a Jersey Shore’s Favorite. Hot or cold subs and wraps have this place already looking like a hotspot.

way, but the sides have me most excited. Mexican street corn, poblano rice and ranch fries have sealed the deal for me. Expect happy hour specials and live music on Friday nights, located at 212½ Fairhope Ave.

El Camino Taco Shack heats up Fairhope

I love writing about openings, especially when they get this kind of praise. Southwood Kitchen in the former Rosie’s Grill, 1203 U.S. Highway 98, Suite 3D, in Daphen is putting smiles on a lot of faces. The fine dining/casual atmosphere is making a rock star out of Chef Jeremiah Matthews, who has created a menu of regionally inspired dishes made with the finest local seasonal produce. View the decadence at www.southwoodkitchen.com. Recycle!

We are all still taco crazy, and I don’t think that mania is going anywhere anytime soon. Therefore, congratulations are in order for Fairhope gaining the new El Camino Taco Shack in the former Gumbo Shack location Fish and shrimp tacos, barbacoa, shredded chicken and even a breakfast taco brightens this menu. Fire-roasted salsa, queso and loaded fries round out the appetizers. Burritos, grain bowls, salads and quesadillas are a good reason to darken the door-

Southwood Kitchen a hit

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COVER STORY

Courts warn funding cuts could have ‘frightening consequences’ JASON JOHNSON/REPORTER

ast month, Mobile County set aside nearly longer to process and/or file and will not be distributed $400,000 to cover funding shortfalls in local timely to the petitioners and the health, safety, education courtrooms over the next year — a voluntary apand well-being of these already disadvantaged chilpropriation to a state function that will keep one of dren will be put at further risk,” Lockett’s letter reads. Alabama’s busiest judicial circuits from losing 35 percent “Victims of domestic abuse — whether physical, mental of its staff … for now. or emotional — [currently] lack necessary and critical Despite the names, Mobile County’s District and Cirprotection from further violence. The delayed processing cuit Courts are state entities that employ state personnel and filing of protection orders could lead to victims poswho process criminal and civil actions for the state. Alasibly having serious injury inflicted upon them, or worse, bama’s 41 judicial circuits — including the 13th Circuit some may possibly be killed by their abusers.” in Mobile — are overseen by the Administrative Office Lockett said inadequate staffing and funding has of Courts (AOC) and their funding is derived primarily even had a fiscal impact, as delays in case processing from appropriations from the Alabama Legislature. have affected the collection of court costs and fees that Like other state functions, the court system has seen generated more than $468 million in 2016 for the state’s its funding reduced over the last general fund and a number of other several years, which has impacted agencies. the number of cases courts are able to process and how quickly. The price of justice The county’s contribution will Alabama’s reduction in court reimburse AOC for the cost of funding is not a new concern, nor ACCORDING TO A REPORT funding more than a dozen atone isolated to Mobile County. tendants, legal research assistants … 26,373 CASES WERE In a March 2016 op-ed for and other support positions — staff al.com, Judge Liles Burke — the FILED IN MOBILE CIRCUIT members Presiding Judge John R. president of the Alabama Appellate Lockett described as “absolutely Judges Association and a current COURT IN 2016 AND 40,292 necessary” for local courtrooms to nominee for the federal judiciary operate. WERE FILED IN MOBILE — warned of a “dire financial criWhile the contribution may sis” within Alabama’s court system. DISTRICT COURT DURING have solved the state’s problem for Then, in February 2017, Chief another fiscal year, all three Mobile Justice Lyn Stuart expressed similar THE SAME TIME PERIOD. County Commissioners have been concerns during budget deliberavery clear they cannot, and will not, tions before the Legislature. take on the state’s funding responsiStuart was attempting to secure a bilities again next year. That has left $10 million increase from the $96.7 Lockett looking to Montgomery for a permanent solution million allocated for Alabama’s judicial system in 2016. ahead of the 2018 legislative session. While her request was entertained, it was not granted, as Lockett typed a letter to the members of Mobile lawmakers only found an additional $300,000 for state County’s legislative delegation Oct. 2 laying out the courts in the general fund this year. “frightening consequences” of the pending budgetary Like other aspects of state government, the judicial shortfalls in Alabama’s judicial system. system started to see significant cuts in its allocations For Lockett, some of the primary concerns are legal in from the general fund following the 2008 recession. nature, as inadequate staffing can, and often does, create Then, between 2010 and 2013, funding for Alabama situations where people are kept in jail longer than they courts in the general fund dropped from $163 million to should be because, “the staff can’t process paperwork in just $80 million. a timely manner.” Though it’s slightly rebounded since, judicial funding However, the negative effects are felt not only by has yet to return to its pre-recession levels. those accused of a crime, but by everyday citizens such as For many circuits, the result of those cuts has been children in dependency hearings, as custody documents staff reductions and reduced hours. In 2013 former Chief needed to enroll children in school or provide for their Justice Roy Moore also ordered circuit clerks to close healthcare are processed in the same overburdened system. their offices to the public on Wednesdays so staff mem“If staffing continues to be cut, those orders will take

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Illustration/Laura Rasmussen

bers could catch up on paperwork — something a handful of offices still do around the state, though Mobile County isn’t one of them. In addition to its own funding constraints, though, the 13th Judicial Circuit in Mobile County operates with fewer judges than others with comparable caseloads. In fact, in 2015, AOC spokesman Scott Hoyem told Lagniappe that Mobile County had the biggest shortfall of judges in Alabama. However, fewer judges does not mean fewer cases. According to a report conducted by Alabama’s Unified Judicial System, 26,373 cases were filed in Mobile Circuit Court in 2016 and 40,292 were filed in Mobile District Court during the same time period. That comes out to 2,398 cases for each of the 11 circuit judges and 8,058 cases for each of the five district judges, making the 13th Circuit one of the state’s busiest dockets. Not only is that ratio higher than courts in Jefferson, Montgomery and Madison counties, it’s also substantially higher than the state average of 1,370 filings per circuit judge and 5,831 filings per district judge. While Lockett acknowledged local courts have been shown to need more judges, he believes the funding for support staff members is the more pressing issue, as only 38 of 58 full-time positions in the circuit clerk’s office are funded in the current fiscal budget. “Our clerk has struggled mightily to fill the gaps with temporary, fulland part-time employees funded with her share of local court costs,” Lockett wrote. “Those funds are insufficient, and she has been forced to lay off employees and to reduce the hours of others.” Lockett said attrition is also a concern for the employees the courts have retrained. While the Alabama Legislature approved a pair of merit raises for court employees in 2014 and 2016, those were were the first and only salary adjustments since 2008. According to Lockett, that combination of stagnant wages and expanding

COVER STORY workloads has many turning to the private sector in search of better pay and benefits. “Morale is pretty low,” he said.

Down the road

Lockett said the feedback he’s received from the local delegation so far has been positive, but he’s also keenly aware that when the 2018 session starts the court’s concerns could be muted by larger issues such as prison reform and funding the state’s share of Medicaid. Still, he expressed a cautious optimism to the other judges on the local bench when he conveyed a copy of his letter to them earlier this month, writing “Our relationship with the members of the delegation going forward is critically important.” “Everything I hear is that next year is promising to be another terrible year for the general fund (see prison litigation funding), so the squeeze will be on all entities funded out of the general,” Lockett wrote. “What else is new?” Lockett was likely referring to the outcome of a lawsuit that ended in June with a federal judge declaring the mental health care system in Alabama’s prisons to be “horrendously inadequate” and ordering an overhaul that could be as costly as it is logistically challenging. Add in the fact that Alabama only managed to plug an $85 million gap in its Medicaid funding by tapping into the state’s economic settlement with BP, and it’s not difficult to see some of the things that might push court funding to the back burner when legislators return to Montgomery. Lagniappe reached out to a handful of local legislators, including Sen. Bill Hightower and Rep. Chris Pringle, to ask about their response to Lockett’s letter, but responses were limited. While Pringle claimed to have seen the letter, he said he had not yet read it. However, he said he was aware the court system would need

DISTRICT

CASES FILED

additional funding this year to avoid layoffs. “We’re going to have to address it,” Pringle added. Hightower is in the midst of a campaign for governor and did not respond. Commission President Merceria Ludgood said she and her colleagues made their decision to use $392,000 from the county’s general fund to support local court positions after a similar request from Lockett earlier this year — a change of pace for a commission that fought to avoid subsidizing state cuts in Mobile County District Attorney Ashley Rich’s office for years. Ludgood said that despite local courts being a clear function of the state, the county did not want to see them “grind to an ever slower pace because of the state’s inaction.” However, she also said court costs are “not something the county can absorb,” adding “only in extraordinary circumstances would [the commission] consider absorbing them temporarily.” Outside of the money it provided, Ludgood said the commission would likely push for adequate court funding in its own legislative priorities for the coming year. But regardless of what is or isn’t accomplished in Montgomery, all three commissioners put the state on notice last month that Mobile County’s generosity shouldn’t be counted on next year. To do so, Ludgood said, would allow the state to continue “kicking the can down the road.” “There’s some hard, cold realities about the state of Alabama’s coffers and revenues, and until they do the hard work of dealing with that, we’re going to continue to see this problem,” Ludgood added. “The BP money has allowed them to kick the can down the road, just like oil spill recovery money allowed them them to kick the can down the road during the recession, but sooner or later, the chickens come home to roost, and I think we’re almost there.”

CASES PER JUDGE

CASES DISPOSED

Jefferson County [10 judges] Mobile County [5 judges] Montgomery County [3 judges] Madison County [4 judges] Statewide [106 judges]

50,848 40,292 22,334 29,818 618,074

5,085 8,058 7,445 7,455 5,831

48,383 40,136 21,220 30,185 609,019

CIRCUIT

CASES FILED

CASES PER JUDGE

CASES DISPOSED

21,842

950

21,225

26,373

2,398,

27,173

12,629

1,404

12,501

13,027 200,073

1,861 1,370

13,793 200,703

Jefferson County, 10th Circuit [23 judges] Mobile County, 13th Circuit [11 judges] Montgomery County, 15th Circuit [9 judges] Madison County, 23rd Circuit [7 judges] Statewide [146 judges]

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ART ARTIFICE

‘Posing Beauty’ stirs internal journey BY KEVIN LEE/ARTS EDITOR/KLEE@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

uestions of power and resolution will resound through the Mobile Museum of Art (4850 Museum Drive) through Jan. 21. They stem from the “Posing Beauty in African-American Culture” exhibit, and their answers dwell in the observant. Initially curated by Deborah Willis, Ph.D., chair of the New York University Department of Photography, the shots cover more than a century of the black American experience. Their specific analysis? Aesthetics and its place in cultures large and subsumed. Maybe no American city is more appropriate for this exhibit than the one that received the last shipment of African-born slaves smuggled into the United States. Their small community in Plateau wasn’t merely a subset of U.S. general culture, but also of Americanized blacks. The exhibit proceeds chronologically, with early 20th century work from noted photographers including Thomas Askew and Edward Curtis. Attendees can follow it through the century, loop around and end on the opposite wall, where the show’s most contemporary works bring it full circle. A poignant early entry is a pair of Richard S. Roberts’ photos. In “Woman in White Collar” is a stoic subject, alabaster collar over her plain, dark dress, likely the way she was seen by family, friends, community. To its right hangs “Woman in White Apron.” It’s the same subject, the same dress, the same lace collar, but she has adorned a mantle of subservience, a signifier of her role and definition in the dominant white culture. Also eyecatching is Charles Teeme Harris’ photo of two men at a Pittsburgh storefront, “dressed to the nines” with

Mozart was never one to skirt the daring. So a tale of buddies coaxed into a wager they can woo each other’s fiancees certainly tickled his fancy and the result was another of his operatic masterpieces. “Così fan tutte” (“Thus do they all”) is more than just an illustration of the tenuous human heart, but its acceptance of swapping lovers gave it a risqué and scandalous reputation in the Victorian era. It was too often “adapted” for the sensibilities of the times. Modernity has brought it back to its Viennese form, and Mobile Opera brings it to Azalea City audiences Oct. 20 and 22 at The Temple downtown, at the corner of Claiborne and St. Francis streets. The Friday evening show is at 8 p.m., Sunday’s matinee at 2:30 p.m. Tickets start at $30 with special prices for students. For more information, call 251-432-6772.

