AROUND THE AREA

Jazz Fest art contest now open

The Alexander City Jazz Fest Committee’s annual design contest is open for entry as the arts organization gets ready for the 31st Annual Alexander City Jazz Fest on June 10 and 11.

The winning artist receives $200 and will have their design printed on T-shirts and promotional materials for the event.

Entries must be received by Friday, April 8, 4 p.m. for consideration in the 2022 Jazz Fest contest. Designs must be original and unpublished. n Entries may be emailed as JPG or PDF document to kim.dunn@ alexandercitychamber.com, or mailed to Alexander City Chamber of Commerce Jazz Fest Contest, 175 Aliant Parkway Alexander City, AL 35010. There is no fee to enter. n Fine art and digital design are both accepted. n Art in file format should be in vector format, as an Adobe Illustrator file or Adobe Photoshop file with a high resolution of 300 dpi and type/copy (fonts provided) on layers. n Computer-generated entries must be a minimum of 65-line screen. n Entries must be vertical and no larger than 16 inches by 20 inches. n Each artist is limited to three entries. n Designs must include the words “Alexander City Jazz Fest June 10-11, 2022” to be considered. n Artists must print their name and phone number on the back of the artwork.

By submitting a design for consideration, the artist agrees to the following terms and conditions: n The chosen design will become property of the Alexander City Jazz Fest Committee. n Artist must design and execute a four-color maximum (four separate colors, including black as one of the colors, without blending or shading), screen-print-ready poster design, suitable for reproduction by the Alexander City Jazz Fest Committee. n The artist will be paid $200 by the Alexander City Chamber of Commerce. n The Alexander City Jazz Fest Committee will retain the exclusive right to use the poster, poster art and any details thereof, in color, black and white and/or any variation in promotional materials in perpetuity including, but not limited to, brochures, flyers, print advertisements, web pages and television promotions. n The Alexander City Jazz Fest Committee will retain all proceeds from the sale of T-shirts and exclusive production rights. n The artist may be required to attend promotional events prior to and during the festival.

~ Staff report

Construction to start soon on Wharf Casual Restaurant

Wharf Casual Seafood plans to open a restaurant in Alexander City, its ninth location, with construction due to begin any day now in time for a grand opening in the fall.

The fast-casual chain, with restaurants in Florida, Alabama and Georgia, opened its first free-standing restaurant in Wetumpka in September. The Alexander City location on U.S. Route 280, beside Regions Bank, will be its second free-standing location.

After a few months of red tape, president and CEO Noah Griggs said the company is now waiting on its ALDOT permit, the last hurdle to clear before they can start building.

“It’s been a minute and a half,” he said. “When I get my permit, I’m going to start construction – I feel like any day, but I have been saying this for two to three months now.”

Griggs, former executive at the company behind Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr., partnered with chef and Wharf co-owner Stephen Duggar seven years ago. Duggar’s parents, Early and Eva, opened the first Wharf restaurant in Tallahassee, Florida, in 1986, after two hurricanes nearly sank their seafood business.

“They were literally on the side of the road with a food truck; they had to build their business back from nothing,”

Griggs said. In the years since, Early and his son, Stephen, evolved that original concept into what it is today, an order-atthe-counter restaurant chain serving shrimp and grits, po’ boys, tacos, salads and gumbo. Early continued to run the restaurant until he passed away in 2020.

Griggs, a Tallassee native, is back in his hometown where he owns another restaurant with his wife Pam, 1220 Café. The decision to bring Wharf Casual Seafood to Alexander City was helped by the connections he made catering in the area.

“Through the years, we’ve built a great relationship with people in that area,” Griggs said of Alexander City. “That really convinced us that we really need to be in that market.” ~ Siri Hedreen