special to the standard

Alabama’s beach towns will soon welcome thousands of football fans to the area to celebrate the decorated history of the South’s favorite “pastime” – Southeastern Conference (SEC) football. Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism (GSOBT), an official corporate sponsor of the SEC, is set to host the second SEC BeachFest from Aug. 15-18 (Thursday through Sunday).
From a golf scramble and fishing tournaments to the FanZone Fueled by BP, beach concerts and appearances by Legendary Coaches and Players, the festival has something for each member of the family to explore throughout the weekend.
“SEC BeachFest gives us the distinct opportunity to welcome fans to our beautiful beaches and kick off the always highly anticipated SEC football season,” said Herb Malone, president and CEO of GSOBT. “We are honored to be the beach destination where SEC fans come to play, and we’re thrilled to give fans a variety of activities to look forward to during their visit.”
Festival offerings include the following details:
Legendary coaches and players will grace BeachFest throughout the weekend. The Legends Pavilion sponsored by Comcast will feature an ongoing program of talk show-type interviews with the Legends. Legendary Coaches include Gene Stallings (Alabama), Pat Dye (Auburn), Vince Dooley (Georgia), Bill Curry (Kentucky), Jerry Stovall (LSU), Billy Brewer (Ole Miss), Houston Nutt (Ole Miss and Arkansas), Phillip Fulmer (Tennessee), R.C. Slocum (Texas A&M) and Bobby Johnson (Vanderbilt). Legendary Players include Roger Schultz (Alabama), Matt Jones (Arkansas), Ben Leard (Auburn), Chris Doering (Florida), David Greene (Georgia), Howard Schnellenberger (Kentucky), Jake Gibbs (Ole Miss), Inky Johnson (Tennessee) and Bucky Richardson (Texas A&M).
General weekend passes to BeachFest are $25 and VIP tickets are $199.
VIP tickets include a meet and greet with special guests, an open bar, meal periods, snacks as well as an air-conditioned area with executive bathrooms.
Children ages 10 and younger will be admitted free with a ticketed adult (one child per adult) and will only be admitted into the VIP area with a VIP-ticketed adult.
For more information visit www.secbeachfest.com.