“My fountain design was inspired by my experiences growing up in on the Eastern Shore. I wanted to combine my love of the Bay with my Dedication to Public Art,” says Jones-Gallaspy, Chairman of this year’s Mullet Race. “The goal of this race is to bring awareness to public art in the areas beyond the normal realms of youth art education.”

The “Mullet Run” will bring together art lovers and runners alike, to be a part of the beginning construction of the fountain and the continued involvement of our community to support the arts and art education in our area. The race starts at the Fairhope Museum of History on Bancroft Street and will end at the Fairhope Pier in conjunction with the Grand Festival of Art, sponsored by the Eastern Shore Art Center.

Runners will receive a long sleeve race t-shirt designed by Ameri’ca and awards will be individual Mullet Sculptures made by Ameri’ca. A percentage of the proceeds from the run will be donated to an Art Education Fund for Specific Youth Art Projects in the area.

The first annual Mullet Run will be held on Saturday, October 18 in downtown Fairhope, Alabama. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Fairhope Museum of History on Bancroft Street. The race will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. Pre-register online at www.FairhopeMulletRun.com or register the day of the event. There is a $25 fee for adults ($30 day of race) and $15 for children, (16 & under).

The second annual run will fall within weeks of the dedication of the new fountain, and several other large public functions planned in conjunction with the fountain’s dedication. For additional information, to Sponsor or to pre-register for the race, please visit www.FairhopeMulletRun.com.

Thursday night’s opening reception features the photography of Greg Harber in a special presentation titled “Through the Delta and Beyond.” The slide show set to music features a variety of birds and their habitats, stretching from the farthest reaches of north Alabama, through the inland plains, into the Mobile-Tensaw Delta and the Gulf of Mexico.”

Friday night’s program will focus on migration. Dr. Frank Moore and his team at the University of Southern Mississippi have spent years documenting and studying the behavior and ecology of migration. Dr. Moore will discuss the high cost of migration, habitat selection during migration, and behavioral response to the energy demands of migration.

This year’s BirdFest has taken on a new name – it is now officially the John L. Borom Alabama Coastal BirdFest, named in honor of one of Alabama’s most noted conservationists and the founder of BirdFest.  

For more information or to register, visit http://www.AlabamaCoastalBirdFest.com or call 251-621-1902.

Friday, November 7

Bands on Friday night include The Marshall Tucker Bank and Wet Willie

Saturday, November 8

Bike Ride, Concert, Food & Fun

Bike ride at 2:30 pm.

Gary Allen and Mustang Sally will perform beginning at 7 p.m.

For tickets, ride information or other questions, visit www.angel-ride.com or call 251-243-0365

Stop by the Fairhope Civic Center on Friday, November 7 & Saturday, November 8 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to do a little holiday shopping. You will discover a variety of unique gift from over 30 local crafters, artist and merchants. The atmosphere is fun, festive and full of holiday spirit. Photos with Santa will also be available during the event. Anyone interested in booth space, call 463-7183. Admission is $1 and all proceeds benefit local and international relief and mission projects.

October 1, 2008

Contact: Sherry Sullivan, City of Fairhope, 990-0218

FAIRHOPE LIGHTS UP FOR THE HOLIDAYS ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20

FAIRHOPE -- The City of Fairhope will kick off the holiday season with their annual Fairhope Tree Lighting Ceremony on Thursday, November 20. Festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. and the lights come on at 6 p.m.

In celebration of Fairhope’s Centennial, this year’s Tree Lighting is dedicated to Fairhope residents who are 100 years. “It is important to recognize our city’s achievements over the past 100 years as well as the lifetime achievements of our residents who are 100 years old.” said Fairhope Mayor Tim Kant.

The Tree Lighting Ceremony will be emceed by WABF Radio personality Lori Dubose. Entertainment includes the Fairhope High School Band, the Eastern Shore Choral Society, and the Fairhope Middle School Band. Mrs. Claus will be also be passing out candy canes and letting children write a wish list to Santa for her to take back to the North Pole.    

