SnowBird NEWS


Welcome Wednesdays at Flora-Bama

Welcome Wednesdays potluck lunches are back at the Flora-Bama thru February. The weekly lunch party features live music, followed by drawings for goods, services and merchandise compliments of the Flora-Bama and local businesses. Music begins at 11 a.m. The noon buffet is $3 per person or free for those bringing a covered dish or dessert The Flora-Bama is located directly on the Gulf at the Florida-Alabama state line.


Folks on Spokes Food Drive Feb. 11-12

Folks on Spokes a bicycle riding group, Iowa Snowbird Club, and other area Snowbirds are holding a food drive Feb. 11-12 from 8 a.m.-noon to benefit the Food Pantry at the Christian Service Center. The event is at the Gulf State Park Campground and the $2 park entrance fee will be waived between those hours both days when bringing a food donation. The drop site is located at the Nature Center Pavilion. Items may be placed in the grocery carts located near the camp store or someone will take donations from your car.
All nonperishable goods are welcome and appreciated. Suggestions: Ramen noodles, crackers, cereal, canned soup, oatmeal and grits (individual packets), jelly, peanut butter, mac and cheese, clothes detergent (small packages) disposable diapers, baby wipes, toilet paper, paper towels. Last year’s effort was a big success with about 2,000 pounds of food donations, as well as $455 in cash. The Christian Service Center provides food and emergency aid to families in need in Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and Fort Morgan.

Minnesota

By Nancy Poferl
The Minnesota Snowbird Club is hosting a weekly breakfast at GT’s On The Bay located on 26189 Canal Road, Orange Beach Jan. 11-March 8 at 8 a.m. Registration is required one week prior to the event. Click on the Breakfast Sign-up tab on our homepage at mnal.org. There is a minimum and maximum requirement. Best value breakfast in town. New and returning snowbirds from Minnesota can keep abreast of 2022 activities at mnal.org or facebook.com search @mnalclub.

Snowbird Church Service

Snow Bird Church service to be every Sunday (January-March) at 9 a.m. at the Island Retreat RV park clubhouse on Ft. Morgan Road. Kent Gerber, chaplain 336-529-2372 for more information.

Iowa

By Pat Brush
Iowa Snowbirds are invited to attend events January through early March 2022. There is no membership fee to join and all Iowans and their guests are welcome at all club events. For more info: IowaAlabamagulfcoastsnowbirds.org (preferred), or by calling Chris and Steve Hedlund at 319-430-4597. Iowa club members support various local charities while in the Gulf community such as the fire departments, libraries, the zoo, etc. with the funds collected. The first Iowa Social is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 21 from 5-7 p.m. at the Caribe Resort, Building D, 28103 Perdido Beach Boulevard, Orange Beach. No RSVP is required. Bring an appetizer/dish to share and your own beverage. The Iowa golf schedule and sign-up for tee times is posted on the website, Iowa-Alabamagulfcoastsnowbirds.org. An Iowa night at the Trip Down Memory Lane Dinner Show is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 1. Information and details for obtaining discounted tickets can be found on our website under the Happenings tab. Club members are encouraged to check the website for updates on events, sign-ups for club events, and a listing of activities.

Snowbird Trivia Night Feb. 12

By Larry Ramirez
Saturday, Feb. 12 is the date for one of the most exciting winter events on the Gulf Coast; Snowbird Trivia Night. Doors open at 5 p.m. Play beins at 6 p.m. You can bring food, drink, table décor and $5 per person cash to play heads and tails during the break. The deadline for reserving your table has been extended to Tuesday, Feb. 8. Get your registration form at either the Orange Beach or Gulf Shores library. Award medallions that will be given to all players at the first, second and third place tables. Award certificates will be given for the top three Best Table Theme. The medallions were designed and manufactured in the library’s maker space. Bring food, drink, table décor and $5 per person to play heads and tails during the break. The Friends of the Orange Beach Library are going to great lengths to make this event as safe as possible for participants and workers. The $160 table cost includes 40 door-prize tickets. Mulligans must be purchased at time of registration. More info: 405-630-7831.

