EVENTS – Page 3 – LakeLife 24/7 Magazine

Fly Fishing Expo

Bringing anglers and vendors to Gadsden

Story by Paul South
Staff and submitted photos

In a continuing effort to cast a wider net marketing the Coosa River and the waterway’s lakes and streams into a fly-fishing destination, Gadsden will host its inaugural Fly-Fishing Expo on Jan. 20 and 21, 2024, at The Venue at Coosa Landing.

“We would love for Gadsden to be known as a fly-fishing destination as well as for the other amenities we offer,” says Deborah Hawkins, administrative supervisor of The Venue.

Alabama Fishing Show and Expo drew vendors and a crowd

This free expo will host fly-fishing-related vendors and exhibitors of all kinds from the neighboring states and counties at the gleaming 55,000 square foot facility on the banks of the Coosa River.

The fly-fishing event comes on the heels of the successful Alabama Fishing Show at The Venue this past March.

The expo is the latest move by Gadsden to grow fly fishing in the region. The city invested $10,000 to stock the waters around Noccalula Falls with Rainbow trout.

Along with the success of the Alabama Fishing Show last spring, Hawkins credits one man – the owner of Rainbow City Auction and Fly Fishing – who lured the city with the idea for a fly-fishing focused event.

“It was the work and due diligence of Frank Roden that brought this event to Gadsden,” Hawkins says.

A sign of things to come

On the streams around these parts and beyond, Frank Roden is known as “the guy with the tie,” his homage to a more elegant time when fly anglers – clad in hats, shirts, boots, waders and Windsor-knotted neckties – took to the waters. For traditionalists like Roden, the tie seems as important as the right feathered fly or the perfect 10 o’clock-two o’clock cast, the perfect fly-casting motion.

Roden, one of area fly fishing’s most fervent evangelists and an instructor for the iconic fly-fishing merchant Orvis, saw the sport’s growth coming over 20 years ago.

Somewhere around 2001, Roden recalls, he and his wife, Tammy, couldn’t get the gear they wanted locally, even around the state. So, they opened their fly-fishing shop as part of their antique furniture business.

When the couple announced their first fly fishing seminar, locals predicted a sparse turnout, 20-25 people, tops. What occurred was something akin to a fly angling tent revival.

“When the instructors and manufacturers pulled up 15 minutes before we were supposed to start, they had 169 people waiting under the tent. That was just the tip of the iceberg.”

He sees the January event as a positive step for the city and the sport.

“Someone for a long time has needed to bring a fly-fishing expo to the state of Alabama,” Roden says. “Gadsden has that facility right there on the Coosa. They brought a general fishing show to The Venue last spring, and it was huge. They did a great job with it.”

Gadsden has the formula for a fly-fishing show that will mirror the success of last spring’s effort.

The Venue at Coosa Landing continues its success story

“They have the space available,” Roden says. “They have the stuff that can support it around The Venue there (restaurants, gas stations, shops and hotels). Now we just need the wholesalers and dealers.”

The expo is the latest evidence of Gadsden’s commitment to the sport.

“Boy has that been good,” Roden said in a past issue of LakeLife 24/7 Magazine®. “We should give them a lot of credit for putting the winter trout fishery in. Greater Gadsden Area Tourism has done a lot to promote the fly fishing here.”

And organizers hope that tackle, equipment, wholesalers and dealers from across the country come to Gadsden for the expo. After all, fly anglers travel from the streams of Maine to the big waters of Montana and points north, south, east and west.

“Don’t assume that (fly fishers) just fish locally,” Roden says. “They go to the Gulf Coast; they go to the mountains. They travel out west and to the Appalachian chain. We needed (to keep that in mind) when we started hunting new equipment.”

Roden adds, “The sport has grown, not just in the Gadsden area, but to the places people are going. The population of the Gadsden area can travel all over now that they know what they’re looking for.”

A study from Grand View Research quantifies the growth in the popularity of fly fishing through the sale of fly-fishing equipment and apparel, a $3.1 million business in 2022.

The industry is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 4.1 percent.

The increasing popularity of the sport isn’t the only driver. People are drawn to more environmentally friendly sports and sustainability efforts like the fishery stocking areas in Gadsden, as well as the diverse needs and preferences of the fly-fishing community, the study said.

The expo may lure more fly-fishing shops and merchants to the area. Surprisingly, Roden sees that as a positive.

“I think it’s great, Roden says. “Bring ‘em on. I’m not getting a lot of business off the trout fishing because most of the people who come here come here for tourism, and they already had their gear before coming to Gadsden.”

He said many who come to areas like Black Creek to fish move their homes and businesses to the area.

Roden says he doesn’t have to aggressively sell fly fishing in the region. “That’s the good thing. I don’t have to sell it. They come to me looking for it. My business is soft sell.”

While there are skeptics about the future of fly fishing in Etowah and St. Clair counties, Roden points to the Coosa and talks about streams like Black Creek, Big Canoe Creek and the Noccalula Falls area and others.

“Man, that’s a lot of water out there.”

For non-anglers who may be film buffs, the two-day expo will include the Fourth Annual Fly-Fishing Film Festival, beginning at 5 p.m. Saturday. And of course, there are shops and restaurants nearby.

Tickets for the expo are $25. Vendor booths, including tables chairs and power are $200 for the weekend.

Hours for the festival are 10-5 on Saturday with the film festival screening at 5. The festival continues on Sunday from 10-4.

While city officials have not projected the Fly-Fishing Expo’s economic impact, Hawkins is optimistic that local businesses will see a ripple effect – like a rainbow trout jumping in a cool, quiet stream – for the area economy.

“This absolutely will have a ripple effect such as lodging, restaurants, shopping, license fees for the city, gas and other necessities … Since this is our first fly fishing expo, we don’t have a projected economic impact. But we will work as hard as we do for anything else to bring income and awareness to our great city.”

