Lake magazine August 2015

AUGUST 2015

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AUGUST 2015

Š 2015 John Hardy Limited

One of a kind. One at a time. Each by hand.

111 South College Street, Auburn The Shoppes at EastChase, Montgomery TigerTown Center, Opelika Eastern Shore Centre, Spanish Fort

AUGUST 2015

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Letter from the Editor

Staff

I

am more than a bit of a homebody, I’ll admit.

Travel – even a few hours’ drive to visit friends or family – has never been something I look forward to, and Europe probably will not ever make my bucket list. But any time my friends travel, I urge them to take the latest issue of Lake magazine and send me a photo from their exotic destination of choice, because one of my favorite regular features in Lake is the Where in the World is Lake? page.

Oh, the places Lake has taken us! The adventures she has shared!

So when Lake magazine turned 10 years old in March and we discussed the highlights to feature each month in this anniversary year, the certainty of Lake’s travels was without question.

It was fun to sort through the old magazines and find out how the popular feature got its start and to compile the statistics of our world-traveling magazine. How many countries has Lake been to? How many states? How many trips has she made in total, and what is her favorite destination? You’ll find all of these answers on page 13 of this issue.

But you don’t have to take Lake to the tropics to share the island life with her readers. Last month, she brought the island life to us at the annual Lake Martin Lions Club Poker Run in which Kenneth Boone and company won the best costume category with a Gilligan’s Island theme.

This annual fundraiser draws scores of fun-loving boaters in zany dress every year. Check out this year’s players on page 20.

For many travelers, Lake Martin is the destination. Just ask the Girl Scouts from around the state who came here this summer for Camp Sail Away. Cliff Williams spent a morning sailing with the adventurers, and he shares that story on page 30.

And you can visit even more wonderful destinations in this issue of Lake magazine, from an interview with Bob Schouten who coached the U.S. Under-21 ski team to victory in Spain (page 44), to the Crauswell house in Emerald Shores with its French country influences (60) – and oh yes, as you travel through the pages of this issue, be sure to look in on Lake’s most recent adventures on page 12.

Betsy Iler Managing Editor

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Editor & Publisher KENNETH BOONE

editor@lakemartinmagazine.com

Managing Editor BETSY ILER

editor@lakemartinmagazine.com

Marketing/Advertising Director TIPPY HUNTER

tippy.hunter@alexcityoutlook.com

Marketing Coordinators MISSY FONTE

missy.fonte@alexcityoutlook.com

KIM MORSE

kim.morse@alexcityoutlook.com

HEATHER GLENN

heather.glenn@alexcityoutlook.com

Circulation Manager DAVID KENDRICK

david.kendrick@alexcityoutlook.com

Creative Services AUDRA SPEARS

audra.spears@alexcityoutlook.com

DARLENE JOHNSON

darlene.johnson@alexcityoutlook.com

HALLIE HOLLOWAY

hallie.holloway@alexcityoutlook.com

Contributors KENNETH BOONE JOHN COLEY HENRY FOY JULIE HUDSON ROB MCDANIEL GREG VINSON

CLIFF WILLIAMS LEE WILLIAMS MITCH SNEED DAVID GRANGER SAWYER DAVIS ROBERT HUDSON

All content, including all stories and photos are copyright of:

256-234-4281 Tallapoosa Publishers, Inc. P.O. Box 999 Alexander City, AL 35011

AUGUST 2015

On the Cover Cover: An intimate secondfloor covered porch extends the outdoor season at Patty and Chuck Crauswell's new full time residence at Lake Martin's Emerald Shores.

Photo by Kenneth Boone

AUGUST 2015

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AUGUST 2015

Contents 18. THE RODEO CLUB Lake Martin party destination may be for sale, but it's open for world famous good times 20. LAKE MARTIN LIONS CLUB POKER RUN In pursuit of the best hand or best costumes, players have the best of times

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24. FORBUS FISH FRY The Forbus family gathers for the 70th year to celebrate with food and fun

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30. CAMP SAIL AWAY Girl Scouts gather at Lake Martin to sail, swim and camp

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42. TUBING Whether for the thrill of the ride or the fun of the fall, use good common sense towing kids 44. LAKE COACH BRINGS HOME GOLD Alexander City's Schouten leads U.S. Under-21 team to international title 46. CUTTING WATER Fifth annual slalom event showcases world class and local skiers 54. ADD-ON LIGHTING FOR SAFETY Extra lighting could make boating at night safer and more enjoyable 60. CRAUSWELL FAMILY UPGRADE A master builder trades in the lakeside cabin for a full time home on Lake Martin

LAKE MAGAZINE’S MONTHLY FEATURES: 9. LAKE’S QUICK GUIDE TO THE LAKE 10. LAKE SCENES 12. WHERE IS LAKE? 14. LAKE EVENTS 16. LAKE MARTIN NEWS 38. NATURE OF THE LAKE 59. LAKE WATCH 68. Q&A 72. LAKE PROPERTY

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73. FAB FINDS 75. BEHIND THE BOAT 76. HEALTHY LIVING 78. BIG CATCHES 82. CHEF'S TABLE 84. FROM THE CELLAR 87. PRO TIPS & ANOTHER GOOD LIE

50 Lake magazine also features an online, digital edition, available 24 hours a day, free of charge. This edition is perfect to share with friends and family and provides you complete access to stories, photos and advertisements from anywhere in the world with Internet access. View our digital edition today at www.issuu.com.

AUGUST 2015

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315 Mariarden Rd. Dadeville, AL 36853 www.norrisdentistry.com

Lake’s Quick Guide to the Lake Lake Martin Area Real Estate Indicators Sales Month June 2015 June 2012 June 2009

Number of sales

Average selling price

Median selling price

Days on the market

Total houses for sale

Inventory/ sales ratio

49 24 26

$465,272 $584,446 $435,319

$350,000 $385,000 $296,625

147 205 253

359 395 602

13.46 21.88 43.52

The above numbers are derived from raw sales data from the Lake Martin Area Association of Realtors MLS.The sales noted above are for Lake Martin waterfront residential (single family and condominium) sales only. This informtion is provided courtesy Lake Martin Realty, LLC. (A Russell Lands, Inc. affiliated company.)

Lake Martin's Fishing Forecast for August

Did you know?

Water skiing was invented in 1922 when Minnesota's Ben Samuelson pulled his brother Ralph behind the boat on a pair of skis made from barrel staves, using a clothesline as a towrope. Samuelson later tried using snow skis but eventually came up with his own design made of wood with leather bindings.

Samuelson promoted the sport of skiing by performing water ski shows around the country and was recognized as the first recorded skier, racing skier and slalom skier by the American Water Ski Association in 1966. He also is credited with organizing the first water ski show.

Protecting Your Property Taking a few simple precautions in the neighborhood can make a big difference in the security of your lake home, said Tallapoosa County Sheriff Jimmy Abbett.

One of the most important measures lake homeowners can take, he said, is getting to know your neighbors and working together to look out for each other's

homes. If something looks amiss, it's better to call the local authorities than to later wish you had, but don't risk injury or death by investigating personally.

Fishing in August on Lake Martin – or any southern lake – is a challenge, noted Randy Baker of Fish Tales Bait & Tackle in Alexander City.

“The water is hot, and the fish just are not that active,” Baker said. “You can still catch catfish during the day, but for crappie, bass or stripe, fish early in the morning or late at night and fish deep.”

Use topwater baits early and late for bass and crappie or fish with live bait at night, Baker suggested.

“Fish off the deeper ledges on the river,” Baker said, “about 35 feet deep with a drop shot.”

The fish have gone deep to the cooler water and, like people, are less active in the extreme temperatures of the summer heat. It will take cooler weather to encourage them to more activity and better fishing, and that doesn’t typically happen until about mid-to-late September on Lake Martin, Baker said.

This month's weather outlook

Lake Levels

August 2015 Forecast

Summer: 491 MSL Winter: 481 MSL Highest: 489.60 Lowest: 489.25 Lake elevations are subject to change. Individuals who recreate below Martin Dam and those with boats and water-related equipment on the lake should always stay alert to changing conditions.

Historically, the Lake Martin area experiences average high temperatures in the upper 90s with lows in the mid 60s and about 4.25 inches of precipitation in the month of August. The National Weather Service has predicted that temperatures will be slightly above average levels this month, but rainfall is expected to be in the average range.

Information from the National Weather Service

Year to Date

Precipitation: 30.28 inches Avg. high temp.: 73.0 Avg. low temp.: 49.7 Average temp.: 61.3

Our Normal August Precipitation: 4.28 inches Avg. high temp.: 97 Avg. low temp.: 62 Average temp.: 79.7

AUGUST 2015

For up-to-date lake levels, log on to https://lakes. alabamapower.com.

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LAKE SCENE

Email your photos to editor@lakemartinmagazine.com

PEOPLE AND PLACES

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Reader Submissions (1) Mary Frances Bloodworth caught the sun setting over Lake Martin on a summer evening. (2) Cousins Jackson Moore (2 years old) and Konner Knight (15 years old) enjoy an afternoon on the dock at Lake Martin. (3) The Gainers' Powell Drive azaleas bloomed beautifully this year. (4) Chocolate lab puppy Waylon Jennings Scroggins enjoys his days at Lake Martin. (5) Wat Adair, 14 years old, works on his swing at Lake Martin's Pine Point.

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AUGUST 2015

LAKE SCENE PEOPLE AND PLACES

Email your photos to editor@lakemartinmagazine.com

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Reader Submissions (1) Julie Smelley saved this image of the sun setting off Crowne Pointe on Lake Martin. (2) Larkin Adams' favorite spot at the lake is on the boat! (3) Candy Lancaster took this photo of the sun setting on Lake Martin off her pier. (4) Coleman Strother, Michael Blanchard, Jonathan Brand, Trent Swinehart, Raines Edenfield and Griffin Morgan of Columbus piled onto the tube on Lake Martin and managed to stay for a quick photo before falling off. (5) Margaret Rockhold jumping into the lake after a long hot day at The Ridge.

(6) Phoenix and Fredo, owned by Missy Fonte, celebrate Phoenix's 10th birthday.

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WHERE IN THE WORLD IS LAKE?

Email your photos to editor@lakemartinmagazine.com

PEOPLE AND PLACES

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Reader Submissions

(1) Lake visited the Lion Statue in Lucerne, Switzerland, with Sharon Massie, Dennis Sanford and Gail Ezekiel. (2) Lake magazine went to Aruba with Holly, Connie and Doug Mitchell. (3) Jan Fitzgerald and Ellen Brooks took Lake on safari at Thornybush Reserve in Greater Kruger Park area in South Africa with Shumbalala Lodge staff members manager Helen, guide Roux and tracker Herman. (4) Brenda Ingram, Wanza Shiree and Karen Day took Lake to Aruba in May. (5) Charlotte Pinkard and Jessica Kendrick took Lake to Barbados. (6) In Brewton, Alabama with the Alex City girls 12U All Stars for the Babe Ruth State Softball Tournament. The girls came in 1st place, winning the State Title for the second year in a row. Front row: Katie Windsor, Torie Spann, Laine McWaters, Reagan Taylor and Emma Tapley; Back row: Tiffany Roberts, Mikaylah Ray, Lolli Shepard, Timira Lawson, Kera Dunham, Brook Bowden, Jersalem Banks.

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AUGUST 2015

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS LAKE? PEOPLE AND PLACES

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Lake has visited 68 countries and dependent territories since the Where in the world is Lake? feature first appeared in the November 2007 issue.

STORY BY BETSY ILER

hortly after the first issue of Lake magazine was published 10 years ago, the editors discovered her penchant for travel; as of the anniversary issue in March 2015, Lake had visited 68 of the world’s 256 countries and dependent territories and all but four of the U.S. states.

It all started when Terry Parker and Luis Aleman had a photo made with Lake magazine on the shores of Lake Atilan in Guatemala. Nikki Reeves, Lake’s editor at the time, published the photo in a sidebar of the November 2007 issue.

Barbara and Barney Siegel saw that picture and took Lake with them to Southeast Asia, where the magazine visited Vietnam, Thailand and Hong Kong. She posed with the Siegels for a photo was that published in the January 2008 issue.

For the June issue that same year, Sgt. Jeffery McManus of Alexander City took the March and April issues with him on a deployment to Afghanistan, and Scout and Adeline Treadwell had their photo taken with Lake at Asheville’s Biltmore Estate in North Carolina.

By September, it was “On!” The magazine visited six destinations for that issue: South Africa, Egypt, Maine, Aruba, South Carolina and Mexico.

Since then, Lake magazine has taken 613 road trips with readers to 121 destinations – she likes to return to her favorite spots an average of five times.

Her favorite domestic and foreign destinations?

Florida and Italy. She’s taken 37 vacations in the Sunshine State and has traveled to Italy 22 times.

Lake has visited Stonehenge, the Great Wall of China, the Sea of Galilee, Machu Picchu and the Grand Canyon.

She’s been to Graceland twice, has taken 10 cruises and has been on 17 military deployments. Her favorite U.S. city is New York – she’s been there 16 times. She also loves Hawaii (21 trips), and she likes New York State just as much as she does California (20 visits each); and yet, she’s enjoyed 25 day trips in her home state of Alabama.

To submit photos for the Where is Lake? feature of the magazine, visit our webpage at lake.lakemartinmagazine. com and click on the “Submit a Photo” box above the posted stories. You also can send photos directly to the editor by attaching them to an email addressed to editor@lakemartinmagazine.com. Please be sure to include the name of each person in the photo and the place where the photo was taken.

For Lake’s 20th anniversary in March 2025, we challenge our readers to take Lake magazine to places she has never before visited, and please, won’t someone help Lake complete the U.S. circuit by taking her to Delaware, Nebraska, New Jersey or Vermont?

Afghanistan Antarctica Argentina Aruba Australia Austria Bahamas Belgium Bolivia British Virgin Islands Cambodia Canada Caribbean China Colombia Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curaco Czech Republic Denmark Dominican Republic Dubai Ecuador England France Galapagos Islands Germany Gibraltar Grand Cayman Greece Guatemala Guinea Honduras Hungary India Iraq

AUGUST 2015

Ireland Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kenya Korea Lebanon Liberia Nicargua Netherlands Malawi Mexico Monaco Moorea New Zealand Panama Peru Puerto Rico Russia Scotland Singapore South Africa Spain St. Lucia St. Thomas Switzerland Tahiti Tanzania Turkey The Turks Uganda United Arab Emirates U.S. Virgin Islands Uzbekistan Wales Zimbabwe LAKE 13

Aug. 15 Walk the Bend

Meet at 7 a.m. at Tour Stop 2 at Horseshoe Bend National Military Park in Daviston with binoculars, water and sturdy footwear for a one-mile habitat bird walk. An instructional program for children at 8 a.m. will include a scavenger hunt. The paved trail is easy-tointermediate. Sponsored by the Piedmont Plateau Birding Trail. For information, email ppbirdtrail@gmail.com.

