Logan Martin Neely Henry Lakelife 247 Magazine July and August 2022

LOGAN MARTIN & NEELY HENRY

LakeLife JULY & AUGUST 2022

24/7

The Ark’s Evolution SPEAKEASY TO EATERY STILL GOING STRONG

Setting Sail

WEEKNIGHT SAILING SERIES ON LOGAN MARTIN

Last Riverboat Man

A TRIBUTE IN GREENSPORT

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BIRMINGHAM SAILING CLUB

WEEKNIGHT SAILING SERIES

38

46

BULLS RETURN TO THE LAKE

18 IN THE KITCHEN 28 REMEMBER WHEN 54 LUX LIVING IN RIVERSIDE ABOUT THE COVER

LAST OF THE RIVERBOAT MEN 60 GADSDEN SPORTSPLEX 68 TAKE 5 78 CATCHIN’ THE COOSA

Members of Birmingham Sailing Club gather at the shoreline for some ‘mingling’ time before the Weeknight Sailing Series launches at 5. A Sunfish sailboat sets the idyllic scene.

4 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

Photo by Mackenzie Free

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July and August 2022 | Logan Martin & Neely Henry LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE

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CONTRIBUTORS CAROL PAPPAS

Carol Pappas is editor and publisher of LakeLife24/7® Magazine and Discover St. Clair Magazine. A retired newspaper executive, she served as editor and publisher of several newspapers and magazines during her career. She won dozens of writing awards in features, news and commentary and was named Distinguished Alabama Community Journalist at Auburn University. She serves as president/CEO of Partners by Design, the multimedia group that publishes Discover and LakeLife24/7® magazines.

JACKIE ROMINE WALBURN

Jackie Romine Walburn, a Birmingham native and freelance writer, is an Auburn journalism graduate who has worked as a reporter, editor and corporate communications manager. She’s had recent writing published in the Birmingham Arts Journal and Alalit.com.

Jackie is currently seeking an agent and publisher for her first novel, Mojo Jones and the Black Cat Bone.

ERYN ELLARD

Eryn Ellard is a freelance writer living in Pell City. She graduated with her bachelor’s in Journalism in 2010 from The University of Alabama. She has been published in The St. Clair News Aegis, Al.com and The Tuscaloosa News, which ultimately led to her securing an internship and becoming internationally published in Cosmopolitan Magazine in New York City.

PAUL SOUTH

Paul South, a native of Fairfield, is an Auburn graduate with a degree in journalism and a double minor in history.

He also has a Juris Doctorate degree from the Birmingham School of Law. Although sports writing was always his first love, he had a versatile career as reporter, columnist and first full-time sports information director at Samford University.

ELAINE HOBSON MILLER

Elaine Hobson Miller graduated from Samford University with a Journalism degree. She was the first female to cover Birmingham City Hall for the Birmingham Post-Herald, where was reporter, food editor and features writer. She is former editor of Birmingham Home & Garden magazine and staff writer for Birmingham magazine.

6 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

ROXANN EDSALL

Roxann Edsall is a freelance writer and former managing editor of Convene Magazine, a convention industry publication. She has a degree in (broadcast) journalism from the University of Southern Mississippi, worked as a television news reporter in Biloxi and as a reporter and assignments editor in Birmingham.

After enjoying the lake for years, she and her husband, Steve, recently became full-time Logan Martin residents.

SCOTTIE VICKERY

Scottie Vickery is a writer with a degree in journalism from the University of Alabama and was a reporter for The Birmingham News. Her first assignment was covering St. Clair and Blount counties. She has more than 30 years of writing and editing experience and her work has appeared in a variety of publications. She also has worked in the nonprofit industry.

KELSEY BAIN

As the owner of Kelsey Bain Photography, Kelsey is a regular contributor of photos and editorials for our publications. An Alabama native and graduate of Auburn University, Kelsey now resides on Logan Martin lake with her husband Adam and their daughter, Sawyer.

TONI FRANKLIN

Toni Franklin is a graphic artist for Partners

by Design, Discover St. Clair Magazine and LakeLife 24/7 Magazine. She has 30 years in the printing industry as print production artist, manager and art director.

She is a graduate of The Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale and studied at Penn State and University of Alabama at Birmingham. A native of Pennsylvania, she has lived most of her life in Alabama.

ZEKE GOSSETT

Zeke Gossett is a member of the B.A.S.S. Pro Tour, a fishing guide and former national collegiate fishing champion. He grew up fishing on the Coosa River with Logan Martin as his home lake. A graduate of Jacksonville State University, he earned his degree in Recreational Leadership with a minor in Coaching. He operates a guide service on the Coosa River, Zeke Gossett Fishing.

About LakeLife 24/7® Magazine LakeLife 24/7® Magazine is a lake lifestyle magazine for Logan Martin and Neely Henry lakes on Alabama’s Coosa River.

It is published the first Friday of January, March, May, July, September and November and is distributed free of charge at various locations in St. Clair, Talladega, Etowah and Calhoun counties.

For a list of distribution points, go to LakeLife247Magazine. com.

Subscriptions by mail are also available at $19.95 per year.

To subscribe, simply go online to: LakeLife247Magazine. com.

LakeLife 24/7® Magazine It’s How You Want to Live!

It’s What You Want To Read!

EDITOR’S NOTES

Bulls, sailing, catfish and sports galore all a part of life on the lake July & August 2022 Vol. 2, Issue 2 LakeLife247Magazine.com

Carol Pappas Editor and Publisher Dale Halpin Advertising Toni Franklin Graphic Designer Graham Hadley Vice President, Creative Division Brandon Wynn Director Online Services

A publication of Partners by Design partnersmultimedia.com 1911 Cogswell Avenue Pell City, AL 35125 205-335-0281

Memorial Day, traditionally signaling the beginning of lake season on Logan Martin and Neely Henry, has passed, and we’re already headed to 4th of July and beyond.

And with the season comes scores of activities on and around our lakes – everything from bull riding to fireworks to weeknight sailing races just for fun.

Bulls on the Lake, you ask? Why yes, that’s precisely the name of this event that raises funds for Future Farmers of America, a program at Pell City High School designed to engage students in agricultural-related careers. This show of bucking bulls and rodeo is held right on the banks of Logan Martin Lake with its view of the water creating a scenic backdrop and a memorable experience along with it.

In Gadsden, the Riverfront Sportsplex is taking shape on the banks of the Coosa River.

A massive project by the City of Gadsden and Gadsden State Community College, the sportsplex is sure to become a recreational destination point. And we’ll take you on a tour of what it has to offer in the years to come – a sportsman’s paradise nestled along the shoreline.

We’ll go back in time to the beginning of an iconic restaurant called The Ark, when it was just that – a water vessel. The Riverside landmark wasn’t on land it all. Instead, it was moored offshore to get around those pesky Prohibition laws in the 1930s. That’s not all to this restaurant’s story, though. We’ll take you through the years and its evolution – a gathering spot for NASCAR, a movie set and the home of nationally recognized catfish dinners. And they still serve alcohol, only this time it’s strictly legal.

On Neely Henry in Ohatchee, you’ll find a

couple’s own lakeside paradise, where they’re cooking up something special in our In the Kitchen series. In this popular feature, we take you inside the kitchen and around the house of some of the most spectacular homes on Neely Henry and Logan Martin lakes.

You’ll meet the masters of the kitchen, and they’ll even share a recipe or two with you – something to savor long after the reading is done.

It’s summer at Birmingham Sailing Club, just below Logan Martin Dam, and that means plenty of activity going on – even on a weeknight. The club launched its Weeknight Fun Races in 2021, and the new tradition continues. It’s time to unwind, and they do it in style. Take a peek.

On a more poignant note, we pay special tribute to Dave Evans Jr. of Greensport, who passed away earlier this year. His life had many an experience, but he perhaps will be best known as the ‘last riverboat man.’ He and his father operated the final ferry on the Coosa River before Neely Henry was created.

As always, there’s plenty more in this issue of LakeLife 24/7 Magazine®. Turn the page and discover it all with us.

Carol A. Pappas Editor

July and August 2022 | Logan Martin & Neely Henry LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE

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Birmingham Sailing Club launches weeknight fun series for summer Story by Carol Pappas Photos by Mackenzie Free Submitted photos

It’s ‘Hump Day’ night – middle of the week with the weekend clearly in sight.

Weeknights can be a bit on the boring side, but not here. It’s Wednesday evening to be precise, and at Birmingham Sailing Club they’ve discovered a new way to make it over the hump and have a lot of fun doing it.

By 4:30 p.m., sailors of all sorts – novices, seasoned pros, kids, parents, all ages – pour out of the clubhouse perch atop a hillside overlooking Logan Martin Lake. They rig their boats, hop aboard and set sail for the starting lineup of the Weeknight Fun Race Series.

There’s no mistaking this race for a weekend version at the club. Saturdays and Sundays are intense as sailors compete for scores accumulated over the entire year to crown a club champion.

8 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE

Sunset is a highlight of weeknight sailing

Children join the fun in this series

Logan Martin & Neely Henry LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE

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Quality family time

Wayne Bucher

Sunfish takes to the water 10 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

The only points on Wednesdays are for participation. Even dogs and guests get counted during the five-week series. Bring a dog onboard, that’s a point. Bringing a guest?

That’s a point for the host and the guest.

“The focus behind the Wednesday-night program is keeping it fun,” said longtime member David Reich. “It’s all focused on fun.

It’s not a competition at all. We even give awards to dogs because they participate.”

It is an opportunity for members who are not experienced to get out there and sail without worrying about getting in the way of a serious competitor and hindering their race.

Weeknight races started in 2021 for the summer, and it was so popular, it returned this summer. Some couldn’t make it on Wednesday nights, so the club offers five weeks on Wednesday, a break, five weeks on Thursday, another break, and the final five weeks on Wednesdays again.

During the breaks they hold shorefront cookouts, a savory recipe for even more fun with people bringing paddleboards and additional family, dogs included. It offers them a chance for gathering around the grill, mingling and getting to know one another better.

Commodore Stan Graham calls the club “150 people’s lake house. It’s their waterfront property.” With more people working from home, the weeknight races give them a break, a chance to enjoy quiet time on the lake, which sees little traffic on a Wednesday night.

Come the weekend, all of that changes.

Traffic is up all around, and the club’s races return to their intensity. But for the weeknight series, “we keep it really lighthearted,” Reich said. Music emanates from the committee boat.

Kids might take the tiller of their parents’ boat with Mom or Dad as a crewmember. “Nobody cares who wins.”

Weeknight Sailing

In the widest part of the lake, sailboats of varying sizes set sail

12 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

Reich called the 15 to 20 who participate in weeknight races “a great mix. A lot of women come out on Wednesday nights and quite a lot of kids. They bring friends. They score one for showing up. If they bring a guest, they get two points. We score everybody on board.”