Editor’s Note: For more information on the Fly-Fishing Expo, call 256-549-4587.

Documenting cardboard boat races

Story by Paul South
Photos by Richard Rybka
and Carol Pappas

“The best way to make friends with the audience is to make them laugh. You don’t get people to laugh unless they surrender – surrender their defenses, their hostilities. And once you make the audience laugh, they’re with you.” – Frank Capra

Most documentarians – Ken Burns springs to mind – want audiences to examine society’s ills through film.

For award-winning documentary filmmaker Sam Frazier, the direction he heads is quite the opposite. Laughter, he says through his work, is the best medicine.

Frazier, a Birmingham native, has captured the hearts of audiences at prestigious film festivals like, Indie Memphis and Birmingham’s blossoming Sidewalk Film Festival and across the United States and Europe through old-fashioned absurdist escapism.

Videographer films interview with racers

Think sketch comedy – Monty Python’s Flying Circus or Saturday Night Live plus pro wrestling – meets reality. Or as he puts it, “Smart people being stupid for no apparent reason (except it’s fun).”

His current effort uses an unusual vehicle, or in this case, vessel. They are cardboard boats held together by miles of duct tape – as college professors, doctors, engineers and the like try to build seaworthy boats that can successfully allow them to navigate Alabama waterways, including Logan Martin Lake.

As Frazier and his crew began filming the races at Lakeside Park in September, a crowd of about 50 gathered to watch filming that leg of the inaugural Cardboard Boat Racing World Cup. Each competitor—mostly Frazier’s friends – earns points depending on their finish in each race. Even a boater who finishes “DFL” (Dead Freakin’ Last) earns points.

Just as in NASCAR or Formula I auto racing, the points leader at the end of the heats will win the Cardboard Boat World Cup championship trophy.

“That’s pretty prestigious,” Frazier says, laughing.

His friends are folks he’s known for years, through a charity kickball league he created or through years of hanging out with pals who are in his words, “weirdo artistic types.”

“They are a bunch of weirdos who are up for almost anything, like myself,” Frazier says. “And that helps. The weirdos that I don’t know, all you have to do is tell them what you’re doing, and they’re all about it. If you’re talking to the right person, they say, ‘Oh, this is something I’ve got to do.”

The final film will be roughly half script – featuring scenes with Sportscenter-like studio anchors – and half improvisation, including interviews with competitors.

His road to filmmaking is as colorful as his subject matter. A graduate in philosophy from Washington & Lee, who also studied abroad at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, Frazier described it this way. Law school, the track chosen by others in his family, wasn’t for him.

“You have three choices,” Frazier said. “You can either get in the unemployment line, or you can try to use philosophy for extortion … That’s not really an option, or you can do something weird and creative. I went with weird and creative.”

Unlike today, when documentaries find homes on multiple platforms from PBS to streaming services like Netflix, Apple TV and HBO, that wasn’t the case as Frazier came of age.

“I saw Roger and Me (Michael Moore’s expose’ on GM), for the first time, and it blew my mind. Then I found out all the ethical problems with that movie, I guess you could say, that were egregious, and it broke my heart.

“I also remember seeing Hoop Dreams (the story of two African-American high schoolers dreaming of playing professional ball) for the first time, and it equally blew me away,” Frazier says.

The genesis of his films comes from comedy and the land of Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair or masked villains from “parts unknown.”

“I’ve always been into comedy,” Frazier says. “It’s an influence to have sort of an absurd style and kind of the pomp of professional wrestling, along with different sorts of comedic approaches of how to do a documentary.

“Nobody really does a documentary like me,” Frazier adds. “I’m the world’s only comedic, short documentarian.”

Most documentary films don’t yuk it up, he acknowledges, instead focusing on sober subject matter.

“It’s not funny when you hear about people in war-torn nations trying to survive. That’s not going to be a laugh riot. It’s also hard to watch. You have to be in the right frame of mind.”

Frazier’s approach?

“I focus on events that mostly people can do on any given day on their own, just with some friends.”

Network sports shows, like ABC’s iconic Wide World of Sports, also influence Frazier’s films. Remember Mexican cliff diving, logger sports and wrist wrestling, along with NASCAR, the British Open and table tennis from the People’s Republic of China?

“I always thought that was an inherently sort of a silly way to view the world,” he says. “These are sporting events. This is not a world war. But it’s treated on that level of importance. So, I thought, let’s take unimportant sporting events and raise them to the level of a World Cup or Super Bowl.

“I think that is inherently funny to treat something like a cardboard boat race like the World Cup. That’s essentially what we’re doing – a carboard boat race World Cup.”

Fans of the British comedy troupe Monty Python doubtless recall The Upper-Class Twit of the Year sketch, satire on dimwitted members of England’s upper class. There’s a dash of that in his cardboard boat racing series, Frazier says.

“Shooting this at times, I realize that I have these highly successful people building cardboard boats, people you’d think would be naturally really good at it.”

Not necessarily so. One of the film’s boat builders, for example, is a successful architect.

“He’s designed Lord knows how many buildings, and he’s a terrible cardboard boat designer,” Frazier said. “His boats barely got off the beach. That is inherently funny to me.”

Audiences seem to think Frazier’s films are funny, too.

Frazier’s films have captured “Audience Choice” Awards at the Sidewalk Film Festival, Indie Memphis, the Santa Fe Independent Film Festival and others. The Santa Fe recognition came after a vigorous write-in campaign by festivalgoers.

The first Cardboard Titanic film was done while Frazier was “retired” from moviemaking. He screened it at Sidewalk, intending to go no further.

“People asked, ‘What’s your next project?’ ” When he responded that he was retired, the response was surprising and made his calling clear.

“You don’t understand,” he recalled moviegoers saying. “You’re not good at anything else.”

From there, the film was screened at some 50 festivals in the United States and Europe, winning a “ton of awards,” including Best Documentary at the Louisville Film Festival.

