New Southside Landing welcomes one and all

Story by Katie Bohannon
Photos by Mackenzie Free

Summer 2022 proved sweeter for the City of Southside as the village on the Coosa debuted its highly anticipated waterfront park. Lovingly coined Southside Landing, the park beckoned residents and visitors to its pristine property on May 1 – and it has been smooth sailing ever since.

Residents frequented Southside Landing this summer, as the community embraced the waterfront park with an enthusiastic celebration of the city’s latest attraction. From boaters and fishermen enjoying the river to children laughing on the playground, people treasure the new jewel on the Coosa each day.

Southside Landing offers a little reprieve for everyone, including a boat launch, pier, playground, picnic tables and restrooms. Blackstone Bait Shack – a tangent of local beloved restaurant Blackstone Pub & Eatery – is in the process of opening soon.

The concept for Southside Landing arose when the previous mayoral administration took the initiative to purchase property for a boat launch, pier, bait shack and boat slips. When current mayor, Dana Snyder, entered her new position, she began discussing the plans formerly in place as one of her top priorities – determining to finish the park and open the space to the public.

Children frequent the new inclusive playground available at Southside’s waterfront park.

“Southside Landing is the gateway to our city,” said Snyder. “It is a place to gather, play, read, relax, exercise and eat – any day of the week. It offers residents and visitors alike a place to enjoy our beautiful river and soon, a place to hang out, with food and drinks! We will continue to improve it yearly.”

Snyder elaborated on these potential improvements, describing the growth she envisions for the space and Southside overall. She foresees future developments on the horizon, including further retail establishments and restaurants, alongside additions to the playground or walking trail.

She hopes to incorporate outdoor exercise equipment in different spots along the path for all ages to enjoy as a motivating factor for children and adults alike to practice healthy habits and exercise outdoors. Purchasing shades to cover the existing playground and the patio at Blackstone Bait Shack emerge as another endeavor. And Snyder is discussing plans for a possible kayak launch on the Landing’s back side, to provide easy access to present kayakers, while sparking an interest in the activity in others.

As locals soak in the sunshine during summer months and indulge in the recreation at their fingertips at Southside Landing, Snyder shared that the waterfront park transcends seasonal appeal. With city- and county-organized events scheduled from month to month, Southside Landing holds the potential to become a beloved tourist destination in Etowah County year-round.

Small tournaments have already launched from the Landing, with the city’s first sponsored tournament debuting on Sept. 17. Plans for Southside’s collaborative Christmas Boat Parade, hosted alongside Rainbow City, is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 10.

Southside on the move

Southside Landing marks the beginning of a “New Southside,” according to Snyder, who discussed how the park intwines with the city’s innovative progress. As Southside Landing attracts tourism and creates a safe, pleasant space for residents, Snyder and her team strive to implement updates citywide.

A couple overlooks the Southside Bridge on the pier at the waterfront park.

With the incentive of providing better and more efficient services to citizens and businesses, Southside recently upgraded its city’s software and procedures, including a pay scale that offers more incentive for employees.

A paving project – affecting over 30 city roads – is almost complete, coinciding with the city’s plans for initiating its own garbage service.

A new fire station, which will accommodate the growing need of health and safety services and establish a place for the city’s first responders to serve residents and businesses is in the works.

Next is the expansion of Southside’s police department. Snyder announced that Southside almost has completed its strategic plan, which will provide the city and its officials with essential information in designing blueprints for future development and boosting economic success.

By improving its infrastructure and services, Snyder said, Southside will be ready for the future growth that is expected throughout its city in the near future.

“Southside Landing is here for residents’ use, because of the hard work of the past and present administrations,” said Snyder, noting that the efforts of dedicated individuals who understood the park’s significance and brought such success to fruition.

“The past administration took an opportunity presented to them and purchased the land with a vision for development of a boat launch and facility to provide public access to the Coosa River – our biggest asset for tourism and citizens. We want everyone to enjoy the park and have fun, while taking pride in Southside Landing and treating it with respect.”

Snyder welcomed the community to experience Southside Landing for themselves, celebrating the improvements taking place throughout the city and looking forward to those yet to come.

She invited residents and interested individuals to share their thoughts with her on the project, noting that her open-door policy remains intact, as does her passion for the lovely city she calls home.

Pirate Island Love Story

A wife’s birthday gift to her husband now a Logan Martin treasure

Story by Paul South

Photos by Mackenzie Free
and David Smith

This is a Pirate Island love story.

Don’t panic. This isn’t one of those cheap, 1980s bodice-ripper novels with Fabio and Morgan Fairchild lookalikes on the cover. After all, this is a family magazine.

This is a love story close to home – not set in Tahiti or Jamaica – but right here on Logan Martin Lake. It’s the story of how Laurie Regan’s birthday gift to her husband Jim turned into a gift for anyone who’s ever visited the 50 by 75-foot Pirate Island, a popular meeting place for families on the lake.

