The annual Interstate Mullet Toss returns to Alabama and Florida’s state line beach bar. Flora-Bama’s three-day long beach party started when owners Joe Gilchrist and Pat McClellan were looking for a way to attract customers during the offseason. What started as a small get together now brings in around 30,000 people over the long weekend.
Jenifer Parnell is the marketing director for Flora-Bama. She said the tradition started in the 1980s when Gilchrist and his friend, Jimmy Lewis, were at a party throwing cow chips. They wanted to bring a similar event back to the Gulf Coast with an indigenous fish that would drum up some business outside of the summer.
“They came up with ‘Well, we're not going to throw cow chips down at the beach, but we could do something more indigenous to our area’.” She continued, “They got some local mullet, and they grabbed a cooler and some friends and went out to the beach behind the Flora-Bama and started tossing fish. And over the years now it's grown to be the busiest weekend that we have all year.”
After 40 years of the annual fish toss, each day has its own competition and winners. Awards for the contest include a trophy, gift card and bragging rights up and down the gulf coast. Other events during the weekend include live music, a tailgate style party on the beach and boats and jet skis for rent. The beach bar also offers three different restaurants on the state line, the Oyster Bar, River Grill and Yacht Club.
The Mullet Toss, which started in 1985, now raises around $30,000 each year for local charities. Parnell said Flora-Bama partners with various organizations in both Alabama and Florida.
“Giving back to the Drug and Alcohol Council, which helps people to have addiction, it makes a lot of sense for an event like that. Then we do the Boys and Girls Clubs in Escambia County [Florida] and Baldwin County [Alabama]. So just making sure that we get back to the people in the community that have kept us here for so long.”
What’s dubbed the Gulf Coast’s greatest beach party starts on April 26 and goes through April 28. Visit the Flora-Bama website for more information on the event.
PETA recently sent a letter to the Flora-Bama, urging the replacement of the fish with realistic, reusable rubber ones, which PETA is offered to donate.