Aug. 15 Summer Bazaar

Vender spaces available for the Annual Summer Bazaar and Lake Martin Laubach Literacy Program and Volunteer Connections of Central Alabama, Inc., project to be held in the back of the Karen Channel State Farm building. For venders selling handmade or new items, spaces will be located inside the back of the building. There will be some flea market spaces available outside and along the parking lot perimeter.

bring lawn chairs, blankets and coolers. Watch future issues of Lake magazine for the complete concert lineup.

Sept. 14 Soldiers in Greasepaint: Entertaining with the USO

Horizons Unlimited will host Birmingham actress and story performer Dolores Hydock, a touring artist for the Alabama State Council on the Arts and Alabama CALENDAR OF EVENTS Humanities Foundation who has been featured in a variWHAT’S HAPPENING ON LAKE MARTIN ety of concerts, festivals and special events around the country. The meeting Artist Penny Adamson completes will be held from 1:30 to an image transfer at last year's 3 p.m. at the Alexander Alabama Art Colony City Board of Education Building at 375 Lee Street in Alexander City.

Membership is $20 per person or $30 per couple for the fall quarter speaker session.

Sept. 15 Art Association of Central Alabama

Meet at 10:30 a.m. at The College Gallery the third Thursday of each month. Artistic technique in painting, drawing and other arts taught at each meeting. For information, call Martha McKnight 256-825-6503 or Jerri Halmark 256-825-0595.

Aug. 22 Horseshoe Bend Muster on the Tallapoosa

Horseshoe Bend National Military Park will hold a commemoration of its establishment from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

A living history show will illustrate life during the early 1800s for both American Indians and the earliest American settlers.

For details, call 256-234-7111.

Sept. 21 Hot Topic of the Day

The Community Garden Club will host a pancake breakfast benefit in the Arts Cabin at Russell Crossroads from 8 to 10 a.m. Pancakes, juice and coffee will be served. The cost is $5 and should be paid with cash or check.

Dr. Mark Conversino of the Maxwell AFB Speakers Series will return to the Horizons Unlimited circuit to offer his perspective of the latest hot topic. Conversino, a faculty of the Air War College, holds interest and expertise in military history, logistics, Soviet and Eastern Bloc history and politics and airpower history, theory and doctrine. The meeting will be held from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the Alexander City Board of Education Building at 375 Lee Street in Alexander City. Membership is $20 per person or $30 per couple for the fall quarter speaker session.

Sept. 6 Labor Day Concert at The Amp

Sept. 28 Best of Jazz and More

Sept. 5 Crossroads Garden Pancake Breakfast

The Vegabonds will headline the final concert of the summer at The AMP at Russell Crossroads. The kidfriendly event has space for picnicking so be sure to 14 LAKE

Retired Sylacauga Band Director, Buddy Simpkins, will lead an afternoon of music that will include jazz, rhythm and blues, pop and swing. The meeting will be

AUGUST 2015

held from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the Alexander City Board of Education Building at 375 Lee Street in Alexander City.

Membership is $20 per person or $30 per couple for the fall quarter speaker session.

Oct. 2-7 Alabama Art Colony Workshop

Instructors for this year’s workshops are Julee Hutchison, Troy Crisswell and Patt Odom. For information and registration, visit www.alabamaartcolony.org.

ers, CDs and DVDs, power supplies, PC Mix Systems, home or cell phones, printers or copiers, mainframe servers, TVs, audio/video adapters, laptop chargers, cable boxes and nickel cadmium or lithium ion batteries. There is a $10 fee per television. For more information, call Sabrina Wood at 334-429-8832 or Amanda Thomas at 256-4092020.

Santuck Flea Market

Season-Long Events

The Santuck Flea Market is held the first Saturday of each month except January and February. The Santuck Flea Market is located at 73300 Central Plank Road, Highway 9 in Wetumpka.

MainStreet Farmers Market

Sarah Carlisle Towery Art Colony Exhibit

Shop the produce of local growers every Saturday morning at the Broad Street Plaza in downtown Alexander City to pick up fresh, seasonal fruits, honey, jams, jellies and relishes, eggs, herb plants, lotions, creams, shampoo and conditioner, soaps made from goats’ milk and beeswax byproducts. Local growers will offer their products from 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Catherine’s Market Wine Tastings

Gather around a table with friends at Catherine’s Market from 5 to 7 p.m. every Friday through Sept. 4 to taste a selection of wines. Your $5 tasting fee will be applied to the purchase of any featured wines for the evening.

Yoga on the Green

Bring a mat and a bottle of water to the Russell Crossroads Town Green at 7 a.m. Saturdays through Sept. 5 to start the day with yoga.

Fridays on the Green

What could be better than bands, lawn games and beautiful sunsets on the Town Green all summer long? The music starts at 6:30 p.m. every Friday, just in time to drop your luggage at the lakehouse and meet your friends at Russell Crossroads.

Catholic Mass (Holy Eucharist) at Church in the Pines

Every Saturday at 6 p.m. through Sept. 5. For information, contact the Rev. Msgr. F. Charles Troncale at 334283-2169.

Library Storytime

Storytime for children ages 5 and younger is held at the Dadeville Public Library every Tuesday at 10 a.m.

Electronics Recycling

The Sarah Carlisle Towery Art Colony on Lake Martin exhibit is on display at the Alexander City Board of Education building all year long. The BOE is located at 375 Lee Street.

$20 on the 20th

The Dadeville Area Chamber of Commerce is asking our community to "Spend $20 on the 20th" of each month to help our local economy.

Children’s Harbor Thrift Store

Located at Children’s Harbor at Lake Martin on Highway 63, the Children’s Harbor Thrift Store is open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You never know what gems you might find – from clothes and household items to boats. Proceeds are used to help fund the activities at the Lake Martin campus of Children’s Harbor and the Family Center at Children's Hospital. Call 334-8572008 for more information.

Memory Makers Quilt Guild

Meets the second and fourth Mondays at the Senior Center on the Charles E. Bailey Jr. Sportplex campus.

Participants come and go between 1 and 8 p.m. with a business meeting at 5, followed by show-and-tell. Bring sewing projects, machines and questions.

Real Island Supper

The Real Island community hosts a covered dish supper every third Friday of the month at the Real Island Volunteer Fire Department and Community Room, 1495 Real Island Road, Equality. We have a lot of fun, and everyone is welcome. Admission is $3 per adult; bring a covered dish to share. Some nights are “themed,” so call ahead to find out if costumes or certain types of food are in order. For more information, contact Dianne Perrett at 256-329-8724.

Church of the Living Waters The city of Alexander City Public Works Department Services are held at 9 a.m. Every Sunday through Sept. will host an electronics recycling event from 9 a.m. to 3 6. p.m. on the second Thursday of each month in conjuncAug. 2 Dr. Roy Hornsby tion with the Middle Tallapoosa Clean Water Partnership.

Aug. 9 Mike Kolen Electronics contain a number of harmful chemicals. The Aug. 16 Rev. Tommy Greer events give citizens a chance to get rid of old and outdated Aug. 23 Rev. Rusty Hutson electronics without risking the water supply by sending Aug. 30 Rev. Al Perkins them to a landfill. Items accepted include desktop or laptop Sept. 6 Billy Coleman computers, computer mouse, keyboards, modems or routAUGUST 2015 LAKE 15

Lake Martin News Look! Up in the Sky! It's a ...

This time of year, being on the waters of Lake Martin after midnight are a normal occurrence for Alexander City Guide Service’s David Hare, as he takes fishermen in search of some of the massive striped bass that the lake has to offer.

But in the wee hours of Monday morning, June 29, that routine turned anything but normal.

Hare said that he and his group spotted something in the night sky as they crossed under the Kowaliga Bridge at 12:32 a.m. that was unlike anything he has ever seen.

“You may see a shooting star or a small ball of fire when you are out there at night,” Hare said. “This wasn’t that. I’m telling you that it was so big that it was like nothing I had ever seen in my life. It looked like a 747 on fire in the sky. It was that big.”

Hare said that there were four people on the boat, and all of them were convinced that they were about to see a plane crash. He said that as it moved across the sky on a slight downward path, two smaller objects emerged, with Hare speculating that something may have broken off.

“It first appeared in the sky like it was back towards Eclectic, across Anchor Bay,” Hare said. “It continued on and the closer it got, the bigger it got. I reached down to get my cellphone and turn on the video and it was moving towards Liberty Lodge or possibly Our Town when it just disappeared, or burned out or went down. I didn’t get my phone up in time to get it recorded, but all four of us saw it. I know what you are thinking, but there wasn’t a drop of alcohol on the boat either.”

Tallapoosa County 911 did not receive any calls about any objects spotted in the sky, but across the Southeast there were at least 132 reports of a “fireball in the sky,” according to the American Meteor Society.

The reports came from North and South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi and two other reports from Alabama.

Sightings in Dothan and Brewton coincided exactly with the sighting by Hare and his group.

“I told you I wasn’t crazy,” Hare said. “I knew what people were going to think, but it was the most unbelievable thing I’ve ever seen. I’m just glad other people saw it too.”

What exactly it was still remains unclear.

One poster to the AMS website said it could have been “an early reentry of the SL-6 Rocket Body 2, which is part of the Russian Cosmos 2196 Missile Early Warning system.”

Bill Cooke from the NASA Meteoroid Environments Office in Huntsville was quoted by a North Carolina television station as saying that the object was moving too slowly to be a meteor.

“There was a bright event seen over several SE states around 12:29:30 a.m. Central Standard Time. We also picked it up on our meteor cameras,” Cooke told WCNC in Charlotte. “The object moved too slow for meteor (only 14,500 mph), was visible for over 30 seconds and fragmented into multiple pieces, suggesting that it was possibly a reentering piece of space junk. The Department of Defense keeps track of such critters, so they would be the ones to confirm this.”

A cornhole tournament helped to make this year's Lake Fest a success

Lake Fest Grows in Second Year

Dadeville's annual Lake Fest celebration June 27 at DARE Park was a great success, despite threatening weather, said chamber executive administrator Linda Andrews.

“The weather held off, and it was a great day,” Andrews said. “The sun was shining most of the day.”

In its second year, Lake Fest attracted more than 400 people.

Andrews sees room to grow.

“We have plenty of room to grow,” Andrews said. “We would like to get more vendors. Next year, we hope to have some live music. We have already set the date for next year, June 25 at DARE Park.”

Andrews was thankful for the sponsors of this year’s event – Tallapoosa County Commissioners Emma Jean Thweatt and George Carelton, Wayne Knox, D.J. Dirt for his music, the Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Department, the Dadeville Police Department, the Dadeville Fire Department and Dadeville FoodLand. ~ Cliff Williams

Lake Martin holiday safer this year

Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) Highway Patrol and Marine Patrol released statistics from the Fourth of July holiday travel period, which show that Lake Martin was a safer place this year than in 2014.

A check of incident reports show that the Marine Patrol made just one boating under the influence arrest during the official holiday which ran from 12:01 a.m. Friday, July 3, through midnight Sunday, July 5. Last year, officers made five arrests for the same infraction on Lake Martin.

While the Marine Patrol reports included five minor in possession charges and one drug related arrest, the numbers as a whole were down on the lake.

ALEA took steps before the holiday to bolster enforcement efforts in hopes of preventing traffic and boating crashes, injuries and fatalities.

~ Mitch Sneed 16 LAKE

AUGUST 2015

~ Mitch Sneed

ATTENTION, LAKE LOVERS:

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If you love life on the lake, you’ll love the new Alabama Power Shorelines app. It covers all 14 Alabama Power lakes and gives you the power to stay informed and get the most out of your favorite lake. From the hottest fishing spots to lake levels to generator schedules, you’ll be smarter and safer every time you visit.

So download the Shorelines app today or visit the new APCShorelines.com. Then go jump in a lake.

JUST SOME OF THE FEATURES: • Current conditions and water levels • Generation schedules • Fishing hotspots and hunting information • Interactive maps • Information about day-use parks and lake access

apcshorelines.com © 2015 Alabama Power Company

AUGUST 2015

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The Rodeo Club For sale but still open

Ed and Marge Shikoski will continue to operate the Dadeville entertainment business until the right buyer comes along

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f you ride by The Rodeo Club and see a ‘For Sale’ sign on the lot, don’t be alarmed: the world famous (ask your mother) hot spot at Lake Martin is not closing. Ed and Marge Shikoski, the club’s owners for the last 21 years, are looking toward retirement and hope to pass the club and the adjacent Lake Martin Event Center on to younger and more energetic owners.

“I was in my 30s when I bought this place. I’m nearing 60 now, and it needs somebody younger than me to build it even bigger,” Ed Shikoski explained. “Marge and I love the customers, and we respect the responsibility of the business.”

Shikoski said the club would continue to be open and operate with no changes, as the business has events scheduled into 2016.

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“This is not a yard sale. The club is not going away,” he said. “It will stay open, and we will work as hard as we have been doing until the day it sells.”

The Rodeo Club opened in 1977 and is touted online as a premier party destination at Lake Martin. In addition to the bar at the front of the 8-acre property, the sale includes the Lake Martin Event Center, the venue for numerous popular celebrations and contests, including the Kowaliga Idol and Lake Martin Voice competitions and the Lake Martin Area United Way’s annual Denim and Diamonds Ball.

“The shows that we have here are great for the community. We’ve loved showcasing the local talent and seeing it develop over the years,” said Marge.

“For the young folks to perform on AUGUST 2015

the grand stage in that big room, it helps them to develop, and it’s part of the joy of running this business. They get to experience being on the big stage with lights and sound,” Shikoski added. “We’ve invested in the presentation. That’s real important any time we do a show here.”

The annual Mother’s Day weekend barbecue cook-off also has become a staple event at the club.

“Our motto is that we’re world famous, and if you don’t have a world famous story from The Rodeo Club, ask your mother why it’s a world famous place, and she’ll have a story for you,” he said.

“Actually, the club probably has been for sale since the day it first opened. That’s what you do when you buy a business like this. You make improvements and build it bigger, so you can sell it and profit from your investment. We’re just getting a little more serious about selling it, now that we’re closer to retirement,” he explained. “Our community needs growing businesses like this. Just because I’m getting old and tired doesn’t mean the business is going to go away. We’re just ready to give someone else the opportunity to do what we have enjoyed doing.”

In addition to the buildings at the club located on Tallapoosa County Road 34 outside of Dadeville, the sale will include the bars, coolers, audio equipment, stages, tables, chairs and other fixtures, as well as a transferable liquor license that is valid until renewal in September 2016. Dartboards, pool tables, karaoke and DJ equipment also are included. The roof and flooring were recently updated as well, and owner financing is available.

The property is listed with Haley Fuller at Weichert Realtors.

“It’s quite a legend, quite a landmark,” Shikoski noted.

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LAKE 19

Charity Poker Run

Clockwise from right: Cheryl Smith's four kings beat 158 other poker hands to win this year's annual charity Lions Club event, sponsored by Russell Marine. In its 12th year, the event raised more than $13,000 last month; Passengers and crew of the S.S. Minnow took a tour of Lake Martin to win the July 18 poker run costume competition. Kenneth Boone was Gilligan, and Mary Lyman Boone played Mary Ann with Cindy Holliday as Ginger and Roger Holliday as the Skipper. James Boone took the role of millionaire Thurston Howell III, and Jenny Lamberth played Lovey Howell; boats lined up early to register before visiting each of the Russell marinas to collect one card for the best hand.

