Three years ago, the City of Gadsden introduced a premier, multi-purpose rental facility with the heart of its community’s interests in mind. Today, The Venue at Coosa Landing resides at the forefront of Gadsden’s entertainment scene, housing spectacular events each week on the banks of the Coosa River.
The Venue’s inception symbolizes the third phase in the further development of Gadsden’s riverfront, coinciding with the Coosa Landing Boat Launch and The Riverwalk at Coosa Landing. The Riverwalk debuted five years ago in late 2016 as a two-year project including pedestrian boardwalks along the river, a pedestrian bridge, a pier, docks and three pavilions. While The Riverwalk neared completion in October of the following year, the Gadsden City Council approved a $12.5-million bid for The Venue’s construction, announcing its creation in early 2017.
“The mayor (Sherman Guyton) wanted to purchase the property when it was available, and we had all talked about developing the riverfront,” said Director of Governmental Affairs and Economic Development for the City of Gadsden, who was instrumental in The Venue’s establishment. “We had just opened the boardwalk there, and we were working on The Venue at the same time. We were also working to recruit some retail businesses and some developments from the hotel industry. After talking with several people, we thought we needed an entertainment-type venue, so we started with that.”
Though Gadsden provides ample rental properties in spaces such as the Pitman Theatre, the Downtown Civic Center and 210 at the Tracks, The Venue served as a replacement for its antiquated predecessor, Convention Hall.
Birmingham architectural firm Cohen Carnaggio Reynolds, Inc. was responsible for The Venue’s design, converting the pre-existing vacant building at 201 George Wallace Drive – once a Kmart – into a 21st-Century masterpiece.
When The Venue opened its doors to the public in September of 2018, it emerged as 55,000 square feet of possibility. As a multi-purpose facility designed to accommodate a plethora of events, The Venue houses three meeting rooms capable of separating into individual spaces for more privacy or smaller sizes or combining to form one grand hall.
The meeting rooms seat up to 200 people, with the facility’s 15,000-square-foot Main Hall housing 1,200 visitors. Like all areas of The Venue, the Main Hall adapts to each event’s precise needs, dividing into two expansive ballrooms at the snap of a finger. A stage equipped with a premier audio-visual system (that extends to all areas throughout the facility) proves perfect for concerts, plays and other performances.
The Venue’s stainless steel commercial kitchen caters approximately 2,000 people, alongside a concession stand in the main lobby. Two mirrored dressing rooms with bathrooms and nearby backstage access join a multi-functional green room and a fully furnished patio, directly intertwining with the riverfront parks and marina, so guests can freely filter indoors and out. A special opening allows for vehicle access inside the facility, making event preparation, assembly and organization simple and efficient.
“Mayor Guyton, the administration and the City Council all bought in on the project,” said Davis. “The Venue has helped with local events, but it has also expanded what kinds of events we can host and bring to Gadsden. I don’t know of another facility like it in Northeast Alabama.”
Holiday parties, exhibits, fundraisers, conventions, trade shows, banquets and conferences are among the ceaseless types of events The Venue houses on a regular basis. From enticing food vendors aligning the walls at A Taste of Northeast Alabama to childhood literacy supporters gathering at elaborately decorated tablescapes at The Girlfriend Gala, from private birthday parties and weddings to Mixed Martial Arts fighting and Gadsden’s first-ever Latin Festival, The Venue encompasses all spectrums of entertainment.
The Venue Administrative Supervisor Scott Elkins oversees the facility’s successful operation, working closely in conjunction with his fellow staff members and Marketing Director Deb Hawkins.
Prior to supervising The Venue, Elkins held a position at Gadsden’s Parks and Recreation Department, managing the Downtown Civic Center, 210 at the Tracks, the Pitman Theatre and Convention Hall. While Elkins’ previous experience with rental venues enlightened him to the importance of premium customer service, he shared that one unique aspect of working at The Venue is the freedom to recruit events to the space himself. He and Hawkins brainstorm events beneficial for the community for citizens to enjoy, giving them the opportunity for new experiences in the comfort of their hometown.
“The Venue reaches the whole community,” said Elkins, describing how its multi-purpose design accommodates all preferences and interests.
Elkins said pleasing his customers remains synonymous with The Venue’s success. He hopes for further growth in The Venue’s future, with the location serving as a hub where the community can convene time and time again.
“What I’ve learned is even though we might have 160-plus events in a year in the Main Hall, to that one person (hosting the event), that’s their only event that year,” said Elkins. “You have to treat that as the only event you have the whole year. You have to make sure that it’s special, regardless if it’s a birthday party for 25 people or an event for 1,500. I enjoy the people the most, of course … seeing them happy. I enjoy the people the most, of course … seeing them happy. Making people happy – that’s what it’s about.”
In August, the City of Gadsden announced the opening of Park Boulevard, yet another addition to the riverfront. As a $1.3-million project financed through Tax Increment Financing funds designated specifically for the area, the road connects The Venue to the Coosa Landing Boat Launch.
Convenience and safety are two positive impacts Park Boulevard poses for the city, with the location home to several fishing tournaments and events throughout the year. Park Boulevard allows for overflow parking at The Venue, improving traffic flow and providing anglers and boaters with a direct route to the boat docks.
“Most cities would love to have a river running through downtown,” said Mayor Sherman Guyton. “This road is an important step in continuing to develop the riverfront and make the area more accessible.”
If you ask Terri and Don Uptain to pick their favorite spot at their Neely Henry Lake home, they’d be hard pressed to choose between the kitchen and the gazebo just outside its door.
Story Scottie Vickery Photos by Kelsey Bain
If you ask Terri and Don Uptain to pick their favorite spot at their Neely Henry Lake home, they’d be hard pressed to choose between the kitchen and the gazebo just outside its door.
Like in many homes, the kitchen is the gathering place for family and friends, and every detail in theirs was planned to accommodate their lifestyle, needs and even their kitchen gadgets. The eight-arch brick gazebo, just off the breezeway that runs the length of the house, boasts cool breezes and is the perfect spot to read a book, enjoy a peaceful meal or spend some quiet time in nature.
Don and Terri Uptain
“This lot was just a hidden gem that sat here for years,” Don said. The Uptains, who built their home near Shoal Creek 11 years ago, were thrilled to make it their own. Each living area – the family room, kitchen and all five bedrooms – has a spectacular view overlooking Rock Island.
One of a series of islands that made up the area of the Coosa River known as Ten Island, Rock Island is the only one that remains visible after the construction of Neely Henry Dam. “All the others were flooded,” Don said. “Before COVID, someone used to do a fireworks show on the Fourth of July on Rock Island. We had a great seat.”
Holidays on the lake were the perfect opportunities to fire up the grill, something Terri said Don do often. “Actually, he’s a better cook than I am,” she said. “I’m definitely a recipe follower. Some people taste to see if the seasonings are right, but I smell. I have to get him to do the tasting.”
Although they share many of the kitchen duties, Don acknowledges that Terri has come a long way. “I’ll say she’s much better than she was when we got married,” he said with a laugh. They both remember the time she served pork chops with undercooked, crunchy rice.
In fairness, the Uptains, who recently celebrated their 49th wedding anniversary, were only 18 when they got married after graduating from Erwin High School in Center Point. Don joined the Navy a few years later and they count San Diego and Guam among the places they lived.
“When we were stationed on Guam, one of the wives was from the Philippines, and she could really cook,” Terri said. “She taught us to make lumpia, and it’s still one of our favorite things.”
The dish, which is similar to an egg roll, includes ground beef, carrots, bean sprouts, black olives and corn wrapped in a thin wrapper and fried. “For me, it’s an all-day process, but we love it,” said Terri, adding that she found the lumpia wrappers at Rainbow City International Market in Gadsden.
