Fish will again fly from the Flora-Bama April 28-30

Fish will again fly from the Flora-Bama April 28-30

By Fran Thompson
Flora-Bama’s April 28-30 Mullet Toss weekend – officially The Interstate Mullet Toss & Gulf Coast’s Greatest Beach Party – starts with the Mullet Swing Golf Classic on April 26 and continues with a kick-off party later that night featuring a concert by A Thousand Horses (presented by 95KSJ) at 9 p.m. on the ‘Bama Tent Stage.
The cover charge, Gulf side only, begins Friday through Sunday at 9 a.m. Cover is $10 for those 21+, and $15 for 13-20 year olds, with limited entry and 21 and up only after 6 p.m. Membership Cards, available online or at the door are $45 and good for the entire event. The bar will be cash only for bar sales on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with plenty of ATM’s available.
The main event on the Flora-Bama Beach consists of folks throwing a mullet out of a 10-foot circle from Florida towards Alabama. A DJ will spin from the Red Bull stage on the beach all weekend.
Overall winners on Friday, Saturday and Sunday will earn bragging rights for years, trophies, and gift certificates to local establishments. Other trophies will be awarded 3-deep in 19 total age categories, male & female, for each day of toss, Friday through Sunday, beginning at 10 a.m.
Local celebrities will toss out a few fish at noon each day, and there actually are rules for flinging mullets.
Contestants must select a mullet from the water bucket themselves. No gloves, no sand coating and no loading up a mullet with ballast before flinging is allowed.
All competitors must retrieve their own fish and return it to the water bucket. Stepping out of the circle before tossing or tossing the fish out of bounds are other no-nos. Tossers have only one chance to qualify for the finals each day.
The Mullet Toss record is held by Josh Serotum, who in 2004 supposedly (ahem) tossed the mullet 189’8″ in his preliminary toss and 174′ 3″ in his final toss. But those who can manage to throw more than 100 ft. have a good chance of placing.
Tossing techniques are as varied as the contestants themselves. For most, the best strategy is to fold the fish and pretend like you are trying to gun down a runner at the plate from center field.
Longtime competitor Wes Durham said at a past Toss that he likes to give his fish a pre-flight sip of beer. “Food for flight,’’ he called it.
Music will be ongoing all weekend at all three Flora-Bama businesses. A full list of the entertainment and The Mullet Toss schedule can be found on pages 32-33.
The toss fee is $15, which includes a souvenir t-shirt, with portion of proceeds to benefit the Community Drug & Alcohol Council, Youth Reach Gulf Coast, & local Boys & Girls Clubs on both sides of the line.
Other events include Miss Mullet Toss bikini contests at 3 p.m. on Friday & Saturday, with top finishers eligible for the $5,000 Miss Flora-Bama 2017 finals on Labor Day.
A special Mr. Mullet Toss Hot Body contest will be held on Thursday at 6 p.m. and Friday & Saturday at 1 p.m..
There will be a life size jenga at the Blue Chair Bay tent, a pop up barber shop and dunking booth provided by Sailor Jerry & Flor de Cana Rum.
Also expect pleasant surprises at the Live Kozy, Fireball Whiskey, Firefly, and Pickers Vodka airstream.
Parking is $10 per car and lots will be manned by local charities and youth sport groups. Shuttles at $5 per head will be running non-stop starting 7 a.m. on Friday through Sunday. Pick up spots are the Publix parking lot in Orange Beach and the Winn-Dixie lot in Perdido Key.
All four eateries on premise, the Flora-Bama Yacht Club, newly remodeled Flora-Bama Ole River Grill, The Authentic Taco, and the original Flora-Bama Lounge and Oyster Bar on the Gulf will feature Cajun Cooked Crawfish, tacos, shrimp, oysters and the famous Bama Burger.
Many Mullet Toss patrons will make condo and hotel reservations for 2018 while in town this year.
“They could come here on July 4th or Memorial Day or Labor Day. But they decide that something we created was going to be their weekend to have a party, and they come back every year,’’ said Flora-Bama co-owner Pat McClellan. “It’s a tradition for a lot of people, and they respect that tradition and respect each other.
“We have less problems with crowds at the Mullet Toss than during the major holiday weekends,’’ he added.
The Interstate Mullet Toss has been written up in the Wall Street Journal and hundreds of other major newspapers around the country. The event was also featured in Sports Illustrated.
The Flora-Bama Lounge and Package has been entertaining visitors from its location directly on the Gulf of Mexico since 1964. Featuring music 365 days a year of live music from top regional and national acts, The Flora-Bama is known the world over, as evidenced by a picture mailed to the Mullet Wrapper of a Mullet Toss t-shirt from a beach in Thailand.
The Flora-Bama is, of course, located on the Gulf of Mexico at the Fla/ Ala state line. For info, call (850) 492-3048 or (251) 980-5118, or visit florabama.com.

Pictured: Young Mullet Tosser