The Big Buzz - November 2014

November 2014 -  MORE national attention for Bay St. Louis, Lisa Monti looks at a major Old Town makeover in the works and foodies celebrate with rebirth of two beloved restaurants.

stories and photography by Ellis Anderson

The Big Buzz
is sponsored by

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Bay St. Louis in the National Spotlight - again! 

Bay St. Louis was one of the stars of the Weather Channel's "Wake Up With Al" show on October 3rd, thanks to Robert Firpo-Cappiello, editor-in-chief of Budget Travel. Two Old Town businesses (Gallery 220 and the Bay Town Inn) were tapped for attention, as well as the Little Theatre. 

The piece was titled "12 Beautiful Beachtown Bargains for 2014." We keep good company - Hilton Head and Key West also made the list.  And as a wonderful lagniappe, so did our Bay-Waveland sister city of Port Townsend, Washington!

In 2013,  in Budget Travel's annual contest, Bay St. Louis was chosen as one of the top three Coolest Small Towns in the country -  and we ranked above other Southern contenders by a long shot.  

Watch the spot below!

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Crab Fest the Talk of Texas

Thanks to BSL Public Works Director Buddy Zimmerman, the Cleaver learned about this well-written feature by Pam LeBlanc that appeared in the San Antonio Statesman.  Posted September 20th, the article begins like this:

Crab Festival, beaches lure tourists to Bay St. Louis

Under trees behind Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church, tables of determined people wrestle bright red crabs, working hard to extract every last bit of sweet meat from the freshly boiled crustaceans.

It’s Crab Festival time in Bay St. Louis, Miss.

Before this three-day festival ends, visitors will down more than 6,000 pounds of crabs from Lake Pontchartrain and 13,000 pounds of shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico. They’ll stick around to hear the rippling notes of live zydeco, blues and country music, then climb onto carnival rides, including one called the Ring of Fire, which slings its occupants around a circular track and dangles them upside down long enough to make them wonder if eating all that seafood was such a good idea.

Click here to read the full article!

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Major Change-up in First Block of Main

photo courtesy Lisa Monti

From the blog, Lisa Monti's Notebook:

The new owners of the brick facade building at 111 Main St. will enhance the retail space on one side, open a coastal bistro on the other and rebrand the new development as The Shops at Magnolia Alley. Also in the plans is construction of exclusive apartments behind the building.

The Parrish family, who took over ownership last week, chose the name in honor of the Magnolia State Lumber Supply business that occupied the building from 1937 to the 1980s. The Phillips family created four retail spaces as part of the building’s post-Katrina makeover in 2008.
Read the rest of the story here!

For frequent updates on news around town, we recommend a subscription to Lisa Monti's Notebook.  A seasoned business reporter and editor, Lisa currently writes for several regional publications, including Mississippi Business Journal and the Cleaver.

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Phil William's BBQ- New Place, Same Eats -
thank goodness!

The new location of Williams Pit BBQ celebrated with a ribbon-cutting on Friday afternoon, October 17th.  All the BSL faves are still on the menu, locals were relieved to find, including smoked chicken, sausage and those awesome, unforgettable ribs.   During the festivities, patriarch and chef Phil "Smooth" Williams performed with one the "Boys of the Book Club Band."  If you missed it the first time around, check out Phil William's profile in the  Cleaver's March 2013 "Good Neighbor" column.
Williams Pit BBQ
516 Old Spanish Trail
Bay St. Louis
228-671-9436

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Rickey's is Back on Track at "Off the Tracks"

The chef himself manning the outside grill at the new location during a "pre-opening" for Big Easy in the Bay, Oct. 9th.

        The coast went into major mourning with Rickey's Restaurant closed its Hwy 90 location earlier this year, but now there's cause for celebration as the legendary chef moves back into the heart of Old Town in the Depot District.  
        The little historic cottage across from the duck pond was originally the home of Kingston's Barber Shop and was renovated Pre-K by artists Nancy and Harrison Minor.  Now owned by local businessman Kevin Jordan, until recently, the building was the home of Sloppy Dogs. 
        A covered patio being built to make room for more outside dining and a make-over is taking place inside.  Rickey said he plans to open sometime in November.  The menu that offer favorites like pot roast, etouffees and other specialties that  are sure to keep the customers coming. 
    Locals can walk or bike to a dinner at Rickey's then take a loop around the duck pond and the depot grounds afterward  - before heading to the beach to watch the moon come up.  Welcome back, Rickey!