And it led to a sequel: Cardboard Titanics: Smart People Being Stupid. “Cardboard Titanics was in competition with the short documentary winner at that year’s Sundance Film Festival.

The film that was in part shot with Go Pros, cameras, drones and the like on Logan Martin is the latest in what Frazier hopes will be a six-part series.

And cardboard vessels aren’t his only methods of fun filmmaking. He’s also had tall bicycle jousting films – riders on stacked bikes bearing lances tipped with cushions and boxing gloves.

“When you’re doing a comedy, (festival) audiences are going to like you,” Frazier says. “Especially if they’re getting a lot of very dark things and documentaries. People would really rather laugh than be miserable or be outraged on a certain level. It’s a happier way to live.”

Asked if the positive audience response is the result of these days of COVID-19 and polarized politics, Frazier didn’t mince words.

“Damn right,” he says. “Social media has polarized us to a different level of conflict. We’re becoming increasingly tribal, and I’m not a very political person. I’ve spent my life trying to get people to get along.”

So Alabama’s happy warrior of independent documentary soldiers on, dumpster driving for cardboard, hoping to outrun the winter chill in his latest project, all while funding his films from his own pocket.

Pell City and Lakeside Park drew rave reviews from the filmmaker who shot a portion of his current project in August. He still has two more races to film.

“It was the perfect location, and they were so nice to us,” Frazier says. “The staff helped tremendously. They were so enthusiastic about it. We would love to shoot there again. Maybe there will be season two of the Cardboard Boat World Cup. I hope so.”

His mission is simple. Unlike other documentarians who hope their films will change the world, Frazier charts a different course in part with a small fleet of soggy cardboard vessels and a crew of more than 30 people.

While audiences may see the glamour of film, Frazier compares his calling to “herding cats and walking into traffic. The only thing I can do is make people laugh and enjoy their lives for a certain period of time.”

Frazier recalls an encounter at the Atlanta Film Festival with a California filmmaker, who looked every bit the part of a surfer dude, with attitude to match. As an Oscar-qualifier festival, Atlanta is a marquee indie film showcase.

“He watched the film and said, ‘That was a joyous celebration of life,’ ” Frazier recalls.

“That’s what I can do.”

A moveable feast

September events offer a buffet for tastebuds, heart and eye

Story by Paul South
Submitted Photos

The American standard “September Song”, sung by the late, great Tony Bennett, Nat “King” Cole and countless crooners, reminds us that days grow short, dwindling to a precious few, when the calendar flips to the ninth month.

Three events in the month – the Alabama Wine Festival, Art on the Rocks and A Taste of Northeast Alabama – make the precious – and prayerfully, cooler – days more wonderful.

Here’s a brief look at three events set for the Neely Henry Lake region of the Coosa River:

The Alabama Wine Festival

Wine lovers will sip the traditions of Europe crafted here by Alabama vintners. The third annual Alabama Wine Festival, hosted on the grounds of Duck Springs’ Wills Creek Winery, celebrates the state’s growing winemaking industry.

The festival is set for Sept. 16 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets for the adults only event are $30 per person. Designated driver tickets are free. Designated drivers must be 21 or older. Identification is required.

Eats will be available from local food trucks, and wine will be available to sample and purchase. And festivalgoers will be serenaded by live music.

Jahn (cq) and Janie Coppey own Wills Creek Winery. Born in Switzerland and a former NASA engineer, Jahn is a dual Swiss-American citizen, as is his American-born bride, Jamie.

Fitting for the makers of wine, romance is at the heart of the Wills Creek story. When Jahn Coppey came to America in 1971 to work in the space program in Huntsville, he spoke four languages – French, German, Spanish and Italian. He moved to London to learn English, but by his own admission, his understanding was “very poor.”

When he came to Alabama, he was introduced to a teacher who spoke some French. She was tasked with growing the young mathematician’s English fluency. The language of love took over, and a year later, Jahn and Janie Coppey were married.

That was 51 years ago.

Jahn and Janie opened Wills Creek Winery in 1996. And while at first blush, the journey from working on the space program to owning a winery may seem a giant leap, Jahn is a third-generation vintner, with roots in Switzerland’s breathtaking Rhone River Valley. Wine has been made in the region since the time of the Romans.

There’s also some heritage in Janie Coppey’s family, which has called Duck Springs home since the 1830s

Since Wills Creek opened, the couple has worked tirelessly, not only to grow the state’s winemaking industry, but also to advocate for a change in Alabama’s antiquated liquor laws. The Alabama Wine Festival’s aim is to grow the industry and deliciously make visitors aware of the state’s wine business.

Interestingly, Alabama’s soil is one of two places in America perfect for growing exclusive Pinot Noir grapes. The sweltering, unpredictable Southern summers aren’t cooperative. Still, native Muscadine grapes and their more than 100 varieties thrive here, and the Coppeys craft wine from Alabama Muscadines and other fruits found across the globe.

When Wills Creek opened, there were only three wineries in the state. Now there are 37 federally permitted wineries in the state, but less than half are working wineries.

Last year, 11 Alabama wineries participated in the Alabama Wine Festival, attracting 300 people from 15 states.

Jahn Coppey sees vintage years ahead for the wine festival and the growth of the winemaking art in Alabama. But people still ask the same question.

“We’ve been in business 22 years, but people still ask if we’re legal,” Jahn says.

They also have to endure some skepticism from Jahn’s family across the Atlantic.

“They say I’m crazy,” he says. “But what I tell them is I can sell my wine. You can’t.”

And the Coppeys hope to take a page from a small Swiss village near Lake Geneva, that conducted its first wine festival 30 years ago. “They have grown so much,” Jahn says. “They have built some hotels. They’ve built some Air B&Bs all around. Now 30,000 people have been coming to that event.”

The festival benefits neighboring cities and towns, like Gadsden.