Craig Hennecy of Birmingham, who started sailing three years ago with his son, Craig Jr., said weeknights are welcoming to newcomers. “They feel more comfortable if they know someone is there to rescue them.”

He enjoys his time at the waterfront club and honing his skills when he’s out on the water, making the 45-minute trip to BSC a couple of times a week. “It’s much less expensive than buying a lake house, and I made 150 new friends.”

As for his time on the water, “You try to get better at it, like a golf swing. When you get it right, it’s rewarding.

Craig Jr., now 12, is following in his father’s footsteps, or more accurately, his love of sailing. He began Junior Camp in 2019 at the age of nine. As he gained experience, he started winning races “with this guy,” he said, pointing to his father. Crewing the boat with his father on weekends, he said with a playful smile, “He only wins because of my weight.”

Throughout the summer, you’ll hear stories like those of the Hennecys – sailing the open waters, wind at their back and plenty of laughter. After all, this is Weeknight Fun Races.

Everybody’s welcome – member or not.

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It’s their way of sharing the joys of sailing they already know firsthand. Come and take a ride on a sailboat. They’ll accommodate you. Or try your hand at sailing yourself. It’s all levels coming together for a good time, Reich said. “We like to give everybody a taste of mid-week sailing.”

14 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

July and August 2022 | Logan Martin & Neely Henry LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE

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Weekends Story by Carol Pappas Submitted photos

at Birmingham Sailing Club Nearly every weekend of the year, the waters below Birmingham Sailing Club seem to roil with activity from serious competitors in different classes, like Flying Scots and Thistles, to better their standings on a national point system accumulated over the entire year.

“Every race counts,” said David Reich. “A finish in every race counts. That’s the reason it’s more competitive.”

Birmingham Sailing Club members continue to make their names known in the standings. Sally Morris just finished second in the Dallas Flying Scots Women’s North American Championship.

It’s hard to imagine that the vast expanse of water – the widest opening on Logan Martin Lake at a mile – was once a skinny river surrounded by farmland and thick forest 60 years ago.

Sam Caldwell, a thistler from Birmingham, used to take his boat to Lake Guntersville. In 1962, when Alabama Power Company planned to dam up the Coosa River near Birmingham to harness energy for hydroelectric power, Caldwell had a plan of his own.

With an Alabama Power map in hand, he scoured woods, pastureland and hillsides until he found just the right spot. In 1962, he and fellow thistler, Herb Hagler, signed an option on land near where Logan Martin Dam would be built. By December of that year, the purchase was complete “thanks to the help of fifteen foolhardy souls willing to pay initiation fees to a sailing club with no water,” according to the club’s history. Few knew anything about sailing but bought into the vision.

David Reich’s father was among the charter members, and he helps carry on the vision and the legacy today. “Those were of the first ramps on the lake,” he said, motioning toward the dock and slips. “The first pier was constructed before the lake was here.”

Today, 46 sailing events a year are held there on weekends.

Membership stands at 150. It offers adult learn to sail classes, junior sailing and fleet racing in Flying Scot, Thistle, J22’s, among others.

There are Sunday afternoon races throughout the year and one-day regattas once a month during spring and summer months, as well as invitational regattas that bring in entries from all around the Southeast.

Its nine acres on a knoll overlooking the lake also features a clubhouse, fixed and floating docks, parking, paved launching ramps and a lake swimming area.

Planned is an expanded patio and cooking terrace with a clubhouse entrance, named for Reich’s father, Harry C. Reich.

The elder Reich was “charter member, past commodore, visionary, competitor and sportsman,” according to the architectural rendering description. The Harry C. Reich Memorial Project is aimed at improving the use and appearance of the BSC facility and “enhance the entire BSC membership and guest experience.”

It’s just one more vision on that storied horizon.

16 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

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IN Story by Scottie Vickery Photos by Kelsey Bain and Graham Hadley

the

Kitchen

Nothing’s sweeter than life on the lake … with a baker and a griller

Leigh Gardner’s co-workers loved her breads so much, they encouraged her to start selling them.

18 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

I

f it’s a weekend in the summer, chances are good there’s going to be a crowd at Leigh and Jeff Gardner’s Neely Henry Lake home in Ohatchee.

The sparkling water, the lure of a boat ride and the promise of some crappie fishing are pretty good draws, but more than likely, the group is coming for the food. Jeff’s probably got some hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill, wings in the fryer or ribs on the smoker, but Leigh’s desserts are the main attraction. “I’ve been baking since I was a teenager,” she said. “Jeff says I snagged him with my chocolate cake.”

Whether it’s cakes, cookies, sweet breads or fudge, Leigh has pretty much mastered it all. In fact, her baked goods got such rave reviews from friends that she took their advice and started a side gig. “I was always making things and taking them to work; it’s just one of the things I like to do to make it a great work environment,” said Leigh, a pharmacist at Quick Meds Express Pharmacy in Oxford. “The girls at work kept saying, ‘You need to sell these.’”

Now, she gets frequent requests for her cinnamon walnut bread, her strawberry cheesecake bread with strawberry butter, as well as a variety of cakes, cookies and other treats. “People like to give them as gifts,” she said. “I’ve gotten orders on top of orders.” yourself?

Find her on Facebook at facebook.com/ leigh.fordham to place your order

Jeff Gardner cooks up one of his specialties, St. Louis style ribs.

Leigh’s cinnamon walnut bread and strawberry cheesecake bread with strawberry butter are two of her most popular offerings July and August 2022 | Logan Martin & Neely Henry LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE

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A light fixture fashioned from cups and saucers hangs above her coffee bar that holds snacks and her great-grandmother’s coffee cups.

Leigh’s buffet and china cabinet are home to some family treasures, as well as new finds she couldn’t resist.

It’s in the genes

Right off Leigh’s kitchen that overlooks the water is a coffee bar with a bin of snacks hanging above it. The chips are a hit with her two daughters and their friends, but it’s her great-grandmother’s coffee cups and sugar bowl that warm Leigh’s heart. The china cabinet and buffet are filled with family treasures, and her great-great-grandmother’s dough bowl has a place of honor in the center of the table.

Family is important to Leigh, and she has wonderful memories of growing up and helping her mom and both grandmothers in the kitchen.

“Growing up, peanut butter cookies were my specialty,” she said. “That was my thing, and I still use the same recipe from way back when.”

History has a way of repeating itself, and these days, 10-year-old Elise loves to help her mom in the kitchen. “I crack the eggs because Mama’s not that good at that,” she said. “She gets eggshells in there.” Brooklyn, 15, isn’t a big fan of kitchen duty, but she’s always a more-than-willing taster.

“Most everything she makes is pretty good,” the teenager acknowledged.

Lots of folks seem to agree, based on the requests she gets after she started selling her breads, cakes and cookies last December. She started by offering her cinnamon walnut bread on Facebook, and the next thing she knew, she was taking orders and making deliveries.

20 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

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Leigh’s cinnamon walnut bread is fresh from the oven.

Sweet success

“The plan was to do bread, but then I had one client ask if I could bake a certain cake,” Leigh said. “I baked it for her, and her family loved it.

Then she wanted me to do macaroons and a few other things. I like different things that challenge me.”

Although she’s got a collection of favorite recipes, she’s always on the hunt for more. “I look up a lot of stuff online and then I tweak it to where I want it to be,” she said. “People give me recipes now, and I love it. I like to have a story with it.”

While she takes lots of orders, Leigh often posts on Facebook when she’s got extra loaves or cakes that are fresh rom the oven. Some days it’s salted caramel or butterscotch bread, and some days it’s chocolate pecan, banana walnut or sourdough.

Her regular breads sell for $15, and the breads that come with strawberry butter or honey cinnamon butter are $20. Cookies are $15 a dozen, and cakes start at $40.

Even though the Facebook offerings get claimed quickly, most of her customers aren’t picky – they’ll take whatever they can get and they’re willing to wait. “A lot of people just say, ‘Whenever you do your next batch, make me a strawberry cheesecake,’” she said. “Around the holidays, I got a lot of last-minute orders. People would ask what I had available, and I usually have something for them.”

Leigh has an extra fridge on the back porch and a freezer in the garage for just such emergencies. “I make a lot of things ahead of time and freeze them,” she said. “They’re just as good as the day you make them.”

So, what’s her secret? It starts with her homemade vanilla, which she makes by soaking vanilla beans in vodka for six to eight weeks. “It makes everything taste better,” she said.

“I make bottles and give them as gifts at Christmas.”

Another weapon is the different starters for her breads. She uses a mixture of flour, sugar, milk, yeast and water, allows it to ferment and “feeds” it every five days by adding more of the ingredients. She’s had the same batch of starter going for four or five years now, and she uses it for the cinnamon walnut bread and her carrot cake.

Although Leigh never intended to start a business when she baked for her co-workers, she’s enjoyed making her breads and desserts for family, friends and her growing list of customers. “It’s been crazy,” she said. “Every evening I’ll come in from my full-time job, mix something up and bake it. A lot of mornings, I’ll mix up some bread, and it’s ready by the time I’m out the door at 8:15.”

Elise, Leigh and Brooklyn at home in kitchen with Mom’s creations.

22 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

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Leigh and Jeff love being steps away from their dock and boat now that they are living on Neely Henry Lake.

Just add water

On the mornings she’s not baking, Leigh loves to get up early, walk the dogs and enjoy the scenery. The Gardners moved into their lakeside home last September, and even though they had lived in a house with a view of the lake for years, they’re still discovering the joys of being right on the water.

“We love it here,” Leigh said. “We went out in the boat all the time before, but we had to pack up the car and drive to get the boat. Now we can just walk down, get on the boat and go.”

Fishing is a lot easier these days, too. “We can go anytime we want,” she said. “The other night we fished off the pier until almost 10 o’clock.”

Leigh and Jeff, a driver for UPS, said their new home is an answer to prayer. Jeff was driving his route one day when he saw a sign in the front yard. “We had just ridden over here on the boat and said, ‘Man, I wish they’d put that house up for sale,’” he said. “That was Sunday, and I was over here Wednesday. I called Leigh and said, ‘You’re not going to believe it.’”

Their old house “was in binocular’s distance” to their new one, Jeff said, but the ease of walking out the back door to head for the water can’t be beat. “We loved both places,” he said, “but this is a whole lot more convenient.”

Want to taste some of Leigh’s breads and desserts yourself? Find her on Facebook at facebook.com/leigh. fordham to place your order 24 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

Elise, left, and Brooklyn get to enjoy their mom’s creations, including these cranberry white chocolate oatmeal cookies.

July and August 2022 | Logan Martin & Neely Henry LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE

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.

Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies Ingredients: ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted ½ tsp baking soda butter, room temperature ½ tsp cinnamon ½ cup brown sugar ¼ tsp salt ¼ cup sugar 1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats 1 egg ½ cup cranberries ½ tsp vanilla ½ cup pecans ¾ cup all-purpose flour ½ cup white chocolate chips Directions: Combine butter, brown sugar and sugar. Then add egg and vanilla, and mix well. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, and mix well. Add remaining ingredients one at a time and then mix well.

Bread Starter Ingredients: ¼ cup warm water 1 package active dry yeast 1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar 1 cup milk

Chill dough 2-4 hours or overnight. Drop onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.

Directions: Combine water and yeast and let mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Mix flour, sugar and milk together and add yeast mixture. Put the starter in a gallon-sized plastic bag or a plastic container and let it sit on the counter for five days (do not refrigerate).

After the first five days, add 1 cup milk, 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. After five more days (and every five days after) add ½ cup milk, ½ cup flour and ½ cup sugar.

For best results, let the starter ferment for 2-3 weeks before using. Save 1 cup of starter after making the bread and repeat the feeding accordingly.

(Will need to be made several weeks in advance)

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ad

The Ark –

From Prohibition to Pandemic, Still Going Strong

If you’re not from around here, the sign wouldn’t draw you in, and the name wouldn’t make sense. The building is not an imposing brown boat, nor is it floating in water.

The Coosa River is an important part of the story, though.

The history is as fascinating as the food is good.

28 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

Remember When – Story by Roxann Edsall Photos by Graham Hadley Submittted photos

July and August 2022 | Logan Martin & Neely Henry LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE

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with Sylvia Cornett hard Petty NASCAR’s Ric

I

t’s a story that began in 1930 when E.O. “Red” Thompson decided to play a game of cat and mouse with the local authorities.

After a decade of Prohibition, he hatched a plan to open a bar and restaurant.

His first step was to buy and refurbish an old dredging barge and park it 30 feet off the banks of the Coosa River. He outfitted it with a kitchen and tables and chairs and called it “The Ark.” He sold beer for 15 cents a can. Sixty cents would get you all the catfish and hushpuppies you could eat.

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It’s what’s inside that counts 30 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

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Customers to this floating speakeasy could either walk in on the gangplank or tie off by boat. Since the Coosa divided the counties of St. Clair and Talladega, The Ark was not in the jurisdiction of either county.

Local legend tells that if the Talladega authorities were on the way, he’d move to the St. Clair side of the water. If the authorities from St. Clair were on the way, he’d move to the Talladega side.

It was a dance that lasted for the next three years until the 21st Amendment ended Prohibition. The barge eventually burned and sank, and Thompson built a log building on land and reopened the restaurant and bar. When that location also burned, he built the current building in Riverside just south of the Coosa River bridge on U.S. 78.

Bought in the late 70s by retired newspaper editor and publisher Bob and Sylvia Cornett, the new owners operated the restaurant with more emphasis on developing recipes and relationships than on evading the law. They kept catfish as their primary draw but gave the place a more family-friendly feel.

The opening of the Talladega Super Speedway in 1969 gave them a whole new clientele and they began to see NASCAR drivers like Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt on a regular basis. Autographed pictures of famous drivers and politicians grace the walls, giving a nod to the global appeal of a great plate of catfish. Recently, comedian Darren Knight was a guest.

Current owner Shirley Abts says they still get some business around race weekends, but it’s not what it used to be a decade ago. “Most of the drivers have their food catered now,” she said. “They just stay in their trailers and have the food come to them.”

Shirley and her (now deceased) husband, Richard, bought The Ark in 2013. They already had the Cropwell restaurant Even Odds when they were approached by Sylvia Cornett.

“Sylvia came to me and asked me to buy it. They were struggling, and she said she was going to lose it if I didn’t buy it, so I did,” said Abts. “I had been coming here to The Ark for 30 years, and I didn’t want to see it close.”

Shirley Abts overseeing the kitchen

32 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

Diverse chapters comprise Ark story

The restaurant was used as a movie set in 2019. The producers of the Netflix original, The Devil All the Time, starring Tom Holland,Bill Skarsgard and Sebastian Stan transformed The Ark into a 1960s diner, even replacing the sign with one calling it White Cow Diner, undoubtedly confusing passersby.

Antique cars lined the parking lot. “They came in and put up the sign and took out the air conditioners, fans and light fixtures,” Abts explained. “Then they put up curtains and a lot of 60s décor. Before they left, they put it ‘mostly’ back together,” she adds, with a chuckle. They did pay well enough, according to Abts, to pay the entire staff for several days they were not able to work due to the closure for filming.

2019 was a tough year for Abts, though, with the death of her husband early in the year, followed by a triple bypass surgery for her before the year ended. Then, just weeks after getting out of the hospital, she was told she had to close the restaurant when the pandemic halted in-person dining.

She acknowledges the community as being the blessing that came from that experience. “People supported us through that. People lined up outside for takeout orders seven days a week. And they tipped well to take care of our wait staff,” said Abts. “That was before delivery services like Door Dash and Jack Rabbit. It was so busy that we had to have a waitress go car to car taking orders because our phone was too busy that people couldn’t get through.”

A plate of goodness

During filming of movie, Ark gets a name change

Onion rings, greens and a baked potato can complement the main event 34 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

Shirley’s welcoming smile

Today’s customers enjoy The Ark ‘experience’

The ‘regulars’ and an icon

They have many loyal customers, including some who come every single day. Don’t ask for table six at 11:00; it’s reserved for Joey. He and his wife come in every day, from their jobs at a local auction house.

It’s the loyal customers that keep Sheerie Smith working there. She’s been a waitress at The Ark for over 20 years, starting when she was just 15. Her mom, aunt and grandmother also worked there, so the job has truly been a family affair. “We have a lot of the same customersthat we’ve had for so many years,” says Smith. “These people have watched me grow up here. They ask about my kids. They’re family.”

As soon as she bought it, Abts found people who knew the original recipes that the previous owners had gotten away from. Then she rehired people who knew how to make those recipes.

She only buys U.S. farm-raised catfish and slices her produce fresh each day. “The former owners had been using frozen onions and when we went back to fresh cut, we could barely keep up with all the onion rings people wanted,” said Abts proudly. “Fresh makes a big difference in the taste.”

The difference is clearly a good one, as their catfish is listed on the Alabama Tourism Department’s 100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama Before You Die. They were also a finalist in Bama’s Best Catfish Restaurant competition by the Alabama Catfish Producers and the Catfish Institute’s Top Ten Restaurants in America to Eat Catfish.

They’ve recently added a new “Remix” sandwich that features catfish and shrimp with a rémoulade sauce, topped with lettuce and tomato. While catfish is their signature dish, the fish and shrimp combo is what they sell most. “We don’t play when it comes to shrimp,” adds Abts. “We have really big shrimp!” They’ve also added desserts to the menu, currently featuring a homemade cheesecake by local baker Barbara

Miller. On occasion, they also have buttermilk pie.

As with any business operating post pandemic, she struggles to keep fully staffed. There are signs at each booth asking people to be patient regarding wait times. It’s worth the wait, adds Abts. “We use fresh food. We don’t precook anything. It’s made to order. That’s why it takes a little while to get your food.”

The tiny sign outside says, “The Ark Family Restaurant.”

It’s a family restaurant with a small sign, an unremarkable building, a storied past, but touting a big flavor, seasoned with staff dedicated to keeping it firmly in place in the landscape of their community.

36 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

Bulls

Story by Eryn Ellard Submitted photos

on the Lake returns to Logan Martin

38 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

When Bulls on the Lake heads to Logan Martin, crowds come from near and far to see which cowboy can declare victory amongst his competitors – who can hold on to a bucking bull or bronco for a full eight seconds (or the longest time if no cowboy can hold on for eight seconds), with one hand and without touching himself or the animal.

Sound intriguing? Bulls on the Lake will return for its 7th Annual Rodeo, on the banks of Logan Martin Lake at Lakeside Park Friday and Saturday, July 22-23.

Over the years, countless locals have proudly declared that bull riding is on their list of things they wish to accomplish in this life – their bucket lists. But after seeing a real rodeo in person, most cross that one off their lists and replace it with a less dangerous, safer, feat like summiting Mt. Everest, lumberjacking or sparring with Mike Tyson.

The event is put on by the Pell City Future Farmers of America Alumni Association and is the organization’s largest fundraiser of the year. They have been working long hours since January –planning, organizing and executing the event with the help of countless volunteers, local businesses, sponsors, advisors and rodeo specialists.

Producer of this year’s event is Mike Hale, owner of Triple H Bucking Bulls and Rodeo Co. Hale is responsible for coordinating all the rodeo’s events and contests. In addition, Triple H also sponsors two scholarships each year for the Pell City FFA. The main sponsor of this year’s rodeo is John Deere Trigreen Equipment.

Pell City FFA Alumni President Tori Castleberry says it is a huge family weekend, with events, shows, games and more for all ages to enjoy. “We love that the rodeo is an all-inclusive event – nobody ever leaves disappointed,” Castleberry says.

The Pell City FFA Alumni Chapter is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and uses the proceeds from the rodeo for a host of things throughout the school year, including a wide range of competitions from livestock judging, small-engine competitions, land-judging competitions and so many more.

Many events the Pell City FFA attends each year happen outside of the classroom, so there are transportation costs, lodging and food costs, entrance fees and more. The Pell City FFA officers also attend the FFA National Convention in October in Indianapolis, and the alumni association makes sure that all officers can attend, despite any financial burden a student may be facing.

In addition, the officers attend an officer retreat every June to prepare as a team for the upcoming school year, and the officers also attend the state convention in June where they compete for highly coveted awards, as well as showing the rest of the state what Pell City is all about.

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Eight seconds. It doesn’t sound like long – unless you’re atop a bucking bull whose sole goal is for you not to be there.

July and August 2022 | Logan Martin & Neely Henry LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE

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A

ll these events and costs associated with them can add up quickly, so the alumni chapter knew they had to produce something big, something to drive the community to not only come out and enjoy themselves and their families, but also to participate in, get involved with and spend money at – for a strong and dedicated local organization that helps high school students.

Castleberry also noted that the rodeo helps to spark interest and a love for the world of agriculture in the hearts of so many area children, who will perhaps one day also join the ranks of the Pell City FFA. In the 2021-22 school year, the Pell City FFA had 160 active members and is projected to have 230+ for the upcoming 2022-23 school year.

Pell City Agriscience teacher and FFA advisor Ben Castleberry says the sole purpose of the FFA Alumni Association is to provide support to the FFA chapter.

“We are in a special situation in Pell City because our alumni pay for basically all the things we do, and that is because of the money raised from this rodeo,” he said. “No one else does anything like it.”

