The Flora-Bama Interstate Mullet Toss is Back!

AL.com has the story: The Mullet Toss is back! The biggest event of the year on the Panhandle is back! The Flora-Bama Lounge and Oyster Bar again is hosting their annual Interstate Mullet Toss.

You may be asking, what is the Flora-Bama Interstate Mullet Toss? Let’s start with the basics: what is the Flora-Bama Lounge and Oyster Bar? It’s the No. 1 beach bar in the world. Really. It is so-named because it straddles — bestrides — the Florida-Alabama state line on the Gulf of Mexico. (The Alabama side used to be dry, so they extended into Florida.) They have drinks. They have food. They have live music. They have Sunday church services. They have a Yacht Club like no other yacht club you’ve ever seen. They have gorgeous, gorgeous beaches.

Just see their Wikipedia entry and explore their website, and you’ll start — just start — to understand why Flora-Bama is regarded by many as the ne plus ultra of beach bars.

Okay, but you may still be asking what is the Interstate Mullet Toss? It is a festival in which tens of thousands of people gather each year to throw or to watch people throw or to just be in the area when people of all ages throw dead fish — mullets — from Florida to Alabama. Or vice versa. The one who throws farthest in his or her age category wins … something. Fame, certainly, but also a sense of accomplishment and greater self-confidence, and — this is really important when you think about it — something with which, for the rest of their lives, to spark a lively conversation in those inevitable silences, and thereby earning the gratitude of all with whom they associate.

Here’s a view of an earlier Toss from the al.com article I linked above.

There are 47 more photos at that link, but 47,000 words would not be enough to capture the essence of the Mullet Toss. Try this delightful short film from the Southern Foodways Alliance, which is a very erudite and serious organization, to get a real flavor of the event. If you want more, YouTube has more, much more.

There are many other annual events at Flora-Bama, but the Mullet Toss is the big one. In a very real sense though, every day at Flora-Bama is an event. You should go some time. It’s a bucket list experience. But you need to keep in mind the Flora-Bama Lounge and Oyster Bar’s creed:

Always be responsive and sensitive to the human dignity of others.

Grant equal respect to all who enter the Flora-Bama, expecting the same in return.

Ensure our guests enjoy the magic of the Flora-Bama, leave safe and happy and come to visit us again with new friends.

When you think about it, that’s about as good a set of principles as you’ll find. Follow the creed, head on down to Flora-Bama, and you’ll have a good time and maybe, just maybe, you’ll earn the gratitude of all with whom you associate.

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