(Gulf Shores, Alabama)

Hangout organizers have decided to stream some of the festivals acts through Myspace.com in order to accommodate the thousands of people whom were not lucky enough to get tickets to this years festival.  The artists and times of the streaming is listed below.  Here is the direct link to the streaming:

http://www.myspace.com/hangoutmusicfest?pm_cmp=ed_spl_1her_hangout

Schedule provided by Myspace.com

Gulf Shores, Ala – May 17, 2012 –Thirty-teams are set for the 32nd annual NAIA Softball National Championship, starting Thursday from Gulf Shores, Ala. Action begins at 9 a.m., from the Gulf Shores SportsPlex as Brenau (Ga.) and Bethany (Kan.) kick off the event. There will be pool play format from Thursday through Saturday, with each club playing a total of three games. The eight pool-play champions will advance to the double-elimination bracket starting on May 21. The national champion will be crowned May 23.

The Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Sports Commission, in conjunction with the University of Mobile (Ala.), are hosting for the second-straight time.

"The Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Sports Commission warmly welcomes the return of the NAIA Softball National Championship to the sugar-white sand of the Alabama Gulf Coast," said Beth Gendler, vice president of sales for the Commission. "When these student-athletes and family members are not at our beautiful sporting venues, they will have the opportunity to explore our family-oriented beaches, accommodations, restaurants, and attractions.” To learn more about the area, click here.

An all-tournament pass can be purchased for $30 or $8 per day for adults and $3 per day for children 4-10.  All tickets can be purchased at the gate.

The current field is comprised of 23 automatic qualifiers based upon their conference / independent / unaffiliated group tournaments, eight at-large selections, which were determined using the final Top 25 rating released May 9 and the host berth, Mobile.

The Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC), which has repeatedly landed six teams in the Coaches' Top 25 poll this season, qualified the most of any conference / independent / unaffiliated group with six. Representing the SSAC is Auburn Montgomery (Ala.), Brenau, Lee (Tenn.), Mobile, Shorter (Ga.) and William Carey (Miss.). The Sooner Athletic Conference sends four teams to Gulf Shores: Lubbock Christian (Texas), Oklahoma City, St. Gregory's (Okla.) and Southern Nazarene (Okla.).

Defending national champion Oregon Tech, who is out of the Cascade Collegiate Conference, looks to become the first team since Oklahoma City (2000-02) to repeat as titlists. The Hustlin' Owls take on Madonna (Mich.) at 5:30 p.m., on Thursday. No. 1-ranked Concordia (Calif.) meets up with newcomer Talladega (Ala.) at 2 p.m.

Talladega is one of six first-times at the National Championship, joining Auburn Montgomery, Bethany, Indiana Wesleyan, Southern Nazarene and Williams Baptist (Ark.). Conversely, there are 12 programs making at least their fifth National Championship. Of those teams, only Oklahoma City and Mobile are playing in the event for at least the 10th time.

Qualifying for its record 21st-straight National Championship, Oklahoma City owns the most national championships (8). With a 40-18 season record, the Stars have won more postseason games than any school in NAIA history (103-38) and seek their first title since 2007.

NeuLion, the NAIA's digital media partner and official video-streaming company of 10 select NAIA National Championship events, will be broadcasting select softball games from May 21 - 23. Once competition has pared down to six teams, starting with Game 9 at 5:30 p.m. on May 21, live streaming will be available for $9.95 per day or $29.95 for the whole event. For more video-streaming information, click here.

Gulf Shores, Ala – May 14, 2012 – The City of Gulf Shores would like to make all residents and visitors aware of the following road and beach closures related to the Hangout Music Festival.

Traffic/Roadways:

· Highway 59 will close from W. 1st Ave heading south at 11:59 PM on Tuesday, May 15 to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

· Access to West Beach will be available through Windmill Ridge Rd or by taking W. 1st Ave to W. 3rd St.

· Access eastbound to Orange Beach will be available through the Gulf State Park, Canal Rd or by taking E. 1st Ave to E. 2nd St.

· On Monday, May 21, Highway 59 will reopen at W. 1st Ave for limited exiting traffic beginning at 6:00 AM until 5:00 PM.

· All normal traffic conditions will resume on Tuesday, May 22 at 6:00 AM.

Public Beaches:

· Public beach access at W. 2nd St. is currently closed.

· The public beach area at Gulf Place will close to the public at 11:59 PM on Tuesday, May 15.

· All residents and visitors are encouraged to utilize other public beach access points including W. 6th St, W. 13th St, Little Lagoon Pass and the Gulf State Park.

· All public beaches will return to normal use on Thursday, May 24.

For more information regarding detours or closures, please contact City Hall at 968-2425.

###

(Gulf Shores)

Registration for the 2012 Court is in Session tennis camps is now open in Gulf Shores.  Sign up the kids today for on of the four sessions this summer.