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LAKE 21

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LAKE 23

Robbie Jones, Wayne Forbus and Nelda Jones welcome friends and family to this year's fish fry

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Forbus Fish Fry STORY & PHOTOS BY MITCH SNEED

I

t’s a tradition that was born in a cabin on Lake Martin, now called The Hut, at a time when World War II was in its final stages.

Still 70 years later, if it’s July 4 you will find generations of the Forbus family, their friends and people who love to laugh, have fun and enjoy fellowship while eating some of the best food you have ever put in your mouth on the lake at the Forbus Fish Fry. This year marked the 70th anniversary for the event.

Make no mistake about it – it’s a meal, a family reunion, an outing and a gathering – but this is an event that keeps people talking all year long.

Started by Morris Forbus as a way for his family and friends to celebrate Independence Day at the lake, it’s a tradition that has grown and thrived to legendary proportions.

“Daddy built that place over on the lake on Youngs Island from lumber he salvaged from his old home place,” said Nelda Jones, the daughter of the late Morris Forbus.

“Today, they probably wouldn’t let you build a place over there like that out of bits and pieces and scraps. But we thought that was the greatest place in the world. No power out there back then – but we didn’t care a bit.

“There was always one thing that Daddy made sure of.

No matter what happened or what else was going on in our lives, he made sure we had a good time at the lake. I was 10 years old when we had the first one. We’ve had it a few other places over the years, but no matter what, if it’s the Fourth of July and you are a Forbus, you have to be at the fish fry.”

There are some rules. Bring a dish if you like, come prepared to stay awhile, keep a smile on your face and there is no calorie counting allowed on this day. Pretty good guidelines to live by on any day, but especially fitting for this event.

The cooking starts early, with desserts and salads often made the night before. About 9 a.m. the fryers are set and the oil added. Fish that have been carefully prepared and battered hit the boiling grease and cook until they are a crispy, golden brown that seals in moisture and taste that a AUGUST 2015

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Charles "Mr. Alexander City" Forbus cuts loose on the national anthem

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It takes six tables to hold all the food

five-star restaurant would envy.

“We just love doing it,” Wayne Forbus said. “The thing about it is that all of these fish, they were caught right out there off that dock or somewhere on the lake. Most of them were caught off the dock with a cane pole. It takes a little planning to catch enough, but I don’t think anybody has ever gone away hungry.”

That’s for sure.

Just consider the menu: Fried fish, fried chicken, fried potatoes, meat loaf, roast beef, cole slaw, hush puppies and baked beans.

There was potato salad, corn on the cob, three kinds of pasta salad, Watergate salad, grape salad and apple salad, green beans and sweet potato soufflé. There on the six-table buffet were mashed potatoes, squash and onions, fresh tomatoes, green onions and onion rings that were so crispy they snapped when you took a bite.

Want something sweet? Try strawberry cake, banana pudding, blueberry cobbler, pecan pie, apple pie, blackberry cobbler, peach cobbler, watermelon, cantaloupe, pound cake and a yellow cake that was decorated like a flag with strawberries, whipped cream and blueberries being used to make the stars and stripes.

Talk about good stuff. Linda Forbus said the challenge is to taste it all.

“We have some great cooks in this family,” Linda said. “I have to go back a few times to get a little of everything. It is all so good that you have to stretch the meal out over about an hour just so you have room.”

Over the years, as many as 200 people have broken bread together at the fish fry. This year at the home of Robbie and James Jones off Shady Point Drive, about 100 were there when the dinner bell rang at noon.

Before you loaded your plates – plates because there was no way one plate would be enough to try everything – it was time to give thanks and celebrate America.

After a heartfelt prayer where thanks for family, friends and all of God’s blessings was given, the crowd raised their heads and put their hands over their hearts.

Charles Forbus – jokingly known as Mr. Alexander City – cut loose with an electric guitar version of the national anthem that rivaled the 1968 Woodstock version by Jimi Hendrix. The performance was right there in the front yard, behind a massive 40-by-40 American flag that was so big it had to have two pines to hold it in place.

“I started doing that years ago, and they seemed to like it,” Charles Forbus said. “Got to celebrate America, it’s July 4th.”

Later, he would celebrate Alabama with his brother Forrest, the two playing and singing Sweet Home Alabama, with all those gathered around singing along.

Robbie Jones, Morris Forbus’ daughter, said it’s all about enjoying each other and forgetting about troubles and worries that may be happening the other 364 days of the year. That’s why Wayne, Nelda, Robbie, Betty Hutchison and Janis Rewis still treasure the tradition so much.

“We’ve had 150 to 200 people before,” Robbie Jones said.

“If you’ve ever been asked to come, you have a standing invitation every year. We’ve had family who drove all night to get here. We’ve had people delay vacations a day or two just so they didn’t miss this.

“Life is too short not to enjoy time with your family.

People have moved away and sometimes this may be the only time we see them. It’s a time to slow down, catch up with everyone, hug their neck and enjoy a meal together. It’s lasted 70 years, I just hope it keeps happening 70 more long after I’m gone. That’s the way Daddy would want it.”

AUGUST 2015

LAKE 27

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AUGUST 2015

LAKE 29

Camp Sail Lake Martin camp hosts week of sailing lessons for Girl Scouts across the state STORY & PHOTOS BY CLIFF WILLIAMS

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ucked away up Little Kowaliga Creek, Lake Martin’s Kamp Kiwanis this summer drew girls from across South Alabama for an eight-day sailing adventure. This is the fifth year the Girl Scout camp near Eclectic has hosted the Camp Sail Away program.

“We are trying to empower Girl Scouts with sailing,” said Co-director of the camp, Liz Carnahan. “It is a weeklong sailing camp, but we are still trying to give that Girl Scout experience. We are keeping the mariner theme, but we still keep the Girl Scout program and teach life skills along the way.”

Fifteen girls arrived at Kamp Kiwanis on Sunday, July 5, to learn to sail with confidence. They learned the various knots used in boating and specifically in sailing, practiced tacking and turtling and even spent the night on a sailboat anchored in the lake.

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Away

By week's end, Girl Scouts from around the state were sailing solo in open water

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Scouts work together to rig the mainsail

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Checking sails and making adjustments before heading out

Making adjustments underway to avoid the No-Go Zone

They also enjoyed sunrise paddles on Lake Martin, cooked over campfires, did nautical-themed arts and crafts and boated downstream to Kowaliga Restaurant for dinner out.

Lake Martin’s Girl Scout camp on Lake Martin is the perfect setting for this annual adventure, as its location beyond Adams Slough is sheltered from the lake’s heaviest boat traffic, an ideal situation for campers with little to no sailing experience.

“Here with the slough, it is very contained,” Carnahan said. “We can teach them, check them out. Soon, they realize that they have learned skills that will allow them to go out into bigger water.”

The U.S. Sailing Certified program is a hit with the 15 girls who attended Camp Sail Away last month.

“It’s fun.”

“It’s awesome.”

“It’s a blast,” the girls remarked.

Early in the week, the girls were grouped into crews of five. These crews sailed together all week, developing team and leadership skills, as well as sailing prowess.

“You quickly learn where the wind is at,” said firsttime sailor Ainsley O’Conner of Montgomery. “You don’t want to be in the No-Go Zone.”

O’Conner said her mother had additional motives, besides her daughter’s sailing education, in letting her go to sailing camp.

“My mom told me I could go to sailing camp,” O’Conner said. “She said, ‘You are going to learn so that you can come back and teach me how to sail.’”

But the camp attracts more than first-time sailors.

“This is my third time at Camp Sail Away,” Dothan’s Jennifer Sutton said. “I do not do any other summer camps but this one. It’s hard work, but it’s worth it.”

Even the traditional Girl Scouts arts and crafts activities kept with the nautical theme, as campers created flags similar to sailing club burgees for the crews they were divided into.

They even watched the movie Jaws one night.

In addition to learning how to handle and sail the small boats at the camp, each crew sailed on the bigger 27-foot O’Day. “It is an eight-passenger boat,” Carnahan said. “The girls got dressed up one evening this week, and we took

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LAKE 33

Heading out for a day on the water after breakfast

Sailors learn to right a boat and reboard early in the week

Each crew made a flag similar to sailing club burgees

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AUGUST 2015

Everybody goes home tired but happy

More than 75 girls have learned to sail through the Kamp Kiwanis program

it and a pontoon to Kowaliga Restaurant to eat dinner. The girls all got dressed in their sundresses and enjoyed themselves.

“We are taking the girls out in their crews in the evening. We go out on the lake for a little bit and drag them from behind the boat in a game called ‘Shark Bait.’ We sail back and teach them how to set anchor. We cook onboard and then sleep onboard. I think it is a pretty special opportunity to be able to sleep on a sailboat.

“In the crews, we try to pair up older, experienced girls with the younger ones, and they do a lot of bonding activities, like making the flags. All week long, they hardly think about anything but sailing,” said Carnahan who has sailed since her childhood on Mobile Bay. The program uses a variety of boats, including the 14 Sunfish models that the girls use all week.

“It“s great to have all the boats out at once with full sails,” she noted.

More than 75 Girl Scouts have learned to sail through the Kamp Kiwanis Sail Away program in its six-year history, and Carnahan said the sailing program this year expanded to include day camps as well as the residential experience.

“Rusty and Gwen Black of Opelika have partnered with the Girl Scouts to offer day sailing camps,” Carnahan said. “We offer the day camps a couple times year, but this partnership will allow more girls to sail more often.”

AUGUST 2015

LAKE 35

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LAKE 37

NATURE OF THE LAKE STORY & PHOTOS BY KENNETH BOONE

Resurrection Fern

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Before resurrection

After resurrection

Lake Martin fern ‘dies’ in drought, ‘resurrects’ after rain

R

dlehead, the underside of its leaflets curling up to retain esurrection – rising from death to life – is a wellmoisture. understood concept rarely witnessed.

To the uneducated eye, this crispy, gnarly plant looks Unless you happen to live in a pecan orchard or dead as doornail. an oak forest.

But despite all visual indications, the Resurrection Because there, on the trunks and branches of old hardFern suffers no lasting damage in its dried-out form. wood trees, you are likely to see the Resurrection Fern, a Scientists believe that Resurrection Fern could remain plant that offers spectacular, up-close-and-personal demin a desiccated state – a sure sign of death for most other onstrations of resurrection over and over and over again. plants – for as long as 100 years. And if, after a cenThe official scientific name for this species is tury of drought, rain fell on the fern, it would soak up Pleopeltis polypodioides (try saying that three times the moisture, its fronds would straighten and plump and fast) but the common name Resurrection Fern perfectly within 24 hours the fern would return to a lush green fulldescribes this amazing plant. Another alias, “Miracle of-life state.

Fern,” also hits the bullseye for descriptive naming.

“Amazing” and “miraculous” both seem inadequate for What makes Resurrection Fern so remarkable is its such a feat. Yet it happens routinely on the shady side of uncanny ability to lose more than 75 percent of its water branches on Lake Martin’s hardwoods between rains. and remain very much alive. In times of drought, the If you have access to Resurrection Ferns, you can fern’s fronds will brown, whither and roll up like a fidAUGUST 2015 LAKE 39

watch this transformation yourself: just wait until a dry spell when the leaves are dry and curled; then, sprinkle with water. Within an hour or so, you’ll see the leaves changing, and by the same time the following day you’ll be looking at a beautifully healthy green plant. If you’ve got young children around the house, it’s a magically fun (and painlessly educational) science project that will soon have them sharing stories with their friends.

Resurrection is a small, leathery evergreen fern, (at least in the sense that it can be green after a rain any time of year). Its elongated triangular fronds, which are 4-1/2 inches long, each have 8-14 leaflets.

In the Lake Martin area, you are most likely to see Resurrection Fern growing on old pecan trees, mostly on the shady side of the branches and trunk; however, the fern is also found on oaks, magnolias, cypresses and elms and it can also survive clinging to rocks and logs.

Resurrection ferns can reproduce two ways.

This is a true fern and reproduces using spores, not seeds. The fern’s spores are found in circular structures called sori located on the underside of their leaflets, which create raised dimples visible on the top of the leaflets. Spores are released in summer and early autumn.

Resurrections are also known as “creeping ferns,” meaning the individual plants grow by sending long, thin rhizomes though the cracks and fissures in the host tree’s bark, where rainwater collects. New fronds sprout along the length of the rhizomes. Fronds are capable of surviving independently if the rhizome is severed. In fact, if you would like to grow Resurrection Ferns, the best way to do so is to collect a 6-inch length of rhizome and place it on a log, tree or rock in your garden. The ferns will live in zones 6-9.

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Resurrection Fern is the perfect plant for “brown thumb” gardeners and inconsistent waterers … you really can’t kill this plant by neglect. Although most plants die when they lose roughly 10 percent of their water, in extreme situations, scientists have found that some Resurrection Ferns remained alive when 97 percent dehydrated.

Resurrection Ferns are native to the Southeastern U.S, but are also found in southern Africa, South America and this same species – Pleopeltis polypodioides – is on the plant checklist for the Galapagos Islands. A closely related fern native to Florida, Polypodium incanum, also goes by the common name Resurrection Fern.

Resurrection Fern is an epiphyte, an “air plant,” that takes in moisture and nutrients from the air. Other epiphytes include Spanish Moss, lichens and many orchids.

Each has the ability to attach to a tree for physical support only, without sapping any of its nutrients the way parasitic plants do.

Unlike Kudzu and Wisteria, Resurrection Fern will not harm its host tree, it will just give it a little fascinating decoration. In fact, in a drought, it can make a pecan tree look like it’s wearing an itchy gray-brown coat while after a rain the same coat becomes a soft, beautiful green.

Native American Indians in the Southeast used these ferns as medicines to treat ill babies and insanity.

One more interesting fact – this fern is a space traveler.

In 1997 it flew onboard the Space Shuttle Discovery so scientists could record its “resurrection” in zero gravity.

Some information for this article came from the National Wildlife Association, www.Rottenbotany. com, Missouri Botanical Garden, Mississippi Gardens Newsletter and Floridata.com.

