The Coastal Ballet Company is presenting the classic Christmas ballet in cooperation with the City of Orange Beach. Performances are set for 6 p.m. tonight - Friday, December 2nd - and at 2 p.m. Saturday, December 3rd. General admission tickets are $25 per adult, $10 for children ages 4-17, and free for children 3 and younger.

Purchase tickets for “The Nutcracker.”

The Performing Arts Center is at 23908 Canal Road, adjacent to Orange Beach Middle/High School. 

Also, next weekend, returning for its third year, the Holly Days on Main Festival, presented by South Baldwin Regional Medical Center & Riviera Utilities, will be taking over The Wharf in Orange Beach on December 10th-11th.
 

The Christmas holiday season is meant to be a joyous time spent with family and friends. But for people living paycheck to paycheck or just barely getting by, the holidays can also be quite stressful. While some people may need help finding enough food, others may be struggling to put presents under the tree for their children. Opportunities abound to help others by donating or volunteering at a local charity. Following are some local food and toy collection and distribution possibilities:

Food Distribution locations:

Christian Life, Island Church - Orange Beach

25550 Canal Road
251-967-4840

Christian Service Center - Gulf Shores

317 Dolphin Ave.
251-968-5256
Hours – M-F 9 a.m. - Noon

Catholic Social Services - Robertsdale

223010 Hwy. 59 N.
251-947-2293
Hours – M-F 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Call for an appointment

Prodisee Pantry - Spanish Fort

9315 Spanish Fort Blvd. (U.S. Hwy. 31)
251-626-1720       
Each Tuesday 9-11:30 a.m.

Angel Tree locations:

Wal-Mart Vision Centers throughout Baldwin County

Tanger Outlets Food Court in Foley

Toys for Tots Drop-off location:

The Orange Beach Performing Arts Center -  located on the eastern side of the Orange Beach Middle/High School campus. ***Please go to the back side of the P.A.C. between 3:30-6 p.m. at Black Box Theater Ticket Office. For further information, contact jjlangston@orangebeachal.gov. 

Blessed to the Blessings Boxes for Baldwin (Facebook page): Blessings boxes are located throughout the county. For a complete list of boxes, visit the Facebook page linked above.

Orange Beach locations - J&M Tackle, Orange Beach Elementary School, Orange Beach Presbyterian Church

Gulf Shores locations - Dr. Wayne Martin, Fresh Market Seafood, Gulf Shores Presbyterian Church, Holy Spirit Episcopal Church, Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church.

The East Canal Road contractor will be installing drainage crossings Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, December 6th-8th, between the hours of 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. The morning following the nighttime construction, the crossing will be patched at 9 a.m. The asphalt placement should take no longer than one hour each morning. There will be single lane closures during the night and day time construction.
 

The new CoastAL project, across from Publix, on Perdido Beach Boulevard (State Road 182) will be making improvements to SR182 requiring lane closures over the next two months. The following are the locations and dates of the lane closures:

• Daytime closure of the southerly eastbound Perdido Beach Boulevard lane in the location of the project site - Monday through Friday, November 28th to December 12th.
• Nighttime closure of southbound SR161 right turn lane onto Perdido Beach Boulevard - Sunday through Thursday, December 11th to December 22nd.
• Nighttime closure of Perdido Beach Boulevard U-Turn located in front of the project site, near Hampton Inn - Monday through Thursday, December 26th to January 5th.

OBPD Kids’ Christmas Party with Santa returns Dec. 15

The Orange Beach Police Department invites the public to its annual Kids’ Christmas Party with Santa from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, December 15th at Magnolia Hall, behind BuzzCatz, next to Cosmo’s.

Coastal Arts Center to host annual Light Up the Arts on Dec. 15  

The Coastal Art Center’s annual Light Up the Arts event will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, December 15th. There will be hot glass, pottery demonstrations, raffles, cocoa, cookies, a gallery full of gift options with specials, and CASA student art showcase. Entertainment by saxophonist Rod Pittman. A wine bar provided by Friends of the Arts.
 

Christmas Movie Night on the Trail happening on Dec. 16

Join Orange Beach Coastal Resources and the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail Foundation for a free Christmas Movie Night on the Trail at 6 p.m. Friday, December 16th at Al's Parkour Park. 

They will be showing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and serving popcorn and hot chocolate. 

Bring a blanket and a chair and join us at Al's Parkour Park for a family-friendly movie night under the stars. Parking will be at the Orange Beach Sportsplex Trailhead. Shuttles to the Parkour Park will be available upon request. 

For any questions, call 251-981-1063.

Orange Beach City Schools' December 2022 edition of "The Current" is available now. Click here or on the image below to view The Current, Issue No. 2. This month's magazine highlights student achievement. Stay informed. Go Makos!

You will also read about our ongoing capital campaign, which was solidified with the recent City's budget approval. We are excited to forge ahead with our building plans and appreciate the City's generous support. Not within the Board's scope, but rather that of the City's, is the placement of turf on the softball field and the creation of softball and baseball facilities at the Sportsplex. So again, we say thank you, City of Orange Beach! 
 

ORANGE BEACH HIGH SCHOOL

Best of luck to all of our swimmers and theatre students at their respective state competitions today and this weekend. Go Makos!

• Orange Beach City Schools
• Orange Beach High School
• Orange Beach Middle School
• Orange Beach Elementary School
• Orange Beach Mako Athletics
• Makos Academics, Arts & Athletics Club

The 39th Annual NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship is down to four teams. Through a week of play, the top four seeds have advanced to Saturday's semifinals. 

In quarterfinal action at the Orange Beach Sportsplex on Thursday: 

• --No. 4 Spring Arbor University beat No. 5 William Carey University, 1-0
• --No. 1 Keiser University topped No. 8 Aquinas College, 1-0
• --No. 2 Marian University dominated No. 7 and defending champs University of Tennessee Southern, 4-1. 
• --No. 3 University of the Cumberlands edged No. 6 Oklahoma Wesleyan University, 2-1. 

(See the NAIA semifinal recap: Top Seeds Thrive in Quarters.)

• 1 p.m. - No. 4 Spring Arbor University (Spring Arbor, Michigan) vs. No. 1 Keiser University (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) 
• 4 p.m. - No. 2 Marian University (Indianapolis, Indiana) vs. No. 3 University of the Cumberlands (Williamsburg, Kentucky) 

The championship will be played on Monday, December 5th at 1:05 p.m.  

View the 2022 NAIA Women's Soccer National Champion bracket.

For ticket information, visit https://www.naia.org/sports/wsoc/index.

ORANGE BEACH PUBLIC LIBRARY DECEMBER CALENDAR