This year’s poster artwork is by Holly Irwin. Irwin’s work is about simplicity and beauty in contemporary life. Irwin uses a rich, warm color palette, building up layers and depth. Each painting has a history of searching and sketching before intuition takes over and the final story begins. A display of Irwin’s art work will be on display the night of the tree lighting at the Lyon’s Share Gallery in downtown Fairhope and posters will be on sale at City Hall and Lyon’s Share Gallery beginning November 10th. Posters are $10 each.

For additional information on Fairhope’s Tree Lighting Celebration call 990-0218.

“We hope this year’s parade will be even bigger and better than in the past. We expect participation from our local military and veterans’ organizations, the American Legion, Vietnam Veterans, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the VFW, and the Korean War Veterans, plus Fairhope’s National Guard unit, the 1165th Military Police. We also expect the parade to include both new and vintage military vehicles, bands, the Fairhope Middle School Unicycle Club, floats from various organizations, and many of our elected city and county officials.”

Once again, organizers encourage school children to take part, Birindelli said. “We greatly appreciate the participation of our local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and we invite other school groups to take part. It’s fun to see kids with decorated bikes and wagons and such, like the old-time patriotic parades some of us remember. But it’s also a good way to teach the kids more about Veteran’s Day and why it’s important to honor our veterans.”

For more information on the parade or to participate, contact Birindelli at 928-3292.

SEPTEMBER 15, 2008

CONTACT: SHERRY SULLIVAN, CITY OF FAIRHOPE, 251-990-0218

CITY OF FAIRHOPE CELEBRATES PUBLIC POWER WEEK, OCT. 5-11

FAIRHOPE – The City of Fairhope Electric Department is celebrating Public Power Week, October 5-11, along with more than 2,000 other electric utilities that collectively provide electricity on a not-for-profit basis to 45 million Americans.  

“Public Power Week is a chance for City of Fairhope Electric Department to tell its story of how it effectively powers Fairhope.  We work day and night to provide safe, reliable, and low-cost energy with a focus on customer service and environmental stewardship,” said Scott Sligh, City of Fairhope Electric Superintendent.

Public Power Week is a national, annual event sponsored in conjunction with the American Public Power Association (APPA) in Washington, D.C.  APPA is the service organization for community- and state-owned electric utilities.

“We are proud to be a hometown electric provider,” Sligh said.  “As a community-owned electric system, our end goal isn’t just to provide a service to customers, but to power our neighbors—our community.”

The City of Fairhope Electric Department invites residents to participate in a Public Power Week celebration on October 9 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the South beach Park at the Fairhope Municipal Pier.  The celebration will include demonstrations, information tables, and refreshments. The City of Fairhope Electric Department employees will on hand for questions and to demonstrate equipment.

“The City of Fairhope Public Utilities, including the Electric Department, are committed not only to continue our legacy of quality service to Fairhope, but to look for opportunities to improve operations and better serve the community,” Fairhope Mayor and Fairhope Public Utility Superintendent Tim Kant said.

The Fairhope Electric Department has 18 employees and serves more than 6,300 residential and commercial customers.

For questions, call 990-0218.

NOTE: FIRST FRIDAY WILL BE HELD ON THURSDAY, JULY 3RD DUE TO THE JULY 4TH HOLIDAY.

The Fairhope Museum of History is celebrating Fairhope’s Roundup Day on November 15. It’s an event that’s unique to our city, explained Museum Director Donnie Barrett. “November 15, 1894 was the day that E.B. Gaston and his family, along with other Fairhopers, arrived on the Eastern Shore to establish the Fairhope colony. It was the day that Gaston said people needed to put their money where their mouths were and make their way to Fairhope.”

Most of the settlers came by bayboat, others came by wagon. They converged on a spot that advance man James Bellangee described as “lovely indeed.” In a letter back to E.B. Gaston, Bellangee described the area that would become Fairhope, writing, "The view from the shore is magnificent…. The bay is quite calm and placid at eventide…. I believe it is the healthiest region we have struck yet.”

The 2008 Roundup Day will celebrate the founders with a party at the museum, Barrett said. “We’re still finalizing details, but we encourage people to come dressed as the founders would have in 1894, which could be anything from fine Edwardian outfits to work clothes, cover-alls, and straw hats.” The evening event will feature period decorations, music by the 1800’s-style string band Cracker Dan, light hors d’oeuvres, dancing, and a Fairhope trivia contest with prizes. “Study your Fairhope history 101, and come prepared to have a good time,” Barrett said.

