Legendary entertainer Jimmy Buffett only has to be in the general area for a big party to break out.

Case in point: While Gulf Shores will be turned into “Margaritaville” on July 1 when Buffett gives a free concert at the public beach, a little to the north a beach party will be breaking out in Foley, sand and all. In Buffett parlance, it’s sort of a different “latitude” but with the same “attitude,” namely, support for the oil-beleaguered coast.

“We want to support our friends in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores,” said Kathy Danielson, executive director of the Foley Convention & Visitors Bureau, in speaking of the beach party to be held at Heritage Park downtown.

Of Buffett, the parrothead prince who has a large and devoted following, Danielson said, “We’re so glad he’s here in our area. He doesn’t even have to be here in Foley for us to have a party.”

When Buffett announced recently that he would hold a free but ticketed concert at the public beach in Gulf Shores to help boost the area’s once booming but now struggling tourist industry, 35,000 tickets were gone in a snap. A flap has since resulted over how those tickets were distributed.

Few locals got tickets to the beach concert and that has resulted in some hurt feelings.

“It’s been such a crazy thing,” Danielson said. “I understand both sides of the issue; that the concert was meant for outsiders to come down here and stay in the condos and support the local economy with their money. But I understand the locals saying, we’re here all the time, eating in the restaurants and going through this situation (oil crisis).”

The ticket flap has, in Danielson’s words, produced “a lot of interesting views.”

But the beach party planned at Heritage Park hasn’t been plagued by controversy; indeed, it’s been put together on the fly.

“Sometimes those are the best events,” Danielson said, noting on Friday that the event sponsored by the City of Foley, Riviera Utilities and CVB is being added to as time goes by.

The Heritage Park beach party begins at 5:30 p.m. A big screen will be up and broadcasting the Buffett concert in Gulf Shores live. Event coordinators note the sound will be cranked up for all to enjoy until it gets dark enough for the broadcast on CMTV (starting at 7 p.m.) to be seen on the screen.

Event participants are urged to bring blankets, chairs and ice chests. Kids are urged to wear swimsuits and bring sand buckets and shovels. Danielson said sand will be brought in the way it has been done at Heritage Harbor Days.

“We just want to celebrate with our friends to the south,” Danielson said.

“We know what we’re facing, and we can’t get away from it,” she said of the oil crisis threatening Alabama beaches. “But we have each other.”

Those who attend the Heritage Park beach party are urged to bring a canned good for the local food bank.