AUGUST 2015

䌀伀吀吀䄀䜀䔀 䰀䤀嘀䤀一䜀 漀渀 䰀䄀䬀䔀 䴀䄀刀吀䤀一 一伀圀 䄀嘀䄀䤀䰀䄀䈀䰀䔀 夀漀甀ᤠ瘀攀 攀愀爀渀攀搀 礀漀甀爀 猀瀀漀琀 愀琀 琀栀攀 氀愀欀攀Ⰰ 愀渀搀 渀漀眀 䌀攀搀愀爀 倀漀椀渀琀 最椀瘀攀猀 礀漀甀 琀栀攀 漀瀀瀀漀爀琀甀渀椀琀礀 琀漀 琀愀欀攀 椀琀⸀ 吀栀椀猀 甀渀搀攀瘀攀氀漀瀀攀搀 瀀攀渀椀渀猀甀氀愀 栀愀猀 漀渀氀礀 ㈀㐀 挀漀瘀攀琀攀搀 氀愀欀攀昀爀漀渀琀 氀漀琀猀 琀栀愀琀 漀昀昀攀爀 攀砀琀爀愀漀爀搀椀渀愀爀椀氀礀 挀漀渀瘀攀渀椀攀渀琀 眀愀琀攀爀 愀挀挀攀猀猀 琀漀 礀漀甀爀 昀愀瘀漀爀椀琀攀 搀攀猀琀椀渀愀琀椀漀渀猀 漀渀 琀栀攀 氀愀欀攀⸀ 吀栀攀猀攀 渀攀眀 挀漀渀猀琀爀甀挀琀椀漀渀Ⰰ 䌀爀愀昀琀猀洀愀渀ⴀ猀琀礀氀攀 挀漀琀琀愀最攀猀 挀漀洀攀 眀椀琀栀 愀渀 愀洀愀稀椀渀最 氀攀瘀攀氀 漀昀 搀攀琀愀椀氀 愀渀搀 搀攀猀椀最渀 琀栀愀琀 攀洀戀漀搀礀 琀栀攀 洀漀猀琀 愀氀氀甀爀椀渀最 瀀愀爀琀猀 漀昀 氀愀欀攀 氀椀瘀椀渀最⸀ 匀漀 搀漀渀ᤠ琀 洀椀猀猀 漀甀琀 漀渀 礀漀甀爀 漀瀀瀀漀爀琀甀渀椀琀礀 琀漀 攀渀樀漀礀 猀漀洀攀 漀昀 琀栀攀 洀漀猀琀 攀砀挀攀瀀琀椀漀渀愀氀 猀椀琀攀猀 漀渀 琀栀攀 氀愀欀攀⸀ 倀椀挀欀 礀漀甀爀 猀瀀漀琀 琀漀搀愀礀 愀渀搀 洀漀瘀攀 椀渀 戀礀 匀瀀爀椀渀最 ㈀ ㄀㘀⸀ 䌀漀渀琀愀挀琀 䐀愀洀漀渀 匀琀漀爀礀 昀漀爀 椀渀昀漀爀洀愀琀椀漀渀⸀

AUGUST 2015 LAKE 41 䐀䄀䴀伀一 匀吀伀刀夀 ∠ ㈀ 㔀⸀㜀㠀㤀⸀㤀㔀㈀㘀 ∠ 䌀䔀䐀䄀刀倀伀䤀一吀䰀䄀䬀䔀䴀䄀刀吀䤀一⸀䌀伀䴀

Tubing STORY BY BETSY ILER & PHOTOS BY KENNETH BOONE

Tubing is a favorite lake activity for Brantley and Will Calhoun of Alexander City

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A

s exciting as a roller coaster ride, bouncing across the water behind a boat on an inner tube may be the most popular recreational activity on Lake Martin. Kids and adults alike thrill at the wind in their hair as they cling to an air-filled float until the combination of forces send them sailing off to hit the water.

It’s a blast. There’s just no other word to describe it.

And it requires little investment in equipment that is readily available in a variety of forms, from actual tubes to shapes that include whimsical animals and living room sofas.

It also requires caution and good common sense to avoid injury and accidents, said Alabama Law Enforcement Officer Mark Fuller.

“The lake is big enough that there are plenty of places to tube safely,” Fuller said. “Avoid pulling tubers in traffic areas, such as Chimney Rock and docking areas. In these areas, it may be difficult for other boaters to change their course if the kids fall off the tube unexpectedly in front of them.

“Just be safe and have fun,” Fuller said.

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LAKE 43

Lake Martin coach brings home gold

Schouten leads U.S. Under-21 team to international title STORY BY ROBERT HUDSON & PHOTO BY KENNETH BOONE

A

local water skier was a part of the U.S. team that recently brought home the gold.

Alabama state record holder Bob Schouten of Alexander City was the coach of the U.S. Under-21 Water Ski team, which won the overall team gold medal at the 7th U-21 Water Ski World Championships held July 3-5 just outside of Toledo, Spain.

The U.S. water ski Alexander City's Bob athletes combined to Schouten coached the U.S. win six medals, includteam to victory in Spain ing three gold during the event.

The U.S. tallied 7,572.25 points in winning the gold medal for the sixth time in the history of the biennial event, as athletes from 28 countries participated in the tournament.

“This is my second time doing this.

Last year, I did this with the Pan-Am (Pan-American) Championships, which is an Olympic sport event, and we won. I took six teams there,” Schouten said. “We won with five of the six teams that year. This was my first worlds competition, so I was really ecstatic for us to win.”

Members of the 2015 U.S. U-21 Water Ski team were: Taylor Garcia of Winter Garden, Florida, Makayla Haw of Rio Linda, California, Erika Lang of Gilbert, Arizona, and Nick Lang of Gilbert, Arizona.

“There were four team members, and we had 10 independents. You had to be in the top eight in the world to be able to qualify as an independent,” Schouten said. “It was chaotic, of course, when we first got there, because nobody knew the language. Logistics was the hardest part, obviously, getting to the hotel and getting settled in. We had a week of practice beforehand. We were able to win the gold medal, and we also won three individual gold medals.”

44 LAKE

Water skiing is a fast-growing sport, particularly in the Lake Martin area. The sport includes three different events.

“There are three events: slalom, tricks and jump. Slalom is all about precision and speed. You go through a six-buoy course, and you go faster until you get up to your maximum speed, and then you go shorter and the rope starts getting shorter,” Schouten said.

“Tricks is two, 20-second passes and you do as many tricks as you can in 20 seconds. Each trick has different point values.”

“Jump is just pure insanity,” Schouten laughed. “It’s just distance and how far you can go. We had two guys that got first and second in the jump and they got around 210 (feet).”

Schouten said his road to coaching the team started simply with a lifelong interest in the sport.

“I’ve been skiing my whole life, and I’ve skied in nationals and I’ve skied in the worlds. I’ve been on a world championship team and Pan-Am teams, and I’ve worked at the U.S. Water Ski headquarters for a while,” Schouten said. “It was just kind of a natural progression to becoming the coach of the U-21 team.”

Moving forward, the 56-year-old Schouten said he hopes to continue coaching, as well as maybe compete as a member of the senior team.

“I’m hoping to continue to be a part of this. I’ve also done the elite team, which is the older team at the PanAms, but I want to do that at the worlds,” Schouten said. “I also want to do the Pan-Am games, which is actually going on right now, so I have to wait four more years to be a part of that. And personally, I’d like to ski with the seniors again.”

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For well-qualified buyers, not all buyers may qualify. Higher rates apply for different terms and/or buyers with lower credit rating. Lower rates may also be available. Offer valid through 09/30/15, on new and unregistered Honda outboard engines (2hp – 250hp) and only on approved credit by Honda Financial Services through participating dealers. Honda Financial Services' standard credit criteria apply.

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Mike Morris Owner mike@poorhousebranchmarina.com Eddie Rush Sales Mgr. eddie@poorhousebranchmarina.com

Poor House BrancH Marina Always wear a personal flotation device while boating and read your owner’s manual

Since 1998

7062 Stemley Road on Logan Martin Lake • Talladega cing Open 256-268-2939 Finan ble 7 Day a s l i a www.poorhousebranchmarina.com v A AUGUST 2015

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Wells Marks cuts around a marker at this year's Lake Martin Slalom Championship

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Joseph Schouten sends up a plume of water on a run through the slalom course

Cutting Water Fifth annual Lake Martin Slalom Championship showcases area’s best skiers STORY BY ROBERT HUDSON & BETSY ILER PHOTOS BY KENNETH BOONE

S

ome of the best slalom skiers in the nation descended on Lake Martin June 26 and 27 for the fifth annual Lake Martin Slalom Championship at Parker Creek, sponsored by Russell Marine. The action began with a slalom clinic at 7 a.m. on Friday, and com48 LAKE

petition followed the next morning.

Sixteen skiers, including seven adult competitors and nine in the youth division, took part in the competition in which Andrew Marks of Birmingham took the youth title and Barb Kazmierczak the adult division.

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"Sla-lom: skiing in a zigzag or wavy course between upright obstacles."

~ Merriam-Webster

U.S. Senior World Team member and Alabama state record holder Bob Schouten lead the clinic team with help from Joseph Schouten and Payton Phillips.

Don Kelley, who coordinated the event through the Russell Marine Ski Team, said the clinic offered topnotch advice to those looking to learn more about slalom skiing, as Bob Schouten recently coached the U.S. Under-21 Water Ski team to top honors at the Water Ski World Championship competition in Toledo, Spain (see story on page 44).

“The event was broken up into two parts. The first part is a clinic where a few of us coach those at the beginner level,” Kelley said. “Then there’s the competition, which actually runs a little faster than the clinic.”

Spectators were welcome for the competition, as boaters could simply go to Parker Creek to watch, and others took a ferry from Kowaliga Marina, despite cloudy skies and threatening rain.

The slalom course has been maintained on Parker Creek for about 40 years, Kelley said, and skiers come from all around the lake to practice for their personal best.

Buoys on the course are anchored at specified distances that require skiers to maintain their balance during sharp turns around each buoy to get from one to the next without missing any.

As the best time and most buoys passed during a run determine the winner, skiers must push to the limits of their ability to hit every marker on the course, often stretching laterally to make the turns and pulling against the rope for additional leverage.

As a skier improves, the rope is shortened and the boat speed increases, adding more difficulty to the course. While non-competing beginners to the sport may start with 75 feet of rope and a boat speed of about 21 miles per hour, the best slalom skiers gain points by rounding six turn buoys in a zigzag pattern at boat speeds up to 36 miles per hour and rope lengths as short as 38 feet.

According to the International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation, the skiers actually move as much twice the speed of the boats that pull them; meaning that a top skier would be traveling as fast as 72 miles per hour and generating around four ‘g’s of force.

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Joseph Schouten leaves a line in the water as he makes a run

Wells Marks sets up for the next turn

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Will Schouten rolls the water behind him in a clean turn

Caldwell Marks takes up the slack in the ski rope to gain leverage for his next turn

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LAKE 51

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52 LAKE

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AUGUST 2015

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Add-on lighting makes night boating safer for all concerned

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Clockwise from above: Installation of blue LED light strips is a relatively inexpensive decorative add-on that can make boating at night safer; Cam Caldwell at Caldwell Electronics said he has averaged an installation per day this summer; the lights are installed on the underside of the boat where they will be underwater during the boats operation; wiring for the lights installed on the exterior sides of the boat ties into the vehicle's power source - interior lights also can be installed to make moving around in the boat safer after dark; lights also can be installed at the back of the boat, making it more visible from behind; the additional rear lights are installed directly to the ponotoon below the waterline but do not interfere with the boat's operation.

A

midnight boat ride under the star-studded Lake Martin sky can add magic to a summer evening, whether heading to the house after one of the area’s beautiful fireworks displays, tying up on a sandbar with friends or returning home from dinner at a favorite lakeside restaurant. But in recent weeks, many boat owners are taking extra safety precautions on their nighttime boating excursions, adding non-navigational lighting to make their vessels more visible to other boaters.

“I went back and forth about it for a long time before I actually had the lights added,” said local lawn service owner Scott Atkins. “I am more of a naturalist/traditionalist, and I thought they were invasive and intrusive.”

But after a serious boat accident took the life of a boat driver on the lake at the end of June, Atkins said, the element of safety won him over.

“It gives you a little piece of mind, knowing other boaters can see you that much better; besides, it looks pretty cool. I guess I’m about a 40-year-old kid, and I’ve been on the lake at night since Castaway was still open. I’ve seen a lot of changes on the lake and have been fortunate to not have encountered what happened this summer. It was the safety aspect that convinced me, but at the end of the day, it’s still pretty cool.”

Atkins had the lights installed by Caldwell Electronics in Alexander City where owner Cam Caldwell said he now installs the blue LED light systems on as many as five or six pontoon boats every week.

“We started installing the lights on new boats for Alex City Marine about three years ago when the LED systems first came out on some factory pontoons, but the next year, we had people who already owned boats approach us about adding them to their boats. This year, it’s been exponential,” Caldwell said. “This summer, it’s been even more, because the accidents we’ve had have definitely spawned a nighttime boating safety rush.”

The complete pontoon LED light system – which

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includes blue LED lights on the exterior sides of the boat, interior lights and blue underwater lights on the rear of the boat – costs about $500 as a package, he said. The component systems can be purchased and installed separately as well, with the underwater lights priced around $150 and exterior side and inside systems at $250 each.

Alabama Law Enforcement Officer Mark Fuller, who often patrols Lake Martin, noted that lighting often is an issue in citations written and accidents occurring after dark. U.S. Coast Guard regulations stipulate the requirements for navigation lights, which include a red portside bow light; green starboard light and a white stern light that is visible from 360 degrees.

“Oftentimes, on boats that have a soft top, during the day, people will let that light back to put the top down, and they forget about it when it gets to be sunset and beyond and the light no longer is in position,” he noted.

“We often see boats where that light needs to be repositioned. It has to be perpendicular to the water.”

Docking lights also create navigational difficulties, he said, as the bright lights reflect off the water and blind other boaters.

The blue LED lights installed along a boat’s exterior are not regulation, but because they are not red, green or white, they are allowable on watercraft.

“Speaking personally, I think that as long as you are not interfering with other boaters’ ability to see, more light is better. Not spotlights or bright lights, but the LED lights are very visible,” Fuller added.

“Make sure the lights are in good condition, and the wiring is good. No blue lights can rotate, oscillate or flash, because that confuses the boat with a law enforcement vehicle, but that constant blue LED does reflect well and is very visible in the water. We are seeing a lot of that on the lake. As long as they don’t flash and they are constant, they are fine.”

Local boaters also have started adding white strobe lights below the gunnels of boats to differentiate water-

AUGUST 2015

craft navigational lights from shoreline lights.

“Strobe lights should be installed on the very back.

Depending on the design of the boat, they could even be mounted on top of an outboard motor,” Fuller said.

“I personally would advocate for strobe lights on slower moving boats. They can only be visible from behind the boat though. They would be a safety hazard if they were visible from the front or side.”

Dean Storage owner Reggie Dean said he recently added strings of blue LED lights to his pontoon boat and has ordered a strobe light as well.

“A strobe light can be seen much better and from a longer distance than the white navigational light,” Dean explained. “It will not replace the navigational light but is in addition to it. You don’t want to put it where you can see it if you are driving the boat, because it will distort your night vision.”

Dean said he had the LED lights installed primarily as a decoration, but he liked the safety aspect of them as well.

“Especially after that accident on lake, it’s good to be seen better,” he noted. “We would get out in the middle of the lake on a Friday night and bring a snack and tie up with some friends. All of us leave our lights on, but it helps if other boats can see you better.”

And don’t just check the lights at the dock before you depart, Fuller said. Check them throughout the boating excursion to make sure they are working properly.

