By Bert Hayes

Staff Writer

bhayes@gulfcoastnewspapers.com

Three hundred thousand visitors are coming to Gulf Shores October 11-14?

Gulf Shores for three days will be the biggest little city in Alabama. That 300,000 equals the capacity of the football stadia of the Universities of Tennessee, Michigan and Penn State. 

Where is the city going to lodge such a number? No problem. Some are in walking distance, some in biking, and some in shuttle distance. Many will be coming from nearby cities and states, and will make the drive daily, therefore will need no lodging. Then there’s the great number of rental units projected by the Convention and Visitors Bureau three years ago which has come to be.

Thousands of units are now available for this great event. 

Behind every successful event is a great agency and committee at work. The Shrimp Festival is no exception. The Shrimp Festival is the special charge of the Alabama Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce. Like well-organized and energetic organizations everywhere, it makes the impossible look easy.

The orchestration of space, time and events began not very long after the 2006 Festival, and intensified in April 2007 with a place for everything and everything in place. The Islander has covered these episodes with front page art and headlines concurrent with the Redfish Tourney. Now the planning and excitement intensifies and every detail is discussed and dispatched. Don McPherson was specifically assigned to give impetus to the project. 

 Two stages offer continuous musical entertainment while the wee tykes attention is drawn to the Children’s Activity Village where they create their own “art,” and participate in other planned exercises.

And what’s a shrimp festival all about without shrimp? And what’s in your tastes? Do you like fried, boiled, BBQ, sautéed, stuffed, battered, skewered, casseroled? By Jove, we think you’ve got it. Can you win the raffle on a Mercedes? Can you figure the figurines of the South Pacific? 

McPherson further emphasizes that national recording artist Trent Tomlinson will be on the Bon Secour Village West Stage Friday, Oct. 12, at 8:30, and national recording artists Quiet Riot will be on the RE/MAX of Orange Beach East Stage Saturday, Oct. 13, at 8:30. Also, don’t forget all your favorite regional and local acts. 

The Chamber also emphasizes that the Festival is produced by the Alabama Gulf Area Chamber of Commerce and sponsored in part by Festival Sponsors: the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, Baldwin EMC, Coca-Cola, Miller-Lite, Fox 10 Television, Bon Secour Village, Nanny’s Old Fashioned Lemonade, RE/MAX of Orange Beach, Winn Dixie, Royal Prestige Cookware,  Tanger Outlets and the Alabama Credit Union. 

The Chamber lists “Friends of the Festival”: they are Cellular South, McCollough Institute, RE/MAX of Gulf Shores, South Baldwin’s Regional Hospital, C-Sharpe, Realty Executives, Vision Bank, Exit Realty, Bella Terra RV Resort, Gulf-Tel, Jet-Center South, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Ono Professional Partners, Lamar Advertising, Island Television and Sunny 105.7, WHEP, Q100, 92ZEW and 95 KSJ radio Stations.