Mexico Beach eNewsletter | FEBRUARY 2026 |
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We’re ready to feel the love for warmer weather! This time of year can be rather cold to our northern friends, so we suggest giving the gift of a sunny beach vacation to your sweetheart. Love is always in the air, especially when the smells of delicious gumbo are heating up. The end of the month brings the beloved annual Gumbo Cook-Off back to our community. This fundraiser, hosted on February 28 by the Special Events for Mexico Beach, promises to be a great time with good gumbo, live music, free beads, and much more. Come celebrate your love for sunshine and good food this month in Mexico Beach, Florida.
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| Up for grabs last month was a nice beverage glass and a funny sign, compliments of Cathey’s ACE Hardware Store, and the lucky winner is Tammy K. from Marietta, GA. Congrats, Tammy! |
This month’s giveaway is a Visa gift card, compliments of Aqua Pearl Beach House. This beachside townhouse offers everything you’ll need for a beach vacation rental. The Aqua Pearl (AquaPearl-a.com) is conveniently located on the west end of Mexico Beach, near shops and restaurants, and is only 200 steps from our beautiful white sands. This vacation rental is the perfect place for both beach lovers and fishing enthusiasts! To place your name in the hat, send an email to Kathy at kathy@mexicobeach.com.
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This month, we are delighted to introduce Adrianne Glass. She joined the team at the Welcome Center back in March 2025, so she’s about to celebrate her first anniversary with our team! Adrianne is tasked with creating and publishing social media posts, blogs, press releases, and website updates, as well as assisting Mrs. Kathy with visitors in the Welcome Center. The Welcome Center is delighted to have Adrianne on board. Next time you stop in, be sure to say hello to Adrianne, and make sure you’re following, liking, and commenting on the #mexicobeachfl social media posts that she’s producing.
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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. Each market is sure to have new vendors, so be sure to come every time. If you’d like to be a vendor, sign up now. This market is put on by the Special Events for Mexico Beach, Inc. |
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WINTER WEEKLY BEACH CLEAN UP |
EVERY THURSDAY IN FEBRUARY |
Calling all Mexico Beach winter visitors and snowbirds! We need your help in keeping our beaches unforgettable. Each Thursday in February, we invite you to put on your work gloves and help clean the beach. |
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| WINTER RESIDENTS' COFFEE & DONUTS |
We’re celebrating our Mexico Beach winter residents (aka Snowbirds)! The Mexico Beach Welcome Center is rolling out the red carpet just for you. Enjoy complimentary coffee and donuts every Friday morning in February for those who’ve made Mexico Beach their vacation destination this winter. |
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Ladle up because the beloved Gumbo Cook-Off is returning. This year’s event is set to take place on Saturday, February 28, at the Boat Ramp Park. Gumbo will be served up starting at 10 a.m., and the event will run until it’s all gone. There will be live entertainment, free beads, and a day of unforgettable food and fun. Proud chefs will be competing for the “Best Gumbo” coveted bragging rights, along with cash prizes. |
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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.
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OLD RONNIE’S HUSH PUPPY DELUXE |
We publish it with the compliments of the Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association cookbook (MBARA.org). |
2 cups white Cornmeal 1 cup flour 2 eggs ½ tsp. garlic powder 2 Tbsp sugar 1 tsp. salt ¾ cup milk 3 Tbsp white vinegar 2 Tbsp baking powder 1 cup finely chopped Vidalia onion Peanut oil for frying |
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Heat oil in a frying pan or deep fryer. Use a tablespoon dipped in water to spoon out the mixture into the hot peanut oil. Cook until the hush puppies are browned and floating, making sure all sides are cooked through. Place on a newspaper or paper towels to drain off oil and dry. Serve hot and enjoy! |
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February is a month that is symbolic of love. We collected some humorous quotations about love, so enjoy! |
Love is sharing your popcorn. —Charles M. Schulz Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight. —Phyllis Diller
Before you marry someone, you should first make them use a computer with slow internet to see who they really are. —Will Ferrell A good marriage would be between a blind wife and a deaf husband. —Michel de Montaigne It wasn’t love at first sight. It took a full five minutes. —Lucille Ball
What’s the difference between a boyfriend and a husband? About 30 pounds. —Cindy Garner Love is blind, but marriage is a real eye-opener. —Pauline Thomason Marriage has no guarantees. If that’s what you’re looking for, go live with a car battery. —Erma Bombeck
People are weird. When we find someone with weirdness that is compatible with ours, we team up and call it love. —Dr. Seuss When I eventually met Mr. Right, I had no idea that his first name was Always. —Rita Rudner |
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We’ve often heard this saying used to refer to a time or place where it’s not possible to change something. This phrase can be traced back to World War II. During the war, pilots knew how much fuel their aircraft could carry and how far they could travel. This limit was known as the point of no return, and any flight beyond it could cause the aircraft to run out of fuel and crash. |
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