“Anytime somebody comes like the wine festival – even though it’s not located in Gadsden, typically they’ve got to stay in Gadsden, John Moore, the city’s director of commercial development, says. “So, it always helps us with our tourism dollars. Even though it’s not in Gadsden, we will help support it. No matter who comes to Etowah County, as long as it’s in Etowah County, Gadsden’s going to benefit.

And the Alabama Wine Festival is catching the public’s attention.

“It’s the thing to do. People want to come and drink wine and have a good time. We have a lot of property here. We can expand and do a lot of things.”

Tourists, including some in RVs are discovering Wills Creek and Alabama wines. The Alabama Wine Festival hopes attract more wine explorers. “We have people driving from New York to New Orleans, and when they’re on the way back, they stop again … It’s beautiful.”

For more information on the Alabama Wine Festival, go to willscreekwinery.com.

Art on the Rocks

Beauty is at the heart of one of Alabama’s great natural wonders, Noccalula Falls. On Sept. 16 and 17, the banks of falls and that part of the Coosa River will come alive with artists, craftspeople and artisans, with everything from paintings to homemade pottery, candles and farm-raised jars of sweet honey and homemade jellies and jams. Woodcarvers and homemade soap makers are among the cornucopia of craftspeople.

Art on the Rocks happens twice annually, this year in April and September. A mainstay on the Alabama festival calendar for nearly two decades, creative folks from across the Southeast come to Noccalula Falls to show their wares. And those items must pass muster, Moore says.

“The coolest thing about what we do is – that not everybody does – is that we vet every single vendor to ensure that their arts and crafts are all handmade,” Moore says. “I don’t think that every arts and crafts festival does that. We’re ensuring that every single vendor out there has homemade arts and crafts.”

The setting adds to the joy of Art on the Rocks, with cool breezes easing the summer heat. Vendors are spread throughout the park, giving visitors a real taste of the outdoors. And food vendors are also at work during Art on the Rocks.

“The setting of it is in Noccalula Falls and it is in the fall so you get a little bit of a taste of the whole area,” Moore says.

September events like Art on the Rocks mean hundreds of thousands of tourism dollars to the local economy, Moore says.

“You’re talking about 2,000 people that are coming into Etowah County to spend their money,” Moore says.

“I preach the fact that we always want to put out a good product,” Moore says. “Because if we put out a good product, we can build on that.”

For more on Art on the Rocks, visit noccalulafallspark.com.

A Taste of Northeast Alabama

One of the newer events on the Neely Henry Lake region’s festival calendar is a foodie’s Nirvana.

Now in its second year, A Taste of Northeast Alabama features restaurants and caterers from all over Northeast Alabama, clear to the Tennessee line.

The Venue at Coosa Landing in Gadsden is home to the culinary celebration, held this year on Sept. 21 from 5 to 8 p.m. Only 500 tickets are available at $20 each. Some 40 to 45 caterers and restaurants will be on hand, serving up their kitchen magic. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Altrusa of Gadsden, an international service organization made up of local clubs.

Visitors can leisurely stroll and taste the best the region has to offer.

The bounce of the festivals, whether for wine, or food, or arts and crafts is that people come to the region, stay in local accommodations, eat locally and shop in local stores.

“It’s huge for us,” Moore says.

And from Gadsden to Duck Springs and across Etowah County, local communities benefit from the natural beauty.

“Most communities would give their left arm to have a natural falls with a huge gorge that sits in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, or a city would give their left arm to have a Coosa River running through their town, or to have a thriving downtown Broad Street like we have, Moore says. “And to have all three of those, that’s what we capitalize on. That’s our strength here in Gadsden.”

The September festivals are part of a concerted effort to transform the region into a tourist destination, not a quick stop on the way to Atlanta. Think concerts at the Depression-era Mort Glosser Amphitheater, an entertainment district, more campgrounds, recreation and more.

“We want Gadsden to be known as ‘Fun Town,’” Moore said.

For more information, visit A Taste of Northeast Alabama at greatergadsden.com.

Kids Casting

Coosa Riverkeeper, LMLPA and community
team up to teach fishing, water safety

Story by Graham Hadley
Photos by Richard Rybka
and courtesy of Coosa Riverkeeper

Want to teach children to love the Coosa River and our local lakes and streams?

The Coosa Riverkeeper says one of the best ways to do that is to teach children all about not just how to enjoy the water, but to learn why this natural resource is so amazing.

To that end, the Riverkeeper teamed up with the Logan Martin Lake Protection Association and the Pell City Boys and Girls Club to hold a Kids Casting free fishing clinic at Pell City’s Lakeside Park on Logan Martin.

“We have seen fewer children over the past few years who know how to fish. That is a multi-generational activity in Alabama, something that is important for so many reasons,” said Abby Brown, director of Community Engagement for Coosa Riverkeeper. It is a hobby, a sport, even a way for some people to help provide for their families.

“We decided to start free fishing clinics this year, with the goal of teaching 100 kids how to fish. It is just over halfway through the year, and we have surpassed that number.”

The sessions focus on traditional fishing techniques with spincaster rods, how to tie knots and about lures and the tools they use to fish.

They also focus on how to be safe around water, and not just fishing.

“We teach kids about water safety and how to fish safely – check the weather, check people around you, use personal flotation devices if you are not a strong swimmer,” Brown said.

All fishing at the event is catch-and-release, and the Riverkeeper instructors take the opportunity to teach the young anglers about the different species of fish, where they live, what they eat and the ecology of their habitats.

“We talk about safe fish handling to reduce the chance of any injuries to the fish,” Brown said.

“Then we teach casting in the parking area. Once they are proficient there, the children are allowed to go ahead and fish in the water.”

At the end of the day, any child who does not have a fishing rod in their home to use is given one to keep.

“We would like, if we get more funding in the future, to be able to give every kid who attends one of these events a rod,” Brown said.

