Fun for the whole family! Come cheer on the BayBears, a class AA affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks major league team. Family fun at every game. Please visit the website below or call (251)479-BEAR(2327) for tickets or more information!

mobilebaybears.com

The Exploreum is featuring an amazing traveling exhibit called “Reptile Planet,” beginning July 5th through Oct. 24th. The exhibit will showcase live reptiles from 20 different countries, including Burmese pythons, snake-necked turtles, veiled chameleons and American alligators. Reptile Planet is an interactive zoological exhibition that brings visitors eye to eye with exotic, living reptiles from around the world. Deadly snakes, colorful lizards, bizarre turtles, alligators and crocodiles are exhibited in naturalistic habitats. Educational graphic panels full of stunning images add an ambience rich in mystery and wonder. Artifacts and exciting interactive exhibits involve visitors of all ages in an exploration of reptilian survival strategies. This experience will explode common myths leave you with a new appreciation for these misunderstood creatures. Tickets go on sale June 1st. For more information please visit the website listed below or call 1-877-625-4FUN

www.exploreum.com

Cook teams from across the upper Gulf coast will flock to Dauphin Island, Alabama on September 25 as the island getaway at the mouth of Mobile Bay stages its first ever “Wings and Waves” chicken wing cook-off. Presented by the Dauphin Island Chamber of Commerce, “Wings and Waves” will serve award-winning mild, hot and free-style chicken wings to be judged by local media personalities. Staged at the Alabama Deep Sea Rodeo site, 531 LeMoyne Drive at the foot of the Dauphin Island bridge, “Wings and Waves” will cook up a day filled with other activities, too, from live music and a kids’ play area, to SEC football on TV. Advance tickets are available for $10 at the Dauphin Island Welcome Center, Mack n’DD’s, The Lighthouse Bakery, Marti’s, the Pelican Pub and other locations beginning Wednesday, September 1. Event day tickets at the gate are $15. Children under age six are free. For information or to register a cook team, call Kathryn Carver at 251-490-0294 or Gene Fox at 251-370-8150. Complete rules will also be available online at www.dauphinislandcoc.com by August 30, 2010. Dauphin Island is just 33 miles south of Mobile, Alabama. Visit www.dauphinislandcoc.com for a virtual visit. Dauphin Island is Alabama’s Family Beach Within Reach. ®

www.dauphinislandcoc.com

In 2009, Airbus, National Geographic and the Secretariat for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) hosted an international photo competition where youth submitted photographs representing biodiversity. The images on display in the “See the Bigger Picture” traveling exhibition are the winners and honorable mentions from the worldwide photography competition. Young people from 99 countries around the world submitted their interpretations of biodiversity. The exhibit has visited cities worldwide including Paris, Madrid, Hamburg and Whistler (during the Winter Olympics). The acclaimed exhibition will be making its United States debut in Mobile at the Exploreum. The exhibit will feature 31 panels which display the winning images from the worldwide photography contest. The exhibit will be showcased in the Exploreum's outdoor courtyard. For more information please visit the website listed below.

www.exploreum.com

BayFest will celebrate its 16th anniversary on October 1-3, 2010 with an anticipated 200,000 guests who will make merry on the streets of downtown Mobile, Alabama for three days and nights to the strains of over 125 live musical acts. BayFest has become known throughout the region for its vast array of renowned musical talent appealing to a wide variety of tastes and suitable for the entire family. All of this takes place in early October during cool and comfortable weather on the streets of newly revitalized downtown Mobile. BayFest's nine stages offer continuous music for every taste. The event also includes a family stage and extensive children's activity area. For more information visit the website listed below. Confirmed acts for the 2010 festival include: Reba McEntire, Motley Crue, Earth, Wind & Fire, Mary J. Blige, Lady Antebellum, Tonic, Shinedown, Fuel, Papa Roach, Skillet, Godsmack, Sick Puppies, David Nail, Clay Walker, Saving Abel, Rehab, Babyface, KEM, Chrisette Michele, Adelitas Way, Top of the Orange, Grayson Capps and the Lost Cause Minstrels, Irene Kelley, Justyna Kelley, Sara Jean Kelley, and Rev Theory. More acts will be posted on the BayFest website as announcements are made.

www.BayFest.com

Join us each Saturday on Cathedral Square for farm fresh flavor! The fall harvest is in, so come and get your fresh greens, fall corn, squash, peppers, sweet potatoes and much more. Also shop for locally produced goods like seafood, wine, handmade candles, pottery, live music and much more. Stay for live music, frolicking in the fountain and breakfast at Spot of Tea. Through Nov. 20th.

The seventh annual Alabama Coastal BirdFest is scheduled for October 14-17, 2010. Activities include great tours to prime birding spots on the 240-mile long Alabama Coastal Birding Trail, delta-river cruises, exciting evening events, a free Bird & Conservation Expo, and much more! Trips and evening events require advance registration. For more information, call (251)625-0814 or visit the website below.

www.alabamacoastalbirdfest.com

“Chicken Wing Cooking Kings” assemble teams to determine who makes the best chicken wings in Mobile and Baldwin counties. Featuring a children’s area with games, arts and crafts. Event benefits the YMCA of South Alabama Strong Kids Campaign. Downtown Mobile Bay in Bienville Square, 11 am – 2 pm. For more information please call (251) 402-2857 or visit the website listed below.

www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=134905803209225&index=1

Plan to join art seekers in Fairhope, Al. the third weekend in October. On October 16 and 17, the Eastern Shore Art Center in Fairhope, Alabama will be sponsoring the 28th Annual Grand Festival of Art by the Bay. This fine arts show will be located in Pier Park, which is close to downtown Fairhope. The show will feature over 90 Artists exhibiting in a variety of mediums, including oils, watercolor, acrylics, photography, ceramics, glass and fine jewelry. Artists include both local and national artists, many of whom return each year for this unique venue. Grand Festival admission is free. There will be public shuttle service from several downtown locations to Pier Park. For further information on these events contact the Eastern Shore Art Center at (251) 928-2228, or go online.

www.easternshoreartcenter.com

Spirited storytelling takes on a new meaning during Oakleigh Historic Complex's annual "Haunted Oakleigh." Ghostly guides lead visitors through a series of vignettes in this live theatrical production. Admission charged. For more information please call (251) 432-6161 or visit the website listed below.

www.historicmobile.org

Celebrate the arrival of fall with carnival rides, top-name entertainment, a livestock show, a petting zoo, games, delicious food,an incredible midway and more. Greater Gulf State Fairgrounds. For more information please visit the website below or call (251) 344-4573.

www.mobilefair.com

A celebration of paws and people featuring a costume contest for your furry friends, live bands, food, drink and good times for all walks of life! This day long event benefits the Animal Rescue Foundation and will be centered in downtown Mobile Bay in Cathedral Square. For more information please call (251) 680-9577 or visit the website listed below.

www.woofstockmobile.com