Eastern Shore playhouse spells out comedy

QUESTIONS OF POWER AND RESOLUTION WILL RESOUND THROUGH THE MOBILE MUSEUM OF ART (4850 MUSEUM DRIVE) THROUGH JAN. 21. THEY STEM FROM THE ‘POSING BEAUTY IN AFRICAN-AMERICAN CULTURE’ EXHIBIT, AND THEIR ANSWERS DWELL IN THE OBSERVANT. ” fests as the crawling visuals dissect hidden and unflattering emotions among the contestants. All of the pieces are arresting and transitive. They stir questions of authenticity, of whether posing happens on both sides of the camera and how the interpretation of beauty relates to power. The people photographed move from historic, passive subjects to modern agents of their own expression. By its conclusion, modern artists offer their own homage to historic figures, but from a contemporary perspective. At its heart, the journey is only stirred by the visual. Its actual steps are philosophical. The free weekend and accompanying festival in celebration of the exhibit was postponed by fast-moving Hurricane Nate. It has been rescheduled for Dec. 2. Go to mobilemuseumofart.org for details.

When six middle schoolers meet onstage for a spelling bee, their individual quirks add levity to typical adolescent travails. Add in some equally eccentric adults at the the helm and this teen bit with adult content spells H-I-L-A-R-I-T-Y. “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” won the Tony and Drama Desk awards for Best Book and the humor is past passive. It includes some audience participation — more than mere noises from the seats. Warning: Attendees had best bone up on their made-up words. This show at Theatre 98 (corner of Morphy and Church in Fairhope) runs Oct. 13-29. Friday and Saturday curtain is at 8 p.m., Sunday matinee at 2:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20, $14 for students. For more information, call 251-928-4366 or go to theatre98. org.

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New convention due in a week

It’s less than two weeks now until Quest-Con premieres at the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center the weekend of Oct. 20-22. The three-day celebration is dedicated to the nerdly arts and promises to be heavy on creative pursuits such as cosplay and gaming. It will stretch across downtown into other venues. Gulf Coast Exploreum will double as the site of a “kids con” with arts and crafts and other pursuits. Likewise, the History Museum of Mobile will feature a “Hall of Justice” with a kids’ cosplay contest, podcasting and other attractions. The main venue across Water Street will feature an assortment of tournaments, exhibits and interactive attractions. There will also be a wealth of panels and workshops on such topics as animation, acting, costuming, dance, fabric arts, folklore and media. There’s a universe of other activities planned that won’t fit into this space. Go to quest-con.com for much more information, including single-day tickets that start at $25.

ARTSGALLERY

Scandalous opera at Temple

snappy fedoras and gleaming white shoes. Joe Louis strides powerfully through a crowd in the 1930s, not far from the time he would have faced German boxer Max Schmeling in a bout that carried a subtext of fascism, eugenics and the dominant performance of racial heterogeneity. Andre de Dienes captured three girls on lush grass as their peers cavort around maypoles behind them, their dark skin richly juxtaposed against pristine white dresses. Another Dienes photograph taken that same day is a subtly unforgettable shot of “Man in Cap, May Day, NYC” (1940). Though closely shot, it carries a candid honesty and emotional complexity behind the subject’s eyes and expression. Its composition and weight are nearly perfect. A fashionable crowd socializes outside a church on Easter Sunday. A man teaches his son to master a necktie. In “Harlem Fashion Show in Stadium,” a man flaunts a white dinner jacket paired with formal shorts, a style that never quite caught fire. Taken the same year (1963), a Venice Beach bodybuilder flexes in a nearby frame, his shorts apropos. Celebrities abound: a young Lena Horne at a dressing room mirror; jazz singers Billy Eckstine and Billie Holiday in conversation; Otis Redding at the Monterey Pop Festival, the performance that launched him to national stardom just before his death; revolutionaries Kathleen Cleaver, Stokely Carmichael, Huey Newton and others; “Shaft” composer/performer Isaac Hayes; Denzel Washington and others. Anthony Barboza’s photo of model Pat Evans is absolutely striking, her glistening onyx skin and short hair

resplendent in regal austerity. There’s a series of cross-dressing pageantry, where the viewer sees the meticulous application of eyebrows backstage, a parade of young participants and the full-blown diva both absorbing the crowd’s adulation and stoking the mood even higher. Next to it is Sheila Pree Bright’s brilliant series “Plastic Bodies.” Her manipulation of photography, the melding of multi-ethnic faces onto the figures and heads of Barbie-type figurines touches themes we’ve all heard broached. It also makes a coy partner with the trans parade. “The Teenth of June,” a hypnotic video/sound work by conceptual artist Lauren Woods, combines slow-motion footage of a Texas beauty pageant with eerie soundscapes from “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” A dark humor mani-

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MUSIC

BY STEPHEN CENTANNI/MUSIC EDITOR/SCENTANNI@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

FEATURE

Paul Thorn’s ‘Hammer & Nail’ revival BAND: A RAMBLIN’ NIGHT AT THE STEEPLE DATE: THURSDAY, OCT. 19, 7 P.M. VENUE: THE STEEPLE ON ST. FRANCIS, 251 ST. FRANCIS ST., WWW.THESTEEPLEMOBILE.COM

TICKETS: $35 GENERAL/$75 BALCONY/$100 VIP, AVAILABLE THROUGH TICKETFLY

he Southern Rambler is getting ready for its next “Ramblin’ Night” event at The Steeple in downtown Mobile. These musical events are dedicated to giving back to the Azalea City, on a variety of levels. For this installment, The Southern Rambler will be raising funds for a public art project by local artist Chris Cumbie. He will used reclaimed steel to forge a heart that will serve as a “love letter to the people who are bringing back Mobile.” Phil & Foster, Eric Erdman and The Mulligan Brothers will be lending their musical talents. Singer-songwriter Paul Thorn will headline. Twenty years ago, Thorn released his debut album “Hammer & Nail.” In celebration of this lifechanging event, Thorn has refreshed the release with “Hammer & Nail Live,” putting these tracks in a new, spotaneous musical context. Thorn has also been busy with a personal project that could be his most ambitious to date. Lagniappe discussed Thorn’s return to his roots with the artist himself. Stephen Centanni: You’re celebrating the 20year anniversary of your debut “Hammer & Nail.” When you think back on everything, how does it feel to still be out there doing this 20 years later? Paul Thorn: I feel very fortunate. A lot of people try to get in the music business and have talent and all the things it takes, but sometimes, for whatever reason, they’re not able to keep doing it. I’ve been really fortunate and blessed and lucky, and all those words like that, to have built a fanbase that has stayed with me all this time. At the end of the day, an artist lives or dies by their fans’ support. Because of my fans, I’m still here. Centanni: You celebrated the occasion with a live version of “Hammer & Nail.” When you were going back through those songs, what were some of your reflections on that music 20 years later? Thorn: That album changed my life. Prior to that record coming out, I was singing part-time. I was working in a furniture factory and only dreaming of getting to be an artist. It was a pivotal moment for me. So, I’m going to celebrate. That’s why we’re doing the “Hammer & Nail” show. When we

do the show, we play the entire album front to back. People who’ve been fans since day one seem to like the songs and enjoy it when we play them. It’s a win-win for everybody. Centanni: You’ve added depth to these songs and put them in a new context. You’re bringing in new instruments and harmonies and a lot of other great things. What’s it been like hearing the music on that level? Thorn: I like to think that in 20 years I’ve grown and gotten better. I like to think it’s better now. Centanni: Besides this project, you’re working on a new album that will focus on gospel sounds. Thorn: It’s a 100 percent gospel album. I think I’ve put 13 records out. The next one will be the gospel record, and I’ve never done a gospel record. I have some great guests on the record. The Blind Boys of Alabama sang on it and Bonnie Bishop and The McCrary Sisters. We just basically dug around and found these gospel songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s. They’re R&Bstyle gospel, which is the kind of gospel that I grew up singing. As a kid, I went to the black churches and the white churches. I cut my teeth on black gospel music. It’s something that I’m real comfortable doing. We found these really obscure gospel songs and cut them. Centanni: To me, the gospel music in places like the Church of God in Christ and the charismatic Pentecostal churches are on a different level. It’s totally different from everything else. For you, what makes that ‘60s and ‘70s R&B gospel so magical? Thorn: It’s personally what I like. There’s all kinds of gospel music. I like good Southern gospel. When I went to the white churches, they did Southern gospel, which is more country-western style. At the black churches, we did R&B, which I was attracted to. Centanni: As far as all those guests, how did they get involved? Thorn: I reached out to these people, and they all accepted my invitation. One other really good thing that has come out of this is when the news got out about this record, PBS came forward and filmed the making of this gospel album. So, we cut half of this album at Sam Phillips’ place in Memphis and the other half at FAME [Studios] in Muscle Shoals.

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They brought in their cameras and literally spent weeks following us around during the recording sessions. In early 2018, there’s gonna be a documentary on PBS about making this album. It’s like a whole bunch of dreams coming true at once. I’ve never had that kind of exposure. I’m super excited. Centanni: What was it like bringing them into the mix? Did you already have something for them ready to go? Thorn: No, we just made it up as we went along. They’re all such professionals, and they’ve been doing it longer than me, especially The Blind Boys. They knew what to do and just jumped right in. Half of the old songs that we sang that were obscure songs in the public’s eye, they already knew them. It was a learning experience. Beyond that, it was fun. We had a great time. We laughed a lot, and it was something. It was one of the most enjoyable things that I’ve ever done in my whole life. Centanni: You’re also going to have a tour featuring everybody from the album. Is that right? Thorn: That’s right, we’re gonna do a gospel show. We’ve already done three or four to test the waters, and it went over well. There’s also interest in it. We do it up right. Keep in mind, it is a show. I’m not a preacher. When I do the gospel show, I wear a suit and take on a preacher persona. I go out there and lead the show. I think about things and mannerisms that my dad used to do. My dad is a Pentecostal preacher, so I know all the banter, the way they talk and the way they step. I’ve studied it and developed it into my own show. Centanni: I know exactly what you’re talking about. My grandparents were hardcore

The Southern Rambler is getting ready for its next “Ramblin’ Night” event at The Steeple in downtown Mobile. These musical events are dedicated to giving back to the Azalea City, on a variety of levels. Southern Baptists, and at one time I went to an Assembly of God private school. Thorn: Assembly of God is very close to what I grew up in. What I grew up in was actually called the Church of God of Prophecy. It’s so close to the Assembly of God that it might as well be the same thing. Centanni: So, what kind of songs can we expect from this album? Thorn: Probably the most well-known song on there is called “You Got to Move.” We did another one that’s kinda familiar called “Don’t Let the Devil Ride.” Then we did a slowed-down version of The O’Jays’ “Love Train.” It really turned out good. All the other songs are kind of obscure. We got one called “Jesus Make up My Dying Bed,” which is really good. I didn’t really want to do songs that’ve been done a million times, like “Amazing Grace” and “I’ll Fly Away.” They’re good songs, but they’ve been overdone. I wanted something fresh and authentic. I love the songs, but they’ve been overdone. They’re like the “Achy Breaky Heart” of gospel music. Centanni: Have you got a title yet? Thorn: It’s not carved in stone, but it’s leaning toward “Don’t Let the Devil Ride.” It says, “If you let the Devil ride, he’s gonna wanna drive. If you let him drive your car, he’ll surely go too far.”