Every participant does, however, get to take home a tacklebox stocked with lures and other gear, along with all sorts of useful information on fishing and water safety.

The Pell City fishing clinic was one of several across the area, with other events on Choccolocco Creek in Anniston and Neely Henry in Gadsden and Rainbow City, and Brown is quick to point out how much of a collaborative effort these and similar classes are.

“The LMLPA did a great job securing the use of Lakeside Park for us,” she said.

Coosa Riverkeeper members help with donations to support the effort, as do other organizations similar to the LMLPA, groups like the Choccolocco Creek Watershed, which has played a big role in working with the Riverkeeper.

She also wanted to thank Bass Pro Shops for helping fund the projects with donations and grants.

“Our community groups, our cities, we all have to work together to get these done,” Brown said.

Because the programs are free, they often give children in underserved parts of the area a chance to learn to fish and about water safety, giving them access to one of Alabama’s greatest natural resources, its waterways.

“Alabama is the river state because we have so many of them” – over 130,000 miles of rivers and streams according to the Alabama Rivers Alliance – “Alabamians should have access to and be able to safely use those waterways. That is why we include water safety, even in a fishing class and provide families with swim guide information,” Brown said.

The fishing classes are just part of the Coosa Riverkeeper’s educational efforts. They sponsor a number of other classes under their Coosa River Environmental Education for Kids (CREEK) program. These cover a wide range of topics. In July, they partnered with Lovelight Farm from Wilsonville to teach children about biodynamic farming.

Organizations like the Coosa Riverkeeper, LMLPA, Choccolocco Creek Watershed, Neely Henry Lake Association and others all need support from local communities and businesses to keep programs like these free for local students. They post regular fundraising efforts on their social media pages and websites and are worth checking out.

Brown said they are a charity partner with the Kellypalooza festival coming up in Ohatchee, which is a great way to help support the Coosa Riverkeeper organization.

Take to the skies

St. Clair Airport hosts Aviation Career Day

Story by Scottie Vickery
Photos by Graham Hadley

When it comes to careers in aviation, the sky’s the limit.

That’s why the St. Clair County Airport is hosting its 5^th Annual Aviation Career Day and Open House, set for Oct. 7 from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The goal of the free event is to showcase some of the many opportunities in the flight industry and to introduce youth and adults to exciting career paths they may never have considered. It also highlights the impact that airports make in the state and local communities.

Precision flying can be seen for miles around

“We had over 3,000 attend last year,” said Wendy Watson, airport manager, who along with Ike Newton, organizes the event. “It’s a great way to promote aviation in our community and to try to get more kids involved in aviation.”

According to a 2020 Economic Impact Study conducted by the Alabama Department of Transportation’s Aeronautics Bureau, the aviation industry accounts for more than 44,000 jobs in the state with an average yearly salary of $65,000. Statewide, airports generate more than $267 million in tax revenue.

The St. Clair County Airport has a $9 million financial impact on the region, according to the study, and the Federal Aviation Administration has designated it a “reliever” airport for Birmingham. It also has hangars available for rent, a flight training school, aviation maintenance facilities and an avionics shop.

“We can be proud of our airport system in Alabama and the daily contributions (airports) make to improve the quality of our lives and grow our economy,” Governor Kay Ivey said following the report’s release. “Aviation is a thriving industry in our state and an important part of our economic health.”

Sea plane a regular sight over Logan Martin

The Career Day fun begins with a free pancake breakfast, complete with pancakes, sausage, juice and coffee, which will be served from 7 :30 to 9 a.m. A free hotdog lunch with chips, soft drinks and water will be available from noon to 1 p.m.

Aerial demonstrations will be held during the lunch hour, and a variety of aircraft – from antique planes and military helicopters to private jets and kit planes – will be displayed. Helicopter rides will also be available for $75 per person.

In addition to pilots, there are many aviation careers in the commercial, military and corporate sectors, including air traffic controllers, avionic engineers, mechanics and more. Seminars throughout the day will explore some of those options. In addition, representatives from flight schools and universities will be on hand to answer questions.

The St. Clair County Airport is located at 240 Airport Road in Pell City. For more information about the event, contact Wendy Watson at wendy@plrairport.com.

Check out our coverage of last year’s event in Discover St. Clair Magazine here.

Boo Bash

Logan Martin ‘Dock or Treaters’ getting ready

Story Paul South
Submitted Photos

As the days dwindle down and the holiday season approaches, three things are certain:

At Christmas, kids aren’t crazy about socks and underwear beneath the tree.

Thanksgiving means a feast, family, football and finally, a nap.

And here on Logan Martin Lake as Halloween approaches, Boo Bash is a straight up, surefire hit. You could say it’s BOO-ming.

In just its second year, the nautical fun fright fest is right up there with supersized candy bars and princess and superhero costumes.

Candy corn can’t catch a break.

The pier-to-pier party for trick-or-treaters of all ages is set for October 8. Logan Martin residents who join the party can expect their fair share of witches, Supermen, Barbies and maybe, just maybe, a pint-sized Oppenheimer.

Organizers Kelli Lasseter, Sonya Hubbard and a growing band of merry pranksters, expect a bigger, better event in 2023. Last year, even as rain fell, an estimated 45 to 50 piers – known affectionately as “dock or treaters” – participated.

As of July 26, some 60 pier owners had signed on to host dock-or-treaters. That number may double, Lasseter says.

Two restaurants, 30 to 40 boats and one personal watercraft braved the wet weather to join the fun in 2022. More are expected this year. In fact, the Boo Bash buzz was heavy, even before July 4 fireworks cooled.

“Obviously, we hope that we have more people who know about it,” Lasseter says. “Not only that, but people who want to participate – to host a pier, that want to get out, decorate their boat and take folks out for the treating.”

More are coming. One couple plans a 60s-themed pier. Others have approached organizers to pitch proposed themes for their piers and boats. And Boo Bash has – for at least one newcomer – helped boost the real estate market.