Winter Showcase Series

Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism will once again be offering its free Winter Showcase Series to winter guests visiting the area as well as local residents. During the months of January and February, visitors and locals can learn from area experts on topics ranging from shipwrecks and military and Native American history to gardening and cooking, to music and art, to wildlife and the local environment, and more. The Winter Showcase Series will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday-Friday starting Jan. 10 until Feb. 25. All presentations will be at The Port at The Wharf in Orange Beach unless noted otherwise. Advance registration is required. For the full series schedule and to register online, go to gulfshores.com. More info: 251-968-7511.

Masonic Chicken Dinner Feb. 5

By Dean Mott
Sonora Masonic Lodge #635 F&AM will hold its 2022 annual fried chicken dinner fundraisers on Saturday, Feb. 5 and March 5 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. or until supplies last. The lodge is located at 202 E. Jackson St. in Summerdale. Adult plates will be $9 and a child’s plate will be $5. Delivery is available on multiple plate orders. The dinners will include chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, cole slaw, green beans and complimentary tea and dessert for dine-in guests. Proceeds generated fwill be used towards monthly lodge expenditures. For more information contact Dean Mott at 251-423-7604 or visit the lodge’s Facebook page.

Missouri

By Mark Rethemeyer
If you are a snowbird without a club, you’re in luck. You’ don’t have to be from Missouri and you don’t have to be a member to join us for our activities. Take this as your personal invitation, and we hope to see you soon! If you are from Missouri and looking to meet some other Missouri Snowbirds – we have the club for you! Join us for breakfast every Wednesday at the Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach. Arrive around 8:30 and we have a great buffet breakfast at 9 for $10 per person (plus tax and tip). At breakfast you’ll have an opportunity to sign up for our other activities. We play golf every Wednesday afternoon at 1 (weather permitting of course) and we would love to have you join us. You can sign up at breakfast. Join us for Happy Hour on Mondays at 4 at Cobalt the Restaurant just over the Perdido Bay Bridge (next to the Caribe Resort). We’ll be in the Banquet Room. Enjoy Happy Hour food and drink specials, and a great opportunity to meet other friendly people. To sign up for events or for more info, email mer2@charter.net, visit mosnowbirds.org or facebook.
Like us on Facebook: Missouri Club of Gulf Shores

New York

By Frank Panczyszyn
The New York Snowbirds will return to Ginny Lanes at The Wharf for their second luncheon on Jan. 27, gathering and registering at 1130 a.m., followed by lunch. (NOTE: Registration is 30 minutes later than normal to accommodate our guest speaker’s schedule). Joel Hamilton, Director of the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo will be their guest speaker. Reservations are required by email to nysnowbirds@gmail.com. They will gather again at Ginny Lane on Feb. 10 and 24, and March 10.

Indiana

By Becky Chatham-Heidenreich
This year has turned out to be a difficult time. Due to the requirements of the restaurants, reservations for Indiana snowbird breakfasts, we have to have prepaid reservations made a week in advanced of the scheduled breakfasts. Breakfasts are Jan. 27, Feb. 10 and Feb. 24. Deadline is a week prior to each. Cash for breakfasts ($10 @) needs to be paid at the meeting before the breakfast you wish to attend or received by mail on due date. The mailing address is: Linda Tucker, 5098 Bay Dr., Orange Beach, AL 36561. Any questions please call Linda at (251)747-5767. Anyone who hasn’t paid dues may pay dues ($2.50@) at the first breakfast you attend. We have speakers, 50/50 drawing, and door prizes thanks to our generous donations from local businesses. Come and enjoy a delicious breakfast, fun and the renewing of old friendships or making new friends.

Cribbage Fridays at Post 44

By Barbara Beamish
Beginning Friday, Jan. 14, Cribbage players will be gathering to play Cribbage every Friday. Sign up starts at 12:30 p.m. and play begins at 1 p.m. at the Gulf Shores American Legion, Post 44, 6781 AL-59. Cost is $5. For additional information contact Barbara Beamish at 989-464-8605. All Cribbage players are welcome!

G.S. Men’s Snowbird Coffee Club

By Larry Cole
The Gulf Shores Men’s Snowbird Coffee Club will have their first meeting of the 2022 season on Monday, Jan. 3 at 8 a.m. All meetings are at Ginny Lane Bar and Grill at the Wharf in Orange Beach every Monday morning from 7:30 -8:30 a.m. Membership information is available at these meetings.
The oldest continually active snowbird club has more than 200 members from 26 states and three Canadian provinces. Besides raising money for local charities, the club has golf outings, sponsors casino trips and conducts breakfast meetings for members and spouses. The club also throws horseshoes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at noon at Meyer Park in Gulf Shores.