It’s not unusual to catch the marvelous aroma of cheeseburgers – yes, in paradise – or frying fish, or to hear an island song of laughter as children raid the island treasure chest for trinkets.

That’s just the way Jim and Laura want Pirate Island. They own the island, but it’s a gift to all who love the lake.

The view on any given weekend

Laurie’s 2008 birthday present to her husband was not without its challenges, including a summer rain.

“I tell ya, wrapping it was a pain.”

And how did she wrap it?

“Sadly, it was crepe paper. We had a big storm after we got it all decorated.”

President of the Pell City Library Guild, Laurie was discussing Jim with a board colleague. “She said, ‘You know, my husband and I have an island.” As Laurie says, “That’s a conversation starter.”

The two women discussed the island and the possibility of the Regans buying it or sharing ownership with the sellers. But Laurie knows her husband. “An island is a one-owner kind of deal,” she says.

A month later, the unique birthday gift was bought, the deal sealed. It beats the heck out of a tie.

“I always loved the island,” Jim says. “I’d take nieces and nephews out there to go seashell hunting.”

To orchestrate the surprise, Laurie enlisted the couple’s niece, Abby, who was soon to return to college at Belmont. She coaxed her uncle into “one last boat ride.”

The island the day before was festooned with crepe paper and ribbon and balloons. Now, it was in tatters, thanks to a Logan Martin monsoon. But a koozie she handed him rescued the surprise. It read, “Welcome to your island.”

Immediately, Jim Regan dove off his pontoon boat and swam to the island – his island.

“I kissed the beach,” he says. “There was a lot more greenery back then. You could not walk across that island. It was totally overgrown.”

In the years since, the island – and life on it – has changed. And the Regans’ gift became everyone’s joy.

Three barge loads of vines, overgrowth, broken bottles and trash were hauled away – Phase 1 of a simple mission, Jim Regan says.

Palm trees and flowers were brought in along with hundreds of yards of sand and rip rap to protect the island shoreline against erosion. “Let’s try to make everyone fall in love with it,” he says.

And over the years, they have. The Logan Martin community has made Pirate Island a regular summer stop. On a typical weekend, some 30 boats tie up there. On holiday weekends the fleet expands to more than 40 vessels.

The island features a grill, a kiddie pool, palm trees and flowers, a hammock and a treasure chest, filled with trinkets that will, in the years to come, trigger precious, lingering memories. The island’s first chest was a bright orange Home Depot bucket, that would soon be replaced by a metal chest anchored by gold-painted rocks and filled with Mardi Gras beads and other trinkets.

But boys being boys, they’d dig deep in the chest to discover “gold.” And the chest was replaced by a small, metal box, adorned with a three-masted schooner and painted to give the look of weathered wood that’s there today.

In the wake of the toil and sweat invested to bring the island to its treasured state, Laurie Regan points out that sometimes wives give husbands gifts to keep them out of their hair – something like a new set of golf clubs.

Whimsical additions

“(The island) was my equivalent to a nice set of golf clubs, “she says. And Laurie’s gift of love to Jim – and Jim’s labor with others to transform Pirate Island – has turned into a treasure for all who cherish Logan Martin.

“It’s selfish in that you couldn’t possibly see this many wonderful, happy faces and families being together. It’s just a joy to go out and sit on the boat and watch them have such a wonderful time.

“(For kids) it’s a bit of a rest for their parents and they can play … It’s a pleasure. It really is.”

For Jim, Pirate Island is a thank-you gift in return for a blessed life. Pirate Island is the birthday gift that keeps on giving.

“When you’ve been fortunate, there’s a pull to give back. And it does feel good to try to give something back,” he says. “Whenever we run into someone on the island or run into someone who knows something about us and the island, they’re thankful. They’ve had great and meaningful times out there – and boy, it feels good.”

Kyle Anderson of Pell City, owner of Pro Handiman, LLC, has worked with the Regans improving the island and recently finished building a Tiki bar, complete with a thatch roof, and adding more sand and flowers.

He calls the island, “a labor of love.”

And that love, like the laid-back spirit of Pirate Island, is contagious.

Anderson remembers taking his young son, Asher, to the island after catching a 30-pound catfish. He showed him the process of catch-to-table. They fileted the fish and took eggs, flour and cornmeal to Pirate Island for a fish fry.

“I always think of that when I think of Pirate Island,” he says.

The Regans recalled meeting a grandfather on the island, with grandkids crawling all over him with the water and joy flowing over him.

“This is our time,” the grandfather said with a big grin.

It turns out the grandfather had visited Pirate Island many times. But one visit in particular shone like the midday sun.

“The guy asked his wife what she wanted to do for their 50th-wedding anniversary,” Jim recalls.

Her response? “I just want to be on that island all day.”