Friday’s events will focus on the young cowboys and cowgirls, giving them an opportunity to showcase their skills. Admission Friday night is $10, and ages 5 and under are free to attend.

Some of the highly competitive events include Mutton Bustin’ – an event where children under 65 pounds clamber aboard a wild, woolly sheep and try to hold on for six seconds.

In addition, children 5 and under, as well as ages 6-9, can compete in goat tail untying. In this event, children ride a horse to a tethered goat, untie a ribbon from its tail and hold it up, signaling finished. The time limit is 45 seconds. Dummy roping is also a popular event for the younger age groups.

For the more experienced young cowboys and cowgirls, Pee Wee mini bareback bronco riding will be available for ages 6-8, with a six-second time limit.

Opportunities for junior pony bareback bronco riding for ages 9-11, also with a six-second time limit, and senior bareback bronco 40 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

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riding for ages 12-15, with an eight-second time limit, are available.

Young bull riders also will compete at junior level, ages 9-11, with a time limit of six seconds and senior level, ages 12-15, with a time limit of eight seconds. First place in each event and age division will win a belt buckle.

The stock contractor for Friday night’s youth rodeo is 5L Farms.

Both the youth and adult bull riding rodeos are sanctioned by the International Professional Rodeo Association and all contestants will be members of IRMA. Youth contestants competing in any event except for bull riding do not have to be members of any rodeosanctioning organization.

Saturday’s rodeo will be for sanctioned riders only, and tickets will be $15 at the gate for ages 12 and above, $12 for ages 6-12 and free for children 5 and under. Food trucks, inflatables and other novelty pastimes will also be a favorite among both the young and old, including a mechanical bull. Root beer floats and funnel cakes are also crowd favorites. Stock contractor for Saturday’s events is Circle J&K Cattle Co. They will be bringing all livestock, gates, chutes and other equipment.

After taking a year hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event kicked back into full swing last year, drawing in over 4,000 in attendance. “The atmosphere was electric,” Castleberry said. “After being apart for so long, everyone was so happy to be able to come out, have a ball and support a great cause.

We are extremely grateful for the support and cannot wait to see what this year holds. To see this event come together enjoying a sport we do not get to see often is awesome.”

Castleberry also noted there are many people and organizations, that without whom, the rodeo would not be possible. “I could not do each year without our alumni parents and friends,” Castleberry said.

“Cason Davis, is my right-hand man, our amazing ag teachers and FFA advisors, the parks & recreation department at the City of Pell City, especially Bubba Edge, also Mark Hale, the mastermind behind Bulls on the Lake, and most importantly, the support of our local businesses who sponsor this event each year.”

44 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

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The last of the

‘Riverboat Men’

Typically seen in his favorite green hat, Dave Evans Jr. usually had his pockets full of checkbooks, pen, bills, receipts and his glasses. Sometimes he’d also carry his insulin pen and case.

Dave Evans Jr. leaves behind a storied legacy

H

Story by Elaine Hobson Miller Submitted photos

e loved Louis L’Amour novels, John Wayne movies and his family. He was an honest man who never borrowed money, who helped his neighbors and was strict with his kids. A witty man with a dry sense of humor. A hard worker who believed in giving an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay.

This is how family and friends remember David Shepherd Evans Jr., owner of Greensport Marina, who died March 12 at the age of 91.

He was one of the last two ferrymen to shuttle people and their vehicles back and forth across the Coosa River. The other was his father, Dave Sr., who continued to operate the Greensport Ferry without his son’s help until the late 1950s.

46 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

Dave Evans Jr and wife Margaret

Dave Evans Jr. and his dad, Dave Sr. (dad in hat) checking their cattle.

July and August 2022 | Logan Martin & Neely Henry LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE

47

“Dave Sr. took over operation of the ferry in the mid-1940s, and Dad helped him until 1957, when he went to work for Republic Steel in Gadsden,” says daughter Beth Evans Smith. “It gave him time to spend with his father.”

Dave Jr., known as Pop within the family, had told one of his ferry customers that he was going to look for another job because he had a baby on the way. Little did he know that the customer was the personnel manager at Republic. “He told Dad to be at the mill at a certain time, and when Dad got there, the man hired him,” Beth says.

The original Green’s Ferry was located on the banks of the Coosa River across from the home of former Revolutionary War soldier Jacob Green, built in 1832. That’s the same year the ferry was chartered to deliver mail. Pulled first by slaves and later by mules, by Dave Sr.’s day it was propelled with a small skiff powered by a six-horsepower outboard motor.

The ferry took folks from Green’s Port (later Greensport) across the Coosa River to a point a few miles from Ohatchee.

The land attached to Greensport Marina was designated a Bicentennial Farm by the U.S. Department of Agriculture two years ago because it has been in the same family for eight generations.

Dave Jr. was a direct descendent of Jacob Green, and his grandchildren make up the eighth generation.

The farm

The farm spans three counties and a couple of centuries. It is in St. Clair, Etowah and Calhoun counties. “It was also recognized as a Century and Heritage Farm by the Alabama Department of Agriculture,” Beth says. “Being a Bicentennial Farm is icing on the cake.”

The Century Farm designation is awarded to farms that have been in the same family continuously for at least 100 years and are currently being used for farming activities. A Heritage Farm must have been used as a family farm for at least 100 years and possess historical significance, including at least one structure standing for 40 years or more. Each type of farm must be at least 40 acres, and the owner must live in Alabama. The Green-Evans farm is about 1,200 acres.

Dave Jr. and his father raised cattle and corn, although they downsized their herd after losing more than 400 acres of prime pasture to the damming of the Coosa in 1966.

They also had a store at Greensport and at one time warehouses and a post office.

48 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

Dave Evans III (left) relaxes with his father, Dave Evans Jr.

Dave Evans Jr. was released from the Air Force early because his father was sick and Jr. was needed to run the farm.

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Dam doesn’t stand in his way

“My grandfather built the marina, but my dad and I went with him to the meetings with Alabama Power Company,” Beth says. “My dad had to do much of the physical work on the farm because my grandfather was not in good health. He was a diabetic and so was my dad.”

A visionary back in the 1960s, he could see the marina in that cow pasture, and built it before the waters were dammed and covered the land. “That was just as much Dad as grand,” says Dave III. “They built the marina for my granddad to have something to do in retirement, but it was Dad’s foresight that made it work. He was on a dozer the day they put the plug in (the dam). He went out there to knock a pile of dirt down, but before he could leave, the water was up to the top of the tracks on the dozer.”

Dave Evans Sr. was elected sheriff of St. Clair County in 1958, and the ferry was no longer operational by then. “Dad was a deputy sheriff when my grandfather was sheriff,” says Beth. “Hence his nickname at Republic, which followed him when Republic became LTV and then Gulf State Steel, was Sheriff. He was brave and would take on Goliath if necessary.

His experience with the sheriff ’s office helped us many times dealing with the public at the marina.”

Always on the go

When her father retired from Gulf State Steel in 1993, Beth thought he would be lost, but he never looked back. “He started going to the stockyards with my brother, Dave III, who is a veterinarian, and helping him with the cattle,” she says.

A man who didn’t believe in borrowing money, he had no credit or debit cards. “He believed in paying cash as you go,” she says. “If you didn’t have the money you shouldn’t buy. If he wanted or needed something he could ‘find’ the money because he stuck it away.”

Her brother, Dave III, says their father was the tightest

human being he’s ever known. “I’d give him money to keep for me, and I’d get the very same bills back,” he says. “Dad was pretty thrifty with his money. Also, he kept his word. If he said he was going to do something, he’d do it.”

Beth says her father was strong-willed, too. After he retired, he developed a blood clot in his brain. He had surgery and recovered. “He was tough as nails,” Beth says. “He also survived a collision with a loaded log truck on the way home from Moulton Stockyard. He and my brother came out of that without a scratch, but the veterinary truck was totaled, including every bottle of medicine.”

A hard worker all of his life, at the age of 12, he was in the coal mines in Bibb County. His father’s family were miners in West Blockton, Margaret and Acmar.

“My Dad told stories about driving trucks, falling into the coal shoot, blind-folding the mules when taking them from the mines, and that you didn’t kill the rats and mice because they were your best friends,” Beth says. “When the varmints started running out of the mine you had better be right behind them (because) something was going to happen.” Her mother, Margaret, was a hard worker, too. He was devastated when she died of cancer in 2012. “They were very close,” Beth says.

One of his former co-workers at the steel mill, Bill Lankford, says that in the 37 years Dave Jr. worked at Republic/LTV/Gulf State, he never laid out except when he was in the hospital.

“When he was on the morning shift, he would always arrive 30 minutes early and make the coffee. He was very dedicated to his family, his co-workers and his job.” The pair were two of the three men who worked in Republic’s pulpit, their name for the glass-walled computer control room.

“He believed in us working at the marina, too,” Beth says.

“We never took family vacations unless we visited our relatives in Foley or Tuscumbia.” Dave Jr. furnished CB radios for the family and workers to communicate with each other around the marina, and later low-band business radios in the trucks.

Employees of Republic Steel in 1966.

Dave Evans Jr. is on the back row, center, in checkered shirt 50 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

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Dave III says when Pop retired, he started helping him in his mobile veterinary business. “For the last 20 plus years, he’d go to the stockyards and different places with me where I would do Coggins tests,” Dave III says. “I have fond memories of him just riding with me everywhere and helping me do the paperwork at the sales.” Dr. Dave Evans III has the South’s only traveling federal veterinary lab, and the pair would go to horse sales that needed immediate results on blood tests.

There was no mistaking his love of country. Beth says her dad never missed an opportunity to vote. He told her and her brother that voting was an obligation. “Don’t complain about anything if you don’t vote,” she remembers him saying. “He said many people gave up a portion of their lives for us to vote and many gave their lives. I don’t miss an election! He served in the Air Force during the Korean War but was released early because his father was ill and as an only child, Dad was needed to run the farm.”

An honest man who “told you like it was,” what you saw in him was what you got. “There was nothing fake about my Dad,” Beth says.

A fan of Westerns

“Dave really enjoyed Westerns, and in the 1950s, he would come to our house to watch them on TV with my father while his wife, Margaret, visited with my mom,” says Margaret Green, one of Dave’s cousins. “The mountains around his home prevented him from having TV reception, but on the hill at Lock 1 where I lived, the reception was good. I hardly ever saw Dave without a Western novel somewhere close. His favorite author seemed to have been Louis L’Amour.”

Beth says he read every book written by L’Amour and had more than one copy of some of them. He also read Ralph Compton, the Western author from Odenville, and others, and enjoyed the newspaper and the Shotgun News. His favorite actors were John Wayne and Clint Eastwood.

went to rehab the second time, he got pneumonia and from then on, his health started spiraling downward. As a result, he had to have care 24/7.”

