The Salt Line, Vol. 7: Wet, Painted, and Slightly Fermented
Happy summer solstice, beautiful people. It’s the longest day of the year on the Gulf Coast, which means you have approximately 14.5 hours of sunlight to get sunburned, argue about parking, and read this column. Let’s not waste a single minute of it.
A Man Paints a Very Large Fish. The Fish Cannot Be Reached for Comment.
World-famous marine artist Wyland — one name, like Cher, but wetter — rolled into Gulf Shores and unveiled a massive new mural at Surf Style. This is a man who has painted enormous ocean murals on buildings all over the planet. Whales. Dolphins. The full drama of the deep blue. And he chose Gulf Shores. The man looked at every surface on Earth and said, “Yes. The t-shirt shop.”
We are honored. Genuinely. The mural is reportedly stunning and we fully support more giant sea creatures on our retail establishments. Foley, your aquatic center is coming — but Wyland got here first and he did it on a wall.
Foley Is Getting a Pool and Will Begin Getting It Later
Construction on an indoor aquatic center in Foley is set to begin in late 2026, which is a sentence that contains both good news and the quiet implication that it is not happening yet. The center will be located at Max — and honestly, “located at Max” is the most Foley thing I’ve ever read. Just vibes. Just a place called Max.
To be fair, an indoor aquatic center is a genuinely big deal for the area. Year-round swimming, no jellyfish, no one stealing your umbrella. The dream. We’ll check back on this in, let’s say, late 2027.
The Pool That Is Open Has Some… Conditions
Meanwhile, up in Pensacola, Roger Scott Pool is reopening for a shortened summer swim season — complete with a temporary restroom facility. A temporary restroom facility! Sir, this is a public pool. The restroom situation has always been, let’s say, creative. But sure, yes, let’s call it temporary. Optimism is free.
Full credit to the City of Pensacola for getting the pool open at all. It’s June in Florida. Children are feral. The people needed water. The temporary bathroom is a feature, not a bug, and we will not be accepting further questions.
Twelve Years of Craft Beer and Nobody’s Been Fired Yet
The Fish House on Pensacola Bay hosted its 12th Annual Craft Beer Fest on Saturday, June 20, running 3 to 6 p.m. on the deck. Three hours of craft beer on a waterfront deck in mid-June. That is not an event. That is a dehydration speedrun with a wristband.
Twelve years, people. That means in 2014, someone at the Fish House said, “What if we put a bunch of local beer outside in the summer heat?” and everyone around the table said, “Yes, obviously, do it forever.” They were right. They are always right. Pour one out — ideally something with citrus notes and a session ABV — for twelve years of sound decision-making.
Foley Also Did Something Responsible and We Respect It
Not everything this week was a mural or a beer. Foley and the state of Alabama teamed up to greenlight $2.7 million in incentives for a new advanced medical manufacturing project headed to the city. Advanced medical manufacturing! Jobs! Economic development! Real stuff!
This is the same Foley that is also building a place called Max and once put a rollercoaster next to a Whataburger. The range on this town is genuinely inspiring. Respect, Foley. You contain multitudes.
That’s your week, coast. A painted whale, two pools (one hypothetical), twelve beers, and $2.7 million in responsible civic behavior — which, if you think about it, is just the Fish House Fest at a slightly larger scale.
Stay salty, stay hydrated, and for the love of Neptune, wear the sunscreen.
— Sully