In recent years, Terri and Don have picked up some more recipes during their travels. One of their favorite dishes is Grilled Mediterranean Lamb Chops that they pair with Mediterranean rice. “We went on a cruise to the Greek Isles, and I figured that they would know how to do lamb,” Don said. He’d been disappointed when he’d ordered lamb in a Birmingham restaurant, but one bite of the dish on the trip convinced him of its merits.
“The way you season it is important,” he said, adding that he and Terri got some tips from the chef and experimented in their own kitchen until they found the perfect blend of ingredients. “If you overcook it, it’s nothing but shoe leather,” he said.
Property features a boardwalk
the length of the waterfront
Building a home
There’s plenty of room for creating in the Uptains’ kitchen, which features a large island with lots of storage, a Wolf gas range, a Sub-Zero refrigerator and a deep, single-basin sink. A huge pantry just off the kitchen offers plenty of room for groceries, serving dishes and small appliances.
Terri, who designed the home before turning it over to an architect to make it official, oversaw every detail. She focused on the flow of the kitchen and even measured her bread machine before determining how wide the cabinet she planned to store it in should be.
“She designed this house and the one we lived in before in Beaver Ridge” in Ashville, Don said. “She’d take her drawing to the architects and tell them that this is what she wanted, but she didn’t know if it would work. They never changed a thing.”
The Uptains weren’t planning on building when they bought the lot with nearly 600 feet of shoreline. They had looked for years for a lot at Logan Martin and kept a boat there when a friend from church told them they ought to take a look at the lot on Neely Henry.
Paul Kell, who was the owner of Kell Realty before he passed away in 2011, had owned the lot and built the boathouse and the boardwalk in the 1990s, Don said. The lot is about eight miles from Ragland’s Main Street, and “once we got here, I said, ‘There’s no way I’ll drive this far out every day,’” Don said.
He couldn’t get the beautiful scenery off his mind, though, so they took another look a few weeks later. “That time it didn’t seem as far,” he said with a grin. They used it as a weekend place for nearly a year before deciding to build and moving to the lake full time in May 2010. “We decided we liked it out here,” he said. “You just can’t beat the views.”
Room for a family
Although they didn’t know it during the building process, their daughter Amber and her two boys ended up moving in with them, and they were there for 10 of the 11 years they’ve been in the home. “When we were building, there was space for a bonus room upstairs over the garage, and the builder said they could add flooring and wiring,” Terri said.
“We weren’t planning on doing anything with it, but we ended up finishing out the room,” she said. “Then we found out Amber and the boys were coming. It was the perfect place for them, and it had to be God’s work.”
Dining room view to patio
The lake was a wonderful spot for the boys, who were 3 and 10 months old at the time, to grow up. The Uptains’ other daughter, Dana, and her family were frequent visitors, as well. “Her husband is an avid fisherman,” Don said. “He took our neighbors’ grandson out one time, and they caught about 20 bass in just a few hours.”
Don and Terri said they have especially enjoyed all the wildlife on the lake. In addition to fish and turtles, they’ve seen everything from red foxes, gray foxes, turkeys and deer to osprey, bald eagles, egrets and herons. “We were sitting in the gazebo one day and looked up and there was a deer swimming across the lake,” Terri said. “I’d never seen that before.”
Don’s favorite spot is the gazebo, and Terri knows that if she can’t find him, it’s the first place she should look. “I’d be out here 80 percent of the time if I could,” Don said. “My favorite thing to do is just sit our here and watch the boats, the people and the wildlife. There’s always something to see here; it’s the most relaxing place on earth.”
Although life on Neely Henry has been a wonderful chapter in their lives, the Uptains have listed their house and are making plans to build a new one in the Friendship community of St. Clair County. “I was an Army brat growing up, so I would move every few years or so,” Don said.
Terri said that 10 or 11 years in one place seems to be their norm. “That’s how long we seem to stay before we move,” she said. “I think our interests change or something happens in our lives. Now that the boys are gone, we just don’t get the Sea-Doo or the boat out much.”
Although they’ll miss the water and the laid-back lifestyle the lake affords, they know it’s time for a mountain view and for someone else to love life on Neely Henry. “I hope someone with a family can enjoy it as much as we have,” Terri said.
Grilled Mediterranean Lamb Chops
8 Lamb Chops, about 1¼” thick ¼ cup Olive Oil 1¼ teaspoons Granulated Onion 1½ teaspoons Salt 1¼ teaspoons Granulated Garlic Olive Oil Salt 2 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary, finely chopped 2 Tablespoons Fresh Oregano, finely chopped
Wash and pat dry the lamb chops. Drizzle olive oil on the top side of chops and spread with your hands. Sprinkle each chop with salt, onion, garlic, rosemary, and oregano. Use your hands to work the seasonings into the olive oil. Carefully, turn chops over and repeat this process on the other side. Place chops on preheated grill (500 degrees). Cook to medium/rare or medium doneness. Be sure to not overcook. Remove from grill, cover with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Enjoy!
Mediterranean Rice
3 cups Jasmine Rice, cooked 1 teaspoon Cavender’s Greek Seasoning ½ teaspoon Salt 4 Tablespoons Greek Dressing ¼ cup Black Olives, chopped ¼ cup Onions, chopped ¼ cup Canned Muchrooms, chopped 3/8 cup Canned Artichokes, chopped 1/8 cup Capers
Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Adjust ingredient amounts to suit your taste. Enjoy!
The months of November and December can be one of the most fun times to fish Logan Martin Lake. Throughout the month of November, the bait fish tend to start their move to the back of creeks, and the bass will follow.
The lake should be at its winter drawdown level at this point in time. I usually target water that is no deeper than five feet. Look for shallow cover – like stumps, docks, and rocks.
I keep my bait selection simple this time of year. My main three baits are usually a squarebill crankbait, bladed jig and some type of topwater walking bait. I can fish with these three baits the whole month of November and find success.
As December rolls around, and the water gets colder, I tend to make a transition out to the main lake. I fish really deep bluff style banks with either a medium diving crankbait or finesse jig. If the current is pushing strong, I might mix in the bladed jig as well.
Look for banks that get the most sunlight first and will warm up quicker. I usually target rocks and clay banks that will hold heat this time of year.
Bites might be a little harder to get, but the ones you do catch will be big!
On Neely Henry
Neely Henry can be fished very similar to Logan Martin this time of year.
Watch for bait fish moving to the backs of the creeks and pockets right off the main body of water.
My three main baits for the month of November are a squarebill, buzzbait and bladed jig. I can put those three rods on the deck of my boat and cover water to find success.
When December arrives, I take a little different approach. I tend to still find fish super shallow on Neely Henry this time of year. It’s hard to beat a flat sided crankbait and finesse jig this time of year.
I will switch my focus to the main body of water and look for stumps and laydown trees. Rocky points and clay are also awesome places to check out as well.
Wintertime fishing can be tricky, but the reward will be big if you can figure out what the fish are doing. Some of the biggest fish bite this time of year.
Good luck!
Editor’s Note: Zeke Gossett of Zeke Gossett Fishing grew up on the Coosa River and Logan Martin Lake. He is a former collegiate champion and is now a professional angler on the B.A.S.S. tour circuit and is a fishing guide.
Holidays on display on Neely Henry and Logan Martin Lakes
Story by Katie Bohannon Submitted photos
Over 30 years transpired before Etowah County welcomed the Christmas boat parade back on its waters, with the community collecting in droves to witness a spectacular show for the seasons. Last year’s Christmas Boat Parade – the first in decades – inspired a resurgence on the horizon, as twinkling lights illuminated the lake once again, drifting happy golden days of yore closer to home.
