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In today’s newsletter :

1. Fairhope Pier’s $10M Makeover: South Beach Park Benches Gone for Now 😟 

2. Fairhope: The Next Hotspot for Sports Tourism Like Foley?

3. East Fairhope Power Outage: Lights Back On After Sunday PM Fix!

4. Quick News from around Fairhope

5. Fairhope Faces : Robert and Irene

   “Mama opened the Blue Marlin restaurant in 1981”

6. Let’s Go! Fairhope Events Section

Fairhope Pier’s $10M Makeover: South Beach Park Benches Gone for Now 😟 

If you’ve been wondering where all the benches and tables at the South Beach Park have gone, you’re not alone! It turns out our beloved pier is getting a serious facelift, and the benches are taking a little vacation while the city tackles some long-awaited renovations. Starting August 23rd, the Fairhope Municipal Pier and South Beach Park entered Phase 1 of the $10 million Working Waterfront Project, complete with seawall repairs, fountain upgrades, and a restroom refresh. While we might have to say goodbye to our favorite sitting spots for a few months, Mayor Sherry Sullivan promises it’ll all be worth it—though parking might be a bit of an adventure in the meantime. The pier and the North Beach Park will stay open during construction, so you can still stroll down memory lane. Fingers crossed, everything will be back and better by the Fourth of July 2025, just in time for some celebratory fireworks! For more information about the project, visit the Working Waterfront Project website.

Fairhope: The Next Hotspot for Sports Tourism Like Foley?

The Fairhope Times reports that Fairhope’s thinking about turning 114 acres of farmland into a sports tourism hotspot! The city’s hiring a team to see if we really need all those new fields and facilities. More details available at The Fairhope Times.

East Fairhope Power Outage: Lights Back On After Sunday PM Fix!

On Sunday afternoon at approximately 2:45 p.m., a big transmission outage left over 5,000 customers in the area east of 181 in and around Fairhope without power for between 1-3 hours. Baldwin EMC crews and their power provider jumped into action, working fast to track down the problem. By 3:45 p.m., they started getting things back on track, but the Fish River substation was still being a bit stubborn. Turns out, a bad regulator was to blame. With more crews brought in to help, they tackled the tough job of switching loads to restore power to as many homes as they could while repairs were underway. By 5:45 p.m., the lights were back on, and everyone could breathe a sigh of relief. Huge thanks to everyone for their patience, and especially to the crews who worked tirelessly to get things back to normal!

Quick News from around Fairhope

1. Fairhope Weather : Warm with Better Rain Chances

2. Fairhope’s Worst Intersection Getting Help?

3. Food As Medicine Meeting at FUMC

4. Volunteer and Donation Needs In Baldwin County

Fairhope Faces : Robert and Irene
“Mama opened the Blue Marlin restaurant in 1981”

From their story on Our Southern Souls - “We lived in the back of the store; Mama would run back and cook dinner in our kitchen. Customers smelled the fried chicken or whatever she was cooking. They would go back to the stove, lift the lid of the pot, and ask, ‘Watcha cookin’ today?’ Then sat down to eat. A nurse from Foley stopped by and fixed herself a plate every day. It was nothing to have ten people in the back eating dinner with us. Mama always made enough. I got that from her.

We told Mama she should open a restaurant in this place. Since she fed half the people in Barnwell, she might as well charge them. Mama opened the Blue Marlin restaurant in 1981. Later, she got sick and had a stroke. My husband, Robert, and I took over the restaurant in 1999.” Read the whole story on Our Southern Souls .

Let’s Go Fairhope sifts through endless posts, websites and insider-scoop information to bring you the skinny on events and things to do locally. It filters out the noise and gets to the point. It’s a simple list, presented in a friendly format, reminding us at-a-glance of what’s happening each week. Our fans say they like it because it’s basic, easily accessible, can be printed and posted on the fridge, and found on social media. Click here to visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter.

Monday, August 26
Sign up for Let’s Go! Fairhope here

• 8 am: Local Info / 9:05 - 10 am: Gulf Coast Swap Shop @ WABF 1480 AM Radio

• 8 am Parking Authority Meeting @ Fairhope Museum of History

• 9 am: First Hope Benevolence Ministry Meets @ First Fairhope

• 10 am: Knit & Crochet for a Purpose @ Fairhope United Methodist

• 1:30 - 3 pm: Craft Circle @ Fairhope Christian Church

• 1:30 - 3 pm: TED Talks Discussion Group @ Fairhope Library - Computer Lab

• 2 pm: Eastern Shore Uke Club @ Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship

• 3 pm: Seeking Peace Grief Group @ Fairhope United Methodist

• 3 pm: City Council Time Change: Work Session & Agenda Meeting 3 PM - 5:55 PM

• 4 pm: Library Board of Trustees Meeting @ Fairhope Public Library

• 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm: Drew Howard - Live Music @ Page & Palette

• 5:30 pm: Bingo @ Provision

• 6 pm: City Council Meeting @ City of Fairhope Council Chambers

• 6 - 9 pm: David Butler - Live Music @ Gambino's Italian Grill

• 6:30 pm: Magnolia Squares Square Dancing @ Fairhope Christian Church

• 6:30 pm: Sons of the American Legion Meeting @ American Legion Post 199

• 7:22 - 7:45 pm: Sunset @ Fairhope Pier

Tuesday, August 27
Sign up for Let’s Go! Fairhope here

• 7 am: 62+ Seniors 5% Discount Day @ Piggly Wiggly Fairhope

• 7:15 am: The Nix Golfers meet on Tuesdays @ Quail Creek Golf Course

• 8 am, 9:05 - 10 am: Local Info / Gulf Coast Swap Shop @ WABF 1480 AM Radio

• 8 am: Pickleball @ Fairhope United Methodist

• 12 pm: Sertoma Club Guest Speaker @ District Hall

• 1 pm: Consanguinity: Invictus presented by Rodger French @ FH Public Library

• 5 - 9 pm: Taco Tuesday $2 Tacos @ Dragonfly Foodbar

• 5:30 pm: Hope Community Public Meeting @ FH Un. Methodist Christian Life Center

• 6 pm: Hammerfest 25 miles ride - Rear Light Required @ Procycle

• 6 - 8 pm: Snowden Wright - Author Event @ Page & Palette

• 6 pm: Junior Auxiliary of the Eastern Shore Provisional Social @ The Hope Farm

• 6:30 pm: Running Wild Hills & Speed Run @ Meet at Pier Ave & Satsuma St

• 6:30 - 8 pm: DJ Trivia @ Section Street Pizza

• 7 pm: Bingo @ Bone & Barrel

• 7 - 10 pm: Karaoke @ Gambino’s Italian Grill

• 7:21 - 7:44 pm: Sunset @ Fairhope Pier

• 8 pm: Trivia Night @ Tongue and Groove

• 8 pm: Trivia Night @ The Ravenite Pizzeria

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- John Oldshue, Anne Dorman, & Lynn Oldshue