EVENTS – Page 4 – LakeLife 24/7 Magazine

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.

Alabama Fishing Show & Expo

Whopper of a success at Gadsden’s Venue at Coosa Landing

You can imagine an ear-to-ear smile as Shelia Bunch recounts by telephone her first ever Alabama Fishing Show & Expo.

Held in March at The Venue at Coosa Landing, the show brought in vendors from across the Southeast with wares ranging from rods and reels to lures and lines to boats and everything else perfect for the water.

Bunch is a veteran of these shows, having presented the East Tennessee Fishing Show for the past 30 years. But the Alabama one was new.

In its Gadsden debut, it drew more than 100 vendors and a crowd attendance of over 6,500. “We ran out of space” for vendors before the show even began, which required “thinking outside the box,” she said. Tents were installed outside, making room for even more products.

“Everybody really worked together,” she said, noting that the city, her team and even the vendors joined the effort to make the inaugural show a success.

When a major storm threatened one day, vendors shared or gave away space to accommodate the move inside. “It was wonderful.”

The question she got most often throughout the weekend confirmed a success story in the making: “Are you coming back next year?” Of course, her answer was a quick, “yes.”

“It ended up being a really good thing. I was about as perfect as it possibly could go this year,” she said. “It ended up being great.”

As for next year, additional features are already under discussion, including Crappie vendors, a kids’ fishing tournament and more food vendors.

“We’re going to make it an even better event for next year for everybody,” she said. Save the date – March 8-10, 2024.

Firebirds return to CEPA

Brings back memories of hometown ‘cheerleader’

Story by Carol Pappas
Submitted Photos

Judi Denard had a knack for putting the most unlikely elements together and creating a masterpiece. She had an uncanny ability to envision what could be and set out to make it happen.

It was little more than a year ago when she put the full force of her dynamic personality, ‘can do’ spirit and a love of music together to make history at Pell City Center for Education and Performing Arts.

Judi, Teresa Carden and Becky Jones, wife of Ed Jones, one of the presenters

Taking center stage was The Firebirds, one of Europe’s top Rock ‘n Roll bands, whose appearances were usually reserved for much larger cities. But that night belonged to Pell City, bringing the audience to its feet with ovation after ovation.

Presented by friends Frank Shikle and Ed Jones, Judi convinced them to bring the show to Pell City while they were touring in Birmingham.

Her enthusiasm for an event of this magnitude coming to what she called “our little town” could not escape notice. It was infectious. Storeowners gladly handed over merchandise to give as gifts to the band from England. She planned a reception in their honor, and her attention to detail made them feel at home even across the ocean.

She wanted to show them what Southern hospitality really is to remind them of an evening Pell Citians won’t soon forget. And she did. She became the town’s and the band’s biggest cheerleader.

The Firebirds didn’t forget either. They are returning to center stage at CEPA on May 18 at 7 p.m.

While Judi won’t have her familiar seat in the audience – she passed away from Leukemia just a few months later – the legacy she helped create is expected to excite, entertain and engage the crowd once again. Just like she would have wanted.

The Firebirds are Jim Plummer, Dan Plummer, Rich Lorriman and Paul Willmott – four first-class musicians/vocalists who re-create the complete spectrum of music from the 1950s and 1960s. Their incredible set features everything from commercial music to rockabilly, harmonized doo wop to instrumentals, and even some incredible original hits. The band has undertaken extensive tours both at home and abroad. To date, the band has released three singles and 12 albums.

The last five albums were recorded in their own studio and on their own label, ‘Rockville Records,’ and include a Rock ‘n Roll Special with Linda Gail Lewis, the sister of ‘The Killer,’ Jerry Lee, and two Doo Wop albums. The second album features guest vocalist Den Hegarty of ‘Darts’ fame.

Sponsored by Humana, tickets are $25 available at pellcitycepa.com/tickets.

LakeFest

Event returns to Logan Martin Lakeside Park

It’s easy to say an event is bigger and better than ever, but organizers for Logan Martin LakeFest 2023 mean it.

When LakeFest kicks off Friday, May 12, through Sunday, May 14, at Pell City Lakeside Park, be ready for the Southeast’s largest in-water boat show featuring a host of dealers and onsite financing, row upon row of vendors, a variety of entertainment and food vendors galore.

“We’re excited,” said Eric Housh, one of the organizers of what has become a Logan Martin tradition. “Overall, this is our 13^th year,” and each year seems to get better than the one it follows.

This year is no different, and there’s a reason for that. “We listen,” he said. Community feedback helps them improve on the strong foundation already in place. “We are refocusing to a full family event – fun for the whole family.”

The outdoor festival features entertainment throughout the weekend, lake lifestyle vendors and the splash pad open for the kids for free all day on Saturday.

The event moved from its normal third weekend in May, which this year makes it fall on Mother’s Day weekend. So, organizers have added a special gift for mothers on Sunday – “Mimosas for Moms” – with 1,000 Mimosas given away courtesy of United Johnson Brothers, a major LakeFest sponsor. America’s First is providing free flowers for mothers, too.

“We have had fantastic sponsors over the years,” Housh said. “They make it happen. Without them, we wouldn’t have an event, and they come back year after year” to support it.

Judging by the size of the crowds, support from the community grows year after year, too. An estimated 45,000 to 50,000 attended the 2022 event.