This year, Etowah County will have not one, but two Christmas boat parades to usher in the season. The Gadsden Boat Parade is set for Dec. 3, and the Southside-Rainbow City Christmas Boat Parade will launch on Dec. 5, a relatively new addition to Christmas festivities in Etowah.
Southside resident Randy Elrod treasures fond childhood memories of Gadsden’s Christmas Boat Parade and street parade, recalling the excitement and joy he experienced during the holiday events.
Today, Elrod owns and operates Victory Marine & Outdoor Toys, LLC, a boat and outdoor toy repair shop in Glencoe. As a board member of the Neely Henry Lake Association, Elrod understands the importance of preserving, protecting and improving the quality of life surrounding Neely Henry Lake and Etowah County’s neighboring waters.
Formed as a nonprofit environmental and recreational organization, the Neely Henry Lake Association educates the community on practices that directly affect the lake, while partnering with likeminded advocates and municipalities to host engaging activities and projects for the public.
Elrod’s affiliation with both his personal passion for lake life, his professional involvement as a business owner and his public service with the Neely Henry Lake Association coincided with his desire to revive an event unlike any other holiday gathering – the Christmas boat parade. Although the parade returned to Gadsden first, when COVID-19 cancelled the city’s events, Elrod sought other alternatives. Keen to provide the community with a safe, entertaining evening and spread some holiday cheer, he decided to move the parade to Southside and Rainbow City.
Elrod partnered with Southside Mayor Dana Snyder and Rainbow City Mayor Joe Taylor to organize the event, where boats launched from Rainbow Landing and aligned with other participants on the Coosa River above Little Bridge Marina. The parade traveled down the river past Buck’s Island and looped back. While 2020’s parade featured only seven boats, its audience surpassed all expectation.
“I was really shocked,” said Elrod, discussing the crowd that arrived. “Since it was such short notice planning), and the weather turned bad on us a couple of days prior, I expected it to be a small crowd. I was really impressed with our community turnout…it was great. It’s really overwhelming to see that many people turn out the first year in Southside and Rainbow City.”
Over 200 cars parked to witness the parade by the bridge, traveling from across Etowah County and neighboring areas, including out of state. Decorated vehicles mirrored the promenade of boats, with lawn chairs ordaining the grounds as viewers settled into their seats. Families and friends gathered along the water, with children brightening and laughing as the parade passed by.
Though the parade is not a city-sponsored event, Snyder and Taylor proved instrumental in ensuring its success. Snyder shared that while Southside only prepared for a week prior to the parade, the community’s response served as a paramount reminder of the support citizens extend to one another countywide.
“It just blew up,” said Snyder. “I think the community is starving for new things to do, and they were excited about the new administration. It was amazing to see who came from other counties and out-of-state to see this Christmas boat parade. We put the parade on within a week, then we had the lighting of the Christmas tree, with the Southside High School band playing Christmas music for our Christmas with Santa event. A lot of people turned out for that, too. Those were two different events that got people excited about what the future was going to bring.”
Taylor expressed that the parade represented more than an enjoyable evening for citizens, but a unified effort that illustrated Rainbow City and Southside collaborating as two municipalities with the betterment of their residents in mind. While Southside and Rainbow City both house populations of approximately 10,000 each, combined, the two make up a large portion of the county. As neighboring cities, the pair’s residents share multiple assets and resources – from educational systems to entertainment and businesses.
Connecting communities
“The river is our connective tissue,” said Taylor. “It’s the muscle strand between our areas that we understand. We’ve called each other our sister city. Our governments (Rainbow City and Southside) work together and we do very well. Southside has a great mayor and council and we’ve been able to do some collective work.
“We’re continuously flowing back and forth in our education, and we just felt if we could do that in entertainment, we could move up and begin to share business and residential opportunities. I think that’s one of the things people want to see – that we’re going to come together and not be the city on the other side of the river.”
Taylor hopes the parade serves as only the beginning for a stronger partnership between Southside and Rainbow City, as both strive to enhance their riverfronts and the quality of life for their citizens. With so many shared areas, from Little Bridge Marina to boat ramps, Taylor and Snyder welcome a positive relationship that benefits both cities, willing to assist one another to achieve success.
Elrod commended the Neely Henry Lake Association, Snyder and Taylor for their contributions to the parade, expressing his gratitude for their efforts. Following the success of last year, preparation for the 2021 Christmas Boat Parade began the moment the boaters returned to dry land. Plans for this year’s parade include 45 minutes to an hour of dazzling boats, garnering a greater quantity than 2020. Elrod anticipates a larger crowd than before, hoping to increase every year.
“It’s a great season to do things that bring the community together,” said Snyder, inviting the community to attend. “I think with COVID going on for these past two years, this will give them something to do outside that they feel safe. Bring your lawn chairs, visit with each other, enjoy the lights and the season.”
Gadsden boat parade returns
In addition to Southside and Rainbow City, a second boat parade is scheduled for Gadsden on Friday, December 3. Gadsden’s boat parade marks its first since COVID-19 cancellations occurred.
“Residents of Gadsden and Etowah County enjoy the Coosa River every day of the year, and the annual boat parade is an opportunity to add some Christmas spirit,” said Gadsden Public Affairs Coordinator Michael Rodgers. “Many cities would love to have a river flowing through downtown, so it’s great that the community is able to capitalize on our special situation with a special event.”
Those interested in joining the parades are encouraged to contact Randy Elrod at 256-490-5959. No entry fee is required – participants just bring their boats, light them up and enjoy the ride.
“We all love a parade, but this offers (the community) something totally different,” said Taylor. “To find out there are people getting out and decorating a boat, requiring lighting and generators, I think it’s one of those things that makes people laugh and smile and have a moment out. It’s kind of small (and we’d like for it to get bigger), but it’s meaningful. It’ll make for a really good evening – it gives us an opportunity to show our hospitality.” “I think the boat parade offers the community a chance to come together and participate in something other than a stand-on-the-street Christmas parade,” said Elrod. “I do it because of the children – seeing them light up when the lights come by…I enjoyed it then like these kids enjoy it now. We are a lake community, so it’s the perfect opportunity for the community to come out and support something on the lake.”
Christmas at the Falls a spectacular light show
Ready to be dazzled for the holidays? Head to Christmas at the Falls as Noccalula Falls and the City of Gadsden team up to provide millions of lights throughout the park. Take in the view from paved walking trails or ride the park’s train.
Christmas at the Falls is slated for Nov. 25 – Dec. 23 and Dec. 26 – Jan. 1 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. each day.
Santa will be appearing in the post office and general store and due to COVID-19 concerns, he’ll be able to talk to the kids from a safe distance.
Weather conditions may cause closure at certain times, and the train will not be running in inclement weather.
Looking for a way to make sure your holidays are merry and bright? Make plans to visit Lights in the Park, the Pell City Parks and Recreation Department’s annual gift to the community. The drive-through lights display at Lakeside Park has become a beloved tradition, and it’s one that keeps getting better.
“It’s gotten a little bigger each year,” said Valerie Painter, who is manager of the Pell City Civic Center and oversees the yearly event. “People really look forward to it.”
The tradition started more than 20 years ago, and the event was designed to give local businesses, churches, organizations or individuals an opportunity to spread some holiday cheer and get free advertising in the process. Participating groups can include signs with their displays, and anything goes for the decorations – as long as the display is lighted, holiday-themed and family-friendly.
“It’s a great way for businesses, especially small businesses to get their name out there,” Painter said. In keeping with the spirit of the holidays, there’s no charge for the organizations or the community members who come to enjoy the displays. “This is just a fun way for the city to give back to the community,” she said. “The park is such a beautiful venue, even in the fall and winter.”