In addition to proper lighting, Fuller said, alcohol is another night boating concern.

“When people have been operating a boat and drinking all day, they're intoxicated at night, and they don’t

realize they aren’t capable of driving or aware of the things that happen on the water after dark. We get a lot of BUIs (Boating Under the Influence citations) after dark,” he said. “It’s harder to see the water hazards at night. In a lot of boating accidents that occur after dark, alcohol is involved.”

Speed also is a safety concern at night, Fuller noted.

“There are no speed limits on the lake except at idle speed areas, swim areas and dock areas. If there’s a bass boat or a go-fast-boat capable of high speeds, there is nothing in the law that prevents them from running at 50-70 miles per hour at night. Is it against the law? No. Is it safe? No, not at all.

“It’s important to be constantly aware after sunset and after dark. Be courteous to other boaters. Stay as far away from another boat as you can safely stay.”

Creating large wakes at night presents a unique hazard to nighttime boating, Fuller said.

“Wakes are harder to see at night. When you get your boat too close to someone else’s boat, you might be causing wakes that can make other boats capsize or cause property damage,” he said.

Another important consideration, Fuller added, is that while the law does not allow personal watercraft on the lake at night, waterskiing is allowed up to one hour after sunset and as much as one hour before sunrise.

“If you are pulling somebody at the end of a rope 75 feet behind the boat, your boat may be illuminated properly, but the skier is in the dark. That can be a dangerous situation that may take a life,” he cautioned.

While nighttime boating and recreation has its aesthetic rewards, Fuller concluded, taking safety to heart

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LAKE 57

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58 LAKE

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Don’t dirty the water

ake Martin is the cleanest and most beautifor engine coolants and other fluids, including ful lake in Alabama and was designated by lubricants. Do not dispose of them in the lake the state as the first (and only) “Treasured and do not allow any to spill into the water or Alabama Lake.” While Lake Watch volunteers onto the boat ramp. work year-round to test the water for water When cleaning your boat, make sure you don’t quality, it is up to everyone to keep the lake dirty the water. Most boat hulls have toxic paints clean. that are released into the water during cleaning, Boat and personal watercraft owners play a and many common cleaning materials are hazkey role in protecting the quality of our water. ardous to the environment as well. If your boat Take care when filling your vessel with oil, needs a thorough cleaning, it is best to take it LAKE WATCH gasoline or diesel. To avoid mishaps when refuout of the water and make sure you are using the

BY KATHRYN BRAUND eling, make sure your boat is securely affixed proper cleaner for your hull type. An annual wax to the dock and your engine is off. Don’t overfill your tank. job will help prevent dirt build-up and make cleaning easier.

Experts recommend that you fill your tank to 90 percent since Please watch for runoff from your cleaning. Use non-toxic fuel expands as temperatures rise. It doesn’t take much to cleaning materials to keep your boat clean, including bakcontaminate the water and damage the environment. ing soda, vinegar (which helps with mildew stains) and borax.

If you see a sheen, you are seeing pollution. In the event When cleaning a boat, muscle power is better than chemical of a major hazardous material spill – and it only takes a cleaners, many of which can harm finishes on boat hulls, quart of oil to make a serious mess and damage the environupholstery and carpets. ment – contact the Alabama Department of Environmental A good general cleaner is one cup of white vinegar mixed Management (ADEM) immediately for assistance; also notify with two gallons of water. To clean chrome, try lemon juice the nearest marina. and baking soda; then, polish with baby oil. Baking soda will The Alabama Emergency Management Agency’s state also clean stainless steel, and vinegar will remove water spots. warning point number is 1-800-843-0699. ADEM staff is onMany soaps and detergents add nutrients to the water, call 24 hours per day and can offer advice and assistance in which can promote algae bloom that harms fish and other cleaning up the spill and mobilizing the appropriate agency to aquatic life. Make sure any product you use is environmenhandle the situation. The same number can be used to report tally friendly and is free of phosphates and chlorine. fish kills.

The labels “natural,” “green,” or “earth friendly” are not When you report a spill, be ready to give an accurate locaalways reliable guides due to inadequacies in the labeling law. tion of the incident and the cause or source of the pollution Don’t litter unintentionally. Stow items carefully so that items don’t fly overboard when you are boating. Never if you can identify it, as well as the weather and water condiuse the lake as your garbage can. While you are at it, make tions. If you know, report the type and amount of fuel spilled sure your water toys, flotation devices, chairs and buoys are as well. secured on your dock; otherwise, wind and/or waves could Do not try to rectify the situation by adding detergent, dislodge them. If you see items floating in the lake, please be such as Dawn dishwashing liquid. This might appear to fix a good steward and collect them for proper disposal. the problem, but detergent simply disperses the pollutants, It goes without saying that raw sewage not only threatens which makes it more difficult to clean up and potentially water quality but also human health. Make sure you handle causes more harm than good to the lake by contaminating on-board sewage properly. As the saying goes, “Pump It, sediments.

Don’t Dump It – It’s the Law!” Boat owners may wish to purchase and have on hand Docks and walls benefit from cleaning, too, but be careful commercially available pads for absorbing small petroleumand do not use harmful chemical products that degrade water based spills or leaks. These pads float on water and absorb quality. Often, the concentrated spray from a garden hose is oil and fuel but not water. They are relatively inexpensive. sufficient to clean wood docks and decks. Be careful using Contaminated pads can be bagged and sent to a permitpressure washers, which can damage wood. ted landfill as long as the spill was less than 5 cubic yards.

If you have a mildew problem, use oxygen bleach, which Larger spills would require professional assistance. is less toxic than chlorine bleach. In addition, chlorine bleach If you use portable containers to refuel, make sure the boat can damage wood. For oil stains on a wood dock, try scrubis steady, and pour slowly. “Jerry jugs” are a major source of bing the stain with a paste of baking soda and water. fuel contamination in the water. Funnels help avoid spills, Last but not least, consider supporting Lake Watch of Lake as does fueling while the boat is still on the trailer and being Martin by becoming a member (at http://www.lakewatch.org/) careful to wipe down any spillage before launching. and possibly getting trained as a water monitor – we can’t Well-maintained boats are less likely to leak. Start each have too many of those on our Treasured Lake! season with a basic tune-up and inspection of your motor and fuel tank, checking for corrosion and leaks. Dispose of used Kathryn Braund is president of Lake Watch Lake Martin. oil properly, preferably at a recycling location. The same goes AUGUST 2015 LAKE 59

The Crauswells extended the kitchen island to create more dining space

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AUGUST 2015

The full time home required some thoughtful lifestyle changes

Crauswell family upgrades from cabin to year ’round home

Birmingham master builder Chuck Crauswell built this one for himself

T

STORY BY BETSY ILER & PHOTOS BY KENNETH BOONE

he transition from Lake Martin cabin to full time residence was an attractive daydream for Birmingham’s Chuck and Patty Crauswell who bought a Kowaliga Creek cabin eight years ago.

But when their cabin sold just a few months after they purchased an Alabama Power Company lot in Emerald Shores in 2013, the dream drew closer to reality.

They found a stock home design that was perfect for the gently sloping lot on Moon Brook near Dadeville and were confident Chuck, a master builder and owner of New World Homes, Inc., could make the few changes that would better accommodate their new life at the lake.

While the cabin had fit their weekend lifestyle, the Crauswells had other ideas for their full time lake home.

“We do a lot of entertaining with friends and family,”

Patty explained.

Five months ago, they finished building a 4,700-square foot home that incorporates spacious guest areas with cabin intimacy through expandable living and entertainment spaces that are at once both elegant and cozy. Though the home retains elements of classic Lake Martin style, such as vaulted shiplap ceilings and thoughtfully designed outdoor living spaces, it clearly is meant for more than the casual summer vacation with the family.

Landscaper Aaron Alexander set the tone just inside the lot entrance by blending the natural woods with formal plantings along the winding drive. As guests approach the cypress and stone house below a gentle hillside, the natural landscape gives way to the subtle slope of green lawn bordered by open woods inhabited with deer and songbirds.

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The painting of sandhill cranes set the tone for the living room

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They added more dining and entertainment space on the boathouse deck

The house is a three-story daylight basement design that follows the contour of the 220-foot lakefront and greets guests on the midlevel with an ample stone stoop and double door entry.

Visitors are enveloped by the soft touch of creamy French linen in the framed entry, but it’s the unique presentation of the picturesque view that commands attention. The curved wall of windows – an unusual design element at the lake – offers a wall-to-wall picture of Moon Brook at its widest point where the opposite wooded shoreline includes Harbor Pointe in the southeastern distance. As this entry level extends over the basement lake access, the view carries the eye over the lawn and boathouse to the seemingly endless water.

The Crauswells’ decorator, Nan Jackson, made the most of the living room’s height, which soars two stories to a new heart pine shiplapped ceiling vault, by drawing the eye along the vertical lines. Long draperies mounted above the French country craftsman windows emphasize the air space and natural light that fill the room. A mix of Dolly Ridge stone in the fireplace reflects the light upward where the stain-washed ceiling softly diffuses it across the room.

Jackson’s signature palette of neutral colors in diverse textures, tastefully accented with hints of color – in this case chocolate and lime hues – derives here from a spectacular painting of sandhill cranes on a milky gray day.

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“We loved that painting as soon as we saw it, and the rest of the room was designed around that one piece of art,” Patty said.

To the left of the entry, the Crauswells tucked a spacious dining room with a great farmhouse table featuring an intricate inlaid herringbone design and surrounded by full seating that will remain comfortable long after the meal has been cleared.

On the entry’s right, a cozy den can be opened to the living space to accommodate a large party or closed for use as an extra guestroom. Though most of the home’s living spaces are painted drywall to accommodate the unique shaping of the lakeside walls, reclaimed exterior siding on the den walls complements the optional nature of this intimate room.

Down the hall in the master suite, Jackson flanked the curved wall of French clad windows with darkening draperies in white and steel bluegray, because in a full time house, there really are days when homeowners want to sleep in – even at the lake.

The master bath complements the bedroom with the cool beauty of white marble, softly veined in gray. This is a bath designed with full time living in mind, as it features a large marbled shower, soaking tub, vanities and two large, spacious closets.

On the opposite side of the house, the kitchen underwent

AUGUST 2015

The living room reflects the Eurpean flair of the Crauswells' full time lifestyle

Long draperies emphasize ceiling heights and natural light

A variety of textures enhance the neutral color palette

Each bedroom enjoys its own bathroom

Space, comfort and storage were essentials in the full time master bath

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The daylight basement den doubles as the music room

Curved walls create fuller views in the breakfast area

Another curved walls maximizes the lakeview from the master suite

66 LAKE

the most design changes, though even those were few.

The Crauswells opted for a pantry in the plan’s elevator space, as most of their future years of living can be done on the entry level, but for the near future, they wanted more food storage space, as the Emerald Shores area is not convenient for quick trips to the store.

They also extended the kitchen island by omitting the plan’s keeping space, creating more island seating and easier access to the second floor porch.

The kitchen continues the soft gray and natural linen palette with tall Shaker cabinets and lots of them. A beamed ceiling trey with recessed fixtures directs light to appropriate kitchen workspaces without compromising the design.

Solid surface countertops and stainless steel appliances mean the kitchen performs as beautifully as it looks.

Between the kitchen and living room, the Crauswells situated the bar and another of the home’s curved walls, this one for a lakeside breakfast table facing the sunrise on the opposite shore.

And just off the kitchen, they built a jewel that will extend their outdoor evenings well into the fall – a covered porch with a fireplace, ceiling fan and a cozy, comfortable seating arrangement.

“We almost can’t wait for the fall when we can sit out there with a fire going,” Patty noted.

This porch opens to one that extends across the lakefacing side of the home, which is dotted with chairs in front of cable railings, making the most of the views.

Behind the living room fireplace, the wall slips into a circular stairwell leading to the lower floor den and suites.

Though used as a gaming space in many lake homes, the downstairs common living area serves the family’s interest in music.

Before their children were born, Patty and Chuck were members of a band that played occasional weekend gigs.

Now, their music is tuned to the church praise band, and the basement room is the perfect studio for a grand piano, a drum set and – Chuck’s specialty – guitars. The back wall adds a bit of fun kick with a variegated arrangement of reclaimed wooden siding.

A small kitchen and bar downstairs create more convenience and entertainment space.

Each of the home’s four bedrooms includes outdoor access to intimate seating areas and entertainment spaces, which include a bench swing on a covered patio and a central flagstone fire pit patio for those large gatherings with friends. A flagstone walk takes those friends to additional intimate seating areas: one on the covered deck of the boathouse and another at the edge of a small beach the Crauswells added for their grandchildren, ages 8 and 5.

The slope here is gradual, with enough level space to accommodate the bocce ball and horseshoe courts along one side, just off the natural buffer to the lake. A point on the south side of the lot breaks the wind coming off the lake and affords the family some privacy from the weekend boat traffic.

But it’s those quiet, smooth-water mid-week days the Crauswells will enjoy the most when they move to Lake Martin full time after their youngest son, Trent, starts college next fall.

“We can’t wait,” Patty said with a smile, now that the full time house is ready for them.

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Ban Stewart is executive chef at Kowaliga Restaurant and is an avid hunter, fisherman and forager. He lives in Eclectic with his wife of seven years, Allison.

Where did you grow up?

I was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida, and spent many weekends and summers at St. Teresa Beach, just south on the Forgotten Coast of Florida. Tallahassee is home to the Red Hills known for the longleaf forests and plantations. Living in two different environments allowed me to explore nature’s beauty and wildlife in both the woods and coastline.

Where did you go to school?

After graduating from Alfred B. Maclay Prep School, I attended Tallahassee Community College, Florida A&M University and graduated with honors from Capital Culinary Institute at Keiser College. Beyond culinary classes, I also enjoyed studio art.

How did you become acquainted with Lake Martin?

I became acquainted with Lake Martin through friends who invited me and my wife, Allison, up to enjoy weekends.

We have always loved the peacefulness and calmness that the element of water can provide. I didn’t hesitate when Russell Lands offered me the Executive Chef position at Kowaliga Restaurant.

What it is like to work at the lake?

It’s nice living and working where most people come to vacation.

How do you like to spend off time?

During the hot summer days, I try to spend them relaxing with Allison and our three dogs near or in the water. In the fall and winter, I get duck fever. Most mornings are spent with family and friends watching the sunrise on a cold duck hole at Allison’s family farm. Field trial season is quite an event in her hometown of Union Springs, so we make it a point to attend as many of those as we can. Springtime is dedicated to sitting in the turkey woods waiting for goose bumps after you hear that first gobble in the morning. Once we get settled into our new home, I look forward to pulling out my painter’s pallet to create some more wildlife paintings.

Why did you choose a career in food?

My career in food chose me. My family has always been in the food business one way or another. My great-grandmother owned the Dutch Kitchen in Tallahassee, and my aunt and mother had a catering business growing up. After working in several different fields where I almost died with a tree service, I decided to go back to my roots and keep my feet on the ground by attending culinary school.

