Story by Elaine Hobson Miller Photos by Graham Hadley and Submitted photos
Two parks needed signs. Two brothers needed Eagle Scouts Service projects. It was a perfect match.
Scouts gather at new sign: Assistant Scout Master Jacob Turner, Lincoln City Councilman Joey Callahan, Scout Christian Hunt, Life Scout and Eagle Candidate Hunter Smith, Life Scout and Eagle Candidate Allen Hill, Scout Hunter Smiley and Scoutmaster Darren Britton
Hunter Smith, 17, created a welcome sign at Lincoln’s Landing, while his brother, Allen Hill, also 17, created an informational sign at Jackson Shoals Park on Choccolocco Creek. Both members of Boy Scout Troop 137 of Lincoln, the brothers designed the signs, raised construction funds, built their signs and led in the installations. Both signs were installed in July.
The Lincoln’s Landing sign simply says, “Welcome to Lincoln’s Landing,” and has a laser etching of a bass at the top. The Jackson Shoals sign gives information about plants and wildlife in the area.
“Both boys did all the planning and implementations on their projects,” says their Scoutmaster Darren Britton, who is also police chief of Lincoln. “They did the research, got the approvals, did the fundraising and provided the leadership to carry out the projects.”
Smith says he came up with the idea for a new sign at Lincoln’s Landing after observing the inadequacy of the original sign, which was nothing more than a banner. His project required him to draw the sign and present the design to Scoutmaster Britton and the City of Lincoln for approval.
“The 3-by-5-foot sign is made of 3/16th-inch steel,” Smith says. “After I designed what I wanted, I got with Park Director Les Robinson, who gave me the Lincoln’s Landing logo. I sent that logo, along with my design, to Laser Cut Designs in Birmingham, and they cut it.”
Tom Martin, the grandfather who raised both boys, is a do-it-yourselfer who guided them along in the work. “He did none of the work but made sure we did everything right and didn’t mess up,” Smith says.
Lincoln Mayor Lew Watson visits the new sign at Jackson Shoals Park.
Allen Hill went through the same process as Hunter Smith to construct the sign at Jackson Park. That one is made of vinyl-coated aluminum, framed in wood with a metal roof, and measures 4 by 4 feet. It cost $625 to build.
Hill and Smith secured funds from most of the same donors: Laser Cut Designs of Birmingham, Griffin Laser Engraving of Lincoln, Midway Auto of Lincoln, Home Depot of Pell City and Lincoln Hardware. In addition, Lincoln Park Director Les Robinson contributed to Smith’s project, and Eastman Chemicals of Anniston bought the initial supplies for Hill’s project.
“Mine was a personal donation, the park didn’t contribute anything,” Robinson says of Smith’s $450 Lincoln’s Landing sign. “Hunter and the Scouts who helped him install the sign did outstanding work, and I’m glad it turned out so well. Maybe we can get together with those guys on another project another day.”
Lincoln Mayor Lew Watson says the Lincoln’s Landing sign reflects the time and quality Smith put into them. “It’s wonderful,” Watson says. “Now we have a professional-looking sign. People have seen it and commented on how nice it is. It’s a welcome addition.”
Fellow Scouts Hunter Smiley, Christian Hunt and Riley Alvein helped with the construction of both projects, while former Eagle Scout Jacob Turner helped the boys get together the paperwork they need to process in order to become Eagle Scouts. Hill and Smith will be the 42nd and 43rd Eagle Scouts respectively, from Troop 137. “The final result is not what these projects are about,” says Chief Britton, who has been scoutmaster of the troop since 2005. “The main part is the leadership involved in making it happen. Other than minimal adult advisement, they did everything.”
Summer 2022 proved sweeter for the City of Southside as the village on the Coosa debuted its highly anticipated waterfront park. Lovingly coined Southside Landing, the park beckoned residents and visitors to its pristine property on May 1 – and it has been smooth sailing ever since.