“I had someone come to me who’s new to the lake, who told me that Boo Bash was one of the selling points,” Lasseter says. “The Realtor told them about Boo Bash. She joined the group and is super excited.”

Lasseter also wants to see Boo Bash spread like the sci-fi creature, “The Blob,” to the upper reaches of the lake to Lincoln, Riverside and neighboring areas.

“Last year, they really didn’t know about it,” Lasseter says of the Lincoln-Riverside area. “We had a few places up there that hosted piers, but we’re hoping we can get some more folks involved.”

In 2023, organizers will have a backup date for Boo Bash in the event of wicked weather – Oct. 15.

Even with last year’s wet weather, the inaugural Boo Bash drew rave reviews. This was about more than kids, costumes and candy and adults bobbing for cocktails.

“It was overwhelming that people loved this event because it gave them an opportunity to spend time with family and friends, get to know their lake neighbors and just have fun,” Lasseter says. “That was the overarching theme. It just brought the community together and people just had a good time.”

Organizers have also stepped up their marketing effort through a more intense social media effort on Facebook, Instagram and hopefully, Tik Tok. Last year, a local radio station – 94.1 The River – Carl Wallace’s Lake Ramblings blog on Facebook and word of mouth also fueled turnout. Nearly 900 locals are considered Boo Bash members. The event also hopes for some bounce from broadcast, print and online media outlets.

Partners By Design, the parent company of Lake Life 24/7 Magazine®, and its sister publication, Discover St. Clair, is promoting Boo Bash 2023 with a specially designed Boo Bash T-shirt, available for purchase online and in Lake Life 24/7’s brick and mortar store. Pier signs are also available to identify participating docks. A percentage of the proceeds from sales will go to offset Boo Bash expenses for the all-volunteer event. As of this writing, Partners is one of 11 local businesses supporting Boo Bash.

“We think our lake is a special place,” says CEO Carol Pappas says. “We want to find ways like (Boo Bash) to promote it, enjoy it and share it.

“This event is a great way to get out and meet your neighbors and have a lot of fun along the way,” Pappas adds. “What a treat for kids of all ages.”

Wayne and Margie Brewer are part of the original group that crafted the inaugural Boo Bash. Their pier will echo the theme they used last year – Skull Island – and using a pole with a pot affixed, they’ll hand out plastic bags filled with candy and Mardi Gras beads. Revelers won’t have to dock.

The Brewers have lived on the lake for 20 years. Boo Bash is a chance to build lake residents into a neighborhood.

It’s a community gathering, to get to know everybody on the lake. It’s just something to do together,” Wayne Brewer says. “We’ve got a great environment here on the lake, and it’s great to have everybody get together and have an activity that’s fun for everybody.”

An earlier start means higher water levels on Logan Martin, making it easier for some residents to participate, Brewer says.

“Last year, some people couldn’t participate because there wasn’t enough water at their dock.”

In these fragmented times, events like Boo Bash bring a kindness to the lake community sweeter than a box of Goo Goo Clusters. Lasseter is emotional as she reflects on Boo Bash’s big splash as it enters its second year.

“It feels really good to see people come together, work together, to do something special for others,” Lasseter says. “This wasn’t about me or anybody else. Sonya and I just had an idea. The Logan Martin Lake community took it and ran with it. It was very special.”

Just how unique and special this event has quickly become was illustrated by the number of folks who approached organizers to sing the praises of Boo Bash.

“With every boat that pulled up, everybody was all smiles, all ‘Hi’s’,” Brewer says. “Every boat was a good experience, for us and the people on the boats.”

Consider the words of one unidentified little boy who was among the wet but happy band of Boo Bashers. Lasseter recounts his words.

“He said it was the best day of his life,” she says. “Out of the mouths of babes, right?”

She adds, “If it wasn’t (the best) for everybody else, it was for that little boy. It was well worth it.”

Dovetail Landing

Bringing hope and comfort to veterans

Story by Paul South
Submitted Photos

This is a story of war and love, heartbreak and hope.

It’s a tale of an earthly hell and two parents’ dream of an earthly heaven for broken veterans and their families and a town that answered the call of duty.

And it’s the story of Daniel Centilli, a Marine’s Marine.

All are part of the story of Dovetail Landing, Pat and Alana Centilli’s mission to honor their fallen son.

First, the Marine.

Hell in Helmand Province

Lance Cpl. Daniel Centilli was a typical American kid. He loved Thanksgiving and fishing and football. A defensive lineman, he was part of Pell City High School’s “Thousand Pound Club,” with membership reserved for the school’s strongest athletes.

Girls loved him. And as it always seems with kids who leave us too soon, Daniel “lit up a room,” his mother, Alana Centilli, remembered.

“He never did anything 50 percent,” she recalled. “He loved hard.”

A day at the pool with family Sarah Morgan Grimes, Jessica Centilli Santos, Mary Esther Krantz, Daniel Centilli and Sam Grimes

A few years after graduation, he joined the Marines. Within months in 2011, he was a machine gunner in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

One soldier who served in the province described it to The Washington Examiner this way:

“It felt like we were on the moon. No trees. No plants. Just gravel.”

It was a hell on earth, where Daniel and his comrades were exposed, sitting ducks for Taliban fighters. An expert marksman, Centilli was in the lead vehicle in a coalition convoy.

As if that wasn’t dangerous enough, Daniel witnessed the murder of his sergeant by an Afghan interpreter.

And at Daniel’s December 2019 funeral, attended by his brothers in arms, one comrade recounted a time when the unit was under attack.

“We saw the red dust flying,” he said, “and I knew Daniel was coming.”

On May 10, 2012, Daniel’s Humvee was hit, and he suffered a severe traumatic brain injury, along with PTSD, the result of the “big blast.”

In 2014, after suffering numbness in his arm, he was taken to Duke University Medical Center where doctors discovered a brain tumor they believed related to the blast.