Craft Show

Craft and Hobby show on Thursday, Feb. 24 at Grand Pointe Condos, 27284 Gulf Road, Orange Beach, (Across from San Roc Cay). Handcrafted jewelry, beaded silverware, greeting cards, quilled decorated cards, painted birdhouses and magnets. Info: Judie McCoy at (765)860-8520

Snowbird Euchre

Snowbird Euchre: Wednesday play starts at 6 p.m. Gulf Shores American Legion Post 44. Thursday play starts at 1 p.m. Gulf Shores American Legion Post 44.

Mt. Dulcimer Players

Mt Dulcimer Players meet until the beginning of March, Mon 10-11:30 a.m., Wed 2-3:30 p.m., St Andrew by the Sea, 17263 Fort Morgan Road, Gulf Shores. Questions? Michelle 317-446-0500.

Sweet Harmony Chorus

By Pamula Rustan
Woman Singers Come Join Us! Sweet Harmony Chorus is a group of women snowbirds and local residents who like to sing woman’s acapella music in the barbershop-close harmony style. We meet for two and a half months, one day a week for a limited commitment. All ranges of talent are welcome. We have training tapes for rapid learning. The women of this group have a lot of fun, laughs and musical experiences. Any woman who would enjoy singing is welcome to join us. We require singers to be fully vaccinated, and we require masks and social distancing. For info, call Pamula Rustan, director at 701-260-0670 or email viewpt01@gmail.com. Also visit sweetharmonychorus.org. Join us on Monday 3 at 2 pm. Time: 2 – 4pm every Monday thru Mar. 14 at Choir Room at Gulf Shores United Methodist Church, 1900 Gulf Shores Parkway.

Dakotas Snowbird Club

By Joyce Anderson
Dakotas Snowbird Club is scheduled to meet Feb. 8 and 22, and March 8, at 8:30 a.m. for breakfast with a 9 a.m. program at Luna’s Magnolia Hall in Orange Beach. The club may also plan several social activities to be determined at a later date.
Our club consists of Snowbirds visiting the Gulf Coast with connections to or living in North and South Dakota. We contribute to the Christian Service Center food pantry by collecting food and cash at our meetings and providing volunteers for several local charities and organizations. For more information please contact Joyce Anderson at 605-351-0274 and leave a message for a return call.

Snowbird Blood Drive Feb. 14

By David Angle
A snowbird blood drive, sponsored by the Michigan Snowbird Club, will be Monday, Feb. 14 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Gulf Shores Adult Activity Center, located at 260 Clubhouse Drive. Streamline your donation experience and save up to 15 minutes by visiting redcross.org / rapid pass to complete your pre-donation reading and health history questions on the day of your appointment. For more info, contact David Angle at 248-797-9852.

Give Back Tuesdays at State Park

Give Back Tuesday community work days are back at Gulf State Park. Volunteers are needed for projects focusing on wildlife protection, trail maintenance, campground restoration, park beautification, invasive species removal and much more. The community work days are every Tuesday from 8 a.m.-noon. Meet in the parking lot next to the Nature Center and be sure to bring closed-toe shoes, comfy clothes, work gloves, bug spray and a reusable water bottle. Contact Cindy Langston at cindy. langston@dcnr. alabama.gov for more info.

Michigan Snowbird Golf

By Dave Ferguson
While the Michigan Club will not be meeting this Winter, we still have golf outings. We will be golfing every Monday and Wednesday until March 9. Our golf schedule can be found at the Michigan Club website (michiganclubalabama.com). This year we are again welcoming all snowbirds from all the snowbird clubs to join our golf outings. To sign up, just go to our website, click on the golf icon and our schedule will appear. Pick the course that you want to play and call the coordinator for that course and give them your name and phone number and you will be signed up. Our next four of golf outings and contacts are as follows: Jan. 31 at Quail Creek, Dave Eppley 810-334-5947; 2/2/22 at Craft Farms (Cypress course), Bob Imhoff 616-897-5290; Feb. 7 at Marcus Pointe, Nancy Grebe 586-295-4345; and Feb. 9 at Glen Lakes Dyna Lehman 517-983-8225. For Michigan snowbirds, our next sign up for the remaining golf outings for February and March is Feb. 6, from 1-2 p.m., at the Live Bait Restaurant. Come and have lunch and then sign up. We will also have Ladies golf. It will be every Tuesday, weather permitting, at Gulf Links Golf Center on 59. We will meet at 9:30 a.m., with Tee times at 10. If you would like to join or have questions please contact Sue Beach at spbeach260@charter.net or phone 231-429-0952.