Thousands of people drive through Lights in the Park each year, scheduled this holiday season from Dec. 1 through Jan. 2.
It’s gotten so popular, in fact, that the number of cars has more than doubled over the past three years. In 2020, more than 9,300 cars drove through the light display, up from just over 7,300 the year before and 4,070 in 2018. “We have some people who come through two and three times a week,” Painter said.
Each year, there are spots for 55 to 60 displays, depending on size, and they go fast. “It’s first come, first serve, and the businesses start calling months in advance,” said Painter, who got her first call in April this year. “We hate to turn anyone away, but we only have so much electricity,” she said.
In addition to decorations, various churches have provided live nativity scenes on certain nights. Last year, visitors could sync their drive with holiday music from a local radio station, and that will be the case again this season. Vignettes from past years have ranged from Santa and his reindeer to toy soldiers, Christmas trains and a candy shop.
“Everyone has really come a long way in recent years and stepped up with their displays,” Painter said, adding that a little healthy competition has made the event even more special. “A lot of the businesses will add something each year because they see that everyone else’s is getting bigger and better. They want their display to be the one that everyone’s talking about.”
Story and photos by Graham Hadley Additional photos courtesy of Charles Ard
Most people looking for a new boat to take out on the Coosa buy one from dealers along the lakes.
Pell City’s Charlie Ard, on the other hand, simply builds one from scratch – sometimes in as little as four days.
Moored to the dock at his girlfriend’s house is one such shining example: A 24-foot, center-console mahogany boat that is truly a work of art named the Corabell. And not only is she a thing of beauty, but the all-wood boat is fast, too, powered by a big inboard V8 engine.
“I built her from the ground up in 2009, starting with just a pile of lumber,” he said.
“I built my first boat when I was 12. It was based on a boat in the Pogo comic strips. I had always admired that little boat. Now this was my 10th boat built since then.”
Charlie’s father was an engineer, and he grew up around his father’s shop, so taking on the complicated process of building wood boats was almost second nature to him. Originally, Charlie’s wood shop was in Birmingham, but the retired HVAC technician moved the entire operation to his shop attached to his house in Cropwell years ago. Like his boats, Charlie designed and built both his house and shop – and much of the furnishings, tables and storage cabinets there as well.
Charlie explaining his hull build
The Corabell’s distinctive mahogany build gives the boat that classic antique look, but Charlie chose that wood for more than its looks.
“Mahogany is durable, as durable as fiberglass,” he said. “And it does not take much maintenance. The urethane I use is good. The Corabell has had one coat in the past 12 years. … The mahogany is actually lighter than fiberglass and does not soak up water like other woods.”
He is quick to point out the mahogany he uses is plantation grown, so his boats don’t contribute to over logging or damage the environment.
Charlie credits not only his father, who was also an amateur woodcarver, with inspiring him, but also a host of other people in his life. “I learned a lot from the woodcarvers guild. I am actually the past president of the Alabama Woodworkers Guild.”
Add to that training natural inborn talent for his craft (lots of natural talent), and the end result is a boat builder who can create remarkable and unique watercraft and do it in a surprisingly short period of time.
Boat hulls are complicated creations – because all of the curves and structural strength needed to make a seaworthy vessel, the individual strips of wood are almost abstract creations. The flat piece of wood bears little resemblance to the way it looks on the completed boat.
Charlie says he uses standard measurements for his hull designs, but there is still a large portion of the design that is all his.
Working from a large drafting table outfitted with a rare left-handed drafting machine, Charlie (who claims lefties are more creative) draws out full-size blueprints for his boats. He then takes those designs to his workshop, where he lays them out on a table and builds the boat over them, projecting right from his original drawings.
Despite the complexity and the attention to detail – there are more than 4,000 screws holding the hull of the Corabell together – Charlie builds his works of art in record time.
“The Corabell only took a few months to build,” he said. His shortest time for a build is four days – a beautiful rowboat he put together between Christmas and New Years shortly after his father passed away in 2008.
That rowboat sits in his boat shed on his Cropwell property, complete with the oars he made especially for it.
“I built this in honor of my Daddy. Dad rowed recreationally. I think he did that to irritate me. I like big V8s, but he said, ‘I don’t need a motor, I will just row.’”
Like most of his builds, the rowboat is mahogany, and Charlie said it is the perfect boat for some of the lakes in the national forest where motors are not allowed.
Charlie also honored his father with some of the design elements on the Corabell.
The rowboat and oars Charlie built in memory of his father
“My father made dulcimers – like the Appalachian musical instrument, so I made a finial based on that design on the bow,” he said.
Though the Corabell is not his biggest build – there is a 30-foot twin screw that he put together but no longer owns that is used as a fishing boat in the Gulf Stream out of Bimini – she is one of his favorites.
“She has turned out to be a good boat, no vices, an all-around successful project,” he said.
From bow to stern, the Corabell is full of custom designs, and Charlie’s attention to detail is evident in every piece of work. The top is even made out of canvas stretched over laminated wood bracings.
One of the most impressive features is the center console, which folds forward to expose the engine. The boat has a modified V-shaped hull, with a “good bit of keel,” and between the hull design and the engine, the Corabell will flat-out go.
“This boat will do 40 mph. I have never skied behind it – my only motorboat I have not done that on,” he said. Even though the boat is all wood, it only weighs about as much as a Ski Natique.
Charlie drafts full-size blueprints and then bulds the boat hull right over the drawings. This is his
rowboat he built in four days.
Despite its speed, Charlie prefers to cruise around Logan Martin Lake at a more leisurely pace.
“I like to get up, get my morning coffee, and cruise around the lake at about 10 mph,” he said.
The Corabell is moored to a dock at Charlie’s girlfriend’s house. He built the dock with her blessing – and a covered area for her boat, so he would have a place to tie up on Logan Martin.
Parked up on a trailer on the same property is another Charlie Ard creation – the flat-bottomed boat, Cooney Bonet.
His boat names all have special personal meaning – the Corabell is named after a favorite teacher who made a huge difference in her students’ lives, “mine included” – and the Cooney Bonet is no exception.
“He waded ashore at Omaha Beach in World War II. He was a great American,” Charlie said.
The 16-foot, again mahogany, flat-bottom boat was built for getting around all parts of the lake.
“It will float in 3 inches of water, and with the motor up, you can pole it along. It was not intended for speed, just kvetching about, to have fun in,” he said. While speed was not the original intent, “I designed it for a 10-horsepower motor. Then I got this 18-horsepower motor. This thing will fly.”
Charlie’s love of the water is apparent. The walls of his shop are lined with charts of coastal regions, lakes and rivers, fishing gear and other memorabilia. Equally apparent is his love of woodworking. If you look among the decorations, you can find an award he received for one of his work benches and cabinets he designed and built.
Like so many of Charlie Ard’s creations, it is both functional and a work of art. It sits among his other hand-made cabinets and benches in his shop awaiting his next project.
Fish habitats, marine patrol, increased depth, Renew Our Rivers, educational programs for school kids, Water Wars with Georgia — phew! The Neely Henry Lake Association is involved in a lot of programs to preserve, protect and improve the quality of life in and around Neely Henry Lake.
“Quality of life, the environment and safety are our chief concerns,” says NHLA president Dave Tumlin. “But we like to have fun, too.”
Some of that fun comes from their annual two-night Christmas Boat Parade, which began in 2018 and skipped last year due to COVID concerns. It will be back full throttle Dec. 3 and Dec. 4.
