Gulf Shores, Alabama – The worst of the Gulf oil spill hasn't hit Alabama's coast, and promoters at Gulf Shores are out to prove it with a three-day beach festival this weekend.
State tourism officials say some 30,000 visitors are expected for The Hangout Beach, Music and Arts Festival, which begins Friday in Gulf Shores. Acts including John Legend and the Zac Brown Band will perform on stages built on the broad, white-sand public beach.
Shaul Zislin is behind the festival - he owns an entertainment complex in Gulf Shores called The Hangout.
Zislin says the original goal was to kick-start the tourist season at the beach. Now it's to highlight Alabama's coast and to raise money for Gulf relief.
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