Dave III probably handled 70-80 percent of the night shifts with Pop the last few years of his life, but his son made sure Pop’s daytime caregivers drove him around various places each day. “I wouldn’t want to be sitting staring at four walls all the time,” Dave says. “Pop’s mental state the last year wasn’t the best, but he still enjoyed conversing with folks.”

Stephanie Evans, wife of Dave III, describes her father-in-law as “one of the most business-minded, innovative people that have been on the property.

“Throughout the building of this RV park, which opened in 2019, my father-in-law was my biggest encourager,” she says, tears welling up at the memories. “He was wheelchair-bound toward the end, but his caregiver would bring him by the office every day. Four days before he died, he said, ‘Stephanie, I can’t see out of this eye, and this side of my face is paralyzed,’ and I said, ‘Pop, do you see the good side or the bad side of me?’ And he said, ‘I always see the good side.’”

Pop would sit in a rocker on the front porch of the office, and Stephanie, who works in the park office, would leave the door open so they could converse. Often, he would have his caregiver drive him through park to see the changes. “He loved to talk to people at the store and boat ramp, especially about the history of the place,” Stephanie says. “He was a pleasant man to be around.”

Stephanie says her relationship with her father-in-law was one of best friends rather than in-laws. “I took him to lots of doctors’ appointments,” she says. “My husband and I had this joke. I used to say to my husband, ‘Your daddy made my day.

Sorry it wasn’t you.’ When Pop died, my husband said, ‘Well, gotta step up my game.’”

“My goal is to continue his legacy in how he’d want the property to move forward.”

A strong will

Another attribute that set him apart was his ability to accept the cards he was dealt. One example was the way he quit smoking: cold turkey.

“It was like he was a chain smoker one day and the next day he threw the cigarettes away,” Beth says.

“Also, from the moment he was diagnosed with diabetes, he knew what had to be done. Momma changed the way she cooked, and daddy stayed on a strict diet. He didn’t have the issues other diabetics have, such as loss of eyesight, amputation of limbs, sores not healing and constant fluctuations in his blood sugar levels. He was diagnosed in 1972-73 and lived with the disease 50 years.”

The blood clot developed in 1993, and Dave Sr. went on a honeymoon period of 10 years without insulin. Then he began to lose weight and had to start on insulin again. “In his last years he had aFib,” Beth says. “He fell out at the barn and lay there several hours before being found. When he 52 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

Dave Evans Jr. and Extension Agent W.D. Jackson

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Its name may have historic roots, but The Readmon condominium development coming to Riverside is a brand-new concept for lake living on Logan Martin.

54 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

Riverside Renaissance

The Readmon

luxury community to give new life to old name, lakefront site Story by Carol Pappas Photos submitted

July and August 2022 | Logan Martin & Neely Henry LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE

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This cutting-edge development of luxury condominiums featuring the latest in amenities sets a new standard for the lake, similar to communities usually found along the Gulf Coast.

It derives its name from the original Riverside, Readmon, which was established in 1882. In 1886, it was renamed and incorporated as Riverside and was St. Clair County’s largest industrial center at the time.

Jones Development, owned by Jeff Jones, hopes to reinvigorate the once thriving area with a development that will attract residents and investors to the Logan Martin

shoreline.

Located on the property once occupied by Riverside Marina, The Readmon is a 52-unit community with three complexes of two and three-bedroom luxury condominiums, offering varying designs with standard to wraparound balconies overlooking the water. Ten-foot ceilings and eight-foot doors complement the look and feel of these condominiums, ranging from 1,400 square feet to 1,750 square feet.

The six-acre site includes an outdoor pool, 55 aluminum floating boat slips, electric vehicle charging stations and lakefront gazebo.

The vision for it has been years in the making thanks in part to a vision his father, Chip Jones, developed – Paradise Isle condominiums – located next door to The Readmon. “I’ve always admired my father,” Jones said. He was a building science major at Auburn University, and he moved ahead with his vision despite people telling him “it wouldn’t work.”

“I always thought this site was spectacular,” the younger Jones said of his own vision for the family-owned property. “It’s the best place on the lake. My goal was to find as good a project as I could for the site.”

Describing it as a “massive puzzle,” Jones fine-tuned the vision over the years, making it over legal, business and permitting hurdles en route to moving The Readmon from drawing board to reality. Pre-sales have started, and building is expected to begin in August or September by one of the largest general contractors in the state with extensive experience in multi-family developments. Completion is planned for the summer of 2024.

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When developing the concept, Jones noted that habits and trends were changing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

People wanted to live in a safe environment with a good quality of life. “I can’t think of anything much better than sitting at the lake and looking at the lake,” he said.

Couple enhanced quality of life offerings with the shortage of housing units for sale on the lake, and The Readmon answers the call, in essence creating 52 new waterfront homes. Jones noted that it is situated on property that was once used for something else – a marina – and could be repurposed to meet the needs of today – kind of like its namesake.

There are certain properties along the lake that are ideal for transforming into new concepts to satisfy new trends and growing demands. “And this is one of them,” he said. “I couldn’t be more excited.”

Its proximity within a few hundred yards of I-20 and U.S. 78 and situated between major metropolitan areas like Birmingham and Atlanta add to its allure. And it offers an opportunity for people to downsize and still live on the lake.

“St. Clair County continues to be one of the fastest-growing communities in the state where young families, retirees and professionals are choosing to call home,” said Don Smith, executive director of the St. Clair County Economic Development Council. “For multiple reasons, homebuilders are struggling to keep up with this desire to live in our communities. This is seen increasing in the City of Riverside and our other lake communities. These areas have great schools, great leadership and so many quality-of-life

offerings for the residents to enjoy.”

Jones is no stranger to developing communities in the area. Easonville, Hayden’s Reserve and Images townhomes at Logan Martin are among his company’s projects.

Nicole Anderson of Lake Homes Realty is exclusive agent for The Readmon, and Jones’ son, Coleman Jones, is development coordinator.

58 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

The Readmon Waterfront Condos Lake Logan Martin - Riverside, Alabama

Helping you fund your homeownership dreams.

Wendy Baker -NMLS #371630 (205) 296-9979 2871 Acton Road Suite 200 wbaker@1stfed.com Birmingham, AL 35243

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Multimillion dollar ‘‘Field Field of Drea

Early construction.

60 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

ams’ rising on banks of Coosa ams’ A

Story by Paul South Submitted photos

s backhoes rumble and workers toil to bring a new sportsplex to life near the banks of the Coosa, no one could blame leaders of the City of Gadsden and Gadsden State Community College if they borrowed a line from a Hollywood classic:

“If you build it, they will come.”

But the new multimillion dollar project – softball and baseball fields, running track, even a Miracle League field for athletes with disabilities – won’t see the appearance of “Moonlight” Graham, “Shoeless Joe” Jackson or Jackson’s 1919 Chicago Black Sox teammates from Field of Dreams.

Instead, the City of Gadsden and GSCC have teamed up on the project, in hopes of hitting an economic grand slam for the city through big crowds flocking to the area for tournaments, for the college through increased visibility and in turn, a hoped-for rise in student enrollment.

“This is a long-term partnership between the city and the college,” Gadsden Public Affairs Coordinator Michael Rodgers said. “They are an important part of the community, and they’ve got some great things going for them.”

Phase 1 of the project – three NCAA-regulation multipurpose athletic fields – has been completed on the former site of the aquaculture pond. Those fields can also be scaled down to accommodate youth sports like soccer, according to Rodgers. A lighted walking trail, concession and restroom facilities and parking are included.

In Phase 2, four existing athletic fields will be renovated and improved. Phase 3 will be the Miracle League Park, where the quiet courage of athletes with disabilities will be louder than the crack of the bat.

The first three phases will total approximately $16 million, with phase three expected to be complete around late spring of 2023.

Additional phases will likely occur if the next administration chooses to expand the Park. Work has been slowed by the coronavirus pandemic and accompanying supply-chain issues.The sportsplex is a new chapter in the longstanding partnership between the city and GSCC. The college was founded in 1925 as the Alabama College of Trades. The present-day institution is the result of a merger between the Alabama Technical College, Gadsden State Technical Institute, Gadsden State Junior College and Harry M. Ayers State Technical College. The school now has an enrollment of more than 4,000 students.

GSCC President Dr. Kathy Murphy hopes the project will grow the student roster in tandem with the resurrection of Cardinals baseball, women’s softball and the beginning of a cross-country program.

Cardinals softball and baseball will resume play in 2024. Baseball was shuttered at GSCC in 2011. Softball was discontinued in 2016.

“The opportunity to have the sports complex located on our campus allows people to come to our campus. So first of all, it’s an opportunity for visibility for our college.”

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Land for the project comes through a lease agreement between the city and the college. While GSCC provides land and infrastructure, the city provides funding. It’s an example of cooperation and financial stewardship between the partners.

“We understand taxpayers’ money and that they expect us all to be savvy,” Murphy said. “When we think about being savvy, replicating facilities doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. So, the fact that the softball complex will be on our campus … and the fact that the city is going to allow Gadsden State to use one of those renovated fields that they are designing and building as we speak, is going to be exceptionally beneficial to our college.”

Murphy added that while the project property belongs to the college, the city has made the investment in improvement of those fields and the complex.

The fruits of that teamwork between the school and the city create “positive metrics,” says Murphy.

And as for the resurrection of baseball and softball and the expansion of athletics, Murphy believes it is critical to enhance overall student experience and growing the student body.

“We want to increase our enrollment,” she said. “We have many great athletes in our community and in our region and the service area that Gadsden State has here.

We want to give those students the ability to continue their athletic career here, and also to come to Gadsden State, where they’ll receive a quality education and be able to continue their academic and athletic careers forward from here if they choose.”

As far as the benefit to the city, Etowah and surrounding counties, youth-sports-related tourism means an economic win, with booked hotel rooms, packed restaurants and crowded stores.

And it dovetails with a three-pronged economic development strategy of tourism, service sector jobs and industrial growth.

“When you bring people to town for whatever reason, they will spend money here, which stimulates the local economy and supports local businesses … That’s sort of the same idea that we used when developing Coosa Landing,” Rodgers said.

Too, the complex will bring more visitors to Noccalula Falls and surrounding river attractions, like the Venue at Coosa Landing, a multipurpose development on the river. As the crow flies, the sports complex is 1.5 miles downriver from Coosa Landing.

The bottom line? The riverfront development effort – from new construction to stocking Noccaula Falls with rainbow trout – aims to turn the Gadsden area into a tourist destination and to enhance the quality of life for locals.

“It’s both something for the community and also to benefit the community as far as bringing people to Gadsden, because this is a facility where we will be able to schedule some of our youth games. Part of the goal is to have a top-of-the-line facility to bring in some statewide tournaments, whether that is soccer, softball or whatever,” Rodgers said.