Friday, Dec. 3, the parade will be held in Gadsden along the Coosa Landing marina area. Sunday, Dec. 5, it will be held in the Rainbow City/Southside area, between Rainbow Landing and the Southside Marina. Details (contact person, start times, parade maps, etc.) for both parades will be posted on the NHLA website (neelyhenrylakeassociation.com) and Facebook page.
The Great Alabama 650, a 650-mile paddle race across Alabama that passed through the Coosa River again in September, is another fun time for lake residents and more. Billed as “the world’s longest annual paddle race,” it starts in Northeast Alabama and ends at Fort Morgan in Mobile Bay.
The NHLA was formed in the mid-90s with 15-20 members, but gradually grew larger and was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 1999. Today, it boasts more than 250 members. “We were formed for two reasons,” Tumlin says of the NHLA. “The first was a safety issue. We wanted Alabama Power to cut trees along the eastern side of the river because they were rotting and falling into the lake, and boaters couldn’t see them. APC responded and had the trees removed.
Also, APC was dropping the lake three to five feet every winter to prevent flooding in the Gadsden area. The flooding was caused by heavy rainfall and a narrow section below Gadsden known as Minnesota Bend that restricted flow.
In 1999, the NHLA petitioned Alabama Power, the Corps of Engineers and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to establish a fall and winter elevation of 507 feet above sea level on the lake. This is two feet higher than the 505-foot elevations previously allowed. After a number of meetings with the various entities involved, the request was approved in 2001. That improved boating safety and access to the lake and significantly increased property values and recreation/tourism, according to an informational brochure published by the NHLA.
Alabama Power started the dam-building project that created Neely Henry and Logan Martin lakes in 1966, the same year Tumlin’s father began building his lake house. The elder Tumlin had purchased a 160-acre farm with 1.5 miles of frontage on the Coosa in 1962, sight unseen.
Completed in the spring of 1968, his house was one of the first ones built along that waterfront. “You used to see pastures on the banks of the Coosa,” Tumlin says. His dad sold off lots through the years, and The Farm, as his family calls it, is down to 30 acres, including a small cemetery that has become the burial grounds for the Tumlin family.
“I bought out my siblings’ shares after dad died in 2014,” Tumlin says. “I just sold a lot to a couple from Georgia, who chose Neely Henry after much research because of the lake’s quality of life and stability of water level.”
He says the NHLA focuses on sharing information for the people on the lake by having monthly meetings, addressing concerns such as the fish population. “We got the State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to come to a meeting and talk about the fish population, which they say is good and stable,” Tumlin says. “It’s full of crappie and bass.”
Man-made fish habitats
Representatives of APC have attended association meetings to talk about aquatic weeds and their control and shoreline management regulations. Alabama Power controls permits for structures or other changes along the shoreline, such as boathouse size and location and the building of seawalls. “You have to go through APC to get a permit for any shoreline changes,” Tumlin explains.
Other speakers have talked about the Native Americans who used to live along the Coosa and the artifacts people find along its shores. They also hosted the Alabama Marine Patrolspeaking on boating safety and regulations. It’s all about providing informational resources to lake residents and businesses.
The association is a key participant in Renew Our Rivers, a regional cleanup project that began on Neely Henry in 2000 and now covers most of the rivers in Alabama. It has spread also to Georgia, Mississippi and Florida.
“That program was started as Renew the Coosa here in Gadsden by Gene Phifer, a Southern Company-Alabama Power employee, who is also a former president of the association and is still on our board of directors,” Tumlin says. “Volunteers will choose a part of the river or lake and spend a day picking up trash, most of it in the form of litter that starts in a city or community and eventually washes into our lakes and rivers.”
Churches, civic organizations, even prisoners participate in the program, which has resulted in 14 million pounds of debris removed from all participating areas through the years.
Two educational components to NHLA activities include the Message in the Bottle, which is part of the Renew Our Rivers program, and the Water Festival held each year at Gadsden State Community College.
Message in the Bottle was named after a 19-year-old “message” found in a plastic bottle during the 2001 Renew Our Rivers event. It involves schools in Etowah County, and more than 10,000 students have participated.
The Water Festival highlights the importance of clean water and the detrimental impacts of pollution. The festival provides a learning experience that utilizes instructor-led, basic laboratory demonstrations and subsequent discussions for fourth-grade students in Etowah County.
“Every four or five years, we coordinate with APC to approve a scheduled maintenance drawdown of the lake,” Tumlin says. “They drop it low, and people know about it ahead of time, so they get their boats out and line up contractors to repair piers and seawalls. The last one was about four years ago, and we hope to have another drawdown scheduled within the next year.”
Tumlin underscored the importance of the drawdown in maintaining structures along the lake. He was in his boat when the last drawdown took place. He looked back at his boathouse and noticed one of his pier pilings was rotted. “I got a piece of wooden pilingthat had floated down and washed ashore and made the repair,” he says.
Projects for preserving, protecting
The association has placed fishing-line receptacles near boat-launch areas on the Neely Henry in Calhoun, St. Clair and Etowah counties for collecting and recycling used fishing lines. “These lines are hazardous to many species of birds and aquatic and semi-aquatic organisms, as well as boat propellers and motors,” the NHLA brochure states.
Since 2005, members of the NHLA have worked with Alabama Power personnel to place hundreds of Christmas trees at various locations in Neely Henry to serve as fish habitats. The trees are secured to the bottom of the lake with concrete weights. Floats are attached to the tops of the trees so they will remain upright, and they are placed in deep water to prevent a safety hazard to boaters, swimmers and skiers.
An ongoing project has been facilitating the discussions about the 30-year-old “Water Wars” between Alabama and Georgia. “The NHLA is working with Alabama state agencies, local, state and national political leaders, other lake associations, environmental and angling associations, civic organizations and concerned citizen groups in an attempt to prevent future major water losses to Alabama,” according to NHLA literature.
The crux of the Water Wars is that Georgia continues to request and obtain more and more water from the Alabama, Coosa, Tallapoosa (ACT) Basin and the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, Flint (AFC) Basin. The NHLA is concerned that Georgia has plans to take even more water than the amounts they are currently taking, which could have an immense environmental, economic and recreational impact on Alabama.
“Georgia continues to request (from the Corps of Engineers) and obtain more water from the Etowah River, which reduces water flow to the Coosa,” an NHLA white paper states. Much of the battle has been fought in court, but Alabama has come out on the losing end of these court battles in part because it has no comprehensive water management program, according to Tumlin. “That’s something the association is pushing for,” he says.
Their newsletter on their website (neelyhenrylakeassociation.com) and Facebook page contains a Call to Action section that the association uses as an informational platform. “When someone brings up an issue, like the recent Corp of Engineers proposal that would lower Neely Henry more frequently and more significantly, we research it and may put out a Call to Action to make people aware of what’s happening,” Tumlin says. “This allows our membership and the public to get involved and communicate their opinions to elected representatives and/or the appropriate agencies.”
Another example of A Call to Action involves the animal rendering plant that is being proposed for Etowah County. “Things could happen, such as settling ponds overflowing and draining into creeks, then the lake,” says Tumlin. “Neely Henry is one of only a handful of lakes along the Coosa that does not have any fish-eating restrictions, and we want to keep it that way.”
Three years ago, Jacksonville State University, sponsored by the lake association and Greater Etowah Tourism, did an Economic Impact Study on the Coosa River that included all of Etowah County and parts of Calhoun and St. Clair counties. According to Tumlin, they found that the total economic activity in these areas comes to $570,663,000 per year. They found a direct impact of $12,000,000, but additional impact comes from home values, restaurants and other businesses.
Tumlin says there are very few open lots left along the lake and estimates that 95% of the people who live on its shores are full-time residents. “We care about this lake.”