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MUSIC BRIEFS

Birds of a feather

BY STEPHEN CENTANNI/MUSIC EDITOR/SCENTANNI@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

Band: Birdtalker Date: Friday, Oct. 13, 7 p.m. Venue: Callaghan’s Irish Social Club, 916 Charleston St., www.callaghansirishsocialclub.com Tickets: $10, available at Callaghan’s or call 251-433-9374

Photo | birdtalkermusic.com | Birdtalker

he marriage of Zack and Dani Green was the spark that brought Birdtalker to life. Not long after their wedding, the Greens found themselves in the midst of a creative epiphany. Song after song began to flow from their artistic collaboration. As time passed, the Greens brought other musicians into the fold, and the group evolved into Birdtalker. Since then, the band has toured nationally to spread their fascinating modern folk sounds. The group hopes its music will be a “powerful avenue for connection and communion, within the band as well as with listeners.” Birdtalker will entertain Callaghan’s regulars with selections from the “Just This” EP. The Greens’ entwined vocals and the group’s collective musical warmth help deliver Birdtalkers’ beautiful alt. folk tracks as melodious love letters. With a live performance on par with the studio renditions, Birdtalker’s live show should be just as good as “Just This.”

Preacher Partridge

Band: Road to Dripping Springs Songwriters Festival Date: Wednesday, Oct. 18, 7 p.m. Venue: The Listening Room of Mobile, 78 St. Francis St., www.thelisteningroommobile.com Tickets: $20 artist donation at the door

A legion of songsmiths have descended upon Dripping Springs, Texas, over the past four years for the Dripping Springs Songwriters Festival. This year, local singer-songwriter Abe Partridge will be among these lyrical masters. Partridge’s passion and talent resonates throughout his music. With a worn voice, Partridge’s concoctions of folk, country and blues are Southern-boy sermons filled with unique snapshots of an eclectic life. His unique sound attracted the folks at Skate Mountain Records, who have added him to their roster. Partridge will be in good company. Local singer-songwriter Eric Erdman will be on hand to deliver a set full of acoustic Southern charm, and Partridge has recruited two other singer-songwriters who will be traveling to Dripping Springs: Nashville’s Melody Guy and Nick Nace. Many will remember Nace as the winner off the 2016 Gulf Coast Songwriters Shootout.

To infinity and beyond

Band: Interstellar Boys Date: Thursday, Oct. 12, with doors at 7 p.m. Venue: Soul Kitchen, 219 Dauphin St., www.soulkitchenmobile.com Tickets: $15 in advance/$50 VIP; available at venue, its website, Mellow Mushroom (WeMo/ midtown) or 866-777-8932

Although many spreadheads were disappointed when drummer/founding member Todd Nance left Widespread Panic, Nance continues to build upon his musical legacy with his latest project, Interstellar Boys. Formerly Todd Nance & Friends, Interstellar Boys is a collaborative effort featuring Nance with Jerry Joseph (vocals/guitar), Daniel Hutchens (vocals/guitar), Sam Holt (guitar/vocals), John Neff (pedal steel) and Jon Mills (bass). Nance says his time with Interstellar Boys has been a pleasant change of pace from the crazy world of Widespread Panic. “It’s been very good for my health. It’s not that Widespread Panic was bad or anything. I was just living that crazy lifestyle. So, I had to get away from that.” Nance also lauds the artistic unity shared by the members of Interstellar Boys as another positive aspect of this group. He says the absence of ego interference allows the band to thrive in the creation process. The group plans to take this chemistry into the studio in the near future to produce a fivesong debut EP. Until then, those curious about the this band’s otherworldly jams can get their first taste in a live environment.

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AREAMUSIC LISTINGS | October 12 - October 18

THUR. OCT 12

Blind Mule— Mobile Jazz Club, 8:30p Bluegill— Quintin Berry Blues Tavern— Johnny B Duo, 8:30p Boudreaux’s Cajun Grill— David Chastang, 6p Callaghan’s— Devon Gilfillian Cockeyed Charlie’s— JJ Felix’s— Grits N Pieces Flora Bama— Dave McCormick, 2p// Destiny Brown, 5p/// Donnie Mathis & BC Dueitt, 5p//// Dueling Pianos, 5:30p//// Mark Sherrill, Chris Newbury, James Daniel & Mel Knapp, 6p//// Yeah Probably, 10p//// Kyle Wilson Duo, 10:15p Listening Room— Eric Erdman, Abe Partridge, Josh Ewing Lulu’s— Lefty Collins, 5p Manci’s— Ross Newell McSharry’s— Jimmy Lumpkin Duo, 7:30p SanBar— Jeff Farrow Tacky Jacks (Orange Beach) — Jamie Adamson, 11a// Pierce Parker, 6p Veets— Brandon and Drew from Redclay Strays, 8p

The Merry Widow— Merry Market, 5p// Banditos, T. Hardy Morris and The Hallers, 9p Moe’s BBQ (Daphne) — East LA Fadaway, 8p Moe’s BBQ (Foley) — Adam Tyler Band, 6p Moe’s BBQ (Mobile) — Rock Bottom Duo, 6:30p Moe’s BBQ (Semmes) — The Dunaway Brothers Old 27 Grill— Them Again, 6:30p SanBar— Wes Loper Soul Kitchen— Art Without Limits Tacky Jacks (Orange Beach) — Gerry Gambino, 12p// Matt Slowick, 5p Tamara’s Downtown— Madison Grace, 6p Veets— The Family Jewels, 9p Wind Creek Casino— Jamey Johnson, 9p

SAT. OCT 14

Big Beach Brewing— Denton Hatcher, 1p// Roadside Glorious, 3p// Hundred Dollar Car, 7p Bluegill— Lee Yankie, 12p// Fat Lincoln, 6p Blues Tavern— East La Fade FRI. OCT 13 Away, 9p Alchemy— Falling for Insanity, Outlast the End, Boudreaux’s Cajun Arborist, 9p Grill— Rock Bottom, 6p Beau Rivage— Michael Cockeyed Charlie’s— Bolton, 8p Jordan Bramblett Big Beach Brewing— The Felix’s— Blind Dog Mike Quickening, 6:30p Flora Bama— Kim Crson & Bluegill— Tim Kinsey, 12p// The Real Dea;, 1p// J. Hawkins Blind Dog Mike, 6p Duo, 2p/// Jezebel’s Chill’n, Blues Tavern— John Hall 5:30p//// Al and Cathy, 6p//// Trio, 9p River Dan Band, 10p//// Smoky Boudreaux’s Cajun Grill— Boudreaux Zydeco, 6p Otis Trio, 10:15p//// Mario Mena Callaghan’s— Birdtalker Band, 10:30p Cockeyed Charlie’s— DJ Hangout— Velcro Pygmie, Chill, 10p 10p El Camino— Robert Sully Hard Rock (Center Bar) Fairhope Brewing— — Me Too, 9:30p Modern Eldorados Hard Rock (Live) — Keith Felix’s— Grits N Pieces Sweat, 8p Flora Bama— LeaAnne IP Casino— Travis Tritt, 8p Creswell Duo, 2p// J. Hawkins LeBouchon— Shew White Duo, 1p/// Adam Brown, 5p//// Duo, 7p Dave Chastang, 5p//// Big Listening Room— Michael Muddy, 5:30p//// Hung Jury, 6p//// Kyle Wilson, 6p//// River McDermott Dan Band, 10p//// Bruce Smelley Lulu’s— Jimmy Lumpkin, 5p Dup, 10:15p//// Oliver’s Twist, McSharry’s—DJ Carter, 10p 10:30p Saenger— Shopkins Live Hard Rock (Center Bar) Top of the Bay— Philo — Me Too, 9:30p Veets— Sucker Punch, 9p IP Casino— Eric Burdon and Wind Creek Casino— the Animals, 8p Mickey Utley Band, 6p Listening Room— The Hussy Hicks, Christie Lenee and Daniel Champagne SUN. OCT 15 Lulu’s— Broken Down Car, Big Beach Brewing— 5p Corey Rezner, 4p Main Street Cigar Bluegill— Quintin Berry, Lounge— Profits and 12p// K-Mack, 6p Preachers, 8p Blues Tavern— John Hall Manci’s— Yeah, Probably Jam, 6p McSharry’s— DJ Chi, 10p Callaghan’s— Lisa Mills

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Felix’s— Jimmy Lumpkin Flora Bama— Smoky Otis Duo, 12p// Jason Justice, 1p/// Beachbillys, 2p//// Brian Hill Duo, 2p//// Kim Carson & The Real Deal, 5:30p//// Perdido Brothers, 6p//// Lucky Doggs, 10p//// JoJo Pres, 10:15p Frog Pond— Grayson Capps, Beverly Jo Scott, On this Side of 40, 3p Joe Cain Cafe— Lee Yankie Lulu’s— Lefty Collins, 1p// Delta Reign Duo, 5p Manci’s— Marlow Boys Old 27 Grill— Barry Gibson, 11:30a Veets— Ryan Balthrop, 8p

MON. OCT 16

Boudreaux’s Cajun Grill— David Chastang, 6p Felix’s— Matt Bush Flora Bama— Gove Scrivenor, 2p// Cathy Pace, 6p/// Kevin Swanson, 8p//// Petty and Pace, 10:15p Lulu’s— Brent Burns, 5p

TUE. OCT 17

Bluegill— Mobile Big Band Society Boudreaux’s Cajun Grill— Matt Neese, 6p Cockeyed Charlie’s— Jordan Bramblett Felix’s— Lee Yankee Flora Bama— T. Bone Montgomery, 2p// Perdido Brothers, 6p/// Destiny Brown, 8p//// Bruce Smelley, 10:15p LeBouchon— Brenda Bledsoe, Stephen & Gram Rea Trio, 6:30p Live Bait— Brandon Styles, 7p Lulu’s— Light Travelers, 5p Moe’s BBQ (Mobile) — Jimmy Lee Hannaford, 6p Old 27 Grill— Elise Taylor, 6:30p

WED. OCT 18

Blind Mule— Comedy Open Mic, 8p Bluegill— Matt Neese Blues Tavern— Art, 8p Boudreaux’s Cajun Grill— Ryan Balthrop, 6p Callaghan’s— Phill and Foster Felix’s— Bobby Butchka Flora Bama— Neil Dover, 2p// Mel Knapp, 5p/// Hartbreak Hill w/Rhonda Hart, 6p//// Mario Mena, 8p//// Jay Williams Duo, 10:15p Listening Room— The Road to Dripping Springs hosted by Abe Partridge featuring Dean Johansen Melody Guy and Nick Nace Lulu’s— Justin Yawn, 5p Veets— Mark Willis and Friends

ANSWERS FROM PAGE 44

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In ‘The Little Hours,’ medieval nuns cut loose

FILMTHE REEL WORLD

BY ASIA FREY/FILM CRITIC/AFREY@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM

AREA THEATERS CARMIKE CINEMA’S Wynnsong 16 785 Schillinger Rd. S. (251) 639-7373 CRESCENT THEATER 208 Dauphin Street (251) 438-2005 HOLLYWOOD STADIUM 18 1250 Satchel Paige Dr. (251) 473-9655 RAVE MOTION PICTURE JUBILEE SQUARE 12 6898 U.S. 90 Daphne, (251) 626- 6266

udicrous, filthy and hilarious, “The Little Hours” is a wonderfully preposterous ensemble comedy set in the Middle Ages and based loosely on Boccaccio’s “The Decameron.” A great cast that includes Nick Offerman in an auburn pageboy wig, Aubrey Plaza and Alison Brie delivers both deadpan giggles and laugh-out-loud lunacy in this story of a sexy young man (Dave Franco) let loose in a convent. A long opening scene featuring Plaza as a nun grimly trudging through a forest with a donkey seems to play it straight as an authentic period movie, in both costume and soundtrack. Soon, however, the convent’s handyman greets her leeringly, and a stream of contemporary profanity flies from her mouth. This juxtaposition is the basis for lots of the jokes, but the script is more than just that gag. The nuns are petty and jealous, griping and tattling, especially complaining about a spoiled nun (Brie) whose father bankrolls the convent. However, when Brie meets with that father (Paul Reiser) we learn how miserable she is, despite her spacious bedroom, as she waits in the convent for her father to cough up a dowry so she can wed as her sisters did. Brie brings actual

emotion to some of her scenes, making the ensuing farce that much better. Meanwhile, we are treated to the sight of Offerman as a wealthy blowhard presiding over his dinner table while his wife (Laura Weedman) winks and flirts with a suspiciously handsome servant (Franco). Their affair is, predictably, uncovered and Franco must run for his life. He meets the drunken, hapless Father Tommasso (John C. Reilly), and soon the two come up with a plan to hide Franco at the convent, where he shall pretend to be a deaf mute in order to keep a low profile. One of the best scenes is when Father Tommasso is treated to the details of Franco’s sex life, which he recounts in an earnest confession. The hungover, deadpan Tommasso learns a few things, and his face while listening is absolutely priceless. While the young man plans to put that lifestyle behind him, the lusty young nuns have other plans as soon as they lay eyes on him. What works best is that “The Little Hours” is a mix of ridiculous sex jokes and low-key moments of subtle silliness. Kate Micucci rounds out the trio of nuns as a mousy, put upon whiner, and her explaining to Brie that washing her habit involves leaving it soaking in

ash for four days is as much of a giggle as the three frustrated nuns beating up a man with a bunch of turnips, screeching obscenities all the while. The medieval setting almost brings to mind (I said “almost,” don’t freak out!) “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” It’s unlikely that “The Little Hours” will reach that level of devoted acclaim, but the irony inherent in recognizable, extremely contemporary comedians behaving in modern ways while living in the Middle Ages is a key to the appeal of both films. You can laugh knowingly at some of the more sophisticated humor, or laugh out loud at Dave Franco’s face, which is perfectly handsome yet somehow funny looking, as he resists and succumbs simultaneously to a memorable variety of aggressive advances from the unleashed nuns. Some of the most mordantly hilarious comedians working on screen make “The Little Hours” an outlandish, bawdy farce worth watching. It is utterly silly and totally foul, but if you can see that as a positive, you will appreciate this deranged medieval romp. “The Little Hours” is currently available to rent and to stream for free on Hoopla, a free streaming service from the Mobile Public Library.

CARMIKE CINEMAS 23151 Wharf Ln. Orange Beach (251) 981-4444 COBB THEATRES PINNACLE 14 3780 Gulf Shores Pkwy Gulf Shores (251) 968-7444 EASTERN SHORE PREMIERE CINEMA 14 30500 Alabama 181 #500 Spanish Fort, Al (251) 626-0352 Information accurate at press time; please call theaters for showtimes.

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Photos | CBS Films / Dreamworks SKG

FROM LEFT: In the Middle Ages, a young servant (Dave Franco) fleeing from his master takes refuge at a convent full of emotionally unstable nuns (Alison Brie, Kate Micucci, Aubrey Plaza). In “The Foreigner,” Jackie Chan portrays a humble businessman with a buried past who seeks justice when his daughter is killed in an act of terrorism. NEW IN THEATERS THE FOREIGNER

London businessman Quan’s (Jackie Chan) long-buried past erupts in a revenge-fueled vendetta when the only person left for him to love — his teenage daughter — is taken from him. All listed multiplex theaters.

HAPPY DEATH DAY

Great title. All listed multiplex theaters.

NOW PLAYING BATTLE OF THE SEXES Crescent Theater, all listed multiplex theaters. BLADE RUNNER 2049 All listed multiplex theaters.

THE LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE Regal Mobile Stadium 18, AMC Mobile 16, AMC Jubilee Square 12 WIND RIVER AMC Classic Wharf 15, Cobb Pinnacle 14 AMERICAN MADE All listed multiplex theaters.

MY LITTLE PONY: THE MOVIE All listed multiplex theaters. FLATLINERS All listed multiplex theaters. THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US Regal Mobile Stadium 18, AMC SPYDER Jubilee Square 12, AMC Mobile 16 Regal Mobile Stadium 18. ‘TIL DEATH DO US PART All listed multiplex theaters.

FRIEND REQUEST All listed multiplex theaters.

KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE All listed multiplex theaters. AMERICAN ASSASSIN All listed multiplex theaters. HOME AGAIN All listed multiplex theaters. IT All listed multiplex theaters. THE HITMAN’S BODYGUARD All listed multiplex theaters. DESPICABLE ME 3 Regal Mobile Stadium 18

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BOOK REVIEW

‘Here We May Rest’ is compelling story of immigrants in Alabama BY MIKE THOMASON / CONTRIBUTING WRITER

s was said at another point in our history, “these are the times that try men’s souls,” indeed. “Here We May Rest: Alabama Immigrants in the Age of HB 56” been published at a perfect time, as it examines the history of attitudes about immigrants and immigration in Alabama, with an emphasis on recent decades. The story it tells is riveting and painful but very well researched and told. It will challenge many readers whose views are expressed in the song “Sweet Home Alabama,” and surprise others, as you cannot believe much of the story really happened. Others will see it as an accurate description of the challenges recent immigrants have faced, and still face in this state. The author is not a historian, though she is a recent immigrant herself. She has done impressive archival research, and conducted interviews with politicians and many immigrants, who tell their stories in compelling fashion. Giagnoni teaches at Auburn University and was born and grew up in, and still returns to, her native Tuscany, Italy. She married an Alabamian and they have two small children. She says she feels welcomed and at home in Alabama, but understands the immigrants’ experience, especially those who lack proper documents — or, as many say, are “undocumented aliens.” In 2011 she began her investigation of immigrants in Alabama, and almost at once confronted House Bill 56. Passed in that year under the leadership of just-elected Gov. Robert Bentley, HB 56 was a draconian law that criminalized being undocumented or even associating with those who were. Giving a lift to someone without papers was a criminal offense. The list of felonies the bill enacted seemed almost endless. Its intent was to force the undocumented to flee the state, or “self-deport.” The Latino community was the target and many did flee, despite having lived here for years. After four years a series of court decisions virtually repealed the law, but it had largely done its job. Slowly Latinos filtered back into the state but were under no illusions about the official attitudes they faced. However, they did fight against HB 56 and its successor, HB 658, forming organizations and protests, such as “The March for Immigration Reform” and the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice. They found the overwhelming majority of Alabamians did not understand HB 56 or HB 658. As Giagnoni discovered, beyond a few rabble-rousing politicians, so-called “alt-right” groups and talk show hosts, the issue was very low on Alabamians’ daily concerns. However, Alabama’s immigration laws had become a model for other states and for Donald Trump, both as

tion in Alabama, which is certainly the background for the current troubles. Alabamians are rather strident when asked about race, and the dark-skinned Mexicans and Central Americans look different, speak another language and are predominantly Catholic. None of these characteristics commend them to white Protestant Alabamians. It is awfully easy to be racist, isn’t it? Few whites have a close circle of friends that include minorities, and our personal contact with nonwhites is fleeting and superficial. Also, Alabamians watch more TV than the rest of America, with a preference for game and survival shows. This limits our understanding of people who are “not like us.” Indeed, it blinds us to shared values. Latino immigrants are very much family oriented and often explain that they come here so their children will have a better life. They are hardworking, obliged to have more than one job and find only low-wage jobs are open to them. Many Alabamians are in a similar situation. The author’s research does not support the charge that immigrants steal jobs from native-born Americans. However, in the Great Recession many believed that was the case, with little or no proof. If you are out of work, it’s hard to believe that is not the case.

THE AUTHOR IS NOT A HISTORIAN, THOUGH SHE IS A RECENT IMMIGRANT HERSELF. SHE HAS DONE IMPRESSIVE ARCHIVAL RESEARCH, AND CONDUCTED INTERVIEWS WITH POLITICIANS AND MANY IMMIGRANTS, WHO TELL THEIR STORIES IN COMPELLING FASHION. ”

candidate and president. So the national status of the undocumented became a flashpoint in human relations across the country. Thanks to Trump’s proposed wall at the border with Mexico and the Gestapo-like tactics of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Americans are increasingly polarized over the issue of immigrants, with no sign of a cooling-off period. However, our author maintains that her research shows people respond to polls quite differently than to everydaylife issues. She has spent a good deal of time in Bayou La Batre, describing it as “a place of its own” that has waves of immigrants — Vietnamese and Latino — drawn to jobs in the seafood and seafood processing industry there. The town has absorbed the newcomers far better than the towns around chicken processing plants in North Alabama, but wages are low and the work is not steady. Generally, coastal Alabama has been more tolerant of Latinos, but by and large they are still strangers in a strange land, too. In addition to her other research conducted over six years, Giagnoni studied the history of racial discrimina-

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Like most Alabamians and most Americans, we have a core group of family and friends with whom we are especially comfortable. They resemble us and our values, which is hardly surprising. Immigrants are no different. They have left behind their family, friends and culture. Most immigrants from south of the border are not well educated and find it very hard to make the transition from their homeland to the U.S. They find themselves in a new world of harsh and discriminating laws and customs. They look for fellow immigrants to help cushion the transition and loneliness they feel. Often it is a church family that takes them in and helps, but just as often they must rely on one another. The author reminds us of the stereotypes we fall victim to and with which we are reluctant to part. TV programs and political ads depend on stereotypes we all too often accept. Our limited education, experience with different cultures, and low incomes all imprison us and make it hard to befriend and accept immigrants. Despite the symbolism of the Statue of Liberty most immigrants, even those with education and proper papers, find life in our state challenging. This book was written before Trump’s presidency had time to spread its wings. Sadly his administration has so far made life for Latinos worse and encouraged individual states to restrict them even further. However, this book ends on a positive note based on the author’s experience with Montgomery’s pools and parks. Once virtually closed to African-Americans, they are once again functioning, accommodating a racially and culturally diverse clientele. It is this sort of contact that breaks down discriminatory behavior, in Giagnoni’s thoughtful opinion.

Silvia Giagnoni “Here We May Rest: Alabama Immigrants in the Age of HB 56” NewSouth Books, 2017; $29.95

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS OCTOBER 12, 2017 - OCTOBER 18, 2017

GENERAL INTEREST RealTalk Lunch and Learn Lunch and learn will be held from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Goodwill, Training Room 2, 2440 Gordon Smith Drive. Monday, Oct. 16, topic: “Creating Calm in the Middle of Chaos”; Wednesday, Oct. 18, topic: “Human Trafficking in South Alabama.” Call 251-404-3924. History discussion Speaker Franklin McMillion discusses “Growing up in a Segregated Mobile: Are There Differences Now?” Thursday, Oct. 12, 5:30 p.m. at Cox Deasy House, 300 Oakleigh Place. Free for Historic Mobile Preservation Society members, otherwise $10. Visit historicmobile.org/events. Graveyard tours Church Street Graveyard tours take place at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Thursdays in October. Hosted by the Historic Mobile Preservation Society. Free (donations accepted). Call 251-432-6161. Fairhope farmer’s market The city of Fairhope hosts an outdoor farmer’s market Thursdays, 3-6 p.m., through Nov. 2. Behind the Fairhope Public Library downtown on Bancroft Street. Call 251-929-1466. Little Sisters of the Poor Lawn Party The Little Sisters of the Poor (1655 McGill Ave.) annual Lawn Party is a day of family fun with games and prizes for the kids, great food, raffles and more. Sunday, Oct. 15, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 251-476-6335, ext. 102. Apple Snail Roundup Join Mobile Baykeeper on Saturday, Oct. 14, 9-11 a.m. at Langan Park to remove the island apple snail, an invasive species. Supplies and water will be provided, wear clothes that can get wet. Visit mobilebaykeeper.org or call 251-433-4229. Casino trip Join Via! Health Fitness & Enrichment Center on the Party Bus to the Palace Casino, Saturday, Oct. 14. $20 per person with $15 Power Play given at casino. Bus departs 1717 Dauphin St. at 10:30 a.m. and returns at 5:30 p.m. Call 251-4783311 or email lprovost@viamobile.org. British Car Festival South Alabama British Car Club presents British Car Festival on Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Fairhope United Methodist Church campus, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free to the public. Visit sabcc.org.

