Signature lakewide event to be even bigger and better in 2025
Story by Paul South
Submitted Photos
Boo Bash, one of the lake’s fastest growing and most popular events, is back for its fourth Halloween celebration of costumes, candy and camaraderie for trick or treaters of all ages.
Boo Bash 2025 is set for Sunday, Oct. 5, from noon to 4 p.m. In the event of inclement weather, Oct. 12 from noon to 4 will be the makeup date.
More than 1,500 people participated in last year’s festival of frightful fun, an increase of more than 50 percent over a drought-stricken 2023.
For newcomers who have never participated in the fall event, lake residents decorate their docks and welcome a trick or treat fleet of boaters and their costumed crews. And, taking a page from the 1959 movie Godzilla, Boo Bash will also make mischief on land and water. Boo Bashers can gather at Lakeside Park, where restaurants and other sponsors also get in on the fun.
Don’t panic. While the giant amphibian wanted to destroy Tokyo, Boo Bash remains committed to building a better, safer, stronger lake community. Proceeds from the event will again go toward helping the Logan Martin Lake Protection Association fund solar-powered buoys – “BOO-ees” in Bash lingo – to be placed in shallow water to protect boaters.
Last year, Boo Bash raised enough money to fund 10 of the beacons. So far in the program, LMLPA has placed 70 buoys on the lake.
The 2024 event drew a big crowd, even while going one-on- one with an Alabama football game. “It actually went really well,” said Kelli Lasseter, who along with her partner Sonya Hubbard, leads an ever-growing corps of Boo Bash merry pranksters. “We made the decision to move it back to Sunday because it did interfere with so many of the children’s fall sports. There were also some safety concerns from last year that we hope moving it back to Sunday can help resolve. Safety is priority number one.”
Boo Bash is again teaming with the Logan Martin Lake Protection Association, The Tiki Hut at River’s Edge and the City of Pell City. As of this writing, a sponsorship drive was underway.
For the first time in 2024, the event featured a land component and that, along with the Tiki Hut open in what’s normally the off season, last year was unique, Lasseter said. Tiki Hut, a wildly popular summertime stop, usually closes for the season on Labor Day. But in 2024, it opened for Boo Bash and will do so again in 2025.
“Having Tiki Hut open was really cool, as was the addition of the land stop,” Lasseter said. CEPA also got into the spirit on Pirate Island with a theme that would make Blackbeard raise the Jolly Roger. They will be back in 2025.
Another fun new partner will be the Logan Martin Duck Hunt, which has had folks scavenging the lakeshore for numbered rubber ducks. Lasseter hopes the quackers will attract new Bashers from the upper part of the lake and its sloughs.
The year-round scavenger hunt is another treat in the Boo Bash Halloween bag, boosting the event’s mission to build community.
“We are really excited to partner with the Logan Martin Duck Hunt. A scavenger hunt has been on the list for awhile and this was just a perfect way to make that happen for everyone.” Lasseter said.
Stacy Deegan, co-creator of the hunt, is excited to be joining the Boo Bash spook-tacular.
“Boo Bash stands alone as being a significant event for lake residents and friends of the lake,” she said. “We are honored to be asked to collaborate with the organizers.
“Incorporating the Logan Martin Duck scavenger hunt with Boo Bash just adds a little bonus activity and gives the participants more to look forward to and enjoy,” Deegan added.” You can’t have too much fun, can you?”
Neal Stephenson, president of the Logan Martin Lake Protection Association, said the association’s work to place the hazard buoys began in 2019, and the partnership with Boo Bash began last year.
“I think the partnership that our organization has done with Boo Bash has given our organization more visibility on the lake,” Stephenson said. “It’s increased our ability to donate more buoys to this program because our funding is based on volunteer donations. Because of this partnership with Boo Bash, we were able to accelerate and increase the number of buoys we have to donate to the lake.”
Stephenson is excited about the possibilities for Boo Bash 2025 and the LMLPA’s drive to place 100 buoys on the lake.
“If we have another year this year like we did last year with Boo Bash – between that and our own donations – we should be getting close to our goal,” Stephenson said.
Even in the sweltering July heat, momentum for the Fall’s Boo Bash was mounting, Lasseter said. “Excitement is already building. People are reaching out to us – new people who want to host a pier and our incredible host piers that continue to come back every year,” Lasseter said.
An example of the buzz? One new lake family doesn’t have a pier yet but plans to decorate their pontoon and float it out to greet revelers with treats.
Lasseter hopes Boo Bash and its stories will have a long life – a Halloween treat for generations on Logan Martin.
“I hope that Boo will continue to grow in this community and bring people from all walks of life together long after we’ve passed the torch to someone else.”
Events like Boo Bash and the duck hunt and places like Pirate Island are needed, Lasseter said, especially in tough times like today.
“It’s so important to take a break from the heaviness of day-to-day stuff,” she said. “To have just one day not to have any worries or cares and be able to tap into imagination and fun is everything to so many. Letting go of those worries for a few hours and enjoying the moment is something I love.”
Boo Bash sends a clear message, Lasseter said.
“What an amazing community we have on Logan Martin Lake. How selfless the people are to give hundreds of dollars of their own money to make this event happen,” Lasseter said. “I hope everyone walks away with smiles and memories. Oh, and bags full of wonderful treats!”
And as far as what Lasseter hopes people will remember about Boo in the years to come? Well, she had this to say. “When they think about Boo Bash, I want them to remember the fun they had but more importantly, I want them to remember the amazing people on this lake who made it all possible. Logan Martin is a very special place and Boo Bash is just one example of our residents’ hospitality and generosity. I am not sure you find this everywhere, but you will always find it here.”
Editor’s Note: For more information about Boo Bash on Logan Martin Lake, visit its Facebook page at Boo Bash on Logan Martin or email them at boobashonloganmartin@gmail.com.