In its heyday, Pine Harbor played central role in lake community
Story by Leigh Pritchett Photos courtesy of Sue Pat DuBose, Mr. and Mrs. Roy H. Holladay II, Chris Spivey, St. ClairNews-Aegis (1977), St. Clair Observer (1975)
Growing up in the 1940s and ’50s, Dr. Thomas Ingram Jr. walked through neighbors’ fields near the Coosa River, enjoying those pastures and woods for what they were.
In the 1960s, Thomas Casady and H.G. Fraim looked at the fields and saw potential … lots of it.
Casady envisioned a complex that would include an 18-hole golf course, hotel, restaurant, lounge, pro shop, marina, country club, swimming pools, tennis courts and a chapel.
Fraim, known as “Bookie,” saw a vibrant neighborhood springing up around the complex.
Both visions came to fruition.
Locals knew Casady’s complex as Pine Harbor Marina, Pine Harbor Country Club and, in its final years, Pine Harbor Golf & Racquet Club.
Not only did this golf course entertain celebrities, but it and the rest of the complex also bonded the neighborhood it produced.
“We just had our own wonderful world out here,” said Deanna Lawley. For 50 years, she has been a resident of Pine Harbor, the neighborhood Bookie envisioned.
Casady built his complex in 1964, according to a May 29, 1975, article in the St. Clair Observer, a weekly newspaper at the time.
Casady, a seasoned businessman and a veteran of the Army Air Corps, rising to brigadier general and serving as national CAP commander, put his knowledge and experience to work for his vision. He was president of ElCasa Enterprises Inc., director of Union State Bank in Pell City, vice president of V.J. Elmore Stores in Birmingham, and a founding member of Canterbury Methodist Church in Birmingham, according to Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters in Montgomery at the time of his death in 2010. He also was inducted into the CAP Hall of Honor and Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame.
Mrs. Lawley credited Fraim with the foresight to develop two residential communities nearby along Logan Martin Lake – Riviere Estates and Skyline.
Golf course
The golf course was the second phase of Casady’s development, said Jo Ann Winnette, Fraim’s sister.
Recollections of those interviewed indicated that the golf course was likely the facet with the most impact on the community. “Golf and grandchildren” brought Roy Dye and wife Joanne to the Pine Harbor neighborhood from Washington state. “When we found Pine Harbor, we said, ‘This is where we want to be,’” explained Dye, who served as treasurer during the golf course’s later years.
Aerial view of Pine Harbor restaurant, tennis court, golf course from Chris Spivey Jr. and Bob Spivey
Winnette, who lives in Riviere Estates, said part of the land on which the golf course was built was donated by her mother, Robbie Sue Fraim. Additional property was acquired from J.A. Masters, according to Winnette, and a 2002 worship service program from the campus’ outdoor, lakeside church, Chapel in the Pines.
Winnette said her brother had a real sense of what Casady’s Pine Harbor could be. He believed it could attract Birmingham people to the area to play golf, get away for the weekend and enjoy the lake. He promoted Pine Harbor, creating Riviere Estates from lots from their mother’s farmland.
During its peak, Pine Harbor’s golf membership exceeded 400, sources said.
The golf course “was a point in the community, a hub in this community for a long time,” said Chris Spivey, state amateur golf champ and national senior amateur champ, who has lived in Pine Harbor since 1974.
“Probably a lot of business got done on the golf course or in the clubhouse,” said Jud Alverson, president of the Pell City Council and former president of Pine Harbor Golf & Racquet Club.
The golf course and Pine Harbor complex were assets in recruiting industry to Pell City, noted Ron Helms, Pine Harbor resident and former president of the club. “It was a very good addition to the city.”
Having noted golf instructor Jimmy Ballard on staff did not hurt either. Ballard was nationally known for the very specific technique he taught.
“There were quite a few professional golfers who came there to take lessons from him,” said Reed Alexander, who served on the board of directors. J.C. Snead, Leonard Thompson, Curtis Strange, Fuzzy Zoeller and Jim Colbert were among the pro golfers who reportedly received instruction from Ballard at Pine Harbor.
Plus, touring pro Mac McLendon made Pine Harbor his home course while he was on the PGA Tour in the 1970s, Mrs. Lawley said.
Encounters with the famous were not uncommon.
Mrs. Lawley and husband Barnett played tennis doubles with Mr. and Mrs. Zoeller. Alverson and a group of guys shot impromptu rounds with pro golfer Boo Weekley. Blind golf champ Charley Boswell was a regular.
Long-time Pine Harbor resident Sylvia Martin said she got to meet former NBA star Charles Barkley there. Florida State University’s noted football coach Bobby Bowden and University of Alabama coaching legend, Paul “Bear” Bryant, played the course, too, said Roy H. Holladay II, who lives in Pine Harbor.
The golf course was an outlet for different ages and abilities.
Cole Giddens of Cropwell was able to fulfill his wish of golfing every day in retirement and even managed the course and clubhouse for a decade.
Alverson was playing at Pine Harbor before he was old enough to rent a golf cart. He was club champ as a teen.
Kim Wilcox of Moody was Pine Harbor’s golf pro and course manager in the 1990s, and her son, Will Wilcox, played the course as a youth. He went on to the PGA and Korn Ferry tours, according to Kim, who became executive director of Birmingham Golf Association and women’s golf coach at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Sue Pat DuBose’s son, Brent, played in amputee tournaments at the course. “We had people to come all the way from London, England, to those tournaments.”
Spivey (“Chris Jr.”) saw golf and Pine Harbor’s course transform her mother, “Chris Sr.”
This started in the late 1970s. Chris Sr. was completely uninterested in golf. Chris Jr. got her mother to caddy for her in a Mississippi tournament. Chris Jr. finished with a national ranking, and “Mom went absolutely bonkers over golf.”
Chris Sr. learned to play golf. After her husband, Bob, became president of Pine Harbor Golf & Racquet Club, Chris Sr. managed the golf course. Chris Jr. said the course did well in the 1980s under her mother’s care.
Until Chris Sr.’s death in 1986, Mr. and Mrs. Spivey ran the golf course seven days a week almost by themselves, said Chris Jr., who was the weekend cart person.
Leading up to Chris Sr.’s management, the course sat unused for a time because of an ownership change, according to Mrs. Lawley.
To get the golf course reopened, Pine Harbor residents did what Pine Harbor residents do when situations arise: they banded together and took action, said Chris Jr.
“Everybody got on their lawn mowers and went over there and cut the fairways and cut the greens. Mother redid every single one of the sand traps herself … before they put the sand in them. Ruined my grandfather’s tiller (in the process),” Chris Jr. said with a laugh.
Hotel, restaurant and marina
The hotel, restaurant and marina were part of the first phase of development, said Winnette. The marina also featured covered and dry storage.
The hotel and restaurant sat side by side. A lounge, pro shop and swimming pool finished out that portion of the complex.
Mrs. Lawley said actress Sally Field and her family stayed at the hotel in 1975 during filming of the movie, Stay Hungry, in Birmingham.
Barnett Lawley and Field’s husband played tennis together during that time, and the Lawleys’ son, Cannon, swam with Fields’ children in the Lawleys’ pool. The Lawleys entertained Field and her family in their home, and the two families became friends.
The marina when it opened
One particular day, news spread quickly around the neighborhood about Field’s degree of undress while sunbathing at one of Pine Harbor’s pool, the Lawleys said.
The restaurant’s formal dining area could accommodate about a hundred patrons, Mrs. Lawley continued. That was in addition to the downstairs and outdoor dining areas.
The restaurant’s large windows offered an unhindered view of the marina, brilliant sunsets, and sailboats and other vessels bobbing up and down in the multitude of slips.