Gulf Shores Senior Softball

By John McCabe
For the past 20 years local seniors have welcomed snowbirds to join us on our manicured diamonds in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Most snowbird softball players participate in leagues in their hometowns and look forward to continue play here. We have 22 local players, but we welcome and encourage others to join us. Our players are all over 50 years old. We welcome females as well. We generally meet Mondays and Fridays in the morning at either the Gulf Shores Sportsplex or Orange Beach Sportsplex. The location depends upon field availability. For more information please contact John McCabe at 251-981-9787.

Wisconsin Synod Lutherans

By Jeff Quint
Gulf Shores area WELS/ELS members
will have local church services with Holy Communion on Jan. 16 and 30 and Feb. 13 and 27 at St Jude by the Sea Lutheran Church, 312 E. 16th Ave., Gulf Shores. Services will start at 4 p.m. with Bible class to follow. Make checks pay-able to Risen Savior Lutheran Church. For more info contact: Jim Diehm, 231-598-0383 or jkdiehm@gmail.com.

Snowbird Play

Although it is usually one of the winter’s hottest tickets, as of the Mullet Wrapper deadline tickets were still available for the South Baldwin Community Theatre’s snowbird production, A Bad Year for Tomatoes, scheduled Feb. 9-13 and 16-20.
Other upcoming productions include The Fourth Annual Radio Theatre Festival on Feb. 25-27; Local playright Laura S. Pfizenmayer’s Cancer is a Pain in My Ass on March 5-6 and The Enchanted Bookshop, a Young Artist production scheduled April 1-3 and 8-10.
Tickets are available at ci.ovationtix.com or SBCT.biz.
In A Bad Year for Tomatoes, the famous Myra Marlowe, fed up with the pressures and demands of her acting career, leases a house in the tiny New England hamlet of Beaver Haven and settles down to write her autobiography.
She is successful in turning aside the offers pressed on her by her long-time agent, but dealing with her nosy, omnipresent neighbors is a different matter. In an attempt to shoo them away, and gain some privacy, Myra invents a mad, homicidal sister—who is kept locked in an upstairs room, but who occasionally escapes long enough to scare off uninvited visitors. The ruse works well, at first, but complications result when the local handyman develops an affection for “Sister Sadie” (really Myra in a fright wig) and some of the more officious ladies decide it is their Christian duty to save the poor demented Sadie’s soul. In desperation Myra announces that her imaginary sibling has suddenly gone off to Boston—which brings on the sheriff and the suspicion of murder. Needless to say, all is straightened out in the end, but the uproarious doings will keep audiences laughing right up to the final curtain, and then some.

Low Country Boil, Brat Fest canceled

By Frank Panczyszyn
The eleven Alabama Gulf State Snowbird clubs have over the years worked together during their winter visits to raise funds for various community causes. The big projects that have attracted attention and appreciation from the snowbird and local communities are the Brat Fest, a benefit for the local fire departments, typically conducted on Super Bowl Weekend, and the Low Country Boil, a benefit for the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, and typically conducted the third week in February. Until that year, the Brat Fest had donated nearly $120,000 to the Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and Fort Morgan Fire Departments, and the Low Country Boil had donated over $86,000 to the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo.
The Brat Fest and Low Country Boil Snowbird committees regretfully announce that these fund raising events will not be conducted in 2022. Both committees are considering their options for 2023, given some degree of optimism that we would get back to a degree of normalcy on the Alabama Gulf Coast by then.

Perdido Chamber Hootenanny

Snowbirds will gather at the Florida-Alabama State-Line for the second of three Snowbird Hootenanny luncheons at the World-Famous Flora-Bama on Feb. 10 beginning at 11 a.m. Admission is $10 per person. Tickets are limited and can be purchased online at VisitPerdido.com, or in person at the Perdido Key Area Chamber of Commerce