What’s the craziest thing you ever did?

The craziest thing I have ever done was to build a raft, “Proud Mary,” out of two pieces of 4-foot by 8-foot pieces of Styrofoam and duct tape plywood on top. My friends and I had an annual Ochlocknee River Regatta where you had to make a raft and float down the river. That year provided abundant rains and made the river swift. Our sleek raft was efficient enough to where my two friends and I won the race.

68 LAKE

How did you meet your wife?

We attended elementary school together before she moved to Alabama. She would tell you I used to run from her on the playground. I don’t remember that. What I do remember is the smiles we exchanged when mutual friends set us up on a date nine years ago, and we have been together since.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given and who was it from?

Received the best advice from my dad who was told by my grandfather, “Just keep your head down and work hard, and people will notice.”

What’s the dirtiest job you ever had to do?

The dirtiest job was by far working for Preservation Landcare, a tree restoration company in Tallahassee. Climbing trees in ropes and harness with a chainsaw covered in sweat and sawdust. I couldn’t walk in my house without covering everything with dirt and sawdust.

If you could have dinner with any three people from any era, who would they be and why?

If I were to have dinner with three people from any era, the first would be Teddy Roosevelt. Can you imagine the stories he could recall and what sort of wild game he would supply? Second would be my great-grandfather. I have only heard family stories and read in books of what a great carpenter he was and his wildlife plant discoveries with his adventure to the Galapagos Islands. The third person would be my dad, because he is my best friend, and I would love to share the experience of the other guests with him.

What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received and from whom did it come?

The best compliment that really sticks in my mind was when I was walking into a building and turned around and took a few steps to open the door for an elderly woman.

The look on her face was of joy and shock. She complimented me on being such a fine young man and said that my mother raised me right. We sat and talked for a bit.

She said that she’d just received bad news about her husband’s health and what I did made her smile and gave her faith in chivalry. That simple opening of a door has sunk in with me and made me realize that small acts of kindness can turn someone’s day around.

What is one thing that most people don’t know about you?

I’m an only child, a fifth generation Alban Stewart of either only children or only sons. No pressure on the sixth generation.

If you were going to write a book, what would it be about?

If I were to write a book, it would have to be a cookbook.

Old family recipes with new adaptations. Old pictures from my youth of cooking with my family and my wife’s family. Short, funny anecdotes about things that have occurred involving food, whether it be cooking, hunting, fishing or foraging.

AUGUST 2015

Custom made to fit his hand, the blade of Stewart's knife is made from a used farrier rasp, and the handle is spalted maple burl. His hand measurements were taken to fit the Doghouse Forge knife perfectly

Lake Q&A

Ban Stewart

AUGUST 2015

LAKE 69

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AUGUST 2015

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AUGUST 2015

LAKE 71

Scooby-Doo Neighbors

Ah, just so you know ...

T

time it was shown, Mr. Friendly hustled out he cartoon Scooby-Doo was a staple of to let them know, by the way, the “lot won’t my upbringing and perhaps yours, too. perk.”

In every single episode, the bad guy That is a shorthand way of saying that the always ended up being one of the first people lot’s soil is too dense to absorb water. Think that Scoob and the gang met at the start of the about how water runs off of an asphalt parkshow. The villains were seemingly innocuing lot. Never mind that the neighbor was ous, but a self-centered motive made them act incorrect. The lot did percolate, albeit at a questionably. The plot was almost always the slower rate that would require an engineered same: the bad guy had a personal reason for septic system, but it would perk. Of course, scaring everyone away from an old house, a LAKE PROPERTY when people hear that a lot won’t perk – water park, a beloved hotel, or something like

BY JOHN COLEY with or without evidence to substantiate the that. The bad guy made up some wild ghost claim – they head for the hills. I don’t blame them. story to keep the public away, so he could profit priNow, why is Mr. Friendly so eager to share this inacvately. And he would have gotten away with it, too, “if it curacy? Could it be that he has been enjoying the lack of weren’t for those meddling kids and their crazy dog.” a neighbor for many years? Perhaps he would not mind Is that so different from an all-too-friendly neighbor? if the lot remained wooded and devoid of another home?

Have you ever been looking at a home or lot for sale, Could his own desires influence his willingness to spread maybe wandering around in the yard or by the waterbad information? front, and seen the home’s neighbor make eye contact, This is what I mean by “Scooby-Doo Neighbors.” smile, wave, and beeline toward you?

Another point I won’t cover in detail is that of liabiliWould you like to know what the real estate agent is thinking when that happens? I can tell you. It’s, “Oh boy. ty. I am not a lawyer, so I don’t understand it completely, but I am pretty sure that anyone who knowingly spreads Here we go.” inaccurate and financially damaging information about a Don’t get me wrong; the majority of neighbors are home, lot or product could be liable to the seller. Lawsuit well meaning and nice. They love Lake Martin and City. Ya dig, Shaggy? love their neighborhood and want you to know about So far, I would say the all-time winner for Lake it. Sometimes they might be a tad long winded, but you Martin’s “Best Scooby-Doo Neighbor Ever” is someone can’t help but like the enthusiasm. that actually told a ghost story. That’s right. A real ghost But, there is a significant portion of neighbors whose story. thin veil of friendliness poorly masks a darker underFellow agent John Christenberry had a house listed tone. An abrupt change of subject, a ham-handed segue in the Little Kowaliga area. It was a great cabin, a real such as, “Ahhh, just so you know…” or “Ummm, did throwback. It felt like a Russell cabin that had been you realize that …?” marks a conversational shift to the updated. The big problem was there was a Friendly negative.

This is when Mr. Friendly Neighbor tells Mr. and Mrs. Neighbor that told a buyer that the house was haunted. I don’t know if they said, “Just to let you know, the house Buyer all about the problems with the home or lot next is haunted’ or “Ummm, did you realize that house was door. Sometimes implying a seller cover up, or at least haunted?” but the Neighbor said it. a willful ignorance, Mr. Neighbor will launch into the Yes. alleged problem with details – some real, some imagSo how do you address that objection as an agent? If ined; most exaggerated. the buyer is worried about a home’s condition, you help Now, it’s one thing if Mr. Friendly Neighbor has firstthem find a home inspector. If the lot lines are a concern, hand, documented, professionally supplied evidence. you suggest that the buyer finds a good surveyor. But That rarely happens, and that’s not what I am talking about. I refer to neighbors that pass along innuendo, gos- how can a buyer, a real estate agent or anyone, for that sip and false information. I won’t go the distance and say matter, prove that a house is not haunted?

Zoinks! Who you gonna call? they are lying, but let’s call it relying too much on hearsay evidence.

John Coley is a broker and owner of Lake Martin Why would a neighbor do that?

Voice Realty. He is also the author of the blog Lake I am reminded of the Friendly Neighbor of a vacant Martin Voice at LakeMartinVoice.com. waterfront lot on the east side of Lake Martin. Every

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AUGUST 2015

FROM OUR REAL ESTATE ADVERTISERS

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119 Sierra Court, Dadeville • $340,000 PRICE REDUCED! Like new 4BR/3BA lake home ready to move in. Open floor plan. Finished basement with bath, great room and shop. Irrigation system, perfect MotherIn-Law plan! Fruit trees, Knock-out Roses, covered porch located in a quiet cove not far from Hwy. 280. Metal roof, undergroung utilities.

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South Ridge Harbor, The Double Main Russell Cabins, The Longleaf New Lake Beauty! Legacy New Homes, a first-class The best got better. We are proud to introduce this One of the many designs available to build at Announcing New Phase of Russell Cabins – Paddock Point! builder, is now crafting a superb new lake home. Topnew design for South Ridge Harbor by Krumdieck South Ridge Harbor. Architect Larry Furlong created This Jonathan Torode design is a perfect plan to consider at notch design that features an open floor plan, 2 master Architects. This upscale lake home design features the perfect plan for lake living. Owner’s retreat and Paddock Point. With three bedrooms and three full and two suites on main level, 2 additional guest suites & 2nd carefully crafted indoor family spaces and expansive guest suite on main with open kitchen-dining-living half bathrooms, it’s a perfect layout for family enjoyment. greatroom on terrace level, ample boat toy storage, & outdoor living. You will love the private owner’s retreat area. Laundry on both levels. Terrace level has two The Owner’s suite is on the main level for easy access to the even more fine benefits. Generous outdoor living spaces offering a master den with fireplace, sleeping suite and options providing two or three bedrooms and baths, spacious kitchen area with large dinner island. The upper inspire fun family gatherings and therapeutic sunsets. Of- expansive bath. This ultra-cool design is sure to redefine family room and lake prep storage. Outdoor living level is a versatile design that offers two options for on both levels. Call for additional details.

Extra living/sleeping. fered at $1,500,000. Call for more detailed information. lake homes on Lake Martin. Call one of our sales execuRussell Lands On Lake Martin Russell Lands On Lake Martin Russell Lands On Lake Martin tives at 256.215.7011 today to discover the details. We are Emily or Rhonda 256.215.7011 Rhonda or Emily 256.215.7011 Emily or Rhonda 256.215.7011 breaking ground soon so stay tuned! www.RussellLandsOnLakeMartin.com www.RussellLandsOnLakeMartin.com www.RussellLandsOnLakeMartin.com

The Ridge • $1,125,000 Great home for entertaining. Large kitchen with adjoining gathering room. A fully equipped media room for your enjoyment.

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Well maintained and updated cabin on great lot with approximately 307 feet of waterfront.

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AUGUST 2015

Lot 22 Cedar Point Beautiful new cottage living with awesome views of Kowaliga Bay. Others available.

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LAKE 73

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LAKE 74

Change is good S

chools are about to start back up, and by the end of this month, riding behind the boat will be a weekend-only adventure again. But until then, I hope you’re getting to ride and practice until your limbs are Jell-O. This is the time of the year – after months of practice – that tricks you’ve been working on are happenBEHIND THE BOAT ing. You’re locking them down and trying some new stuff. Growing and progressing as a rider is really

BY SAWYER DAVIS fun and gives you the satisfaction of accomplishing something you’ve tried very hard to get and finally are riding it away. The cheering and fist pumps from your crew in the boat are memories made, ones that last a lifetime.

Another really cool thing to watch is the evolution of the equiment. Sometimes, we see things happen and then just fade away, but this year I waited to see how the oversized board really worked.

I just talked to the Slingshot rep who told me they sold out of all but one size in the Slingshot Nomad except for the smallest one – the 150!

These are, by far, the largest boards on the market. The Nomad was built on the same premise of the oversized drivers in golf.

Remember the introduction to the golf world for the Big Bertha, the Great Big Bertha and the Biggest Big Bertha?

In the mid-70s, the oversized tennis racquet was introduced; in the early 80s, the Prince classic was introduced, an oversized tennis racquet with lightweight composite material.

These tools of the trade revolutionized their respective sports, and we are seeing that today with the Slingshot Nomad, as it comes in with the small size of 150cm (That’s at least 4cm bigger than the biggest wakeboard in any manufacturer’s line). It then moves on to the 155cm and the 160cm board.

This particular wakeboard was made especially for the guys that have gotten a little older and don’t want to work as hard to get a good little fun sesh in behind the boat. The extra surface area makes everything a little easier and softer, as it is a nice wood-core flexy board.

At the same time, the board performs really well. Pro rider Jeff House can do every trick in his arsenal on a 150. If you have a seasoned set of knees and ankles (like I do), this board has some qualities that really make it attractive.

Ronix made a board last year, called the Bandwagon, that comes in small, standard and X-large; obviously a very untypical sizing method, but the board is shorter and wider with a totally different design for body stance with camber rocker: Very front foot forward; more like a snowboarder would ride or even a surfer. Due to the camber rocker, the board tends to have a super soft feel and landing.

This board is a little bit of a precursor for some of the changes to come in the wakeboard evolution. It’s not bigger in the length department, but it has size in the width of the board.

The Nomad is quite different: It’s just a huge wakeboard. But different is good. Change is good, and if you’re a little bit older and a little big bigger, you still want to get some casual fun wake-to-wake sets in.

Have fun out there, and I’ll see you on the water.

Sawyer Davis is a wakesurfer for Victoria skimboards and grew up on Lake Martin.

AUGUST 2015

LAKE 75

Eating on the Wild Side Part V:

Stem-side Down Tomatoes W

e continue this month with part five of our sixmonth series reviewing Jo Robinson’s book, Eating on the Wild Side. This month we will explore tomatoes, broccoli and kale, and we’ll end our series in September discussing the selection, storage and preparation of some common fruits.

The typical American eats 95 pounds of tomatoes a year, with 50 percent of that total coming from ketchup, sauces and soups. And did you know that tomatoes are actually a fruit from the berry family?

Tomatoes are no different than most other wild fruit and vegetables in that they have had a huge transformation from their original wild ancestors. The goal was to make the plants more productive and to produce more uniform and attractive fruit. Unfortunately, this transformation also produced fruits containing a mutant gene that reduces their lycopene content.

During the mid-1900s, the tomato industry perfected the system of picking the fruit before it was completely ripe, called the breaking stage, so it would continue to ripen during shipping. This technique is still used today, and tomatoes are forced to ripen in warehouses using ethylene gas. Forceripened tomatoes lose their sweet flavor and are more acidic than tomatoes ripened under the sun.

The good news is that scientists now are working on the production of more nutritious tomatoes.

Unless we grow our own tomatoes,

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mind that the skin and the we must learn to choose seeds provide 50 percent the most nutritious ones in of the vitamin C, lycopene the store. Always choose and antioxidant value. tomatoes by their color.

Interestingly, tomatoes The darkest red ones have are better for you when the most lycopene. cooked. It only takes 30 Size also makes a big minutes of cooking to difference. The small dark double the lycopene conred ones are sweeter and tent of a tomato. It may be more flavorful, have more a big surprise to you, but lycopene per ounce and canned tomatoes are the more Vitamin C than the HEALTHY LIVING most nutritious tomatoes bigger ones. Keep in mind

BY JULIE HUDSON in the store. Tomato sauce, the motto “smaller is bettomato paste and whole ter.” tomatoes in the can or jar offer the This is true even within varieties. best-concentrated source of lycopene.

Smaller beefsteak tomatoes are more Broccoli and kale are just two of the nutritious than larger beefsteak tomavegetables that belong to a very large toes. The grape tomato is smaller and cruciferous family. Crucifers offer more nutritious than cherry tomatoes. more health benefits and antioxidants Keeping this in mind, it is best to than most vegetables, because water incorporate these smaller versions of and sugar have not been added to them. tomatoes into your diet as much as This is really good news; however, it possible by slicing and chopping them also is the reason this group of vegand adding them to sandwiches, tacos, etables tastes so bitter and, therefore, eggs, salsa, burgers and dips. are not eaten very often.

After bringing your tomatoes home, Glucosinolates are the main source there are several considerations to keep of the cancer-fighting health benefits of in mind to preserve flavor and nutribroccoli and kale but also contribute to tional value. The first rule of thumb is to not store your tomatoes in the refrig- their bitter flavor.