Bear Bryant tried to dine at the restaurant one time but drew such a crowd that he could not eat his meal, said Winnette.
At Casady’s request during Bryant’s visit, Fraim very secretively took the coach and Mrs. Bryant for an evening boat ride on Logan Martin Lake. Winnette said Bryant sent her brother a letter, thanking him for the excursion.
Mrs. Lawley noted that Casady began developing the Pine Harbor complex before Logan Martin Dam went into operation, which created Logan Martin Lake.
“(He) set piers (for the marina) before there was a drop of water,” Mrs. Lawley said.
For years, Maurice “Pops” Wyatt managed the marina, hotel and other aspects of the complex, said Holladay. The Wyatt family lived in a house on the premises.
Pops believed in giving patrons exceptional service, Holladay noted. For example, Pops made certain that people who spent weekends at Pine Harbor found their boat fueled and waiting in the water when they arrived.
At the height of the complex’s popularity, all of the slips in the marina were occupied, with a waiting list, said Barnett Lawley.
Chapel in the Pines
Part of Casady’s plan was for the people of Pine Harbor to be able to worship together. Casady built Chapel in the Pines for that reason, notes a 2002 chapel service program quoting the June 3, 1965, St. Clair News-Aegis. The first service at the outdoor chapel was June 6, 1965. First United Methodist Church in Pell City was sponsor of the services and a different pastor preached each week.
On Sunday mornings during summer months, families came to the chapel on foot, by car or boat to what became known as the “come as you are” church.
“We really enjoyed that,” said Mrs. DuBose, who with husband John had only to walk across the street.
Following the worship service, many would eat breakfast together at Pine Harbor’s restaurant, said Martin.
The residents gave much support to the chapel, she continued. Before the first service each summer, they came with brooms and rakes to clean around the pews and podium. That little lakeside chapel tucked among the pines was also the site of many weddings, Martin said. The receptions often were at the country club.
Clubhouse
In its lifetime, Pine Harbor had two different clubhouses.
The first one was across Pine Harbor Road from the hotel and restaurant.
Themed parties, fashion shows, galas, Christmas festivities, the Chevy 6 band, and dances featuring Dale Serrano and the music of Bob Cain and the Cane Breakers filled the schedule. The clubhouse had a pool, too.
In 1984, the DuBoses purchased the property from Ballard and lived there until 2010.
Ballard went to the exclusive Doral Golf and Country Club in Miami, Mrs. Lawley said.
Mrs. DuBose, a golfer, loved that her home was right next to the course. The tile in the bathrooms bore scuffs from golf-shoe traffic during the country club years. Though the DuBoses remodeled the home, they left the scuffed tile in one bathroom, just for nostalgia.
On occasion, the DuBoses had unexpected visitors – with golf clubs in hand – who thought the home was still the clubhouse.
The final Pine Harbor clubhouse was a smaller house near the golf course. It was where Wyatt’s family had lived when Pops was manager at the complex, said Holladay.
Changing times
Through the years, ownership of the Pine Harbor complex changed several times.
Sometimes, the efforts of a new owner were successful and, sometimes, they were not.
“It really had its highs and its lows,” said Barnett Lawley, former commissioner of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
In the 1970s, Lawley, Ballard, Billy Church and Eddie Lawrence formed a partnership to rescue the Pine Harbor complex from receivership, where it had gone under the previous owner, Mrs. Lawley said. As owners, the four partners worked to attract celebrity golfers and name-brand entertainment, demonstrating the value of Pine Harbor to the area. Club membership soared to its highest and Pine Harbor enjoyed its greatest popularity.
“And it stayed that way a long time,” Mrs. Lawley said.
The final owner in Pine Harbor’s history gave Pine Harbor Golf & Racquet Club (an association consisting of the membership) a long-term lease on the golf course and tennis courts.
Yet, circumstances eventually took their toll. First, an economic downturn in 2008 significantly reduced the number of golf memberships. Then, the lease expired. The City of Pell City’s efforts to negotiate a lease agreement with the owner failed.
Years earlier, the owner had razed the hotel and restaurant and filled in the nearby swimming pool. Subsequently, the second clubhouse was demolished too.
Chapel in the Pines moved to a spot in Pell City’s Lakeside Park, and the marina is home to University Marine at Pine Harbor Marina.
Now, remnants of the greens and fairways sit as quiet reminders of what used to be.
Recalling Pine Harbor’s glory days, Chris Jr. said, “The complex was fantastic, just a little ahead of its time. … We were so blessed to have that in our community for so long.”
Additional assistance with this article provided by Roger Pate and Savannah Pritchett, MS, RD, LD.
Clubhouse 1987
Memories of Pine Harbor
Just the mention of Pine Harbor’s golf course and the rest of the complex brings to people’s minds the memories of milestones they achieved, the special times they experienced and the funny things that happened there.
Rita Engelbrecht, Chris Spivey, Jo Jolly & Sue Pat DuBose
at Pine Harbor
Here are but a few:
“The only two holes-in-one I’ve had in my life were (at Pine Harbor and) on the same hole – No. 5,” said Jud Alverson.
Robin Glenn of Cropwell admits she knew nothing about golf when she went to work at the clubhouse in 2009. One day, a lady golfer ordered a sandwich to take on the course with her. Glenn prepared and gave the sandwich to the woman. Later, when the golfer returned to the clubhouse, she told Glenn that someone might find a sand wedge on the 18th hole. Curious as to why the woman had tossed the sandwich, Glenn asked, “You didn’t eat it?”
Chris Spivey Sr. was resourceful during her years of managing Pine Harbor’s golf course. Wanting to make the course’s grass lush, she enlisted a chicken farmer’s help to put manure on the fairways. “It did a good job,” chuckled her daughter, Chris Spivey Jr., in telling the story. “But you couldn’t go to the golf course for a week because of the smell.”
In the 1980s, some bigger courses limited weekend playing time for women. Chris Spivey Jr. believed women should be able to play any time and be accepted into men’s tournaments. Her parents – Chris Sr. and Bob Spivey – instituted both of Chris Jr.’s suggestions while they ran Pine Harbor’s golf course.
Chris Spivey Sr. was instrumental in starting Pine Harbor’s bridge club, even though she knew nothing about the game. “She loved every minute of it,” Chris Spivey Jr. said.
Pops Wyatt’s daughter, Cathy, ran a concession stand while her dad was manager of the marina and other parts of the Pine Harbor complex. Roy H. Holladay II met Cathy through her work … and married her.
Story by Carol Pappas Photos by Meghan Frondorf and Wallace Bromberg Jr. Submitted photos
Twenty of the fiercest, most elite paddlers in the world battled stormy elements at the start but finished strong in record time in the third edition of the Great Alabama 650, the world’s longest annual paddle race.
In late September, paddlers muscled their way through the 650-mile course from Weiss Lake in the north to Fort Morgan in the south, which covered the stretches of Neely Henry and Logan Martin lakes in between.
The statewide race has all the components of a great adventure – whitewater, tidewater currents, hikes around nearly a dozen dams – en route to a finish line 650 miles from the start.
Top finishers were:
Joe Mann and Paul Cox – 4 days, 17 hours, 2 minutes
Salli O’Donnell – 4 days, 22 hours, 39 minutes
West Hansen, 5 days, 19 hours, 9 minutes
The Alabama 650 website featured a live map throughout the race with up-to-the-minute updates on each of the boats’ locations. Facebook and Instagram posts from the field and countless photos, videos and updates came from novice spectators and volunteers along the route during its duration. Hashtag was #AL650.
The map helped spur the interest of spectators all along the course to get a firsthand look at the paddlers coming by. According to Alabama 650 officials, spectators cheered for racers on river banks in Gadsden, Pell City, Wetumpka, Montgomery, Selma, Fairhope and dozens of other points along the way.