New pastor ceremony Navco Baptist Church will host the installation of Pastor Jason Patterson on Sunday Oct. 15 at 3 p.m. at 1709 Navco Road in Mobile. Everyone is welcome. Call 251-471-3552 or 251-802-3422. Mardi Gras Expo The Gulf Coast Mardi Gras Expo, showcasing the best event service providers in the area, will be at The Locale (4128 Government Blvd.) on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 5 p.m. Live bands, free tastings and door prizes. Tickets cost $7 online, $10 at the door. Visit MardiGrasExpo.com. Halloween lights “Thriller Nights of Lights” will run through Oct. 31 at Hank Aaron Stadium, every night, rain or shine, 7-10 p.m. The drivethru light show is synchronized to a variety of music broadcast through car radios. Visit ThrillerNightsofLights.com. ACCW Convention The Mobile Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women will hold its upcoming convention Oct. 22-24 at the Mobile Marriott-Bel Air, 3101 Airport Blvd. Deadline to register is Oct 16. Visit mobarch.org. Spooky tours Gulf Coast Ducks presents a spinetingling tour through The Fort, the Mobile River and downtown. While this experience is quite creepy, it’s a family attraction! Call 251-802-8687. “Krampus Returns” Can you handle the fear? “Krampus Returns” offers guests 60 minutes of bone-chilling mystery and lore as groups of up to 8 people discover clues and solve puzzles to uncover the secret of escaping Krampus. Scarlet Pearl Casino in D’Iberville. Visit escape.scarletpearlcasino. com. TOPS Take Off Pounds Sensibly meets every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at Spanish Fort Presbyterian Church. Call 251-625-6888. Dauphin Island Boardwalk Talks Boardwalk Talks are held the first and third Wednesday of each month at 11:15 a.m. at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, 101 Bienville Blvd. Call 251-861-2141. Midtown Optimist Club Join Midtown Optimist Club every Wednesday at noon for lunch at Azalea City Golf Course. Call 251-348-3542.

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Toastmasters Toastmasters International meets regularly at six locations in Mobile and Baldwin counties. Visit www.toastmasters. org for more information.

FUNDRAISERS MDA “Fill the Boot” drive The Mobile Fire-Rescue Department along with the Muscular Dystrophy Association will hold its “Fill the Boot” drive at several Wal-Mart locations around the city Oct. 14-15 and Oct. 21-22 from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Money raised supports research, victim support and work toward finding a cure for this debilitating disease. Bras for a Cause The 4th annual Bras for a Cause will take place Thursday, Oct. 12, at 6 p.m. at The Locale, 4128 Government Blvd. Proceeds from the year will go into a special fund designated at the USA Mitchell Cancer Institute. Visit brasforacausegulfcoast.org. Polo at the Point Polo at the Point is scheduled at Sonny Hill Polo Complex in Point Clear on Sunday, Oct. 15. Tickets range from $10 (tailgating) to $150. Visit www. poloatthepoint.com or call 251-928-9704. Read more about this event in this week’s Lagniappe. Out of the Darkness Walk The Out of the Darkness Walk, for suicide awareness and prevention, will take place on Sunday, Oct. 15, 1-4 p.m. in front of Daphne City Hall on Main Street at 2:45 p.m. Visit afsp.org/daphne or email jlbarber5@bellsouth.net. “Dodge for a Cause” The Make-A-Wish Foundation together with Oakwood Swim and Racquet Club (5260 Perin Road) is hosting “Dodge for a Cause,” a multi-arena dodgeball tournament for all ages and genders on Sunday, Oct. 15, at 3:30 p.m. Register at dodgeball2you.com/events/. Ducks Unlimited Banquet Wednesday, Oct. 18, Moe’s BBQ Downtown will host the Ducks Unlimited Banquet at 6 p.m. DU membership, magazine and dinner will be included in ticket price. Visit ducks.org/Alabama/ events. Scarecrow contest Hope Haven is hosting a scarecrow contest. All proceeds go toward raising hope for victims of human trafficking. Entries must be received by Oct. 19. Call

251-281-8467.

ARTS “Power Lines: Posing Beauty” In this call and response-style program, we’ve invited Power Lines Poets, a Mobile-based poetry troupe that features local writers of various styles and genres, to each respond to a photograph in the new exhibition “Posing Beauty in AfricanAmerican Culture” on Thursday, Oct. 12, 6 p.m. at the Mobile Museum of Art. Visit mobilemuseumofart.com. LoDa Artwalk Join downtown Mobile art galleries, institutions, studios and unique shops as they open their doors and welcome you inside Friday, Oct. 13, 6-9 p.m. in the Lower Dauphin Street district. “The Nature of Things” For the month of October, Lynda Smith Touart will be exhibiting at Optera Creative. The opening reception will be Oct. 13 during the LoDa Artwalk. Optera Creative is located at 5 N. Jackson St. “Live at Five” “Live at Five” presents Paw Paw’s Medicine Cabinet on Friday, Oct. 13, at the Halstead Amphitheater on Coastal Alabama Community College in Fairhope. Free admission. Donations accepted at the door to benefit future concerts. Mobile Mystery Dinners A performance of “The Masquerade Murder” will take place Friday, Oct. 13, 6:30 p.m. at The Renaissance Riverview. Tickets include dinner and unlimited wine. Advance reservations are required; call 251-415-3092. Wesley Classic Hymns Government Street United Methodist Church (901 Government St., Mobile) will host a hymn sing on Sunday, Oct. 15, at 5 p.m. Come hear Mobile’s oldest pipe organ brought to life by renowned organist Andrew Atkinson and hundreds singing together the great classic hymns of Charles Wesley. 901 Government St. This event is free and refreshments will be served. Call 251-438-4714.

MUSEUMS “Posing Beauty in African-American Culture” An exhibition at Mobile Museum of Art exploring the understanding of how African and African-American beauty has been represented through a diverse

range of media. Through Jan. 21. Visit mobilemuseumofart.com. “Curious George: Let’s Get Curious!” The insatiable curiosity of Curious George — the little monkey who has captured the imagination and hearts of millions of children and adults for 65 years — comes to life at Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center through Jan. 7. Visit exploreum.com. “Dream Big: Engineering Our World” Narrated by Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges, “Dream Big: Engineering Our World” is a first-of-its-kind film for IMAX and giant-screen theaters that will transform how we think about engineering. Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center through Jan. 7. Visit exploreum.com. “Right on Course” The United States Sports Academy’s American Sport Art Museum & Archives is open free to the public weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. One of the newest exhibits is “Right on Course.” Visit www.asama.org. “Windows to the Sea” “Windows to the Sea” is the latest permanent exhibit at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab Estuarium. Visit disl.org. “Savage Ancient Seas” “Savage Ancient Seas” will transport GulfQuest guests to a time when the last of the great dinosaurs roamed Earth and swam the seas. Visit www.gulfquest.org. Fairhope’s founding Learn more about the 1894 founding of Fairhope at the Fairhope Museum of History, 24 N. Section St. The museum is open daily (except Sunday and Monday) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 251-929-1471.

Little Discoveries “Outside the Box,” aimed at children age 6 and under, explores how innovation and creativity can lead to a world of possibilities, starting with a simple cardboard box. Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Call 251-208-6893 or email jholland@ exploreum.com.

Weekly 1K/5K Every Thursday evening at 6 p.m., join Red Beard’s Outfitter and Cortlandt’s Pub in the Spring Hill Village Shopping Center for a 1K or 5K run and walk. No cost to participate. Bingo Join Via! Health, Fitness, Enrichment Center (1717 Dauphin St.) for bingo every Tuesday and Thursday, 1:30-3:30 p.m. Call 251-478-3311.

Thursdays at MMoA Every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Bridge lessons the Mobile Museum of Art offers free admission to all visitors. No reservations are The Mobile Bridge Center offers free necessary. MMoA is at 4850 Museum Drive. bridge lessons each Tuesday at 6 p.m. at 1510 University Blvd. Arrive a few minutes Call 251-208-5200. early to register. Call the Bridge Center at 251-666-2147, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. SPORTING EVENTS/ACTIVITIES Healthy Lifestyle Walk Saturday, Oct. 14, at 8 a.m., The Melton Health and Faith will host its 2nd annual 5K walk and one-mile fun run at Medal of Honor Park. Call 251-533-1717. Comba tai karate The city of Mobile Community Activities Program at LeFlore High School is offering beginner comba tai karate (ages 6 and up) starting Oct 10. This fiveweek class focuses on helping students learn how to discipline themselves in life, learn self-respect and deflect aggression. Call 251-208-1610 or visit communityactivitiesprogram.com. Group rides South Alabama and Mississippi Mountain Bike Association invites all levels of cyclists to join them every Tuesday and Thursday at 6 p.m. at USA Bike Trails and Sunday at 9 a.m. at Chickasabogue Park. Email carrie@ rideSAMBA.com.

Fitness and athletics classes New fitness classes offered at Palmer Pillans Middle School. Tai Chi, Candle Lit Yoga, Core Fusion, Small Group Personal Fitness Training, Basketball for ages 15 & Up, Basketball for ages 8-14 and sports conditioning for ages 8-17. Call 251-463-7980 or go to communityactivitiesprogram.com. Dance and art classes New dance classes offered at Palmer Pillans Middle School. Belly Dance, Preballet & tumbling for ages 6-12, Beginner Piano for ages 8 and up. Call 251-463-7980 or go to communityactivitiesprogram.com. Pickleball for adults (indoors) Offered at Palmer Pillans Middle School, Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon. Great sport for all ages combines tennis, pingpong and badminton on a court one-fourth the size of a tennis court. Call 251-463-7980 or go to communityactivitiesprogram.com. Ballroom dance

Azalea Ballroom Dance Club hosts dances the second and fourth Tuesday of every month, 7-9:30 p.m. at Via Health, Fitness & Enrichment Center, 1717 Dauphin St. Call 251-623-9183 or visit azaleaballroomdanceclub.com. Ballroom dance The Moonlight Chassé Ballroom Dance Society hosts dances the first and third Monday of every month, 7-9:30 p.m. at Hot Wheels Skating Rink in Daphne. Email cassief13@aol.com.

WORKSHOPS Zombie Makeup Workshop Mobile Makerspace is pleased to present theater makeup and special effects expert Adrian Vaughn to demonstrate how to transform yourself into a gruesome zombie through the use of makeup and prosthetics. Saturday, Oct 14, 2 p.m. at 561 St. Francis St. Contact membership@ makerspacemobile.org. Legislative Advocacy Workshop Alabama Arise members believe a better future for the state begins with everyday Alabamians joining together to speak up for change. That’s why Arise members from Baldwin County will host the “Your Voice Matters!” legislative advocacy workshop on Sunday, Oct. 15, from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Homestead Village in Fairhope. Money Management Information on how to develop spending plans, money management skills and other goal-setting techniques. 6-7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 16. Register at Lifelines/ Consumer Credit Counseling office, 705 Oak Circle Drive E., Mobile. Call 251-6020011.