Then came the long road – hallucinations, where he believed their were aliens coming out of his phone. Another time he was unresponsive shortly after being found walking down a road in his underwear. He told Marines he was “walking with Jesus back to Alabama.”

He was later transferred to a hospital in Portsmouth, Va., and remained there until 2016 when he returned home to Alabama.

The next three years were a journey of psychiatric wards, hallucinations and wandering as far away as Arkansas. At one point near the end, he was placed in a medically induced coma, in hopes that his body would reset.

“This became normal life for us,” his mom said. “When he came out of that coma, he was about 15 mentally. It totally changed everything.”

In December, after a three-month stay in a Florida neurological hospital, he returned home. It was two days before Christmas 2019.

That night, he died in his sleep, not on the battlefield, but in his own bed, yet another casualty in the War on Terror.

“Daniel was just the sweetest soul,” Alana said as she wept. “He loved hard. He loved his family and God, he loved the Marine Corps.”

He was 30 years old.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBoAxHk-xck

The Parents and Their Dream

For two years after Daniel’s death, it seemed the oxygen was sucked from the earth for Pat and Alana Centilli. He was always present – in pictures, in the flag that draped his coffin, or in his crisp dress blues that hung in his closet.

But the Centillis are “fixers,” Alana said. The couple wanted to do something to free themselves from the shackles of grief and to honor their son. It was “their own personal therapy.”

“That’s the only way we could get out of it,” she said. “A part of it is selfish, never wanting anyone to forget Daniel and what he went through. Any of that.”

From tears that rest just under the surface and flow easily came the idea for Dovetail Landing, a place to provide food and shelter – 30 tiny homes and at least 25 family homes – mental health counseling and job training and other resources for vets, their families and caregivers.

Groundbreaking of Dovetail Landing with Mayor Lew Watson, Alana Centilli and Alan Cook

The project – on 57 acres donated by the City of Lincoln – is a place of peace, far from the pain of war. Work began in January 2022.

Billed as “A Veteran Transitioning and Wellness Community,” Dovetail will also help residents navigate the snarl of government red tape to obtain veterans’ benefits, Social Security and other services. At an estimated cost of $40 million, Dovetail will be a “one-stop shop” for all matters affecting vets.

Private citizens and organizations – like the World Games and Lakeshore Foundation – are getting involved, Alana said.

“This is going to help so many people. This is going to help veterans like Daniel. This is going to help people not go through what he had to go through. This is going to help families not go through what we had to go through. This is our push.”

She sees Dovetail Landing as a “transformational project” that in the years and decades ahead will positively impact generations.

“I think of the veterans and their families. We’re going to change their lives. It just gives me chills,” she said, adding, “To be able to do that is so healing for me.”

Lincoln and a military Mom answer the call

Alana and Pat Centilli aren’t the kind to take “No” for an answer.

After two years of hard grief, they set about the business of making Dovetail Landing a reality. Land was the first priority.

In the hunt for land, Alana reached out to an uncle, Darrell Ingram, on the Talladega County Commission, who in turn connected her with longtime Lincoln Mayor Lew Watson and the Lincoln City Council.

Watson, a Vietnam veteran in 1966-67, served in country as the American buildup began. Duty took him from the Mekong Delta to the DMZ, two of the hot zones of the Vietnam War.

He’d seen two of his fellow servicemen take their own lives in Vietnam. And later in Lincoln, he counseled a troubled vet who also committed suicide.

After Alana’s pitch, Lincoln city leaders readily embraced the project.

“The reason why was the purpose,” Watson said. “We heard the story that Alana told us. I had seen a story on TV about veterans committing suicide, but I didn’t really get into it too deep, because it didn’t appear anything personal. But after listening to her talk, recognized hey, this is a real need. And if we’ve got the ability to do something about it, by gosh, let’s do something about it.”

The council’s decision to help Dovetail has been warmly received. Watson recounted a call he received from a veteran in Birmingham after the panel’s action.

“This is a good thing y’all are doing,” the man told Watson. “I came back (after serving), and I was totally worthless. My marriage was going to hell in a handbasket. I couldn’t stay off drugs and alcohol.”

The tormented veteran’s wife told him of a facility in Texas that might help. He went.

Daniel enjoying a day on the lake with his service dog, Diesel, and Diesel’s sister Sadie

“I’m here to tell you,” the man told Watson.” It saved my life. It saved my marriage. It saved me.”

The man told the mayor he’s ready to volunteer at Dovetail Landing.

Closer to home, Michelle Tumlin is also on board. She lost her son Houston, a member of the Army’s iconic 101^st Airborne, to suicide after his battle against PTSD and CTE related in part to his military service.

Houston Project, a store in downtown Pell City owned by the Tumlin family, donates all proceeds of its sales to help meet the needs of veterans and their families.

Houston Project funded the first tiny house at Dovetail Landing. The house fulfills her son Houston’s dream of helping veterans – a sentiment he expressed a year before his death

“Dovetail Landing is going to be a great thing,” she said. “The main reason I wanted to volunteer aside from the fact that it will help so many veterans, Houston wanted to help veterans process out of the military to give them therapy they needed, a place to live, job training. He wanted to help them be able to re-enter civilian life.”

She added, “The minute I found out about Dovetail Landing, I got chill bumps all over my body.”

Epilogue

While many – individuals, the City of Lincoln, corporations, churches, businesses and groups like Alabama Veteran are joining the Dovetail Landing effort, the Centillis believe something larger is at work in a national effort.

“There’s a greater good out there that’s got control of this,” Alana said.” I think Daniel’s looking out for us a little bit. And I believe we’re going to get it done. I’m not going to stop until it’s done.

“It’s going to take Moms and Dads and sisters and brothers and friends stepping up and doing things like this, because (veterans) fought for all of us.”

At its core, this story that began in the heartache of war, grief and loss, is fueled by something higher.

