If you're planning a trip to the beach for July 4th, there are tons of things to do in the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach areas.

The annual Gulf Shores fireworks show is planned for the main beach area on the 4th. The fireworks should start around 9pm and you can listen to the local radio station for a patriotic music program to match the fireworks.

Over in Orange Beach Lee Greenwood will be performing at The Wharf. If you haven't been to the area in a few years, The Wharf is a big new entertainment development on Canal Road.

During the day, Fort Morgan is getting in on the fun with demonstrations and a firing of a Civil War cannon.

A good calendar of events is over at www.thebeachiscalling.org

As much fun as the annual National Shrimp Festival is, the run-up to the event is great for another type of entertainment: people- and process-watching. With the festival still a future event, preparation in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach goes at a steady but manageable pace. Vendor tents begin to appear one by one along the Alabama Gulf Coast. Signs go up. Souvenirs are unpacked. And businesses get a little extra sprucing up. But when the festival is just a week away, well, things go into overdrive. The tents that were steadily going up before begin to spring forth like mushrooms after a summer rain. Lists get checked; logistics get checked; sound systems get checked. It's almost like watching a favorite film on fast-forward. The best part is getting to be an observer for the warm-up and a beneficiary of all that hard work.

Thinking about all the wonderful food that is going to be at the 37th annual National Shrimp Festival has put me in the mood for some shrimp. I grabbed a bag of Alabama Gulf Coast shrimp brought home from a recent trip to Gulf Shore and Orange Beach out of the freezer. (It's so great to be able to stop at a local market and get shrimp cooked to order and packed to travel!) Once my shrimp, about 14 to 16 ounces, thawed, I added a bit of Old Bay seasoning, then finely diced the shrimp. I put about half on a plate, then topped that with an 8-ounce block of cream cheese that had been brought to room temperature. I added the rest of the shrimp, then topped it all with cocktail sauce (also brought back from the Alabama Gulf Coast). I served my Shrimply Delightful Dip with crackers and crudite. What a hit!

Could you be specific as to the 'local market' that cooks your shrimp to order & packed to travel? I might like to try them!

A few years back, we took a trip to the Alabama Gulf Coast and opted to stay in Gulf State Park. We had a beautiful cabin, and we could see a lake. We had brought along some fishing gear, so we strolled out to see what we could find. We were stunned to learn that the lake is home to both saltwater and freshwater species. How does that happen? There's an article under the "Fishing" tab at www.thebeachiscalling.org that explains it. Follow the link to "What's Biting" and you'll find the story of the "Mystery Lake." An editor's note explains it this way: "One of the most amazing bodies of water anywhere, Lake Shelby is the closest freshwater lake to salt water. Lake Shelby consists of three spring-fed lakes but also has had an intrusion of saltwater throughout its history. When waves from hurricanes wash over the Alabama Gulf Coast, they often deposit speckled trout, redfish, white trout and flounder into the lake. When the storms subside, and the lake returns to its natural boundaries, Lake Shelby then will home good numbers of both freshwater and saltwater fish." Lots of people book charters to go out into the Gulf in hopes of hooking a monster marlin, but we had a miniature version of that on our trip.

Oh my gosh, you're making me homesick! No Gulf Shores here in Indiana
Didn't see this post in July, inundated with grandchildren at the time, but all of it sounds wonderful.

Boudreax's will cook to order and pack to travel. I'm sure others, will, too.