From the beginning when the late Jerry Wood and others envisioned it, it has been LakeFest’s way of “welcoming people into our community and showing them Logan Martin Lake. We are very fortunate to have it here in our backyard,” Housh said.

Because of its sponsors, they have been able to keep the event free to the public. They even offer major giveaways and hourly door prizes as well as nearly nonstop entertainment and a fireworks show in honor of veterans.

“It was important to Jerry to honor veterans,” Housh said, and it has been a tradition since LakeFest’s inception. Veterans from Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home are hosted for the spectacular display in their honor that lights up the sky after dark Saturday.

Entertainment throughout the weekend features a family friendly version of the Velcro Pigmys as the headliners, a number of bands, and children’s television character, Blippy, will appear at this year’s LakeFest on Saturday.

Everyone who enters LakeFest has a chance to enter for major giveaways. “We’re super excited about the giveaways,” Housh said. A Seadoo will be given away by Munford Motorsports. LakeFest is giving away an ATV from Tracker Offroad, and Talladega Home Center will give away a Big Green Egg. “These are going to be really popular,” he added. That’s in addition to impressive door prizes – everything from kayaks and paddleboards to Tshirts and hats to boating accessories.

“We’re looking forward to it. We learn something every year,” Housh said. “Let us know what you think.” l

Ultimate pub crawl

Bringing the party to Downtown Gadsden

Story by Carol Pappas
Submitted Photos

One day a year, it seems everybody’s Irish.

So, pick out your best ‘green,’ gather a few friends and head to downtown Gadsden for the Second Annual St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl Saturday, March 18, from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

It’s a giant party, stretching across block after block of downtown Gadsden where 18 bars and restaurants are hosting the party, inviting one and all to sample their fare and benefit from specials, discounts and prizes.

Gadsden’s only rooftop bar, a perch overlooking the river with a stunning view of the sunset at Jake’s Music Room, will be open and welcoming party goers as well.

The popular pub crawl Tshirts will be on sale on Court Street, and bands will be playing outside some of the bars and restaurants, giving all of downtown a festive atmosphere to revel in the celebration of Ireland’s patron saint.

The pub crawl is held each year on the closest Saturday to St. Patrick’s Day and is a Downtown Gadsden Inc.-sponsored event aimed at bringing people together downtown to experience what the restaurants, cafes, pizza places and bars have to offer.

Kay Moore, director of Downtown Gadsden Inc., anticipates a “big year” for the festivities, encouraging ‘crawlers’ to take advantage of what all these downtown businesses have in store for the celebration. It’s an evening to savor tasty meals and appetizers, enjoy your favorite libations, soft drinks, coffees, lattes and more. And it’s a time for camaraderie with old friends and new ones you’ll meet.

You don’t need a four-leaf clover to count yourself lucky to be a part of it – Irish or not.

First Fridays

Downtown Gadsden’s signature event returns, building bigger and better traditions

Story by Carol Pappas
Submitted Photos

Just like an old friend you haven’t seen in a bit, Downtown Gadsden’s First Friday is back and ready to pick up the conversation – and the fun – where it left off in October.

First Friday returns April 7 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., building on what began with one small business in 2006 to a full-blown tradition that attracts people from multiple states from April to October each year.

“We’re looking forward to another great year,” said Downtown Gadsden Director Kay Moore. From the classic car show to the entertainment, downtown Gadsden becomes a destination point each month for this free, family event.

Broad Street, downtown’s main street, is closed to automobile traffic on First Friday, and food vendors to handle the overflow crowds set up shop in the 400 block. On 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and possibly the 600 block, entertainment plays to diverse audiences. “We have jazz, R & B, rock ‘n roll, bluegrass, line dancing, the cowboy church band – a little bit of everything for everybody,” Moore said.

If one block doesn’t quite fit your musical tastes, “just keep walking,” she suggested. “You’ll hear something you like in the next block.”

As has been the custom with First Friday, the classic car show is a huge draw that attracts thousands of car enthusiasts from all points in Alabama and throughout the Southeast. And it just keeps getting bigger and better every year.

Organizations like Main Street Alabama and Main Street America have taken notice of Gadsden’s successful efforts to bring people back to downtown. Gadsden’s many honors include Top 10 awards for its promotional activities.

“We remind people we have a good downtown,” Moore said. “It’s the heartbeat of the community,” stressing that efforts reach well beyond First Friday. Promotions and events – from a chili cookoff to a St. Patrick’s Day pub crawl – ensure that downtown merchants benefit from the increased activity drawing prospective customers their way on a regular basis.

“They like coming to our downtown,” she said.

Downtown Gadsden Inc. efforts don’t stop there, though. The organization is involved in beautifying and revitalizing the downtown area. The Pittman Theatre stage is being expanded and the ceiling is being dropped to improve its ability to host concerts.

Downtown Gadsden has entered into a public-private partnership with Walnut Gallery and Gadsden Museum of Art, leveraging its own $10,000 grant into a larger pool of $25,000 to place an 18-foot kinetic wind sculpture on the corner of 1st and Broad Streets. Just a short distance from the river and recognizing the water’s roots in Gadsden’s history, the sculpture resembles a fish with parts moving with the breeze.

“We’re really, really excited” about the sculpture coming and what the future holds for downtown, Moore said. There is no shortage of “great ideas” from the new mayor and administration that can be part of the planning that lies ahead.

“There’s a lot going on in Gadsden this year,” she added. First Friday and all the rest have been “a huge success for our downtown merchants and everybody else.”