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.
Lakeside Park is the place to be Nov. 13 as Lakeside Live takes center stage for central Alabama’s brand-new music festival, car show, motorcycle poker run and Battle of the Badges.
This mammoth event, featuring live bands from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. with hit musical artists, “Disciple,” headlining a host of other bands and musical groups, including Tristen Gressett, Cory Jr. and Company, Fuzz Huzzi, Kudzu and Echoes of the Abyss.
Gates open at 10 a.m., and it is free to the public. Proceeds from the event will benefit Pell City’s police and fire departments.
The car show is slated from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. A motorcycle poker run is planned, and Battle of the Badges from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. is sure to entertain. It pits the Pell City Police Department against the Pell City Fire Department in tug of war, 3-legged race, doughnut eating contest and more. The winner will receive a “Championship” style belt to compete for every year. The belt will have winners engraved on it every year.
Vendors of all descriptions will fill the park, and organizers plan a day and evening fun for the whole family.
This time of year, you really start to see the bass key in on smaller bait fish
by Zeke Gossett Photos submitted
On Logan Martin
The months of September and October on Logan Martin is when bass start to make their big move to shallower water.
A couple of things cause this transition. First, the cooler nights in the fall cause water temperature to go down. Second, the shad begin their move to the backs of the creeks. Moreover, oxygen is depleted in the deeper water causing the bait fish and bass to move up shallower.
This time of year, you really start to see the bass key in on smaller bait fish. Baits I use to target these fish are small top waters like a popper.
Find rocky banks or seawalls first thing, and you should have success. As the sun comes up, I’ll usually switch over to a squarebill crankbait in any type of shad color using it in the same types of places.
Piers become a big factor as well this time of year. I’ll throw the squarebill or a finesse jig in and around the docks. I’ll usually target piers in water ten foot or less.
This time of year, remember to focus on shallow water in creeks, and you should find success on Logan Martin.
On Neely Henry
Neely Henry is going to have a lot of similarities to Logan Martin this time of year. The bass will make a push toward the backs of the creeks.
The main difference between Logan Martin and Neely Henry is the winter draw down will begin on Logan. Because of the draw down, there will not be as much grass to fish, especially starting in October.
Starting out in the morning on Neely Henry, I will usually either start in grass or seawalls toward the back of any major creek. I’ll throw either a popping style frog or whopper plopper down the edge of the grass or seawalls. Both of these will be in any shad color.
Keep an eye out for baitfish on the surface because the fish will usually be hanging around close by. As the sun comes up, I’ll start focusing on shade, whether it be from a tree limb or docks.
For docks, I will either use a finesse jig or some type of creature bait in green pumpkin. If it is cloudy, I will just keep the topwater in my hands throughout the whole day.
As these months progress, and the water temperatures start to cool, the fishing will only get better.
Editor’s Note: Zeke Gossett of Zeke Gossett Fishing grew up on the Coosa River and Logan Martin Lake. He is a former collegiate champion and is now a professional angler on the B.A.S.S. tour circuit and is a fishing guide.Learn more about Zeke at: zekegossettfishing.com.
After months of cancellation and anticipation, one of the Southeast’s select street parties resurged in The City of Champions – with the free event’s June debut proving bigger and better than ever.
The return of downtown’s beloved First Friday restores a pre-pandemic feeling of fellowship for locals and tourists alike. Meander through downtown at the dawn of each month, and Gadsden will greet you with something special.
When First Friday blocks off Broad Street, downtown comes alive. Eye-catching antique automobiles, with vibrant colors and bold styles, beckon admirers to weave into the 1950s and out of the 80s with a simple stroll. Eager listeners cluster, tapping their feet where bands perform on street corners, inhaling the sweet aroma of powdered sugar from food vendors or savory scents of freshly cooked meals floating from favorite restaurants.
Children pull apart funnel cakes with sticky fingers, trailing behind parents pushing strollers, waving at familiar faces sitting outside storefronts. Boutiques swell with customers browsing unique merchandise, making note of their next visit. Reflections of laughing friends pass in shop windows as artists gather in the museum, while families reconnect with neighbors and jovial store owners welcome guests by name.
Though First Friday prompts people to reminisce about Gadsden’s “good old days,” its paramount success serves as a reminder that good is far from gone.
COVID-19 brought First Friday to an unprecedented halt in March of 2020, the hiatus proving wise in its mission of maintaining the health and safety of in- and out-of-town residents. As First Friday celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2021, Gadsden celebrates the event’s influence on the city, recalling the spark that ignited tradition.
In the beginning
First Friday began in January of 2006, when East Gadsden native Sylvia Smith cultivated a blueprint to attract visitors to downtown Gadsden to shop and dine. Smith, who owned and operated The Stone Market on Court Street, mirrored Gadsden’s First Friday from a concept her daughter discovered while living in Augusta, Ga.
In downtown Augusta, Smith’s daughter joined crowds of friends and families with their children, visiting art galleries and listening to musicians playing in the street. Smith’s daughter shared that while the event is fun for the community, it also serves a dual purpose – to boost downtown’s worth.
Live entertainment
Smith was no stranger to Gadsden’s value. As a child, she and her sisters frequented downtown Gadsden with their mother, who entertained them with window shopping and walks up and down Broad Street. She treasured fond memories of 10-cents worth of malted milk balls at McClellan’s and registering (and winning) door prizes when stores held promotions.