“It’s also accessible to I-759. It’s easy to get to. So, the longer-term plan is to get this out there to allow us to recruit some of these major traveling statewide sporting events.”

Another benefit will be a healthier community, Murphy said. Alabama lags behind the rest of the nation in the health of its citizens.

“I want to believe that the sports complex will make a difference in the health and wellness of our community as more people get out and exercise and participate in soccer or softball, or baseball, or whatever they choose to do in our sports complex,” Murphy said.

There’s also a larger benefit when considering the long-range impact of cooperative ventures like the sports complex. Borrowing again from James Earl Jones in Field of Dreams: “This field, this game, can remind us of all that once was good, and can be again.”

Murphy put it in a practical context, fitting in these divided days.

“We have got to begin to demonstrate to the world how we find solutions together; how we take our resources, and the city takes its resources, and how do we put those resources together and create something better than we were separately.”

62 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

Work continues.

The Literacy Council of St. Clair County offers a helping hand with FREE programs: • Adults learning to read or improve reading skills • One on one reading classes • Classes to help with reading skills and comprehension of what you have read • GED preparation • ESOL Classes (English for Speakers of Other Languages). Every Tuesday night on second floor of Pell City Municipal Complex (above the Pell City Library)

FREE CLASSES.

FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING.

CMP

The Most Technologically Advanced Marksmanship Park in America Learn Safe Firearms Handling from the Experts!

(205) 378-9072 x

TALLADEGA MARKSMANSHIP PARK The CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park is a 500 acre facility open to the public that welcomes families, indviduals, clubs and organizations to learn, practice and compete!

3D Archery

Pistol

Instruction

Shotgun

Rifle

4387 Turner Mill Road Talladega www.TheCMP.org cmptalladega@TheCMP.org 256.474.4408 ext. 460

Lakes Alive!

Fireworks, concerts, Christmas and more in July

There’s more to July than fireworks on and around our lakes, but of course, spectacular shows always take center stage. Or should we say, center sky?

On July 4, there are plenty of options on the water for viewing fireworks displays to celebrate our country’s birthday.

Logan Martin Lake

• Pell City Lakeside Park – Come by boat, vehicle or on foot to this huge fireworks show that gets bigger and better every year. Hundreds of passenger-filled boats fill the lake to see the show that can also be viewed from the park. The fireworks begin at 9 p.m. on July 4.

• Wood’s Surfside Marina – July 2 at 9 p.m., fireworks light up the skies over the marina with an impressive show.

• Lincoln’s Landing – Festivities at Angler’s Pointe get underway at 4 p.m. with a free concert by Mike Parker, American Idol Season 20 Top-10 finalist. Food trucks and vendors will be set up as well.

At 8:30 p.m., get ready for the fireworks show at Lincoln’s Landing right next door.

NEELY HENRY/COOSA RIVER

• Coosa Landing – A 4th of July tradition, the fireworks show over the water in downtown Gadsden, this stunning show kicks off at 9 p.m.

• Greensport Marina – This show is reserved for entertaining guests of the marina and RV park, but it can be viewed from the water. It gets underway at 9 p.m.

Summer Concert Series in Lincoln

In addition to fireworks all around on both the lakes, Lincoln Parks and Recreation continues its Summer Concert Series at Randolph Park. Held on the third Saturday of the month from June to October from 5 to 7 p.m., the series features all genres of music, and it’s free to the public.

In July, New Ground, a Southern gospel band will be headlining the concert. On Aug. 20, it will be Official Clutch Band, a jazz and blues group; Sept. 17, Allen Tolbert Unit, a bluegrass band; and on Oct. 15, Tremayne will close out the series with its brand of country music.

Series sponsors are Brandon Tate, State Farm, and Natasha O’Konski, Keller Williams.

Christmas in July at Pier 59

Pier 59 will be hosting the 13th Annual Christmas in July fundraiser on July 23.

Benefiting the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind Foundation, the proceeds from this event help purchase Christmas gifts for students at AIDB. You won’t want to miss this day of fun for a good cause. Live music is from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Boat Poker Run launches at noon with hands in by 4 p.m. Registration is at 11 a.m.

A live auction starts at 5 p.m., and there also will be a $5,000 giveaway for $50 a ticket.

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Taste of the Lake

LOCAL JOE’S TRADING POST THE BEST BBQ AROUND

Rainbow City

4967 Rainbow Dr. (256) 438-5179

Smoked meats of all2021 kind 66 66LAKELIFE 24/724/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | January and February 2022 LAKELIFE MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | May-June ®

Southside

1640 Hwy 77 (256) 485-1411

Gadsden

The Alley Gadsden Mall

RESTAURANT DIRECTORY

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Take 5

Community Events July 1 - Sept 4th LakeLife 24/7 events compiled by Jackie Romine Walburn Submit events to: Events@LakeLife247Magazine.com

JULY Who: Mort Glosser Amphitheater What: Summer Concert Series at the Amp,

free admission

When: Friday, July 1, 9 to 10:30 p.m.

Where: Mort Glosser Amphitheater, 90 Walnut St., downtown Gadsden Why: Smokey Jones and the 3 Dollar Pistols are bringing back real country and honkey-tonk one gig at a time. Hank, Dwight, George, Merle, Buck and more. Smokey Jones covers decades of country and honky-tonk music while also mixing in a few Southern rock songs from time to time. Coolers and cushions welcome.

Who: Berman Museum What: Celebrate with a Bang:

The History and Chemistry of Fireworks

When: July 2, 1 p.m.

Where: Berman Museum at Anniston Museum and Gardens Why: From their beginnings in ancient China to their role in modern celebrations, fireworks have been and continue to be a source of entertainment and excitement for the entire family. Program included in museum admission and free for members.

Springville Library Writers’ Group

Who: Downtown Gadsden Inc. What: First Friday Downtown, family fun with live

Who: What: When: Where: Why:

Where: Downtown Gadsden When: Friday, July 1, 6 to 9 p.m.

Why: Live music throughout downtown. Vyntage at 2nd and Broad; The Zillionairs at 3rd and Broad; Peanut and Mother May I at 4th and Broad; The Foggy Hollow Band at 5th and Broad, and Gadsden Line Dancers at 600 Block.

Who: First Saturday at Carver Square What: Gather for music, food trucks and games at First Saturday at Carver Square When: First Saturdays in the summer; July 2, August 6 and Sept. 3, 5 to 9 p.m.

Where: Carver Square, Tuscaloosa Ave., Gadsden Why: Join friends and neighbors at this monthly summertime event.

Who: What: When: Where: Why:

Who: What: When: Where: Why:

music, classic cars, food vendors plus dining and shopping at your favorite downtown places.

Gadsden Museum of Arts

Finches Exhibit

July 1 to August 5, 2022; opening reception July 1, 5 to 8 p.m.

Gadsden Museum of Art, 515 Broad St. See the Finches exhibit plus featured artists at the Gadsden Museum of Art

Who: Talladega Raceway Park What: Weekly racing and fireworks When: Friday, July 1. Pits and gates open at 5 p.m.; hot laps at 7 p.m., and racing starts at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Talladega Raceway Park, 4343 Speedway Blvd., Eastaboga.

Why: Enjoy racing on Friday nights at Talladega Raceway Park.

General admission is free. Pit admission is $20 for adults, $10 for ages 6 to 10; free for 5 and under.

Who: Talladega Short Track What: Weekly racing featuring Salute to

Who: What: When: Where: Why: Who: What: When: Where: Why:

America Nationals and Fireworks

When: Saturday, July 2. Racing starts at 7:30 p.m.; gates and pits open at 4 p.m. and hot laps at 7 p,m, Where: Talladega Short Track, 4343 Speedway Blvd., Eastaboga.

Why: Enjoy short track racing in variety of classes. Grandstand admission is $20 for adults, $18 with military ID, free for ages 9 and under. Pit admission is $35 for adults; $20 for children 6 to 12; free for 5 and under.

Who: What: When: Where: What: Who:

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Monthly support group, meeting every first Saturday July 2, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Springville Library, 6315 U.S. 11, Springville All writers age 18+ are invited.

Town of Ashville

4th of July Celebration Over the Island Sunday, July 3, 9 to 10 p.m.

Greensport Marina, Ashville Celebrate Independence Day City of Pell City

4th of July Fireworks Show Monday, July 4 Lakeside Park Celebrate Independence Day Starlite Stables

Starlite Stables Day Camp

July 5-7, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Odenville Ride, groom, arts and crafts, lasso, creek stomp, and interact with horses, cows, goats and donkeys. Enjoy a water slide, ice cream and bike days! Text Katie to book at 205-790-6792.

Farmers selling produce

Leeds Farmers’ Market

July 7 and every Thursday, 3 to 6 p.m.

Downtown Leeds Find fresh local produce.

Anniston Museum and Gardens

What: Feed Our Friends When: Every Monday in July; July 4, 11 and 18, 10 to 11 a.m.

Where: AMNH front lawn Why: Join the education team every Monday to feed and greet several animal ambassadors up close. All proceeds go to the care and enrichment of animal ambassadors. $2 per feeding; first come first served and ends when animals are full. Thanks to Anniston Rotary Club for sponsoring Feed Our Friends.

Who: What: When: Where: Why: Who: What: When: Where: Why:

Who: What: When: Where: Why: Who: What: When: Where: Why:

Who: What: When: Where: Why:

Farmers selling produce

St. Clair Farmers’ Market

Wednesday, July 6, and each Wednesday from 1 to 5 p.m.

Avondale Walking Track, Cogswell Ave., Pell City Find local produce at monthly farmers’ market Leeds Trivia Buffs

Pop Culture Trivia Challenge

July 7, 7 to 9 p.m., every Thursday night Rails and Ales, 1210 6th St., Leeds Your team will have fun trying to answer fun questions about TV, music, movies, commercials, cartoons and more! Rock out to your favorite 80s, 90s and today’s party music while your team has fun answering questions. Prizes to the winning teams.

Farmers selling produce

Moody Farmers’ Market

Bingo at Greensport

Greensport BINGO night

July 8, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Every Friday evening Greensport Marina and RV Park, Ashville Family friendly bingo. Bring your owns snacks, drinks, and laughter! For those that like a bit more excitement, join in the cash pot for $1/card or 3 cards for $5.

Who:

Sunrise Yoga with Mollie

Free yoga session each Saturday July 16, 7 to 8 a.m. and each Saturday Greensport Marina, Ashville Stretch on Saturday mornings.

Who: What: When: Where: Why:

Kids Arts and Crafts with Sherrie

Who: What: When: Where: Why:

Southside Farmer’s Market

Who: What: When: Where: Why:

Professional boxing

Logan Martin Rumble

Saturday, July 9 Pell City CEPA Professional boxing returns to Pell City.