Research has shown that it is best erator. Tomatoes lose their flavor within two days of being refrigerated. They to chill broccoli as soon as it has been become less sweet and more bitter, and picked and that it is eaten within one they lose their aroma. It is best to store or two days. Although this is virtually not possible, we can learn to choose tomatoes at room temperature. the freshest broccoli available to us in Place the tomato stem-side down the store. to slow the softening of the fruit. Eat Always look for broccoli with a dark tomatoes soon after you bring them home. If you purchase semi-ripe toma- green crown, tightly closed buds and no yellowing. The stem should be firm, toes, store them in a green and moist at the end. Choosing paper bag on the whole heads will offer more nutrition counter. When prethan florets. paring the fruit, Upon bringing the broccoli home, keep in chill it as soon as possible, and it should be eaten within one or two days. If you are going to keep it for more than one day, place it in a perforated bag in the crisper drawer to preserve up to twice the amount of nutrients.

Unlike some other vegetables, frozen broccoli is a much less nutritious choice. Eating broccoli raw is AUGUST 2015

the best way to reap all the nutritional benefits. Eat it as a snack, in salads or alongside a dip.

Steaming broccoli for no more than four minutes is the best way to cook it and preserve the nutrients. Sautéing and roasting broccoli that has been tossed in olive oil with some added garlic is another recommended way to retain the nutrients.

Kale is far more superior to most other crucifers. Kale is an excellent source of cancer-fighting, heart-protective glucosinolates. It is high in antioxi-

dants, Vitamin C and fiber.

Kale should be stored in the crisper drawer and eaten within a few days.

Raw kale offers more nutrition than cooked kale; therefore, chopping the leaves and adding it to salads is ideal.

If you are cooking kale, it is best to steam it or sauté it in a small amount of olive oil just long enough to wilt the leaves.

Julie Hudson is a dietician at the Lake Martin Wellness Center in Dadeville.

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AUGUST 2015

LAKE 77

Examine conditions and goals to choose the best rod for the day's fishing

I

Choose the right rod

recently returned home from a practice trip to one of the great Northern smallmouth fisheries we have on the schedule this year. As I was packing for my trip, I realized that I was going to a location that is full of 3- to 5-pound fish, but I was taking all of my big heavy rods out of the boat and replacing them with medium light Halo spinning rods. Reason being, I selected rods based on the techniques I intended to fish.

Gaige, Steph and myself went to the driving range the other day. Let me first say that I am no golfer, but I do enjoy the therapy provided by hitting a few balls at the range. I have played enough to have a great appreciation for what good golfers can do with their tools. Putting a tiny ball in a tiny hole that’s 400 yards away in a few strokes is enough to make anyone crazy, especially when obstacles are built in for added difficulty.

On occasion, someone will ask me, “Why do you need so many rods for bass fishing?”

I generally compare fishing to golf at that point. A golfer could use a putter throughout their play on a hole, or 78 LAKE

they could use a driver throughout the hole. But, the reason they carry so many clubs is that each one is designed for a different task. Some are designed for maximum distance, while others are designed for maximum control.

In my expert golf opinion, which is worth less than two cents, I would use a 7-iron if I could only use one club. It seems to be the club that I hit the best. I wonder what Lee Williams would use? If I could only use one of my fishing rods, it would be a 7-foot 3-inch Medium Heavy action Halo Twilite.

In order to choose the correct rod, you need to understand the technique you intend to use. To break it down, first consider the bait you intend to throw. Is it light; is it heavy? How far do you need to cast it?

Next and very important, in my opinion, is what type of hooks does it have? Are the hooks treble hooks or single?

Is the hook exposed or buried in the body of the bait? Is it a heavy wire or light wire hook?

Generally speaking, a bait with a single hook can handle more impact on the hookset and is likely more compatible

AUGUST 2015

allows me to play the fish until it’s time to with a heavier action rod. If the bait has treble land it. This helps with feisty spots or smallhooks or a light wire hook, it doesn’t take as mouth. much impact to get the hook set, and you’ll Casting Jigs, Worms or Spinnerbaits: appreciate the extra bend in a lighter rod once Halo 7-foot 3-inch Medium Heavy Casting the fish is hooked up.

I’m casting the baits, so distance and accuOftentimes, rod selection is based on preracy may be more important. The mediumsentation. It’s much easier to skip a lightheavy rod has more tip action than a heavy weight rig under a bush or a dock with a action rod, so I can get more distance. The spinning rod. If it’s a half-ounce jig you’re medium-heavy rod also has a little more bend, trying to get in there, a medium-heavy to which is more forgiving when fighting a fish. heavy action baitcasting rod would be a better More bend in the rod means less slack when choice.

BIG CATCHES a fish shakes its head, jumps or surges away If I’m trying to skip a bait or get more

BY GREG VINSON from the boat. distance in casting, I’ll choose a rod that has Offshore Cranking: Halo 7-foot 4-inch more tip action. Typically, this is going to be a Medium Heavy Cranking Rod medium-heavy. A heavy-action rod is great around cover, This composite rod is designed for maximum casting but it only helps with distance and control when tossing a distance while offering a very soft action. The soft action very heavy bait or an umbrella rig (A-rig). keeps you from pulling the bait away from the fish on the A spinning rod is good for drop shotting, because you strike, as well as making it very forgiving while fighting can open the bail of the reel and let the rig free-fall to the the fish on trebles. This is especially helpful when the bottom. It also allows you to twitch the bait with small fish are slapping the crankbait, rather than engulfing it. I movements, rather than a baitcasting rod that could overcaught 9-pounder at the California Delta on a similar rod a power the rig and take away from the action of the bait. few years ago. The fish only had one of the six hookpoints One of the key variables that is going to dictate what type of rod you could use is the type of cover you are fish- in its mouth and jumped two or three times during the fight. It ended up tying for big fish and was critical to my ing. Casting distance and control are not as important if overall weight in that event. you are fishing large grass mats with a hollow body frog.

Flipping Coosa River Grass or Laydowns on Lake When you get a bite, you know you’ll need something that Martin: Halo 7-foot 6-inch Heavy Action Casting will allow you to winch the fish out of the mat, or everyI use this rod for flipping moderate to heavy cover, thing else is a lost cause. because it gives me a lot of leverage. I feel like I can take When flipping and pitching around heavy cover like up a lot of slack if the fish runs to me on the strike, or I grass or dense mats of wood, you’ll be more happy knowcan move the fish out of heavy cover quickly before it buring you’ve got a heavy-action rod to move the fish out ies up. I sometimes use the X-tra Heavy rod if the cover is before it wraps up in the cover. As you begin moving to really dense, like matted vegetation. more open-water techniques, your rod selection is limited A-rigs and Big Swimbaits: Halo 7-foot 11-inch Extra less by cover and more by the bait and technique. That’s Heavy Casting why I am comfortable using a medium-light Halo Daylite I like this rod for baits that are really heavy and I need spinning rod for 3- to 5-pound smallmouth. to basically lob them out. This rod is more than a pool cue, Rod length usually depends on the individual. In the but it works great for umbrella rigs that have become so past, 6-foot 6-inch rods were considered a good all-purpopular in recent years. pose size. But now that rods have gotten lighter and more Jerkbaiting or Topwaters over Open Water: 7-foot sensitive, it seems people are moving to longer rods for the 3-inch Halo Medium-Heavy or 7-foot 3-inch Medium added leverage.

Casting Leverage means casting distance, good hooksets and I mention two rods, because I still swap between these power to move a fish once it’s hooked. Oftentimes, shorter rods enable more control, so the perfect rod length is what- two for the topwaters and jerkbaits. I feel like the mediumheavy rod has more tip action than the medium. This is ever gives you the most control, as well as good leverage. important in getting the added action out of my baits. It My spinning rods are usually 6-foot 6-inch to 7-inch.

Most of my baitcasters are 7-foot 3-inch to 7-foot 6-inch. I also lets me get the hooks set on a long distance cast. The get the most leverage that way and still feel that I can put a medium rod is better once the fish is hooked up. I use the medium-heavy most of the time now unless I go to a bait where I want it. smaller bait. The Halo rods have a more parabolic bend Here are some examples of my rod selections based on that’s more forgiving when you are fighting a fish. different situations: The next time you are rigging up, consider the baits, Offshore spots or smallmouth: Halo 7-foot Medium presentations and cover types for where you might fish and Light Spinning The fish are usually set up off shore, and there are fewer rig up your rods accordingly. Much of the success in fishing is how well you prepare, and having the right rod for obstacles to get them through. I prefer the spinning rod and reel, because I am using small baits and light line. The the job can make a big difference. spinning setup allows me to get the most action out of my Greg Vinson is a full-time professional angler on bait while using light line to keep visibility low. Smallthe Bassmaster Elite Series and PAA tours. He lives in diameter hooks mean I don’t need a lot of force to get a Wetumpka and grew up fishing on Lake Martin. good hookset. When the fish is hooked, the softer action AUGUST 2015

LAKE 79

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AUGUST 2015

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82 LAKE

AUGUST 2015

Mr. Jim's Creamed Corn

Ingredients 1 bushel white sweet corn 1 quart heavy cream Salt and pepper to taste

CHEF’S TABLE

BY ROB MCDANIEL

Rob McDaniel, executive chef and general manager at SpringHouse Restaurant, earned a bachelor's degree in restaurant and hotel management from Auburn University and is a graduate of the New England culinary Institute.

Shuck and remove all silk from each ear of corn. With a sharp knife, shave kernels from cobs; then, using the back of the knife, scrape the cobs to remove the milk. Place corn and corn milk into a heavybottomed pot and begin to sweat over medium-high heat. Add heavy cream and cook until corn is tender. Once corn is tender, purée with a stick blender or in a standard blender. Some people choose to purée less than others, so this is a personal choice. After desired consistency has been reached, season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

AUGUST 2015

LAKE 83

Starter Wines

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AUGUST 2015

I

n the dead of summer, it is hard to imagine that even ing a little sweeter wine and (supposedly) better quality; followed by auslese, berrenauslese, eiswein and trockenthe most snobbish connoisseur of fine wine would berrebauslese being the highest quality and not appreciate – lo, thirst for! – a cool, the sweetest of the German wines, regardcrisp and refreshing glass of what might less of the grape variety. normally be considered starter wines.

Now for the pink stuff. Say what you Though those are the wines for the winewill, but the market share for White curious nondrinkers and the unsophisticated Zinfandel, affectionately known as White masses, this is an opportune time for the Zin, makes this about the third most popuinexpensive, sweet, low alcohol wines that lar wine in the U.S. It is a dry to sweet, are available. mostly sweet, blush wine made from the It’s true; more people came to enjoy Zinfandel variety of grape. White Zin is not wine by way of Boone’s Farm and Arbor itself a varietal. The combination of sweetMist than Chateau Frou Frou. Hey, if you ness, acidity and low alcohol make White like wine, welcome aboard.

Zin a refreshing summer quaffer and wildly So you may have guessed by now that popular with newbies and those who would we’re talking about the pink stuff. The label FROM THE CELLAR not normally partake of the grape. Oh, and says it’s wine, but some of us will need a

BY HENRY FOY it’s cheap. little more information to get a better underTry one or the other or both the Beringer standing. And rather than suggest wines at and Sutter Home; you may be surprised. And if you the end of the article, let’s go ahead and open the bag grew up when Mateus and Lancers Rosé were about the and see what’s inside. only wines available, you may experience a flashback Ah, four wines: St. Gabriel Riesling, Beringer White and roars of laughter.

Zinfandel, Sutter Home White Zin and McManis Zinfandel is a black-skinned grape that produces both Zinfandel. the sweet, blush White Zin as well as a much less familThe proper serving temperature for the Riesling and iar robust red capable of exceeding alcohol levels of 15 White Zin is about 45 degrees. But nobody dripping percent due to the naturally high sugar content of the with sweat is going to check for “proper.” Stick the bottles in the fridge until you’re ready to pop the cork or grape. Though it is very similar to the Italian Primitivo variety, Zinfandel is considered a California grape and twist the cap. Trust me, if the wine police see you, they is not widely grown in other parts of the world. It was will not care. first made into a rosé wine in the mid-19th century in The McManis Zinfandel is solidly red, but it can chill for about 20 minutes to bring it down to just below the U.S. It wasn’t until the 1970s that Sutter Home began room temperature at around 60 degrees. experimenting with their Zinfandel wines just ahead of Riesling (REEZ-ling) is native to Germany and is the fine wine boom of the 80s. Demand for Sutter Home considered to be one of the world’s great white wine premium red Zinfandel increased significantly, only to grapes. We often think of Rieslings as being sweet, but be outsold by the inexpensive new product White Zin. they may also be made into very dry, semi-sweet and Sutter Home continues to be one of the largest producsparkling white wines, as well as very sweet dessert ers of White Zin and now grows grapes specifically for wines. The naturally high sugar content (particularly in the blush, rather than using left over juice from premier cooler growing regions), high acidity and pronounced growth, old vine plants. White Zin is big business for fruitiness allow the finest Rieslings to age exceptionally the wineries. well.

For comparison, add the McManis Zinfandel or some This cool climate German Riesling will have apple other red Zin to your tasting. At $12, the McManis is flavors, but the balance of acidity and residual sugars in the most expensive on this list. St. Gabriel retails at will make that acidity refreshing and almost unnotice$10; the Beringer and Sutter at $7. At that price, the able.

McManis line is a great go-to producer for quality, conRieslings from other regions throughout the world sistency and value. may exhibit more citrus flavor and in Australia, proWhen the heat subsides, we’ll take a closer look at vide a hint of lime. We sampled one just today that was what White Zinfandel could be. If you want to get a noticeably drier with the petroleum-like flavor that is head start, the wish list should include Wild Hog, Frank typical but with notes of orange that almost cancelled Family, Napa Cellars, Biale Vineyards “Black Chicken,” the petrol. That was a first. and Fritz. These red Zins range in price from about $20 There’s much more to be told about Riesling, but for to $40. now, the key thing to know is that in the German sysWhat’s your favorite? tem, quality is associated with sweetness. This applies to

other German wines as well, Gewurztraminer, Sylvaner, Henry Foy is the owner of Emporium Wine, Café and Muller-Thurgau being the primary grapes cultivated 128, Gallery 128 and the Cigar Shop at Emporium there.

Wine located in downtown Alexander City at 128 In this system, the categories for quality parallel Calhoun Street. He can be reached at 256.212.WINE, on increases in sweetness. A kabinett is the lowest quality Facebook and at emporium128@bellsouth.net. and driest wine; spatlese is harvested a little later, creatAUGUST 2015

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Line or No Line

Pro Tips From Lee Williams If you pay close attention to the men and women on the PGA and LPGA Tours, you will notice that some use a line on their ball to help them aim while putting, but others do not.

Personally, I’ve used a line since I was in high school. Some people are excellent at aiming without a line and other people really struggle.

I can remember getting a putting lesson in high school with one of the country’s top putting instructors.

The first thing he asked me to do was aim my putter at the middle of the hole on a 10-foot straight putt. He put a laser on my putter after I said it was aimed correctly. I looked up at the hole only to see it was aimed 6 inches left of the cup! This seems bad, but it is very common.