“Going downtown was a really happy thing we did in my childhood,” said Smith. “That was the way I viewed downtown. I was in Gadsden as a young adult with children when Gadsden died. Downtown was full of empty buildings. Teenagers were driving up and down Broad Street in cruisers, making messes of the storefronts and breaking windows. Businesses were closed. That was the saddest thing, to see that as my hometown. My hope was to see that go away, to see businesses have storefronts with products and lights in the windows – and I’ve gotten to see that.”
Smith planted a seed in her quaint store, inviting artists like Earthborn Pottery’s Tena Payne to provide interactive insight for guests on how she created her designs. With Italian hand-painted dinnerware and wines from small family-owned vineyards across the world, Smith welcomed the public to The Stone Market to promote her vendors, featuring wine tastings and in-house cooking demonstrations.
“That (first) night, my store was completely packed with people,” said Smith. “People came in fur coats and diamond earrings! I was so blown away by what people thought about me doing that. It was funny and rewarding and so cool … I was in awe of the support. I didn’t view First Friday as just for me, ever – not once. It was something citywide I was working for.”
The interest The Stone Market’s First Friday generated for Gadsden soon turned heads. Before long, Smith’s fellow business owners, who shared her drive to rejuvenate the city, gathered for a meeting at The Mary G. Hardin Center for Cultural Arts. During the meeting, local business owners underwent a training session to discover the best methods of promotion for downtown, brainstorming ideas and forging a toolkit for future events.
In October of 2007, Director of Downtown Gadsden, Inc. Kay Moore joined the coalition of merchants seeking to better their city. As a nonprofit community partnership that fosters the economic development of downtown, DGI’s purpose aligned with First Friday’s mission and laid the foundation for Gadsden’s growth.
Moore partnered with downtown merchants and instrumental figures like Smith and Little Faces Doll Shop’s Terry Jennings, whose endless connections with classic car clubs incorporated the vintage vehicles that would bring First Friday fame – drawing visitors from all over the Southeast from Mississippi to Florida. In June of this year, the Rainbow City Hot Rod Club invited classic car enthusiasts from Tennessee and Georgia to display 550 cars for the summer cruise-in.
“(Since First Friday) we have gone from a 60% occupancy rate to a 90% occupancy rate on Broad Street,” said Moore. “If I have somebody call and ask to rent a space, I don’t really have a space for them to rent. I would attribute the great majority of that to First Friday, because people would come and see Gadsden has a great downtown.”
“First Friday has enabled us to be a bigger part of the community. It has been something that has really helped our restaurants and retail stores to grow. It brought businesses that were looking to expand. And for different people who were wanting to open a small business, First Friday gave them the courage to step out and do it.”
While Broad Street featured few restaurants at the time of First Friday’s inception, Smith echoed Moore’s sentiments of First Friday’s inspirational influence. Today, downtown Gadsden offers guests a plethora of dining options – from pizza at Blackstone Pub & Eatery and pimento cheese burgers at The Rail Public House, seafood at C&J’s Crab Shack to chicken and waffles at Harp & Clover. First Friday goers can satisfy their dessert cravings with ice cream at Scoop Du Jour, indulge in specialty cheesecakes at Gadsden Variety Café or stop by one of the friendly food vendors parked throughout Broad Street.
Food trucks and vendors
Moore’s passion for Gadsden, like Smith, is rooted in a childhood enriched with family visits to downtown, which she described as “the center of the community.”
Those involved with First Friday’s creation, with their commitment and keen eye for Gadsden’s potential, parallel the incredible community response to the event. First Friday lifted the fog for neighboring municipalities to witness a hidden gem just a few miles away and reminded Gadsden residents of the merit abiding in their hometown.
Year after year, droves of enthusiastic supporters flock to the monthly event, drawn by the festive and cheerful atmosphere that never ceases.
“First Friday is fun for all who come,” said Moore. “People come for several different reasons. For some, it’s just to meet up with friends, wander around and look. Some of them come to listen to the entertainment we have, some of them come to just enjoy themselves and get out. It’s evolved over the years, but it’s one of those things that’s come about to bring people together.”
From crowds standing shoulder-to-shoulder watching July 4th fireworks on the Memorial Bridge to First Friday visitors who fall in love with downtown and decide to make Gadsden their permanent home, the event’s camaraderie and impact on its community prove profound.
Smith, who now lives in Foley, where she owns and operates upscale, American restaurant Local and Company Food + Drink with Ephraim Kadish, attested to First Friday’s realm of influence that drifted as far as the coast. Smith shared that Foley recently selected Gadsden to model after, learning from her hometown methods of improvement for The Forward City.
“Even in Baldwin County now, almost every single day someone comes in the restaurant who heard I’m from Gadsden and tells me a story about someone in their family, a friend or someone they know who is from Gadsden,” said Smith. “And I know them a lot of times. It’s amazing the connection. I always say, Gadsden raised some of the best people in the world. They may leave for other opportunities, but they come back.”
As First Friday continues to evolve, the event represents more than a mere incentive to rekindle a city’s spot on a map. First Friday illustrates a lasting legacy fashioned among residents committed to sparking a positive change, welcoming visitors near and far to experience an event as worthwhile as its people.
“I think I knew that First Friday could become what it is today,” said Smith. “That the people who live in Gadsden and surrounding cities would start coming back, like when I was a child and walked up and down the streets with those beautiful buildings and went into shops where people knew you by name. Gadsden is a gorgeous city – the river runs through it, and the people there are so generous and friendly. It’s truly a hometown feeling to be there.”