The Fairhope Pier Players will kick-off “Thursdays at the Pier” for the Spring and Summer Season on Thursday, May 8th at 5 p.m. On May 8th, Kay Pierce, the 2007 Ms. Senior Baldwin County will sing “Harper Valley PTA” at 6:30 p.m. The concerts, located near the entrance of the Fairhope Municipal Pier, feature local vocalists and musicians playing the accordion, guitar, mandolin and the banjo. The concerts will be held every Thursday from 5 p.m. until sunset. All residents are invited to bring their lawn chairs and enjoy the entertainment. For questions, more information or if you want to participate as a musician, call Judy at 209-3390.

The Grand Festival of Art by the Bay takes place from 10am to 5pm both days; admission is free. As always, this year’s festival includes a mix of familiar and new. “We expect about 100 local and regional artists,” Fitzhugh said. “There will be the favorite faces that you look forward to seeing as well as exciting new exhibitors with work in around 25 different mediums, including painting, ceramics, graphics, sculpture, photography, stained and blown glass, jewelry, and woodwork.”

There’s more – The Grand Festival of Art by the Bay features a raffle with more than 50 works donated by participating artists; the new book Fairhope and the Eastern Shore – A Painter’s Paradise will be available for sale at the event; and Nancy Raia, director of the Center’s ABC children’s program, will help children create angel artwork that will be exhibited in November at the ESAC’s “Calling All Angels” event.

For more information on The Grand Festival of Art by the Bay, call 928-2228 or visit www.esartcenter.com.

Vehicles on display will include examples from all the well-known classic British marques. Some of them are Jaguar, MG, Triumph, Austin-Healey and many others. The cars will come from all along the Gulf Coast area. Owners will pay an entrance fee to participate in the event.

A portion of the show’s proceeds will be donated to a charity to be named by popular vote of the club membership. In the past, donations have been made to the American Cancer Society, The Alabama School for the Sensory Impaired, Wilmer Hall and others.

Trophies will be awarded by vote of the show participants. The awards ceremony will be at 3:00PM.

For more details, visit www.sabcc.org or contact the writer, Rodney McDonald, at 251 626-6289.

FAIRHOPE -- The City of Fairhope Police Department and Planning Department are working together to organize “Walk your Child to School Day” on Wednesday, October 8th to promote safety, physical activity, concern for the environment and also to give parents and caregivers the opportunity to teach children the proper way to cross the street, identify safe route to school and follow other pedestrian safety rules. “Walk Your Child to School Day” was originally established by the Partnership for a Walkable America to encourage parents and communities to teach children about pedestrian safety and become more aware of difficulties and dangers children may face on their trip each day.

“Children can use this opportunity to learn safe routes to walk to school and parents can review important safety guidelines with their children each year. We have such a beautiful community, what better way to enjoy it then by walking your child to school,” said Mayor Tim Kant. “By walking children to school, we can also determine how safe their route is for walking and where improvements can be made.”

According to Fairhope Police Chief, Mike Comalander, this is an also an opportunity to reduce traffic in our community since the benefits of walking to school extend beyond increasing physical activity and health, such as decreasing traffic congestion around schools and increasing the emphasis on pedestrian safety in our community.

The City is working in conjunction with Fairhope Intermediate, the Fairhope K-1 Center and Fairhope Elementary Schools to plan this project. For those who live too far from Fairhope Elementary School and Fairhope Intermediate School to walk the City encourages them to meet at the Big Lots/CVS parking lot where their parents can park and the students will walk to school with the guidance of Fairhope Police Chief Mike Comalander. Parents are also encouraged to walk with the students. Children who live too far from the K-1 Center will meet at the Fairhope Civic Center and a police officer and Dr. McLean Trotter with Cardiology Associates will lead these students to the K-1 Center. All students will meet their designated locations at 7:15 a.m.

The City of Fairhope would like to thank Regions Bank and Cardiology Associates, who will be giving away a pair of bikes to a Fairhope school student who participates in the event.

As part of this event, children and parents will receive tips on packing healthy lunches and the benefits of exercise from Cardiology Associates. For additional information on “Walk Your Child to School Day” call 929-1466.