Gulf Shores, Ala – May 10, 2012 – The City of Gulf Shores will host its first S’mores on the Shore event of the season at 5:30 PM on Thursday, May 24 at the west end of the Gulf Shores Public Beach.

S’mores on the Shore will feature live music from Sugarcane Jane, campfires and of course all of the makings for s’mores. These family friendly events were introduced for the first time last summer and have quickly become a hit for vacationing families, as well as, those just looking for some free fun and excitement.

Bring your blankets, chairs, friends and family and join us as we kick back and relax on the beautiful, white sand of the Gulf Shores Public Beach.

For more information about S’mores on the Shore or any of the City of Gulf Shores’ events, contact the Special Events Division at 251-968-1171.

Please head to www.taukband.com for more updates.

Check out more on Tauk here:

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MySpace:    http://www.myspace.com/tauk

Instagram:  @TaukBand

Tour Dates

5/17    Hangout Music Fest                          Gulf Shores, AL

5/20    The WorkPlay Theatre                   Birmingham, AL

5/21     Smith's Olde Bar                                     Atlanta, GA

5/23     The Basement                                          Nashville, TN

5/24     Patton Alley Pub                                     Springfield, MO

5/25     Blue Moose Tap House                         Iowa City, IA

5/25     Summer Camp Music Festival           Chillicothe, IL

6/2        The Bitter End                                         New York, NY

6/10     Bonnaroo                                                   Manchester, TN

7/14     Great South Bay Music Festival        Patchogue, NY

8/3        Jones Beach Amphitheater                 Long Island, NY

8/11     Peach Festival (w/ Allman Bros.)   Scranton, PA

10/11   Harvest String Festival                        Ozark, AR

(Baldwin County, Alabama)

The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office presented the local Baldwin County Ranch, of the Alabama Sheriff’s Youth Ranch, $24,950.00, as proceeds from the 6th Annual Sheriff Taylor Wilkins Memorial Golf Tournament on May 2, 2012. The tournament was held on March 15, 2012, at Glennlakes Golf Club, in Foley, Alabama. The Hangout of Gulf Shores, Alabama, was the Premier Sponsor for this year’s event. The Ranch is located in Summerdale, Alabama and is home to 14 boys.

(pictured from left to right: Capt. Jimmy Milton and Sheriff Hoss Mack of the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, Brad Cohen and Tara McMeans of The Hangout, and Jim Harmon, Director of the Boys Ranch)

GULF SHORES AND ORANGE BEACH, ALA. – High school track stars from across the state of Alabama are getting ready to show off their talents and compete to win the upcoming 2012 Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) State Track Championship, which is hosted by the Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Sports Commission. Competition in classes 4A – 6A begins today for both male and female student-athletes and culminates on Saturday.

“New to the event this year is our sports commission’s partnership with BP and the resulting Road to London Fan Zone experience, which will enhance the weekend for everyone in attendance,” said said Beth Gendler, vice president of sales at Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Sports Commission.

BP, who is a sponsor of Team USA through 2016, is bringing the United States Olympic Committee’s Road to London Fan Zone to the 2012 AHSAA State Track Championship. The USOC’s Road to London Fan Zone is a family-friendly interactive experience that brings the excitement of the Olympic Games directly to the fans. Attendees are immersed in the atmosphere of the Games through skills challenges which are set up at six different stations. Everyone who completes the challenges in the fan zone receives a Team USA giveaway. The event is completely free to the public.

BP has scheduled Olympic and Paralympic athletes to take part in the festivities, including: three-time Olympic track & field gold medalist Gail Devers, two-time Olympic track & field silver medalist Terrence Trammell, Olympic track & field athlete Trey Hardee, and Paralympic javelin silver medalist Scott Danberg.

Fans are invited to visit the fan zone on Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

During the two day track competition, over 1500 student-athletes are competing in 17 events held at the Gulf Shores Sportsplex. Events include shot put, discus, javelin, long jump, triple jump, pole vault, hurdles, dash and relay.

The cost of a track championship ticket is $10.00 per day and may be purchased at the Sportsplex the day of the event. Meanwhile, there is no fee for parking or for admission to the Road to London Fan Zone.

Annual sponsors of Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Sports Commission supporting this event include Young’s Suncoast Realty, Country Hearth Inn, Microtel Inn & Suites, EAT! Restaurant, Original Oyster House, Pizza Hut, Flipper’s Restaurant and Krispy Kreme.

For more information on this event, go to www.ahsaa.com/Sports/TrackField/tabid/289/Default.aspx.

For information on upcoming athletic events along Alabama’s Gulf Coast, visit www.gulfshoresorangebeachsports.com, or call 1-800-745-SAND.