“There’s so much love and sheer determination that’s going into getting this place built, Alana said. “It will help so many people. It’s a heart project for me.”

Reminders of Daniel are never far away. On Memorial Day, she received a text from one of her son’s Marine brothers.

“Dan was the best Marine I ever had the pleasure to lead … [K]now that he’s never forgotten by the guys he fought with … You gave us a warrior and a lifelong friend.”

Editor’s Note: For more information about Dovetail Landing, check out YouTube, Facebook or by emailing info@dovetaillanding.org.

Bulls on the water

Rodeo event returns to Pell City

For two nights in July, you might hear the roar of the crowd at Pell City’s lakeside Sports Complex, but it won’t be the familiar cheers as runners round the base or when a baseball heads skyward for a homerun.

On these two nights in July, the complex transforms into an arena with broncos, bulls and plenty of cowboys vying for top spots in the rodeo circuit.

It’s time for Bulls on the Lake – two nights of rodeo entertainment that attracted more than 3,000 people to its stands in 2022. And organizers predict this year’s rodeo presented by 5L Rodeo Company will be even bigger.

These are sanctioned events with the youth rodeo on Friday night and the pro rodeo on Saturday. The youth rodeo is for members of International Miniature Rodeo Association, ages 5-18. You must be a member to compete. There will be bulls, bareback and barrels.

On Saturday, pros are in the spotlight with bulls and broncs.

Gates open at 5 both nights with the Friday night event starting at 7 and the Saturday night rodeo at 8. Tickets for Friday are $10 and for Saturday, general tickets are $15, and kids under 12 cost $10.

Proceeds benefit the Pell City Future Farmers of America Alumni, which helps sponsor the Pell City FFA Chapter.

The offerings both nights are expanding with more vendors being booked, including Carpenetti’s Pizza, Taco Tuesday, Papa Queso, Southern Sno Shaved Ice, D & W Kettle Corn and Royal Slush. Four western boutiques will be offering their wares as well.

Title sponsors for the events are Tri Green Equipment, Smith & Sons Construction and AmFirst.

Tickets will be sold through the Pell City Civic Center and at the gate.

Lakeside Live MusicFest

Music, cars, kids’ events and more

When Casey Cambron and the Five16 Foundation created a music festival three years ago, the idea was born from a desire to give back to the community.

Fast forward those three years, and Lakeside Live Music Fest has grown into a communitywide event drawing more than 6,000 people to enjoy a day of music and fun for the whole family at Pell City Lakeside Park. It’s free to the public, courtesy of the sponsors investing in the effort, and gates open at 10 a.m.

On stage are noted musical groups like the Leverton Brothers, Wingnuts, Deputy 5 and the Ryan Waters Band.

Lining one of the fields is an impressive car show. Scattered throughout the grounds are all kinds of vendors, food trucks and a host of activities for the children.

One of the main events is Battle of the Badges, a friendly but fierce competition pitting the fire department against the police department.

Nearby, you can cheer on your favorites in the corn hole tournament offering a cash prize.

Couple all those features with hourly door prizes and drawings for major prizes like a kayak, flat top grill, a youth four-wheeler and a television, and what you have is the makings of a true family event that does indeed give back to the community.

Proceeds from Lakeside Live benefits worthy causes throughout the city – police, fire, school system, children’s organizations, Museum of Pell City and Pell City Historical Society.

“Our entire goal is to support our community, to bring people into our community to see what we have to offer,” said Cambron. And he and his band of volunteers have done just that. “We couldn’t host this without our great volunteers,” he said, noting how grateful the Foundation is to have a group of people willing to roll up their sleeves and go to work to support the effort.

“Our mission is to shine a light in our community,” Cambron said. “That’s our goal.”

Live at Logan Martin

Back for fourth year with Saturday Night Fever

The Black Jacket Symphony is again partnering with The Center for Education and Performing Arts, America’s First Federal Credit Union and the City of Pell City for the summer’s biggest lake event Sept. 2.

This year, it’s on a new night – Saturday – for the Fourth Annual Live at Logan Martin featuring a live performance of the legendary soundtrack, Saturday Night Fever.

This disco dance party will be held at the Pell City Sports Complex on Lake Logan Martin. The event site will open at 5:30 p.m., and the concert begins at 7:30 p.m. A rain date is set for the following evening, Sunday, Sept. 3.

“We are thrilled to once again be the presenting sponsor of this wonderful event. AmFirst is proud to support Live at Logan Martin and help bring this event to the community,” said Phil Boozer, SVP-Chief Sales Officer, Marketing for America’s First Federal Credit Union.

VIP squares and general admission tickets are on sale now at liveatloganmartin.com or pellcitycepa.com/tickets. VIP squares accommodate up to four individuals. Fans are allowed and encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs for seating. Table seating is available to sponsors only.

On-site parking will be free but limited. All attendees are encouraged to carpool. Due to the generosity of sponsors, the event is free to boats and will feature large video screens for optimum viewing.

Per regulations from the State of Alabama, bringing alcohol onto the event site is not permitted. Beverages will be available for sale at the event.

“I can’t thank the community enough for the support they’ve given this event over the past four years,” said Jeff Thompson, CEPA Executive Director. “What began as a means to bring joy to our community during the COVID-19 pandemic has grown in an unimaginable way, and we’re so grateful to AmFirst, the City of Pell City and The Black Jacket Symphony for another incredible show.”

Proceeds benefit CEPA Management Corp. and its efforts to increase access to the performing arts in St. Clair County, including live music performances at CEPA in Pell City, and the Spotlight Drama Education and Outreach Program, which helped St. Clair students and community members produce 12 different plays in 2022.

Sponsorship packages are available at Gold, Silver, and Supporter Levels. For more information on sponsoring this one-of-a-kind event in St. Clair County, please email Jeff Thompson at director@pellcitycepa.com.