Spring is in the air, and you can feel it on our beaches! On February 18, the Special Events for Mexico Beach hosted the 23rd annual Gumbo Cook-Off. It was a fantastic day with one of the biggest turnouts we have seen, raising funds for the July 4th Best Blast on the Beach Fireworks festivities. The crowds of customers sampled some great gumbo, Brunswick stew, and desserts. This year’s winners are listed below. A big thank you to all the volunteers who worked to put on this great event. We hope everyone who came enjoyed the day and will make plans to come back and enjoy our July 4th fireworks show.
Gumbo Division 1st Place: Fishon Fishing Adventures – Port St. Joe, FL
2nd Place: Big Jon’s UnRouxly Crew – Albany, GA
3rd Place: Sullivan’s Roux – Mexico Beach, FL
Brunswick Stew Division 1st Place: Port City Cleaning – Port St. Joe, FL
2nd Place: El Gov Stue Crue – Mexico Beach, FL
3rd Place: Lookout Lounge – Port St. Joe, FL
Best Decorated El Gov Stue Crue – Mexico Beach, FL
Best Team Spirit Sullivan’s Roux – Mexico Beach, FL
And the Winner Is. . .
Up for grabs last month was a prize pack from the Mexico Beach Marina, and the lucky winner is Angie Evitts from Terre Haute, Indiana. Congrats, Angie!
MARCH GIVEAWAY
This month’s giveaway is a ladies’ size large Free Fly comfort long-sleeve shirt and navy ball cap from KC Sportfishing. US Veteran–owned and operated, KC Sportfishing offers a variety of fishing charters and cruises that will meet everyone’s boating desires, including sunset cruises. Red snapper season is coming, so book your charter with them today. To place your name in the hat, send an email to Kathy at [email protected].
Meet Mexico Beach
This month, we’re delighted to introduce you to one of our local artists, Cyndi Lanier. She is a nature printer and artist specializing in Gyotaku, also known as fish printing, where she captures the art on canvas. It is a beauty of nature. Her works can be found at the Driftwood Inn and Mexico Beach Welcome Center. If you’re looking for original art, be sure to stop by these places to view Cyndi’s work. Her works are also available for purchase. You can view her full catalog on her webpage, SecondNatureArts.com.
Farmers & Craft Market
March 11 & 25
Come spend the morning at the Mexico Beach Farmers & Craft Market at Parker Park, located at 2500 Highway 98. Vendors will include produce, fresh jellies, one-of-a-kind crafts, and much more. Market hours have adjusted for the fall/winter months and will take place from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Each market is sure to feature new vendors, so be sure to come every time. If you’d like to be a vendor, sign up now. Space is limited, so don’t wait! This market is put on by the Special Events for Mexico Beach, Inc.
Now in its 18th year, the Forgotten Coast Annual en Plein Air Paint-Out is excited to welcome internationally acclaimed artists to capture the natural beauty, character, and local culture through the plein air tradition. The event will kick off in March as artists gather along the region to capture what some believe to be the last vestige of authentic “Old Florida.” From the western end of Mexico Beach to the east side of Alligator Point, artists can be seen painting alongside the roads overlooking the Gulf, as well as in out-of-the-way settings. This event consists of daily artist demonstrations, workshops, and sales of locally created art.
Monday, March 20, is Mexico Beach Plein Air Day! Join artists Olena Babek, Greg Barnes, Brienne Brown, and Morgan Samuel Price as they capture the scenes of our beautiful area. They will be painting around the Welcome Center at 102 Canal Parkway. Take a peek while they paint, then stick around for the artist reception, where Olena Babek will be the featured artist. We will welcome Olena and the other artists to our beautiful destination. They will display their work of Mexico Beach scenes and will be happy to answer any questions and give painting tips. Artist demonstrations will take place from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. CT with the artist reception following from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. CT.
Get ready to print those pictures and try your hand at our annual photography contest. The Mexico Beach 23rd Annual Photography Contest will open for submission on April 1 and run until July 31. We welcome all photographs taken in Mexico Beach, past or present. All photographs will be submitted for judging after July 31, and the winners will be contacted and announced on the Mexico Beach website, social media pages, and in the e-newsletter. Winning photographs will be displayed in the Mexico Beach Welcome Center after judging. We hope you will capture Mexico Beach through your “eyes” and enter our photography contest.
Join us on the beach at Sunset Park on Saturday, April 22, as we celebrate generations of love with a special shared vow renewal ceremony. We cordially invite all married couples to be part of this special complimentary vow renewal and reception. Following the ceremony, there will be a cupcake and champagne reception. This lovely ceremony is open for all to attend and experience the event of the year! Registration is now open.
Mexico Beach is a Leave No Trace community, and we appreciate your assistance in helping us keep our beaches clean. Any items left on the beach unattended from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. will be removed and disposed of by the City of Mexico Beach. Items include, but are not limited to, tents and tent frames, beach chairs, coolers, umbrellas, toys, etc. Also, please fill in any holes before you leave and please remain off the sand dunes and out of the sea oats to ensure their continued nourishment. There are boardwalks and walking paths that can be accessed to reach the beach. Your assistance with these requests will keep our beaches beautiful and pristine. For full details on this ordinance or questions, click here or contact City Hall at (850) 648-5700.
Shrimp with Artichokes, Spinach, and Lemon
This is a great dish that can be enjoyed with family and friends. We publish it with the compliments of the Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association Seafood Cookbook (www.mbara.org).
INGREDIENTS
20 to 24 shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 green onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tomato, chopped
½ cup white wine
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 can artichoke hearts, quartered and drained
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
½ cup cream
4 cups fresh spinach
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Grated parmesan cheese
Pasta or rice (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Sauté green onions and garlic in olive oil in a large skillet. Add shrimp and sauté for 2 minutes. Add wine and lemon zest and warm. Add artichokes and warm. Mix the cornstarch and cream together and add to the skillet. Cook for 3 minutes to thicken. Stir in spinach leaves and wilt. Add ground nutmeg and salt to taste. Serve in individual casseroles or over pasta or rice. Squeeze lemon juice over all and top with tomato and parmesan cheese to taste. Enjoy!
The Humor of Getting Older!
It’s important to have a twinkle in your wrinkle. —Unknown
Middle age is when you’re sitting at home on a Saturday night, the telephone rings, and you hope it isn’t for you. —Ogden Nash
The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for. —Will Rogers
The older I get, the more clearly I remember things that never happened. —Mark Twain
Nice to be here? At my age, it’s nice to be anywhere. —George Burns
I don’t feel old. I don’t feel anything until noon. Then it’s time for my nap. —Bob Hope
You know you are getting old when everything hurts, and what doesn’t hurt doesn’t work. —Hy Gardner
When your friends begin to flatter you on how young you look, it’s a sure sign you’re getting old. —Mark Twain
There’s one advantage to being 100 years old: no peer pressure. —Dennis Wolfberg
Time may be a great healer, but it’s a lousy beautician. —Anonymous
Butter Up
This saying generally means to flatter or compliment someone, usually to gain a favor or request. It’s believed that this saying goes back to ancient India and was part of the religious customs of the time. Believers threw butterballs of ghee—clarified butter used in cooking—at the statues of their gods, seeking forgiveness and favors. The believers would, in effect, be “buttering them up.”