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SPORTS UPON FURTHER REVIEW

Busy weekend with polo, 5th Quarter Classic BY J. MARK BRYANT/SPORTS WRITER/SPORTS@LAGNIAPPEMOBILE.COM/TWITTER @GOULAGUY

“We must have an ambulance or emergency medical technician at all matches,” Fuchsloch said. “With high school and college football games, it was getting hard to have one secured on Saturdays, so we made the switch back to Sundays.” Ticket prices range from $10 for the tailgate side to $150 for the catered luncheon tents. Tailgate tickets can be purchased (cash only) at the gate, while tailgate admission for children under 6 is free. Another change this year involves the fifth annual Fairhope Fête, which will also take place this weekend. The fashion event featuring local merchants and a runway show happens Thursday at the Sonny Hill-Clearwater Complex. Tickets for general admission are $50, with VIP front-row tickets for $150, which includes wine and food from 12 Fairhope restaurants. All tickets include the Player’s Party to follow. Since its founding in 1988, the volunteer-driven Polo at the Point has donated millions of dollars primarily to the University of South Alabama’s Mitchell Cancer Institute and the Thomas Hospital Foundation. Many other local nonprofit groups have benefited. A committee of at least 60 people have worked for the past year planning the weekend, while more than 100 volunteers take part on game day. “I became familiar with the event just as a fan over the years — a spectator on the tailgate or the tent side,” said Linda Lou Parsons, who is chairing the event for her ninth year. “Like so many of us, I fell in love with this event and its impact as an incredible fundraiser and wanted to be a part.” Tickets for Fairhope Fête, the Player’s Party and Polo at the Point are available online at www.poloatthepoint.com. While many people along the Alabama Gulf Coast are familiar with Polo at the Point, few realize there is a spring and fall season for regional squads. “Of course, we have our local players participate,” Fuchsloch said, “but we also have players from surrounding states … New Orleans and Memphis come in.” The tournaments usually have four teams playing at Faulkner Farm fields in Silverhill near Baldwin County roads 9 and 48. This is the 47th year of action for the Point Clear Polo Club, making it one of the oldest groups in the U.S. Also new is a school for aspiring polo players. Mikhal Newberry, a member of Point Clear Polo Club, is the instructor. “We started in the spring,” Fuchsloch said. “Students need a knowledge of horses and how to ride. We don’t

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Photo | Caroline Bramlet / LCB Style

he largest one-day fundraiser in Alabama returns this Sunday as Polo at the Point celebrates its 29th annual mixture of sports and fashion. The finals will again take place at Sonny Hill-Clearwater Polo Complex, just south of Fairhope along U.S. 98. The gates open at 11:30 a.m. for the United States Polo Association-sanctioned event presented by Mercedes-Benz of Mobile and the Grand Hotel Marriott. A silent auction beginning at noon will include such items as works of art, hunting and fishing adventures, and travel packages. Ericka Fuchsloch, manager of the Point Clear Polo Club, said four teams began round-robin play last week. The third-place finisher will be decided at 12:30 p.m. in the Charity Cup. The overall championship is set for 3:30 p.m. in the Grand Oak Cup. The award presentation follows at 5 p.m., while the Player’s Party kicks off at 6 p.m. “Each team has a sponsor, and the roster is a mixture of pros and amateurs,” said Fuchsloch, a New Jersey native who moved to Fairhope last summer and has been playing polo more than a decade. On the squads are: • Clearwater — Chip Campbell, Jake Stimmel, Gonzalo Teves, Juan Valerdi; • Carson Hill — Wood Bramlett, Juan Martinez-Baez, Herndon Radcliff, Facundo Retamar; • BobKat — Bob Edmundson, Marco Llambias, Martin Ravina, Steve Tipler; and • Parrot Heads — Carlucho Arellano, Jeff Blake, Roni Duke, Tom Gose. Campbell, Bramlett and Edmundson are members of the Point Clear Polo Club. Radcliff is a Fairhope native who now lives in Birmingham. Blake and Llambias each carry six-goal handicaps, an indicator of their skill with the mallet. For those who have not attended a polo match, think of a sport that combines horse racing, hockey and soccer. The field is 300 yards long and 160 yards wide, with goalposts set eight yards apart at each end. Each team has four players, who work to drive the ball through for a goal. Although referred to as “polo ponies,” the players ride on full-sized horses. These animals are highly trained and can make a larger difference in the outcome than the rider’s skills. The games are divided into periods called “chukkers.” Because of the fast action, the horses are swapped after each break. For much of its history, Polo at the Point was played on Sunday afternoons. The last few events, though, have taken place on Saturdays.

FAIRHOPE LOCALS HERNDON RADCLIFF AND CHIP CAMPBELL WILL BE ON THE ROSTER OF ONE OF FOUR TEAMS REPRESENTED AT SUNDAY’S POLO AT THE POINT. give riding lessons. We just require students be strong enough to hold a mallet, so I would say ages 10 to 12. “We have an orientation to polo class in the spring, but we can offer polo lessons. Students need to bring their own helmet and boots, while we supply the tack, mallet and horse.” For more information about the school, send an email to info@pointclearpolo.com or call 251-928-7656.

5th Quarter Classic returns

For the second straight season, Ladd-Peebles Stadium will host the 5th Quarter Classic powered by the Mobile Sports Authority. Facing off Saturday at 6 p.m. will be Tuskegee University and Jackson State University. This is much more than a football game. On Wednesday, a college fair took place at Bishop State Community College for prospective students. On Friday, the 5QC Kickoff Jam will take place at Mardi Gras Park. Scheduled to perform are Grammy-nominated artists Jon B and Keyshia Cole. Gates open at 6 p.m., with music starting at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, a Mardi Gras-style parade will begin at 10 a.m. from MAMGA Drive and Congress Street before ending at Mobile Civic Center. The tailgate party at Ladd-Peebles Stadium gets underway at noon. The Fifth Quarter name is derived from the post-game musical battle between the two marching bands. The precision drills, dance routines and drum majors attract as many fans as the game itself. For more information, visit www.5thquarterclassic.com.

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STYLE GARDENING

Ornamental grasses come alive in autumn BY NANCY ADAMS, MOBILE MASTER GARDENER | COASTALALABAMAGARDENING@GMAIL.COM

Photos | Wilson Bros. Gardening

Muhly grass, with pink flowers showing in fall, is extremely hardy but moisture sensitive.

Q: Ornamental grasses have become popular in residential as well as commercial landscapes around Mobile and in Baldwin County. They have a fresh, uncluttered look that I find appealing. Can you tell me about their variety, availability and hardiness in Climate Zones 8 and 9?

A: A great benefit of autumn in South Alabama is the

myriad ornamental grasses that are at their peak. These grasses, which range two to 15 feet in height, require little maintenance, are exceptionally hardy and have an endless variety of possible uses. They grow in beds or in pots, and many retain their shape and foliage structure through the winter. Most ornamental grasses require minimal pruning, tolerate heat and drought, and are highly resistant to insect and disease problems. Although grasses have been cultivated for food products since the beginning of civilization, gardeners have only recently begun to fully appreciate the beauty and

hardiness of ornamentals and to explore their uses in the landscape. Some favorite perennial grasses recommended for our climate: • Muhly grass flows in a gentle breeze like a fluffy pink cloud. This easy-to-grow plant is also extremely hardy. Plant in an area with good drainage, as it is extra sensitive to “wet feet.” Growing in clumps that reach three to four feet tall, this native of Florida and the eastern United States is nothing less than spectacular in the fall. • Fountain grass has gracefully arching lines with colorful fruit heads. It grows up to six feet tall and has foliage about one-eighth of an inch wide. • Zebra grass is one of the tallest grasses. It grows up to 10 feet tall and is great for privacy. Leaves of this plant have yellow bands. • Gold band pampas grass has plumes that grow straight up and reach four to six feet above foliage. It

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tolerates heat and drought, making it good for container gardening as well as planting. • As with many cultivars that have specific growth habits and landscape characteristics, maiden grass is a popular ornamental that is easy to start and grows fast — as much as six feet tall and four feet wide. Its broadly arching stems have amazing plumes in late summer and foliage that appears purple and bronze in autumn. Given its potential to spread, plant in an area where you don’t mind if it spreads, or choose a sterile cultivar. • Japanese blood grass may be just right if you’re looking for a shorter grass. It grows 12-19 inches tall, with sword-shaped shoots that start green in spring, turn to red in summer and then to crimson in fall. This grass fits easily into a variety of landscape designs. Selecting grasses: When choosing a grass, look for one that has colorful foliage and is not too dense. Density can indicate that the plant is rootbound and may be hard to establish. Check to see that the soil is just moist, not dry or overwatered, either of which can make the plant susceptible to disease or pests. Also, ask about the ultimate height, spread and suitability to the site before purchasing the plant. Planting: Grasses are best planted in spring or fall. Water the grass well and plant in well-drained soil and in full sun. Then you can add a small amount of fertilizer, mulch it and water it regularly until it is established. Potting: Many grasses grow well in pots, including Japanese blood grass, Corex and Foxtail grass. Light-colored pots with adequate drainage work well because they evaporate excess moisture more easily than dark pots. The pot should be wide enough to allow for arching grass blades and deep enough for the plant’s root system to expand. Soil can be a mixture of compost, topsoil and grit for most grasses. The grass can be planted alone or surrounded with small, colorful plants for interest. Also, consider dividing potted plants about every two years. Light fertilizer applied annually is recommended. Now, let’s go out and enjoy the many pleasures that come with the amazing fall weather in South Alabama.

YOU ARE INVITED TO THESE UPCOMING GARDENING EVENTS What: Lunch & Learn, Mobile Master Gardeners When: Thursday, Oct. 16, noon to 1 p.m. Where: Jon Archer Center, 1070 Schillinger Road N., Mobile Topic: Bird Houses, Linda Kloter What: MBG Fall Plant Sale When: Oct. 20-22, Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.), Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Where: Mobile Botanical Gardens, 5151 Museum Drive, Mobile Master Gardener Helpline: 1-877-252-4769, or send gardening questions to coastalalabamagardening@gmail.com.

STYLE HOROSCOPES BUBBA’S SHRIMP FEST RECOMMENDATIONS

LIBRA (9/23-10/22) — Inspired by Gulf Shores’ split from the Baldwin County School System, you’ll announce your independence from a homeowners association. Like a rebel, you’ll build a pergola in the backyard without consent. Your lucky shrimp dish is shrimp kabobs. SCORPIO (10/23-11/21) — Claiming you were pinned in by debris and flooding from Hurricane Nate, you’ll return to work after a nine-day absence. In reality you were just watching Ken Burns’ Vietnam documentary and lost track of time. Your lucky shrimp dish is shrimp creole. SAGITTARIUS (11/22-12/21) — Misunderstanding the legal settlement conserving “natural” areas of Gulf State Park, you’ll find yourself under arrest for indecent exposure after sunbathing in the buff. Your lucky shrimp dish is shrimp gumbo. CAPRICORN (12/22-1/19) — In an effort to gain acquittal for a traffic offense, you’ll attempt to gum up Mobile County’s overburdened court system by committing a string of other minor crimes. But under habitual offender statutes, you’ll be sentenced to life for littering. Your lucky shrimp dish is pineapple shrimp. AQUARIUS (1/20-2/18) — In honor of Polo at the Point and the MLB playoffs, you’ll mount a mini horse for a trip around the bases. Unfortunately, “mounting a mini horse for a trip around the bases” is a felony under the Alabama Criminal Code. Your lucky shrimp dish is lemon shrimp. PISCES (2/19-3/20) — You’ll temporarily join a convent after attending the Little Sisters of the Poor Lawn Party, but be outcast for repeatedly violating your vow of silence every time you call bullsh*t on President Trump’s tweets. Your lucky shrimp dish is coconut shrimp. ARIES (3/21- 4/19) — You’ll consult Henry Louis Gates to determine Senate candidates Roy Moore and Doug Jones are distant relatives and their common ancestor was a slave owner by the name of Probably Every White Guy. He died in the historic ghost town of Nothing’s Surprising Anymore, Alabama. Your lucky shrimp dish is pepper shrimp. TAURUS (4/20-5/20) — To fight for the preservation of Mobile’s last undeveloped waterfront property, you’ll chain yourself to a tree near Brookley Field. Construction crews will discover your skeleton years from now, still bound but still pretty stupid looking. Your lucky shrimp dish is shrimp soup. GEMINI (5/21-6/21) — An embarrassing accident at a haunted house will have you diverted to the restroom and Googling “incontinence.” You were also invited to a haunted hayride, but suddenly your attendance Depends. Your lucky shrimp dish is shrimp stew. CANCER (6/22-7/22) — You’ll discover an endearing sign-language gesture you invented with your mother actually translates to “look, it’s a watta-spout!” You’ll unlock the “weary traveler” achievement badge at work this week. Your lucky shrimp dish is shrimp salad. LEO (7/23-8/22) — You’ll turn a slight fuchsia color after binge-eating royal reds during the National Shrimp Festival. During the Hangout Oyster Cookoff next month, your skin will appear a little clammy. Your lucky shrimp dish is shrimp and potatoes. VIRGO (8/23-9/22) — The newest challenge in your test kitchen this week is finding a recipe for the island apple snail, an invasive species. You’ll settle for simply sautéed in a little butter and pinot gris — a little dish you’ll refer to as “rhino snot.” Your lucky shrimp dish is a shrimp burger. O c t o b e r 1 2 , 2 0 1 7 - O c t o b e r 1 8 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 43

