Interstate Mullet Toss may be Gulf Coast’s greatest beach party

            Question: What fish is named for a hairstyle, is the only fish to have a gizzard and some say, at least in Orange Beach, Alabama, that it owns mystical properties. This fish is also the star of a massive party held every April.           

            It’s the mullet, of course. And every spring it gets tossed about at the annual Interstate Mullet Toss at the Flora-Bama Lounge and Oyster Bar in Orange Beach — or Florida, depending on where you stand on the famous bar’s property.

            Mullets are actually eaten along the Gulf Coast but at the Flora-Bama it’s another reason to party, with the annual Mullet Toss becoming one of the largest beach parties on the coast. Basically you toss a dead mullet over the state line — the bar sits on the Florida-Alabama line and on each side (read Weird South’s blog on the multi-state bar here) — and the one who tosses the fish the farthest wins.

            Don’t believe us? Check out the photos from past events.

            This year’s event is April 24-26, 2015. The fun begins at noon Friday, April 24 and again at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 25-26. It costs $15 to sign up to throw a mullet in various age groups and there’s an additional cover fee to get into the bar. There will also be live music with alcohol flowing freely.

            For more information, visit FloraBama.com or call (850) 492-0611.

Cheré Coen is an award-winning travel writer specializing in the Deep South. She is also the author of “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History,” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana” and co-author of “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.