(Gulf Shores, Alabama)

It’s still not too late to enter your team in the Learning For Life Golf Tournament, sponsored by the Alabama Gulf Coast Area Chamber of Commerce, and benefitting the Coastal Baldwin Educational Enrichment Foundation. The tourney, formerly known as the National Shrimp Festival Golf Tournament, will take place Friday at the Gulf Shores Golf Club.

“This tournament is our largest fundraiser of the year,” CBEE Foundation Chair Yolanda Devine Johnson said. “Without the proceeds from this tournament, we wouldn’t be able to give out nearly the number of student scholarships and teacher grants we distribute each year.”

CBEE Foundation Vice-Chairman Fred Peninger said this is the second year the tourney has been held in the spring. “Traditionally the tourney has been held in the fall near the time of the National Shrimp Festival. CBEE has always received the proceeds from the tourney, but during the past couple of years, the Foundation has taken a larger role in putting the tournament on,” he said. “Because of the name change and the change in the time of year, I believe many teams that normally participate in the tourney may not be aware that this is the same event.”

Johnson said the more individuals and teams that participate in the tourney, the more money CBEE can distribute to deserving students, teachers and public schools in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. “I can’t stress enough how important it is to our Foundation and to our community for teams and individuals to come out and support us through their participation,” she said. “We welcome anyone who wants to come out for a good cause Friday. You don’t have to have a full team. We’ll make sure everyone who wants to play is placed on a team.”

“The golfers that come out and play Friday will not only receive a great lunch, a great round of golf and a great post-tourney party,” Chamber Special Events Director Ann Motes said. “The wet weather from Wednesday and Thursday is supposed to be about gone, and the temperature should be in the 70s. We should have excellent weather for soft greens and low scores.”

Fees for the tourney are $125 per player or $500 per team, and include green fee, cart, lunch, complimentary beverage cart, two mulligans, a red tee buster, a goody bag and entry to the post-round awards ceremony in the clubhouse. Entry forms can be found on the Chamber’s website at alagulfcoastchamber.com/pages/RegistrationforGolfTournament1 or call Motes or Lauren Turner at 251-968-6091. Persons or individuals who don’t get the chance to fill out a form online may register on-site at the golf club until lunch begins at 11 a.m. Friday.

“I can’t say enough about our tourney sponsors,” Motes said. “Their sponsorships go a long way toward paying the expenses of putting on the tourney, so the entry fees can go toward the scholarships and grants CBEE distributes.” Tournament sponsors include Gulf Publishing Company, Budweiser, Cotton’s Restaurant, Gulf Island Grill, Staybridge Suites, Suncoast Beach Services, F&E Sportswear, McCarron Insurance Group Inc. and Kutter’s Ground Maintenance, Inc.

The CBEE Foundation has awarded scholarships to graduating seniors from Gulf Shores High School and grants to teachers in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores public schools since 1999. Anyone who is interested in making a difference in our schools is welcome to become a part of CBEE. For more information on the foundation, see its website at www.cbee.la, or contact Johnson at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or 205-613-0001.

Gulf Shores, Ala – May 1, 2012 – The City of Gulf Shores was recently presented with the Municipal Workers Compensation Fund (MWCF) “Ten Year Award”. This award commemorates their participation in the Alabama League of Municipalities “specialized insurance program” for workers compensation. The City of Gulf Shores has been a member and purchased their workers comp insurance through this program, which was specifically designed for municipalities in the State of Alabama.

Terry Young from the MWCF stated, “We are honored and proud to have the City of Gulf Shores in the MWCF program. The Mayor, Clerk and entire staff have worked hard year after year in managing their insurance costs and their efforts have paid dividends annually.”

Due to the City’s outstanding claims history and their continued efforts to successfully manage their insurance costs, the City has received over $232,000.00 back in dividends from this insurance program over the past ten years.

“Our Finance and Administration Department are to be commended for their efforts in tracking and ensuring compliance for each of our vendors and managing our insurance costs effectively,” said Mayor Robert Craft. “The entire City staff has truly made safety an integral part of our workplace culture and this award is a reflection of their hard work and dedication.”

According to MWCF, the City of Gulf Shores has consistently maintained an average MOD factor of .70, ranking them among the best in the nation. The MOD factor is calculated annually and provides an indication of how successfully companies are managing their insurance costs against the national average.

“Obtaining the Worker’s Compensation savings for Gulf Shores is truly a team effort. All City departments have truly made a commitment to reducing our Worker’s Compensation claims,” said Cindy King, Finance and Administration Director. “Human Resources Manager, Sandy Carden, has led the initiative to improve our ratings and staff members Candy Porter and Jane Cates assure we are compliant with Worker’s Compensation guidelines. Anna Fuqua of the Accounting staff has also worked diligently with vendors ensuring documentation of compliance is obtained at all times.”