Obviously, you don’t have to aim perfectly to make putts, but you do need to be in the ballpark, which I was not. To correct this problem, I drew a line an inch long on my ball and began to aim the line before every putt I hit.

This was very tough to get used to doing. It took me some time to train my eyes to see what correct alignment looked like. I had to trust that I was more capable of aiming correctly by doing it from behind the ball; rather than on top of the ball and to the side. How many people do you know of that shoot a gun well from the side? Don’t think that this is the only way. The important thing is to know if you aim correctly on your own. If you do not, drawing a line on your ball and using it to help you aim correctly is a great idea. If you try it on the putting green and don’t think you can take it to the course to begin with, that’s ok. Work on it while you practice, and when you go play, don’t use the line. You have to be comfortable when you play. Your eyes will eventually get comfortable with the line, and you will be able to take it to the course. One last piece of advice: If you decide to use the line on the ball to aim, after you get over the ball and your aim is correct, get your mind on the speed of the putt. Aim alone will not make a putt. I hope this helps you as it has me.

Good Luck!!

Lee Williams, a professional golfer on the PGA Tour, grew up playing golf at Willow Point Country Club. As an amateur, Williams was a member of the 2003 and 2005 Walker Cup teams, as well as the 2004 World Amateur Team. He is sponsored by Russell Lands, King Honda, Nowlin and Associates, P.F. Chang’s, Tempus Jet, Hyatt, Adams Golf, Russell Athletic, Titleist, Ameritas Financial Corp. and Southwest Airlines.

Middle School golfer makes shot of a lifetime STORY & PHOTO BY ROBERT HUDSON

When 13-year-old Sawyer Parks began his day at Lakewinds Golf Course on June 24, he had no idea he was going to make the shot of a lifetime.

Parks hit his first ever hole-in-one on Parks hit a the course’s 14th hole-in-one at hole during a PGA the PGA Junior Jr. League golf Golf event event.

Hole 14 is considered one of Lakewinds’ signature holes, as well as one of the toughest at the course. It is a 130-yard par 3 with water hazards on the front, back and left sides.

Parks said he was overcome with excitement as soon as he realized the shot went in.

“As soon as I hit the hole-in-one, I was just excited,” Sawyer said. “Everyone was just asking me, ‘Hey, how did you hit that hole-in-one?’ and things like that. I was glad I hit the hole-in-one, and I wasn’t really thinking about playing or anything. But after about two holes, I thought I’d better get it back together.”

After he collected his thoughts a few holes later, Parks was not content to rest on his laurels, as he still was thinking of ways he could have improved his game for the day.

“I could have done a little better on my putt sometimes, and that’s what I told my partner, Hank,” Sawyer said. “We should have shot a little bit better around the greens and on the greens.”

Parks added that he is thankful for the support of his family, his teammate, and Lakewinds golf pro Gary Hines for their help in improving his game and supporting him.

“I want to thank my dad. He helps me a lot, and Gary Hines helps me a lot,” Sawyer said. “I couldn’t have done it without my partner, Hank, my team, and my mom encouraging me.”

Parks said he has played the course at Lakewinds on numerous occasions but has never had a shot that good.

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Legend

63

17

22

To Sylacauga

16

10

Public Boat Ramps

22

280

Alexander City

12

Churches 9

Camps & Parks

Camp ASCCA

Flint Hill Church

Power lines

11

U.S. Highways

3

280

22

County Roads

Piney Woods Landing

Wind Creek State Park

Pleasant Grove Church

11

COOSA COUNTY

Alex City Boat Ramp

Mt. Zion Church

259 9

128

63

19 20

D.A.R.E. Park Landing

Friendship Church New Hope Church

Liberty Church

Willow Point

24

34

5

7

Equality

Kowaliga Boat Landing

55

4

Seman

Camp Alamisco

8 15 The Ridge

1 9

Church in The Pines Camp Kiwanis

63

Trillium

Union Landing

Children’s Harbor

18

2

The Amp Ko w

ali

ga

Ba

y

80

9

Central

90

Union Church

Red Hill 63

229

Eclectic

Tallassee

13 Kent

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Union

ELMORE COUNTY

AUGUST 2015

Timbergut Landing

Horseshoe Bend National Park

Jaybird Landing

Lake Martin Alabama Marinas 11. Kowaliga Marina 334-857-2111

255 Kowaliga Marina Rd., Alex City, AL 35010

TALLAPOOSA COUNTY

22. The Ridge Marina 256-397-1300

450 Ridge Marina Rd., Alex City, AL 35010 33. River North Marina 256-397-1500

250 River North Rd., Alex City, AL 35010

49

42. Real Island Marina 334-857-2741

270 Real Island Rd., Equality, AL 36026

Jacksons Gap 280

53. Parker Creek Marina 256-329-8550

8300 Parker Creek Marina Rd, Equality, AL 36026

Bethel Church

14

Dadeville

57

280

20

Camp Hill

Smith Landing

Church of the Living Waters

Stillwaters

4. Dark Insurance 16 256-234-5026

410 Hillabee Street, Alex City, AL 35010 www.darkinsuranceagency.com

. Kowaliga Whole Health Pet Care & Resort 18 334-857-1816 8610 Kowaliga Road, Eclectic, AL 36024

76. SpringHouse 256-215-7080

12 Benson Mill Rd., Alex City, AL 35010 86. Catherine’s Market 256-215-7070

17 Russell Farms Rd., Alex City, AL 35010

11 5. Karen Channell State Farm Financial Services 256-234-3481

5030 Hwy. 280, Alex City, Al 35010

6

4. The Stables at Russell Crossroads 15 256-794-1333

111 Benson Mill Rd., Alex City, AL 35010

Restaurants

10 4 Tallapoosa Ford 256-234-3432

1551 Hwy. 280, Alex City, Al 35010

21

4. Russell Building Supply 14 256-825-4256

350 Fulton Street, Dadeville, AL 36853

. McDaniels Storage Center 17 256-234-4583

1040 Highway 280, Alex City, AL 35010

Business & Shopping Lake Martin Baptist Church 49

4. Russell Do It Center (Eclectic) 13 334-541-2132

1969 Kowaliga Rd., Eclectic, AL 36024

62. Blue Creek Marina 256-825-8888

7280 Highway 49 South, Dadeville, AL 36853

9 Kowaliga Restaurant 256-215-7035

295 Kowaliga Marina Rd., Alex City, AL 35010

Pleasant Ridge Church

4. Russell Do It Center (Alex City) 12 256-234-2567

1750 Alabama 22, Alex City, AL 35010

19 Lake Martin Storm Shelters 256-794-8075 8246 County Rd 34, Dadeville, AL 36024 20 Artistic Teak Traders 256-896-1111 334-559-6625 1405 Old Hwy 280, Camp Hill, AL 36850

Hotels & Lodging 2. Creekside Lodge & Conference and Event Center 21 256-307-1440

6993 Hwy.49 S, Dadeville, AL 36853 22 Cherokee Bend Bed & Breakfast 877-760-7854

5833 Highway 22 East, Alex City 35010

Walnut Hill 50 50

49

Advertise your business on our Lake Martin Region Map for as little as $25. Contact us at 256-234-4281 or marketing@alexcityoutlook.com for more information.

Reeltown

AUGUST 2015

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Lake Magazine Distribution ALEXANDER CITY Alex City Marine Aliant Bank American Inn Anytime Fitness Baymont Inn BB&T Big B Bar-B-Q Campus of CACC Carlos Mexican Grill Catherine’s Market Chamber Of Commerce Cherokee Quick stop Citgo Cloud Nine Collegiate Deli Comfort Inn Dark Insurance Darwin Dobbs Days Inn Discount Food Mart El Rancho Grande Emporium Wine Grace’s Flowers Hampton Inn Holley’s Home Furnishings Hometown Pharmacy

Jackson Drugs Jake’s JR’s Sports Bar & Grill Koon’s Korner Koon’s Korner II Lake Martin Building Supply Lakewinds Golf Club Larry’s General Store Little Black Dress Longleaf Antiques Mark King's Lake Martin Furniture Mistletoe Bough Bed & Breakfast Queen’s Attic Regions Bank Ridge - Clubhouse Ridge - Marina River North Marina Riverbend Store Russell Home Décor Russell Medical Center Russell Lands Russell Retail Store Satterfield, Inc Senior Nutrition~50+ Center Sho’ Nuff Restaurant Springhouse Restaurant

T.C. Russell Airport Tallapoosa Publishers, Inc The Medicine Shoppe The Sure Shot Warren's Appliance Parts Willow Point Country Club Wind Creek - entrance Wind Creek - store Winn Dixie 280 BP 280 Exxon

Hospital Lakeshore Discount Pharmacy Lakeside Marina Niffer's At The Lake Oskar's Cafe Payne Furniture Pearson’s Furniture Poplar Dawgs Public Library Pug's Place PNC Bank Russell Building Supply Shell Station Sigger’s Stillwaters Country Club Store 34

DADEVILLE American Motorsports Aliant Bank Bay Pine Marina City Hall Chamber of Commerce Chuck's Marina Dadeville Wellness Center Foodland Foshee Boat Dock Homeplate Restaurant Harbor Pointe Marina Lakay’s Flowers & Gifts Lake Martin Flowers & Gifts Lake Martin Community

ECLECTIC Children’s Harbor Cotton’s BBQ Eclectic Do-It Center Johnson’s Furniture Kowaliga Marina Lake Martin Dock Lake Martin Mini Mall Nail’s Convenience Store Peoples Bank

EQUALITY Equality Food Mart Real Island Marina Southern Star

KELLYTON Five Star Plantation

RED HILL Citgo

TALLASSEE Community Hospital Chamber of Commerce The Tallassee Tribune

WALNUT HILL Lakeside Mercantile Walnut Hill Grocery

WETUMPKA The Wetumpka Herald A limited number of magazines are available at these locations. To start your subscription, call David Kendrick at 256-234-4281.

Lake Martin Business and Service Directory

residential. commercial. interior. exterior.

H

OLMAN

“WE’RE

334-651-0033AL/706-225-8070 GA

columbus-auburn.certapro.com 1550OpelikaRoadSuite6Box294,Auburn,AL36830

LOOR

C

OMPANY

Hardwood Floors Ceramic Tile Carpet & Vinyl Visit our showroom for samples and a free estimate!

Locally Owned for Over 45 Years

256-234-6071

1945 Hwy 280 • Alexander City

Handrails • Guardrails Welded Fence • Custom Art Stairs • Gates Stainless Steel Cable Railing I-Beams • Steel Posts • Stairs On-Site Welding/Cutting

334-332-3435 Since 2008

90 LAKE

F

THE PROFESSIONALS”

AUGUST 2015

As seen on HGTV’s Lakefront Bargain Hunt – “Home Sweet Home, Lake Martin, AL”

www.

Selling Lake Martin .com

ke Martin Experts” “The La

Amy Clark Estate, Inc Inc. Real Estate @ Lake Martin

256/749-3333 256/749-2102

Lake Martin Business and Service Directory

dB

Lawn Care Darrell Brooks, Owner Cutting •Edging Weed Eating •Mulch Weed Control

256.267.0518

Performance!

Your Bridge between City & Lake

Paige Patterson

205-616-8046

LAKE

www.paigepatterson.com

Relax. Enjoy. Lake Martin.

Call to order your subscription 256-234-4281

MAGAZINE

AUGUST 2015

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Our Advertisers n To Join, Call 256.234.4281 A&M Plumbing....................................................... 77 Above & Beyond Cleaning & Concierge.........21 Advanced Cardiovascular.................................... 80 Advanced Heating & Air........................................ 8 Alabama Power...................................................... 17 Alex City Guide Service...................................... 52 Alex City Marine................................................... 77 Alex City Taxi & Shuttle...................................... 91 Amanda Scroggins, RE/MAX Around the Lake.........52 America's Home Place......................................... 74 Amy Clark Real Estate......................................... 90 Auburn Dental Spa................................................. 6 Blue Creek Iron Works....................................... 90 Brown Nursing Home......................................... 58 C&T Electric.......................................................... 80 Cedar Point, Damon Story................................. 41 CertaPro Painters................................................. 90 Chuck's Marina ..................................................... 22 Coach Kraft Upholstery...................................... 91 Com-Link, Inc........................................................... 6 Coosa Valley Medical Center............................. 93 Custom Docks....................................................... 28 DAVCO Development......................................... 91 DB Lawn Care....................................................... 91 Designs by Trish....................................................... 5 Docks Unlimited..................................................... 5 First Baptist Church Alexander City.................. 8

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First Realty............................................................... 6 George Hardy D.M.D........................................... 80 Harbor Pointe Marina.......................................... 29 Henderson and Coker......................................... 92 Hilltop Landscaping............................................... 28 Holley’s Home Furnishings................................. 96 Holman Floor......................................................... 90 James & Co............................................................. 19 Kenneth Ingram, JR............................................... 52 Kent Norris D.M.D................................................. 8 Kowaliga Whole Health....................................... 90 Lake Martin Building Supply............................... 58 Lake Martin Dock................................................. 21 Lake Martin Mini Mall.......................................... 36 Lakeshore Discount Pharmacy.......................... 52 Lakeside Concierge.............................................. 91 Lakeside Excavation.............................................. 91 Lakeside Marina..................................................... 58 Langley Funeral Home......................................... 36 Lex Wedgeworth Pest Control......................... 19 Mark King's Lake Martin Furniture............ 19, 53 Mitchell's Upholstery............................................. 8 Music Depot........................................................... 91 Nail's Convenience Store.................................... 77 National Village...................................................... 71 Paige Patterson, Lake Martin Voice Realty......91 Painting By Allen.................................................... 90

AUGUST 2015

Poor House Branch Marina................................ 45 Radney Funeral Home......................................... 36 Rambo Marine....................................................... 22 Renaissance Electronics......................................... 8 Russell Lands.......................................................... 23 Russell Marine........................................................ 95 Russell Medical Center.......................................... 2 Saint James Episcopal Church........................... 77 Satterfield................................................................ 21 Security Pest Control............................................ 8 Singleton Marine.................................................... 81 SportzBlitz.............................................................. 86 State Farm Insurance/ Harold Cochran..........90 State Farm Insurance/ Karen Channell..........91 Tallapoosa Ford..................................................... 36 Tallassee Community Hospital........................... 70 Temple Medical Center....................................... 80 TNT Stone............................................................. 77 TowBoatU.S.............................................................. 5 United Rentals....................................................... 52 Walmart.................................................................. 91 Walton Law............................................................ 70 Ware Jewelers......................................................... 3 Wedowee Marine................................................. 37 Williams Plumbing Heating & Air........................ 8 WSC Distinctive Builders, LLC......................... 67

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"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with rain." ~ Dolly Parton

Photo by Kenneth Boone

Parting Shot

This photo was taken on the 4th of July after the concert was rained out, before the fireworks went off.

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— NOW AVAILABLE —

WEATHERFORD COLLECTION

96 LAKE

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