Little Tree Art

Exploring the Desert Summer Art Camp

Who: What: When: Where: Why:

Sherrie Ingram leads craft session for children July 16, 4 to 5:30 p.m. each Saturday Greensport Marina, Ashville Bring your children to see what the ever so talented and creative Sherrie Ingram has up her sleeve for your kids to create!

Farmer’s market at Southside City Hall Every Thursday May-October City Hall, 2255 U.S. 77, Southside Locally grown fresh produce.

Who: Farmer’s Market What: Rainbow City Farmer’s Market When: Every Monday and Wednesday through September, 7 a.m. to noon.

Where: Rainbow City Municipal City Parking Lot, 3700 Rainbow Drive, Gadsden Why: Find fresh produce from local growers.

Friday, July 8, and every Friday, 1 to 5 p.m.

Pavilion at Moody Park Find local produce at weekly farmers’ market.

Who: Heritage Hall Museum and Arts Center What: 2022 Arts Camp for children 6 to 13 When: Sessions scheduled for July 11-15 and July 25-29.

8 a.m. to noon each day.

Where: Heritage Hall Museum, 200 South St. E, Talladega.

Why: Sculpture, painting, dance and music with performances at Historic Ritz Theater. $100 per child per session; $20 discount for additional child from same household. Materials included.

Sponsors include Alabama Council on the Arts, City of Talladega, First Bank of Alabama, Historic Ritz Theater and the Jemison Carnegie Foundation. Register at heritagehallmuseum.org.

Who: What: When: Where: Why:

What: Moody Food Truck Wednesdays When: Wednesday, July 13, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and each Wednesday at lunchtime Where: Moody Civic Center Why: Area food trucks gather in Moody.

Tuesday and Wednesday, July 12-13, 1 to 4 p.m.

Little Tree Art, 20 Court St., Ashville Explore the desert through art! Summer Art Camp will include 3-4 projects including painting, drawing and other mixed media.

Food trucks in town

Who: What: When: Where: Why: Who: What: When: Where: Why:

Who: What: When: Where: Why:

Farmer’s Market

Attalla Farmer’s Market

Every Thursday through September 29, noon to 5 p.m.

3rd Street NW and 5th Ave. NW, Attalla Find fresh produce from local growers.

Farmer’s Market

Hokes Bluff Farmer’s Market

Every Monday during summer months, 7 a.m. to noon Hokes Bluff City Park, 5833 Gilliand Street, Hokes Bluff, 35903 Find fresh produce from local growers Farmer’s Market

Glencoe Farmer’s Market

Every Tuesday through September, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Glencoe Police Department, 201 Chastain Blvd., Glencoe Find fresh produce from local growers.

Contact tashiablackerby@cityofglencoe.net

Anniston Museum and Gardens

Hidden History

Each Tuesday, July 5, 12, 19 and 26, noon to 1 p.m.

Berman Museum Exhibit Gallery Hidden History highlights artifacts not currently on display and the stories behind them. Included in museum admission and free for members.

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Who: What: When: Where: Why: com Who: What: When: Where: Why:

Greater Talladega-Lincoln Area Chamber

2nd Saturdays

Saturday, July 9 The Talladega Bottling Works at the Historic Square in Talladega Live music, vendors and more; visit talladegabottlingworks. for more information.

Anniston Museum and Gardens

Let’s Glow Crazy Family Dance

Saturday, July 9, 6 to 9 p.m.

Longleaf Event Center Family-fun evening with good food, bad dance moves, crafts and great memories. Wear your whitest or brightest outfit and accessorize with glow sticks to embrace your inner firefly.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 per child and free for children 0-3.

Members receive a $5 discount. Register online or call 256-237-6766. Ticket prices increase at the door.

Who: Anniston Museum and Gardens What: Abstract Art in the Garden Day Camp for

ages 6-10

When: Wednesday, July 20, 9 a.m. to noon Where: Longleaf Botanical Gardens Rotary Room Why: Mini-camp featuring nature painting. $35 per child; members receive a $5 discount Register by July 13 at ExploreAMAG.org or call 256-237-6766.

Who: What: When: Where: Why:

Who: What: When: Where: Why:

Who:

Pell City Center for Education and Performing Arts

Who: What: When: Where: Why:

Pell City Library

Wild and Wonderful Wednesdays

July 20, noon, and each third Wednesday at noon Pell City Library, Bruce Etheridge Parkway This ongoing series offers a wide assortment of programs featuring popular authors, talented musicians, famous artists, compelling storytellers and informative speakers. Scheduled for the third Wednesday of each month at noon, come expecting to be entertained and enlightened. Programs are free and open to the public.

Downtown Pell City

Third Thursdays

July 21, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; every third Thursday Downtown Pell City Enjoy extras downtown every third Thursday.

Rodeo fans and Pell City FFA

Bulls on the Lake

July 22-23 Pell City Sports Complex Pell City FFA programs benefit from the annual Bulls on the Lake rodeo, which features child-size rodeo challenges plus proper bull riding overseen by Premier Bulls Tours.

Drama Camp for ages 6-17, 10-day camp ending with campers’ showcase performance the last day. Add-on Master Acting Class for campers 12-17 with intensive training, 12:30-3:30 p.m. $200 per student, $175 for each additional student per family. Master class is an additional $185.

When: July 11-22, 9 a.m.

Where: Pell City CEPA Why: For details, go to pellcitycepa.com. Camp cost includes a daily snack and drink, camp T-shirt and two vouchers for showcase.

When: Thursday, July 21, 9 a.m. to noon Where: Longleaf Botanical Gardens Rotary Room Why: Mini-camp featuring nature painting. $35 per child; members receive a $5 discount Register by July 13 at ExploreAMAG.org or call 256-237-6766.

Who: What; When: Where: Why:

Who: What: When: Where: Why:

What:

Anniston Museum and Gardens

Art in the Garden: Botanical Bowls, Part 1 and 2

July 7 and July 14, 6 to 7:30 p.m.

LBG Rotary Room at Anniston Museum and Gardens Join pottery enthusiast and AM&G Educator Maryellyn Hawbaker as you explore the art of pottery using molds, botanical impressions and glazes. Finished pieces can be picked up July 21. Ages 16 and up.

Anniston Museum of Natural History

Who: What: Creature Feature When: Second Saturday, July 16, 1 to 2 p.m.

Where: Exhibit hall at the museum at 800 Museum Drive, Anniston Why: Learn about the live reptiles, mammals and birds at the museums and gardens. Program free to members with museum admission.

Who: What: When: Where: Why:

Who: Anniston Museum and Gardens What: Abstract Art in the Garden Day Camp

for ages 11-15

Plant Sale

Third Thursdays, July 21, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Longleaf Botanical Gardens Greenhouses Support the Longleaf Botanical Gardens by buying plants from its variety of trees, shrubs and tropical plants.

Who: Talladega Classic Car Club What: Classic Car Cruise-In When: Saturday, July 23, 5 to 8 p.m.

Where: Classic Toys at 515 East Battle St., Talladega Why: Classic cars and trucks cruise in every 4th Saturday.

Dive Land Park

Who:

Saturday, July 16, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Dive Land Park, Wellington Sign up for the scheduled night dive set for the 3rd Saturday of summer months. $20 entry fee; must be registered by 5 p.m.

What:

Summer Scheduled Night Dive

Anniston Museum and Gardens

70 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

Pell City Center for Education and Performing Arts

Run Through the Jungle, a tribute to America’s veterans and songs of the Vietnam War,

Children born into all kinds of circumstances have dreams and dreams are powerful.

WE DO WHAT WE DO BECAUSE CHILDREN HAVE DREAMS.

2206 Martin St S Pell City, AL 35128-2356 Phone (205) 884-3470 (205) 473-9080 Fax (866) 666-8481 Proudly serving Alabama communities in Pell City, Ragland, Odenville, Branchville, Cropwell, Alpine and Vincent.

1 6 0 0 7 T H AV E N U E S O U T H BIRMINGHAM, AL 35233 (205) 638-9100 ChildrensAL.org

by the WingNuts

When: Sunday, July 24, 2 p.m.

Where: Pell City CEPA Why: Named after the iconic Creedence Clearwater Revival song, “Run Through the Jungle” is a spectacle of sound and visuals. Join bandmembers Alan Furr, Sandra Furr, Donnie Todd, Mickey Farmer, Elizabeth, Money, Glenn Wilson and Bobby Breed as they take you note-for-note through the songs that defined the Vietnam War Era, complete with the stories and photos that shaped America’s memory of that period in history.

Who: Theatre of Gadsden What: Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn When: July 15-17 and July 22-24; 7 p.m. Fri-Sat, July 15-16; 2 p.m.

Sunday, July 17; 7 p.m. Fri-Sat, July 22-23, and 2 p.m.

Sunday, July 24 Where: Ritz Theater, 310 Wall St., Gadsden Why: Mark Twain’s timeless classic sweeps audiences down the mighty Mississippi with Huck Finn. Propelled by an award-winning score from Roger Miller, the journey provides a brilliantly theatrical celebration of pure Americana. Tickets are $15 and $20.

Who: Food Trucks at The Venue What: Treats Food Truck Feast When: Third Thursdays, July 21, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; beer and wine garden, 5 to 8 p.m.

Where: The Venue at Coosa Landing, Gadsden Why: Local and regional food trucks include Southern Paradise, Good to the Bone Bar B Que, King Kong Kids, Anita’s Kitchen, Fred Carter’s Catfish, Blacktop Bistro, Kevin Story’s Seal Life, Kin Express, Fruit Lab and others.

Who: Anniston Museum and Gardens What: Third Thursday Tomato Tasting When: Thursday, July 21, 5 p.m.

Where: Longleaf Garden Center Sensory Garden Why: T ry a variety of tomatoes, discover new types and determine which one is your favorite. Third Thursday programs are $5 per registrant and free for museum members. Pre-register online or call 256-237-6766.

Who: Pursuit Men’s Conference What: Two-day conference with Pursuit Men’s speakers Charles Billingsley, Andy Blanks, Rick Burgess and Rich Wingo. $30 registration fee.

When: July 22 and 23, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Where: The Venue at Coosa Landing in Gadsden Who: What: When: Where: Why:

Anniston Museum of Natural History

Saturday Alive!

Saturday, July 27, 1 p.m.

Learning Lodge at Berman Museum and AM&G Each month at Saturday Alive!, explore a new topic and meet several of the museum’s animal ambassadors. Included with museum admission and free to members.

AUGUST Who: What: When: Where: Why:

World’s Longest Yard Sale, the 127 Yard Sale,

goes through six states.

Gadsden’s stop at Noccalula Falls Park August 4, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Noccalula Falls Park From Lookout Mountain, Ga., to Gadsden, the route switches to

Lookout Mountain Parkway, both scenic drives.