THE NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE THAT’S ONE WAY TO PUT IT BY ROBERT FISHER / EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ ACROSS 1 Draw in 8 Tight garment 14 Come before 21 Stingy sorts 22 Blogger’s pick for a pic 23 Utility worker 24 Falling down 26 Mean 27 Very: Ger. 28 Earth goddess 29 G.P.A. killers 30 “Sprechen ____Deutsch?” 31 Robert of “The Sopranos” 32 Speeding ticket 37 Prep for the runway,maybe 40 Ball ____ 41 Besmirch 42 Emotionally demanding 43 Climbing Mount Everest,e.g. 45 Be Kind to Editors and Writers Mo. [for real!] 48 Notable features of Stockholm and Amsterdam 51 It “exists when one goes against one’s conscience,” per Pope Francis 52 Fire places 55 D.C. lobby for seniors 57 Locale for two of the Quad Cities 58 Egyptian cobra 61 Lying 66 Heat, as to soften metal 67 “u r hilarious!” 68 How scallops are often prepared 69 French horticulturist after whom a variety of fruit is named 72 Cause of insomnia, maybe 74 Design detail 77 Google ____ 78 Run too far or lift too much 81 Go over in blackjack 84 In working order 87 Layoff 94 Old sitcom character who was 229 years old 95 Utah’s ____ Canyon 96 Get 29-Across 97 Railway offshoot 98 “So that’s it!” 99 Florae and faunae 101 Down 103 Mariners 105 TWA competitor 108 Classic Jag 110 Who “can’t buy you love” in an Elton John hit 113 “There, there” 114 Tax increase 120 Cheers in un estadio 121 Canon camera 122 Take off quickly 123 “If I ____ penny for every …” 124 Some W.S.J. topics 128 Summer Olympics host

ball Hall of Fame in 2016 35 Small anatomical container 36 Landing post-E.T.A. 37 12 cc, maybe 38 Country star Church 39 Alternative to a name: Abbr. 44 Draw, as a scene 46 Ratcheting wheel mechanism 47 Adjust with Photoshop, DOWN maybe 1 New Testament book 49 Japanese drama 2 Pilgrims’ pronoun 50 Knocks over 3 Radio host John 4 Life in the big city, to some 53 Even 54 Trauma reminder 5 Bee: Prefix 56 School support grps. 6 Dance with a kick 58 Corona, for one 7 John Irving protagonist 59 Repeated cry at a dance portrayed by Robin Williams class 8 Wine holders 60 Most profs 9 Spermatozoa targets 62 Mother-of-pearl 10 Dance-party enthusiast 63 Out in court 11 Wooden 64 Boost the horsepower of 12 Worries no end 65 Dish served 13 Five-point rugby play 14 Stripes mismatch, traditionally with chopsticks in a bowl 15 Amazon, e.g. 69 Florida beach city, 16 Oklahoma Cityinformally to-Tulsa dir. 70 Like the head of a tennis 17 Develops (from) racket 18 Charlotte ____, Virgin 71 Lowly worker Islands 73 Bit of wind 19 Very last part 75 Those, in Tijuana 20 Pep 76 Complaining fish? 25 André ____, 1947 79 “Hots” Literature Nobelist 80 “Creme sandwich” intro30 Narrow waterway duced over a century ago 33 Part of an accusation in 82 Animal depicted in Edwin Clue 34 Laker named to the Basket- Landseer’s “The Monarch of after Barcelona 130 Dead 133 Custom-fits 134 Took off quickly 135 Pasta recipe phrase 136 Show contempt for 137 At the scene 138 “We should avoid doing that”

the Glen” 83 Work, work, work 85 Air-conditioner fig. 86 Entrap 88 Army NCO 89 Alien autopsies, crop circles and the like 90 Liquid-____ 91 Pet food with a paw-print logo 92 Where to accent “Laotian” 93 Pinstriper 99 Store blowout 100 Suffix with brew 102 Underbrush clearer 104 Occasionally 105 W.W. II shipping worries 106 Oman’s leader, e.g. 107 Antarctic penguin 109 Officially prohibit 111 Lamb, e.g. 112 It goes up to about 1700 115 Aquarium fish 116 Swelter 117 Holiday celebrations 118 Holy Roman emperor called “the Great” 119 Country rocker Steve 125 One of the Ivies 126 Not conned by 127 Let stand, editorially 129 Neither’s partner 130 U.N. observer since ’74 131 Day-in-and-day-out pattern 132 D.C. summer setting

ANSWERS ON PAGE 33

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O c t o b e r 1 2 , 2 0 1 7 - O c t o b e r 1 8 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 45

STYLE BOOZIE

Nate and other celebrities BY BOOZIE BEER NUES/SOCIAL BUTTERFLY

am just going to go ahead and throw it out there: Why couldn’t have Nate come on a workday? No one likes a weekend visitor that messes up all your plans. Not cool, Nate! Not cool. But not to worry, kiddos, despite being hunkered down, I still have plenty of gossip for you!

Hit me like a hurricane

Y’all, that Hurricane Nate was a little underwhelming. I know there are people with trees down and wharfs missing, but most of midtown didn’t even lose power. People talk crap about our streets flooding and us losing power during a thunderstorm, which is true, but who’s laughing now? Anyways, I understand it is better to be overprepared than underprepared, but I think some got a little ahead of themselves. Looking at the people that boarded up windows, I guess when they heard Jim Cantore was in Gulf Shores they panicked. Boozie wasn’t that worried about Nate. I had a party to attend Friday night in New Orleans so I did just that, then got back in time to prepare for the storm. I ran to the store to get the essentials — beer, wine, flowers and a loaf of bread (only because I was out). Multiple people made comments about my buggy’s contents but if this storm was going to be as bad as a local news station was making it out to be, I need to be prepared with a few days’ worth of supplies … and alcohol is the last thing you want to run out! After the store it was off to a housewarming/hurricane

party. The folks had already prepared for the party so no point in canceling, but it did end earlier than expected. That was OK with Boozie because I had another party to attend, which turned out to be just a regular party. But that wasn’t the case for everyone around town. Boozie heard of multiple weddings this past weekend, which a few people canceled, which is crazy to me, but whatever. But a few brave souls took on the weather! One girl just moved her wedding time from evening to morning and they partied like they would have that night. Another bride stuck to her plan and wasn’t going to let a little rain stop her. The reception had water about ankle deep but that didn’t stop people from partying! The bride and her maids tied up their dresses and danced away in the water! They say it’s good luck if it rains on your wedding day, and I guess a hurricane is even better luck! Fun fact: Waffle House has a “no-power emergency menu.” Hashbrowns, sausage, ham, hamburgers, chicken sandwich and a slice of pie made the cut. Unfortunately, waffles and coffee didn’t! The storm stories don’t end there. On Monday, some were still without power but no one was as bad off as the 8 foot alligator stuck on the causeway! The poor guy had made it over when the flood waters were high and couldn’t find back into the water. A group of wildlife folks helped the gator back to his habitat by making an entrance in the fence. Later, gator!

Lights, camera, action

It seems we can’t keep the celebrities away! And

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I’m not talking about Jim Cantore this time or Nicolas Cage. Hello, Emily Mortimer! Emily has been in movies such as Woody Allen’s “Match Point,” “Shutter Island,” “Hugo,” the TV series “The Newsroom” and many others. Apparently the celeb is in town filming a new movie, “Mary.” It’s about a family starting a charter boat business that turns out to not be as pleasant as they’d expected (aka it’s a horror film). Our area has plenty of boats, hopefully none that are haunted, but it comes as no surprise that they picked our area for filming. It’s rumored most pre-production stuff is taking place in Orange Beach, but of course Emily did a little shopping in Mobile. Can you guess where? Umm, where all the celebs shop, BackFlash Antiques! I swear, almost every big name who comes to town these days makes a stop there. Which confirms my theory that famous people have a secret conversation board of places to visit in the towns they visit, OR they read my column and learn of all the cool, happening places. Obviously it is the second option, so keep it up! Emily, who is English, is apparently very sweet and was happy to be recognized. She claimed that it “made my autumn” when Charlana, owner of BackFlash, complimented her on her films. Boozie can’t help but giggle at the word “autumn” because, let’s be real, Mobile has the furthest thing from a fall around here! Pretty sure we are still in summer, but still sweet of her!

Also spotted

So if Jim Cantore and Emily Mortimer weren’t enough for you, let’s add socio-political comedian W. Kamau Bell to the list! I mean, people do call us L.A. (Lower Alabama) and at this rate we’ll have paparazzi before long! So what was Kamau doing in town? Oh, you know, just returning a library book, a casual 31 years late. The star of CNN’s “United Shades of America” — who attended St. Pius and McGill-Toolen Catholic High School here in the 1980s — was in town doing some filming and decided it was time to return “Make Your Own Comics for Fun and Profit.” Since the computer system had been updated, Kamau didn’t incur any charges but did pledge a donation to the library! Boozie can’t help but wonder if he ever thought about doing comics over comedy? Well, kids, that’s all I’ve got this week. Just remember, whether rain or shine, dramatic or scandalous, or just some plain ol’ Nate lovin’, I will be there. Ciao!

LAGNIAPPE LEGALS | 251.450-4466 | legals@lagniappemobile.com PUBLIC NOTICES STORAGE AUCTION Notice is hereby given that EZ-Store-All (6715 Old Shell Rd, Mobile, AL. 36608) will sell at public auction the following units to satisfy a lien. Auction will take place on October 25, 2017 at 10:30 AM. Units will be sold to the highest bidder. CASH ONLY with $50 refundable cleaning deposit. EZ Stor-All reserves the right to refuse any bidder and any bid. All sales are final. Number of units is subject to change. Eileen Gwin-Morrison K21 4980 Flowers Chapel Rd Dothan AL 36305 Yameckia Gamble C44 101 Foreman Rd Mobile AL 36608 Jessica Franklin B21 6562 Cynthia Dr Mobile AL 36608 Rene Gerald A04 795 Bushwick Ave #3 Brooklyn NY 11221 Margaret Shaw F45 755 Willow Pointe Dr Mobile AL 36695 Clifford Logan A14 F13 6657 Devander Dr Mobile AL 36608 Asia Gipson C57 402 Cherry St Decatur AL 35601 Lagniappe HD October 12, 2017

Tillman Infrastructure, LLC is proposing to build a 320-foot Self Support lattice tower (340-ft w/ appurtenances) located at the Intersection of Howells Ferry Road & Honeysuckle Road, Wilmer, AL 36587. Structure coordinates are:(N30-46-32.69, W088-22-09.38). The tower is anticipated to have FAA Style E (dual medium intensity) lighting. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Antenna Structure Registration (ASR Form 854) file number is A1090102. Interested persons may review the application at www.fcc.gov/asr/applications by entering the file number. Environmental concerns may be raised by filing a Request for Environmental Review at www.fcc.gov/asr/environmentalrequest within 30 days of the date that notice of the project is published on the FCC’s website. FCC strongly encourages online filing. A mailing address for a paper filing is: FCC Requests for Environmental Review, ATTN:Ramon Williams, 445 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20554.