The racecourse is the core section of the Alabama Scenic River Trail, a 6,000-plus mile, mapped river trail system. The 650 miles at the core of the river trails extends from the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Northeast Alabama through alligator country to the Gulf of Mexico.
Racers had up to 10 days to finish the race to compete for the top spot in three divisions – Male Solo, Female Solo and Two Person Team.
Portages, where paddlers and their crews put in and take out their boats, were nine dams on the Coosa and Alabama rivers.
Volunteers, along with paddlers’ crews, were stationed at portages, helping with logistics of getting the paddlers through each point.
Logan Martin’s Max Jolley served as portage chief at Logan Martin Dam, coordinating volunteers and keeping the pace moving as paddlers came in throughout a 24-hour period in days 2 and 3 of the race.
The first arrivals were about 6 a.m. on Sunday and the last of the paddlers came in between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. on Monday. He said he was amazed at the speed of this year’s race. “They were two to three hours ahead of last year.”
Jolley, who has been kayaking himself for 30 years, (but not on that level, he is quick to point out) has been involved since the inception of the race. “When I saw it, I wanted to get involved.” Now, he’s hooked. “One of the best things is you get to talk to the crew and the paddlers” on everything from weather to boat traffic. “They like coming down Logan Martin,” where people “greet, wave and clap as they go by.”
A view of paddlers
from above
O’Donnell, the female solo winner, is a Logan Martin favorite. She has even joined a Facebook group locally, where she talks to fans, and they wish her well or congratulate her. In one post, she talked of stopping a bit for some sleep at the new Lincoln’s Landing.
In an interview with Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Outdoor Alabama, Cox, a member of the winning team estimated he and partner Mann managed an hour of sleep at Wetumpka, two at Selma and two as they neared Fort Morgan for the finish.
“That’s what you have to do to be fast,” Cox recounted to Outdoor Alabama. “Sometimes you have to fight off the sleep monsters. There were definitely moments when I wasn’t paddling well. I was trying to stay upright, splashing myself with water. You have to talk to each other and tell stories. My partner, Joe, is a great storyteller, but he finally told me no more stories. That’s when I knew we needed to pull over and get some sleep.”
O’Donnell, now a member of Love Logan Martin Facebook group, posted her report of the race – a lengthy, detailed account – three weeks later on the group’s page:
This is what she had to say about Logan Martin:
“That stretch is one of my favorite sections along the course because not only is it beautiful but normally there is a lot of boat traffic to keep me entertained. This year was totally different, the lake was practically empty due to the weather. I recall 3 or 4 boats on the whole stretch and the skies remained low, gray and wet. Most of all, I missed bantering with the locals, aka the Logan Martians, although a few brave souls hung out on their docks to cheer us on as we passed by!”
She was paddling alongside Hansen as they came into Logan Martin, and they paddled together to the dam. “West and I reached the Logan Martin Dam portage around 10:15 on Sunday morning and after our 45-minute mandatory hold, off we went towards Lay Dam.”
Heading into Fort Morgan two days later, she wrote, “As I approached CheckPoint 3, I began to have issues with my back-up GPS (remember I lost my primary GPS on the morning of Day 2 / Logan Martin Lake). Water spots under the screen appeared and grew until I couldn’t see anything at all. Fortunately, it was during the daylight and I was familiar with the area.
“Unfortunately, I had no watch and without my GPS I had no idea what time it was or how far I had traveled. I rounded the checkpoint and headed west towards a point of land that I eventually passed and then I headed southwest down into the cove thinking I was on the approach to Fort Morgan. The waves were stern quartering and with my surf rudder I was having fun riding across the backs of waves to keep me high in the cove or running with the waves when it was time to dip down towards Fort Morgan.
“I was having a blast until I finally realized I had headed down one cove too early and had to climb back out (later I would realize it was a 5-mile climb) northwesterly to round the real final point of land before turning southwest for the final 5 miles to Fort Morgan.
West Hansen, winner
men’s solo, sets
new record
“Once I got around that point of land, I took a short break to adjust myself in my boat and get a quick bite to eat. When I looked up, I saw Rod and Bobby about one hundred yards from me! They took off and again I watched them turn into a dot, only a little more than 5 miles to the finish and they beat me by 16 minutes. Dang it, Bobby!!”
O’Donnell’s post gives ‘Logan Martians’ and the rest a first-person glimpse of what it was like on Logan Martin that Sunday – early in the race – and later legs of the journey toward a record finish: 4 days, 22 hours, 39 minutes.
Her physical condition? She wrote:
“Weight loss of less than 1 pound
Blisters on hands but none that opened
No skin rubs
No skin rashes
No aching muscles
Approximately a total of 13 hours of sleep
Tired but content!”
Jennifer Fratzke’s impressions were a little more succinct: “It’s the funnest, coolest, hardest, most awesome race ever.”
Editor’s Note: Next year’s Great Alabama 650 is scheduled for Oct. 1-11. Registration opens Jan. 1 at noon CST.
About the Alabama Scenic River Trail
The Alabama Scenic River Trail is the longest river trail in the United States.
When it was established in 2008, the river trail was comprised of just one 650-mile stretch of contiguous waterways. It extended from Weiss Lake in Northeast Alabama through the Mobile Bay, a waterway so biologically diverse, it is called “America’s Amazon.”
Today, the river trail includes more than 6,000 miles of mapped river trail and 60 boat rental shops exist on its banks to help paddlers tour the state’s vast aquatic resources.
The lake is a special place any time of year, but Fall seems to bring out an unrivaled quality. Autumn’s pallet of vibrant reds and golds underneath a brilliant, blue sky all seem to sparkle in the water’s reflection like precious gems meant to be treasured.
It’s the perfect prelude for the holidays ahead, a hint of special times to come. It’s like the sunset. The scene is never the same twice. And you never tire of catching a glimpse just before it mingles with the horizon to signal the end of another day in paradise.
It’s one of lake life’s greatest allures and if you’re lucky enough to live or visit here, you already know what I mean. There’s a certain magnetism to the water – drawing you to it. That’s why special places, people and events are drawn to it as well.
In this issue of LakeLife 24/7®, you’ll step inside one of those special places – The Venue at Coosa Landing. What a vision officials had for Gadsden’s stretch of the Coosa River. The Venue is 55,000 square feet of memories – big and small – to be made. Whether it’s a festival, a wedding reception, a conference or a concert, The Venue has accommodations tailor made for the perfect fit all of them and more.
Go back a few years, and Logan Martin boasted of one of the finest country clubs around in Pine Harbor with a restaurant, motel, swim and tennis club and an 18-hole golf course frequented by pros, celebrities and a host of events to make it the social center of the lake community.
Logan Martin’s Charlie Ard has a dozen or so special memories – boats he designed and built by hand. Inspired by his father, he has created floating works of art.
Special? Just ask champion paddlers who found plenty of special places and cheering fans along Neely Henry and Logan Martin as they passed through in September. They were vying for the championship in the world’s longest paddle race, the Alabama 650, which spans the state from Weiss Lake to Fort Morgan and Mobile Bay.
Lakeside is always the special place to be during the holidays, and this year is no different. Christmas boat parades are planned for Gadsden and Rainbow City-Southside, adding yet another sparkle to the water.
And Lights in the Park at Logan Martin’s Lakeside Park promises to be a special treat for young and old alike with brilliant, lighted displays lining the drive through the park. There’s even going to be a Christmas movie featured in the Civic Center next door with Santa as the guest of honor for an extra holiday treat.
Fall, the holidays and our lakes – they are gems to be treasured indeed. Turn the page and discover them all with us.
