The first full week of February brings a dense slate of festivals, fundraisers, lectures and Mardi Gras season festivities across Mobile and Baldwin counties. Here is a look at the highlights.
Africatown Festival Honors Clotilda Survivors
The Spirit of Our Ancestors Festival runs Saturday, Feb. 8, from noon to 4 p.m. at Mobile County Training School (800 Whitley Street). The festival celebrates the survivors of the Clotilda, the slave ship that illegally brought 110 Africans from Dahomey — present-day Benin — to Mobile in 1860. Keynote speaker Dr. Deborah G. Plant will discuss how she turned Zora Neale Hurston’s 1927 interviews with Cudjo Lewis into the 2018 bestseller “Barracoon: The Story of the Last ‘Black Cargo.'”
Mardi Gras Season Flavors
The King Cake-Off takes over Government Plaza on Saturday, Feb. 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with king cakes and king cake-inspired treats from local bakeries and creameries, kids’ activities, live music and a cash bar — timed so attendees can stay for the afternoon parades. The Mystics of time aren’t the only draw this week; the AAF Mobile Bay Awards Show honors local advertising creativity Thursday, Feb. 6, at 6 p.m. at the Mardi Gras Museum.
Music and Theatre
Children’s favorite Blippi comes to the Saenger Theatre Wednesday, Feb. 5, at 6 p.m. for an all-ages stage show of dancing and singing. Historic Blakeley State Park hosts bluegrass band Things With Strings on Friday, Feb. 7, from 6 to 8 p.m., with storyteller Harriet Outlaw, author of “Haunted Baldwin County,” spinning legends between sets. Mystery fans can catch “Murder on the Casting Couch” Friday at Heron Lakes Country Club or Saturday at Bellingrath Hall. The Crescent Theater’s Rocky Horror Valentine’s Show follows next week.
Outdoors, Learning and Community
Fairhope Mayor Karin Wilson delivers her fourth State of the City presentation Thursday, Feb. 6, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Fairhope Civic Center in an expo-style format with city department booths. The city’s Arbor Day ceremony Saturday at Coastal Alabama Community College recognizes poster contest and beautification award winners before a tree seedling giveaway. Foley Public Library hosts librarian Jeanette Bornholt’s program on common genealogical mistakes Saturday at 1 p.m. The Gulf Frontal Watershed Management Plan meeting Thursday evening at Gulf State Park’s Learning Campus covers Little Lagoon and Perdido Pass watersheds.
Races round out the week ahead: the Hub City Classic 5K and 10K runs Saturday at Garrett Park in Robertsdale benefiting the Jace Waters Foundation, and the Sea Turtle Half Marathon and Sweetheart 5K return to The Hangout in Gulf Shores on Feb. 15, with proceeds supporting Camp Rap-A-Hope, Share the Beach and other coastal charities. Baldwin Bone & Joint’s 17th annual Many More Miles shoe drive also continues, collecting gently used athletic shoes in Daphne and at the Azalea Trail Run expo in late March. Ongoing exhibits include the Excelsior Band display at USA’s McCall Library, “Ancient Rome” at the History Museum of Mobile and “Dinosaurs Around the World” at the Exploreum through May 10.