Deed, by virtue of and pursuant to the power of sale contained in said Vendor’s Lien, the following described real property will be sold at public outcry, for cash, to the highest bidder, in front of the North entrance of the Courthouse of said County, located at 205 Government Street, Mobile, Alabama 36644, during the legal hours of sale, on November 9, 2017 Lot 127, as per plat of RAMSEY ESTATES, UNIT VII, as recorded in Map Book 80, Page 9, Probate Court of Mobile County, Alabama; Said sale is made for the purpose of paying said Vendor’s Lien debt and costs of foreclosure. McAleer Properties II, LP Holder of said Vendor’s Lien WILLIAM B. JACKSON, II STOKES & CLINTON, P.C. Attorneys for Lienholder Post Office Box 991801 Mobile, Alabama 36691 (251) 460-2400 Lagniappe HD October 5, 12, 19, 2017

PROBATE NOTICE OF ESTATE ADMINISTRATION PROBATE COURT OF MOBILE COUNTY, ALABAMA Estate of: ALICE PEARL JOHNSON Case No. 2017-1132 Take notice that Letters of Administration have been granted to the below named party on the 21st day of September, 2017 by the Honorable Don Davis, Judge of Probate of Mobile County Probate Court, Alabama and that all parties having claims against said estate should file the same with the Probate Court of said county within the time allowed by law, or they will be barred. TINA MICHELLE JOHNSON as Administratrix of the estate of ALICE PEARL JOHNSON, deceased. Attorney of Record: GERALD C. BROOKS, Esq. Lagniappe HD October 5, 12, 19, 2017

NOTICE OF ESTATE ADMINISTRATION PROBATE COURT OF MOBILE COUNTY, ALABAMA Estate of: EDWARD LOUIS SMITH, Deceased Lagniappe HD October 12, 2017 Case No. 2017-0671 Take notice that Letters Testamentary have been STATE OF ALABAMA granted to the below named party on the 21st day COUNTY OF MOBILE of September, 2017 by the Honorable Don Davis, Notice is hereby given that a bill as described in Judge of Probate of Mobile County Probate Court, the synopsis below will be introduced in the 2018 Alabama and that all parties having claims against Regular Session of the Alabama Legislature and said estate should file the same with the Probate application for its passage and enactment will be Court of said county within the time allowed by law, made: A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT SYNOPSIS: Re- or they will be barred. STACY A. BROWN as Executrix lating to Mobile County; to establish the regulatory under the last will and testament of EDWARD LOUIS authority for the Mobile County Health Department SMITH, Deceased. Attorney of Record: PRO SE. to regulate intermittent food service establishments Lagniappe HD September 28, October 5, 12, 2017 that prepare food in association with a temporary exempt event that is a regional celebration, tradiNOTICE OF ESTATE ADMINISTRATION tion, or cultural event designated as such by Mobile PROBATE COURT OF MOBILE COUNTY, ALABAMA County, if the intermittent food service establishment does not prepare, sell, or distribute food on a Estate of: ELOUISE PURVIS, Deceased Case No. 2017-1471 regular basis in its regular line of business. Take notice that Letters Testamentary have been Lagniappe HD September 21, 28, Oct. 5, 12, 2017 granted to the below named parties on the 19th day of September, 2017 by the Honorable Don Davis, NOTICE OF SALE Judge of Probate of Mobile County Probate Court, Notice is hereby given, pursuant to Alabama Statutes, that the goods stored in units rented by occu- Alabama and that all parties having claims against pants listed below will be sold to the highest bidder said estate should file the same with the Probate at a public auction online at www.storagetreasures. Court of said county within the time allowed by law, or they will be barred. DENNIS HARVEY PURVIS com on October 27, 2017 at 10:00 am to satisfy liens and DEBRA LOVETT AKA DEBRA MOOREHEAD RAY claimed by STORAGEMAX MIDTOWN, together with as Co-Executors under the last will and testament all costs of sale. Sheldon Inge, Bruce Leithead, Elise of ELOUISE PURVIS, Deceased. Attorney of Record: Nicholson, Elaine Phillips, Derek Wash Any of the RACHELE ALEXANDER REIS above goods may be withdrawn from sale by STORLagniappe HD September 28, October 5, 12, 2017 AGEMAX MIDTOWN at any time without prior notice.

Lagniappe HD October 5, 12, 2017

FORECLOSURES

FORECLOSURE NOTICE Default having been made by the herein referenced Grantee in the terms of that certain Vendor’s Lien Deed executed on September 29, 2011 by Kimberly M. Phillips, as Grantee to Iras Development Company Inc., an Alabama corporation, as Grantor which said Vendor’s Lien Deed was recorded in the Office of the Judge of Probate, Mobile County, Alabama, in Real Property Book 6819, Page 103, and said vendor’s lien having been last assigned to McAleer Properties II, LP which assignment was recorded in the office of the Judge of Probate Mobile County Alabama in Real Property Book LR7081, Page 1402, and default continuing under said Vendor’s Lien

NOTICE OF ESTATE ADMINISTRATION PROBATE COURT OF MOBILE COUNTY, ALABAMA Estate of: JOSEPH L. JACKSON Case No. 2016-0869 Take notice that Ancillary Letters of Administration have been granted to the below named party on the 18th day of September, 2017 by the Honorable Don Davis, Judge of Probate of Mobile County Probate Court, Alabama and that all parties having claims against said estate should file the same with the Probate Court of said county within the time allowed by law, or they will be barred. PAMELA S. JACKSON as Administratrix of the Ancillary Estate of JOSEPH L. JACKSON, deceased. Attorney of Record: HENDRIK S. SNOW, Esq. Lagniappe HD September 28, October 5, 12, 2017

NOTICE OF ESTATE ADMINISTRATION PROBATE COURT OF MOBILE COUNTY, ALABAMA Estate of: WEBBER HAYWARD DOUGLAS, Deceased Case No. 2017-1758 Take notice that Letters Testamentary have been granted to the below named party on the 18th day of September, 2017 by the Honorable Don Davis, Judge of Probate of Mobile County Probate Court, Alabama and that all parties having claims against said estate should file the same with the Probate Court of said county within the time allowed by law, or they will be barred. DOROTHY M. DOUGLAS as Executrix under the last will and testament of WEBBER HAYWARD DOUGLAS, Deceased. Attorney of Record: HENDRIK S. SNOW Lagniappe HD September 28, October 5, 12, 2017

NOTICE OF ESTATE ADMINISTRATION PROBATE COURT OF MOBILE COUNTY, ALABAMA Estate of: HENRIETTA F. KING, Deceased Case No. 2017-1309 Take notice that Letters Testamentary have been granted to the below named party on the 21st day of September, 2017 by the Honorable Don Davis, Judge of Probate of Mobile County Probate Court, Alabama and that all parties having claims against said estate should file the same with the Probate Court of said county within the time allowed by law, or they will be barred. MICHAEL T. KING as Executor under the last will and testament of HENRIETTA F. KING, Deceased. Attorney of Record: PRO SE Lagniappe HD September 28, October 5, 12, 2017

NOTICE OF SALE The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on November 10, 2017 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 3356 Springhill Ave., Mobile, AL 36607. 1996 Oldsmobile 88 1G3HN52K7T4806916 Lagniappe HD Oct. 5, 12, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on November 10, 2017 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 2911 Mill St., Mobile, AL 36607. 2006 Chevrolet Impala 2G1WT58KX69263818 1999 GMC Sierra 2GTEC19T8X1526813 2000 Ford Mustang 1FAFP4049YF157539 1984 Whitt WCL 1WUCBBUEXEN064655 Lagniappe HD Oct. 5, 12, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on November 10, 2017 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 1408 Montlimar Dr., Mobile, AL 36609. 2012 Volkswagen Jetta 3VWDP7AJ1CM393311 2010 Honda Accord 1HGCP2F82AA061610 Lagniappe HD Oct. 5, 12, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on November 10, 2017 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 265 Siena Vista St., Mobile, AL 36607. 2004 Mercedes SL500 WDBSK75F24F070884 Lagniappe HD Oct. 5, 12, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on November 10, 2017 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 2354 Octavia Dr. N., Mobile, AL 36605. 2007 Cadillac Escalade 1GYFK63837R203747 Lagniappe HD Oct. 5, 12, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on November 10, 2017 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 7110 14th St., Mobile, AL 36608. 2005 Toyota Camry 4T1BE32K75U945582 Lagniappe HD Oct. 5, 12, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on November 10, 2017 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 1147 E I-65 Service Rd. S., Mobile, AL

36606. 2001 Infiniti I30 JNKCA31A71T035801

Lagniappe HD Oct. 5, 12, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on November 10, 2017 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 7960 Two Mile Rd., Irvington, AL 36544. 1998 Oldsmobile Aurora 1G3GR62C2W4116025 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse 4A3AC34G73E084777 Lagniappe HD Oct. 5, 12, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on November 10, 2017 - Time -12pm, if not claimed – at 305 Martin Luther King Jr Dr. N., Prichard, AL 36610. 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass 1G3GR47Y9GP363096 1995 Chevrolet Caprice 1G1BL52P8SR135578 Lagniappe HD Oct. 5, 12, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on November 10, 2017 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at121 Schillinger Rd. N., Mobile, AL 36608. 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 2GCEC13T961229685 Lagniappe HD Oct. 5, 12, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on November 10, 2017 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 5795 Magnolia Rd., Theodore, AL 36582 2004 Saturn Ion 1G8AM12F14Z121311 Lagniappe HD Oct. 5, 12, 2017

These abandoned vehicles will be sold on 11/09/2017 at 5781 Three Notch Rd Mobile Al. 36619 at 9 am if not redeemed. NISS 1N4AA5AP3EC469539 MAZD 4F4YR16U6WTM42577 CHEV 3GCEC23099G279767

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on November 17, 2017 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 9845 Taylor Ave., Irvington, AL 36544. 2007 Jaguar XK SAJDA44B975B00763 1983 Cadillac Deville 1G6AD4786D9238984 Lagniappe HD October 12, 19, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on November 17, 2017 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 11400 A Tanner Williams Rd., Mobile, AL 36608. 2000 Chevrolet Silverado 2GCEK19T6Y1161472 Lagniappe HD October 12, 19, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on November 17, 2017 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 608 South Wilson Ave., Prichard, AL 36610. 2005 Chevrolet Malibu 1G1ZT52875F231523 Lagniappe HD October 12, 19, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on November 17, 2017 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 3351 Dauphin Island Prkway., Mobile, AL 36605. 1999 Honda Civic 2HGEJ6344XH103451 2003 Ford F350 1FTWW32P03EC26759 2003 Mercury Marquis 2MEFM74W23X689548 Lagniappe HD October 12, 19, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on November 17, 2017 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 1909 Eoline St., Mobile, AL 36617. 2013 Honda Accord 1HGCR2F32DA115099 Lagniappe HD October 12, 19, 2017

Lagniappe HD Oct. 5, 12, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on November 17, 2017 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 233 Montgomery St., Prichard, AL 36610. 2011 Hyundai Sonata 5NPEC4AC2BH153448

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on November 17, 2017 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 12347 Ilene Ct., Irvington, AL 36544. 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan 2B8GP44331R313424

Deadline for legal

Lagniappe HD October 12, 19, 2017

advertising in

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on November 17, 2017 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 1628 Nowlin St., Mobile, AL 36615. 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee 1J4GZ58S1VC504595 2001 Dodge Durango 1B4HR28N41F628823

Lagniappe HD is every

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on November 17, 2017 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 6445 Todd Acres Dr., Theodore, AL 36582. 2000 Buick LeSabre 1G4HP54K9Y4252367 2000 Volvo C70 YV1NC56D5YJ009829

each Thursday.

Lagniappe HD October 12, 19, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on November 17, 2017 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 1616 St Stephens Rd., Mobile, AL 36603. 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 2GCEC13T551291468 1999 Ford Expedition 1FMRU17L7XLA13236 2002 GMC Yukon 1GKEC16Z52J129801 2002 Honda Accord 1HGCG56452A012272 Lagniappe HD October 12, 19, 2017

The following unclaimed vehicle(s) will be sold on November 17, 2017 - Time -12pm, if not claimed - at 14651 Old Pascagoula Rd. Lot 20, Grand Bay, AL 36541. 2001 Chevrolet K1500 1GCEK14T31Z280150 Lagniappe HD October 12, 19, 2017

Monday at 3 p.m. Lagniappe HD is distributed

Lagniappe HD offices are located at 1100B Dauphin St. Mobile, AL 36604. For more information or to place your ad call Jackie at 251-450-4466. Or email at legals@lagniappemobile. com

O c t o b e r 1 2 , 2 0 1 7 - O c t o b e r 1 8 , 2 0 1 7 | L AG N I A P P E | 47