Who: Farmers selling produce What: St. Clair Farmers’ Market When: August 4 and each Wednesday from 1 to 5 p.m.

Where: Avondale Walking Track, Cogswell Ave., Pell City Why: Find local produce at monthly farmers’ market.

Who: What: When: Where: Why:

Farmers selling produce

Moody Farmers’ Market

Friday, August 5, and every Friday, 1 to 5 p.m.

Pavilion at Moody Park Find local produce at weekly farmers’ market.

Who: Bueller at the Mort Glosser Amphitheater What: Summer Concert Series at the Amp, free admission When: Friday, August 5, 9 to 10:30 p.m.

Where: Mort Glosser Amphitheater, 90 Walnut St., downtown Gadsden Why: Performing is Bueller, Nashville’s live tribute band known for the best in 1980s music.

Who: What: When: Where: Why:

Summer Sizzle Fest

Ragland community celebration Saturday, August 6, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Ragland City Park, Fredia Street, Ragland Live music, food, petting zoo, car show, rock climbing and local vendors.

Who: Tyn Tymes Party 2022 What: Gadsden’s annual indoor beach party with the Tyn Tymes When: Saturday, August 6, 6 to 10 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. and show starts at 7 p.m.

Where: 210 At The Tracks, 210 Locust St., Gadsden Why: Live music with friends. Tables of 10 are $250; General admission tickets are $25; everyone over 2 years old will need a ticket for admission. Ticket sales are online only. Table decorations and coolers are welcome.

Who: What: When: Where: Why: Who: What: When: Where: Why:

Springville Library Writers’ Group

Monthly support group, meeting every first Saturday August 6, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Springville Library, 6315 U.S. 11, Springville All writers age 18+ are invited.

Greater Talladega-Lincoln Area Chamber

2nd Saturdays

Saturday, August 13 The Talladega Bottling Works at the Historic Square in Talladega Live music, vendors and more; visit talladegabottlingworks.com for more information.

Who: Gadsden Symphony Orchestra What: Family Concert: “The Back-to-School Edit:

The GSO Family Concert”

When: Saturday, August 13, 7 p.m.; Rain date is August 20 Where: Mort Glosser Amphitheater Why: Hear selections from High School Musical, Grease, Harry Potter and a medley of Alabama college fight songs with special guest appearance. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors (age 60 and up), $10 for students age 18 and under and college students with valid ID. All tickets are general admission except for VIP

72 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

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Who: What: When: Where: What:

Who: What: When: Where: Why: Who: What: When: Where: Why: Who: What: When: Where: Why:

tables. Coolers, chairs, blankets and cushions are welcome.

Why:

Anniston Museum and Gardens

Who: Farmer’s Market What: Rainbow City Farmer’s Market When: Every Monday and Wednesday through September, 7 a.m. to noon.

Where: Rainbow City Municipal City Parking Lot, 3700 Rainbow Drive, Gadsden Why: Find fresh produce from local growers.

Hostas for Alabama

August 18, 2 p.m.

Longleaf Botanical Gardens Event Center Third Thursday highlighting hostas with guest speaker Bionca Lindsey, master gardener and advanced master gardener on hostas. Third Thursday programs are $5 per registrant and free for museum members. Pre-register online or call 256-237-6766.

Program limited to 35 persons.

Anniston Museum and Gardens

Plant Sale

Third Thursdays, August 18, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Longleaf Botanical Gardens Greenhouses Support the Longleaf Botanical Gardens by buying plants from its variety of trees, shrubs and tropical plants.

Downtown Pell City

Third Thursdays

Thursday, August 18, and every third Thursday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Downtown Pell City Enjoy extras downtown every third Thursday.

Dive Land Park

Summer Scheduled Night Dive

Saturday, August 20, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Dive Land Park, Wellington Sign up for the scheduled night dive set for the 3rd Saturday of summer months. $20 entry fee; must be registered by 5 p.m.

Who: What: When: Where: Why: Who: What: When: Where: Why: Who: What: When: Where: Why:

Classic cars and trucks cruise in every 4th Saturday.

Farmer’s Market

Attalla Farmer’s Market

Every Thursday through September 29, noon to 5 p.m.

3rd Street NW and 5th Ave. NW, Attalla Find fresh produce from local growers.

Farmer’s Market

Hokes Bluff Farmer’s Market

Every Monday during summer months, 7 a.m. to noon Hokes Bluff City Park, 5833 Gilliand St., Hokes Bluff Find fresh produce from local growers Farmer’s Market

Glencoe Farmer’s Market

Every Tuesday through September, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Glencoe Police Department, 201 Chastain Blvd., Glencoe Find fresh produce from local growers.

Contact tashiablackerby@cityofglencoe.net

Who: Reptiles show What: Show Me Reptile and Exotics Show When: August 27 and 28, Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Reptiles After Dark, 6 to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tickets $7 to $20. VIP admission, 9 a.m. entry.

Where: The Venue at Coosa Landing, Gadsden Why: See reptiles and exotic animals up close.

More at showmesnakes.com/events.

SEPTEMBER Who: Downtown Gadsden Inc. What: First Friday Downtown, family fun with Who: What: When: Where: Why:

live music classic cars, food vendors plus dining and shopping at your favorite downtown places.

Habitat for Humanity

Dragon Boat Fest

August 20, 8 a.m. to noon Coosa River Board Walk, 802 South Albert Rains Blvd., Gadsden Benefitting Habitat for Humanity.

Who: Area Wide Towing Association What: Demolition Derby:

Anger Management Redneck Style

When: August 20, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Where: Attalla Derby Grounds, 25 Line St., Attalla Why: Enter a car in the Demolition Derby for $100 to win overall derby prize of $500 and bragging trophy or come to watch the fun. Tickets are $5 or $10 for three-day pass. Available at gate or at local towing companies. Proceeds benefit cancer patients.

Who: Talladega Classic Car Club What: Classic Car Cruise-In When: Saturday, August 27, 5 to 8 p.m.

Where: Classic Toys at 515 East Battle St., Talladega

Where: Downtown Gadsden When: Friday, September 2, 6 to 9 p.m.

Why: Live music throughout downtown.

Who: What: When, Where: Why: Who: What: When: Where: Why:

74 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

Downtown Gadsden Inc.

Summer Concert Series at the Amp

Friday, September 2, 9 to 11 p.m.

Mort Glosser Amphitheater Free concert featuring TYME, a band specializing in 60s and 70s classic rock.

Horse Pens 40 Bluegrass and Arts Festival

Two-day bluegrass and arts fest in Steele Friday and Saturday, Sept. 2 and 3 Horse Pens 40, 3525 County Road 42, Steele Enjoy music and more at Horse Pens 40 noted festival.

More information at HP40.com.

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77 77

CATCHIN’ THE COOSA

by Zeke Gossett Photos submitted

Logan Martin T

he months of July and August can be hot, but so can the fishing if you look in the right places.

The water temperatures are normally in the mid-80s to low 90s, but this is good thing sometimes, and here’s why. Bass have a high metabolism, and they have to eat more this time of year. However, it is important to look in the right places at the right times, and this is my approach.

Traditionally in July on Logan Martin there are still a lot of fish out deep.

Unfortunately, these fish have seen a lot of baits by this time, but they can still be caught. Knowing this, I start shallow in the mornings around docks and grass. I want to cover water fast and efficiently.

Two baits I like to keep in my hand during this time are a frog and swim jig.

I’ll often bounce around four or five different places trying to find the active fish. This is especially true if it is sunny.

If you get a real overcast day you can stay shallow a little longer.

Overall, I’ll give this bite about an hour, then I’ll head out to deeper water.

Once I’m out deep, I am looking at my electronics trying to find schools of fish and brush piles. I will idle around in my boat until I find what I am looking for and then start fishing.

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Usually, you can find these type places on long points. I’ll look as deep as 30 feet sometimes, but the magic depth seems to be in that 15- to 20-foot zone. Once I find what I’m looking for, I will ordinarily try to get the fish fired up with either a deep diving crankbait or swimbait.

Remember, these fish are typically rather pressured at this point in the year. I’ll either fish exceptionally fast to get them to react to something or slow down to finesse tactics.

If I feel like I need to slow down, I’ll either reach for a drop shot or a ned rig. This is great way to get some bites and hopefully get the school fired up.

Now, switching to the month of August, I will fish the same way as I do in July, but you will see some fish start making their way back to the shallows. This is mainly due to fishing pressure and oxygen levels out deep, especially if there hasn’t been much rain. I’ll look for these fish around shallow docks and grass off the main river.

This can be a tough bite sometimes, but if you’re in the right place at the right time it might surprise you. A couple of baits that are a staple for me in August are a Texasrigged Senko and frog. These two baits are great for getting those finicky fish to bite in the shallowest water. If you can find shaded banks, they can be a big plus, too. Again, these might be the dog days of summer, but there are still plenty of ways to catch fish during these months.

80 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

Neely Henry Neely Henry is great summertime lake. I’m going to break down the lake on how I fish it depending on what area you might want to target.

There are a lot of places to fish that set up well to be successful for July and August. At Neely, you can stick to shallower waters these two months and still do well.

If you’re fishing near the mid-section of the lake, there is a lot of willow grass that lines the banks. I will typically keep it simple with just a few baits.

Early in the morning, I will stick with either a frog or swim jig. I will try to keep on the shaded banks and cover water to find the active fish.

Once the sun gets up, I will typically start pitching and flipping the grass with either a ½-oz. jig or some type of creature bait. Both will likely be a green pumpkin color if the water is clear. If the water is more stained, I will use black and blue a lot of the time.

If I am in this section of the lake, I will generally stay shallow all day – even if the water temps are in the mid-80s to low 90s. The fish tend to live at shallow depths most of the time during these months.

Now, if I’m on the bottom end of the lake, I will kind of venture off the banks. The grass bite will still routinely be good. I will use the frog and swim jig in order to cover water and find active fish.

On the lower end of the lake, docks become a major factor for me. More often than not I will start on shallower docks in anywhere from one foot to about five-feet deep. I regularly pitch a senko under these docks. Locating the docks with brush around them is always a plus.

Later in the day I will fish deeper docks on the main river with a jig. A lot of the deeper docks get overlooked since they take longer to fish. I will keep my eyes on my electronics and look for brush out in front of these docks as well.

Try some of these tips and pay attention to what part of the lake you’re on in an effort to find success this time of year on Neely Henry.

Editor’s Note: Zeke Gossett of Zeke Gossett Fishing grew up on the Coosa River and Logan Martin Lake. He is a former collegiate champion and is now a professional angler on the B.A.S.S. tour circuit and is a fishing guide.

Learn more about Zeke at: zekegossettfishing.com.

Follow him on Facebook: @zekegossettfishing 82 LAKELIFE 24/7 MAGAZINE Logan Martin & Neely Henry | July and August 2022

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