Don & Teri Locke have been dancing their way around Shrimp Fest for 20 years
Don & Teri Locke have been dancing their way around Shrimp Fest for 20 years
By Fran Thompson
Don and Teri Locke love to dance.
Specifically, they love to dance at the National Shrimp Festival, which recently completed its 51st year of providing fun, food, frivolity and cajun pistols at Gulf Shores Public Beach.
The couple plans their fall vacation around Gulf Shores’ signature event, traveling from their home in Shelbyville, TN (They are building a home nearby in Cookeville) and staying in the condo they own in Orange Beach.
“We love music and we have been coming to the Shrimp Fest for over 20 years, except for 2004 when Ivan came to visit and when it was cancelled due to COVID,’’ Don said. “We love to dance to good music. Nothing professional, just for fun.
“Our normal schedule is to be there every day at 10 a.m. and we stay until closing, bouncing back and forth between East and West stages. We try to experience all the amazing talent locally and beyond. We are never disappointed.’’ he added.
“We often joke with our friends here that we have to get out of our town to dance so we don’t embarras our kids.’’
The couple met when Don was stationed at Kincheloe Air Force Base in Michigan near Teri‘s home in Sault Ste. Marie.
“We married in 1966 and have been madly in love for 58 years,’’ Don said.
Don said he and Teri didn’t put on their dancing shoes until they had already raised their three daughters.
“My wife said to me, ‘We are going to learn to dance.’ We did take a couple lessons just to get our feet wet and then we took it from there on our own,’’ Don said.
Since Don retired from the commercial refrigeration business in 2006, their schedule has included shuffling their feet all around Pleasure Island when they are here.
“You don’t have to look hard around here to find good music,’’ Don said. “We love the Groovinators. Rhonda Hart, LeaAnn Creswell & Lisa Zanghi, Platinum Premier, Scott Koehn, Josh Newcom, Jonathan Newton and the Smokey Otis Band.
“There is a long list of others, and I am sure there are many fine entertainers that we have not had the pleasure of hearing,’’ Don added.
The couple has also made many friends while out dancing.
“We have met so many nice people while out dancing over the years. It is also nice to reunite with the Shrimp Fest committee workers that we have had the privilege of getting to know.’’
