For many years, Redeemer Lutheran Church has offered German sausage meals during the Arts & Crafts Festival weekend to tourists and locals alike who need a break from funnel cakes and corn dogs 3 meals a day. This year, however, McSharry's Irish Pub will compete with Redeemer with their special "Irish Lunch", consisting of Irish Coffee, Jameson's Whiskey, and a pint of Guinness all for $12.
The idea was funded by St. Lawrence Catholic Church, which unfortunately resides right beside the Lutheran Church. This has led to some hostility over the years as the Lutherans make it a point each year to pin the 95 Theses on St. Lawrence's front door.
Not to be outdone, Fairhope Hemp has also jumped on board for the Arts & Crafts weekend, selling a lunch special each day consisting of a cannabis gummy, a bag of organic white cheddar Cheeto's, and a guest spot playing the Djembe for the next Ramblin' Roses gig. This has sparked much controversy in Fairhope since the announcement. Many say a Djembe style drum has no place in a band who tries to emulate a traditional Grateful Dead sound, and there has been such an uproar in the community that a special City Council meeting will arise to discuss the issue.
Fairhope, AL – The once-tranquil streets of Fairhope have become an unexpected battleground as four local Mahjong clubs—Mahjong By the Bay, Point Clear Mahjong, Mahjong Collective, and the notorious Montrose Mahjong Posse—descended into full-blown war, marking the bloodiest conflict the city has seen since that heated debate over whether King Cake should include Cream Cheese.
It all started over a simple scheduling dispute at Provision coffee shop and Instagram content mining facility, where the coveted Wednesday morning slot had traditionally belonged to Mahjong By the Bay. However, after a highly controversial game last week, during which Linda Pritchard from Point Clear Mahjong allegedly accused Mahjong By the Bay’s president, Kaileigh Haileigh lee Wilson, of “strategic tile-hoarding,” tensions soared. Someone then fashioned what appeared to be a homemade Molotov cocktail out of a bottle of unsweet tea.
By Thursday morning, Fairhope had split into four distinct territories, each controlled by one of the Mahjong factions. The Montrose Mahjong Posse, known for their aggressive playing style and an iron grip on the area’s casserole market, swiftly blockaded the Hermit Hut.
Mahjong Collective—an upstart group of younger retirees who describe themselves as “progressive but traditionalist” (whatever that means)—set up a fortified position in front of Page & Palette, using hardcover copies of Forrest Gump as makeshift shields.
Meanwhile, Point Clear Mahjong had aligned with the H&M Golf Carts, weaponizing passive-aggressive glances and strategically placed speed bumps to disrupt enemy supply lines.
The Fairhope City Council quickly called an emergency meeting, though no one was able to agree on a course of action because someone kept bringing up last year’s Christmas parade disaster. Mayor Sullivan attempted to broker peace by offering a space at Refuge Coffee, but all factions rejected it as “completely absurd”.
Tensions escalated further when Mahjong By the Bay captured and detained two members of the Montrose Mahjong Posse, holding them hostage in the Winn-Dixie produce section. Demands for their release included an apology, a bottle of Merlot, and a pound of chicken salad from Allegri Farm Market.
As of Monday morning, the conflict remains at a stalemate, though reports indicate that a secret "Mahjong ceasefire summit" may be in the works at an undisclosed location (widely believed to be the back room at Red or White).
Until then, residents of Fairhope are urged to stay indoors, and avoid any suspicious-looking groups of well-dressed women with tote bags.
This is an ongoing story. More updates as they come.
The Mari Italian Cooking Lab on Section Street has spent the last year teaching men and women the traditional historic methods of preparing pasta from scratch, just like Chef Boyardee did before he sold his soul to the devil. Mari, who grew up in the little Italy neighborhood of Buckatunna Mississippi dreamed of teaching big groups of women traditional Mississippi Italian pasta methods since she was a little girl. Now, her dreams have been made a reality. In fact, the classes have been so successful she has branched out into Cajun cooking, focusing on the two groups of food cultures who will actually murder you over how you prepare a dish. She has recruited a man she pulled straight out of a Crawdad hole who will help with the Cajun classes even though the presence of tomatoes frightens him a little. Mari's cooking class is not without controversy, however. One person's spouse is said to have went to a class and learned the ancient methods only to never recreate those dishes at home again herself ever again, Lindsey. People are saying that was a major bummer.
Lartigue's Seafood Market has undergone a major branding change and has relocated near the new Fairhope Starbucks - Fairhope. For the Grand Opening Thursday, the first 100 customers will get a free "Craw-puccino" with either Cajun or Old Bay flavor enhancers.
The City of Fairhope in conjunction with Fairhope Chocolate will commemorate Marietta Johnson, the inventor of Doritos, with a custom recre...