Residents frequented Southside Landing this summer, as the community embraced the waterfront park with an enthusiastic celebration of the city’s latest attraction. From boaters and fishermen enjoying the river to children laughing on the playground, people treasure the new jewel on the Coosa each day.
Southside Landing offers a little reprieve for everyone, including a boat launch, pier, playground, picnic tables and restrooms. Blackstone Bait Shack – a tangent of local beloved restaurant Blackstone Pub & Eatery – is in the process of opening soon.
The concept for Southside Landing arose when the previous mayoral administration took the initiative to purchase property for a boat launch, pier, bait shack and boat slips. When current mayor, Dana Snyder, entered her new position, she began discussing the plans formerly in place as one of her top priorities – determining to finish the park and open the space to the public.
Children frequent the new inclusive playground available at Southside’s waterfront park.
“Southside Landing is the gateway to our city,” said Snyder. “It is a place to gather, play, read, relax, exercise and eat – any day of the week. It offers residents and visitors alike a place to enjoy our beautiful river and soon, a place to hang out, with food and drinks! We will continue to improve it yearly.”
Snyder elaborated on these potential improvements, describing the growth she envisions for the space and Southside overall. She foresees future developments on the horizon, including further retail establishments and restaurants, alongside additions to the playground or walking trail.
She hopes to incorporate outdoor exercise equipment in different spots along the path for all ages to enjoy as a motivating factor for children and adults alike to practice healthy habits and exercise outdoors. Purchasing shades to cover the existing playground and the patio at Blackstone Bait Shack emerge as another endeavor. And Snyder is discussing plans for a possible kayak launch on the Landing’s back side, to provide easy access to present kayakers, while sparking an interest in the activity in others.
As locals soak in the sunshine during summer months and indulge in the recreation at their fingertips at Southside Landing, Snyder shared that the waterfront park transcends seasonal appeal. With city- and county-organized events scheduled from month to month, Southside Landing holds the potential to become a beloved tourist destination in Etowah County year-round.
Small tournaments have already launched from the Landing, with the city’s first sponsored tournament debuting on Sept. 17. Plans for Southside’s collaborative Christmas Boat Parade, hosted alongside Rainbow City, is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 10.
Southside on the move
Southside Landing marks the beginning of a “New Southside,” according to Snyder, who discussed how the park intwines with the city’s innovative progress. As Southside Landing attracts tourism and creates a safe, pleasant space for residents, Snyder and her team strive to implement updates citywide.
A couple overlooks the Southside Bridge on the pier at the waterfront park.
With the incentive of providing better and more efficient services to citizens and businesses, Southside recently upgraded its city’s software and procedures, including a pay scale that offers more incentive for employees.
A paving project – affecting over 30 city roads – is almost complete, coinciding with the city’s plans for initiating its own garbage service.
A new fire station, which will accommodate the growing need of health and safety services and establish a place for the city’s first responders to serve residents and businesses is in the works.
Next is the expansion of Southside’s police department. Snyder announced that Southside almost has completed its strategic plan, which will provide the city and its officials with essential information in designing blueprints for future development and boosting economic success.
By improving its infrastructure and services, Snyder said, Southside will be ready for the future growth that is expected throughout its city in the near future.
“Southside Landing is here for residents’ use, because of the hard work of the past and present administrations,” said Snyder, noting that the efforts of dedicated individuals who understood the park’s significance and brought such success to fruition.
“The past administration took an opportunity presented to them and purchased the land with a vision for development of a boat launch and facility to provide public access to the Coosa River – our biggest asset for tourism and citizens. We want everyone to enjoy the park and have fun, while taking pride in Southside Landing and treating it with respect.”
Snyder welcomed the community to experience Southside Landing for themselves, celebrating the improvements taking place throughout the city and looking forward to those yet to come.
She invited residents and interested individuals to share their thoughts with her on the project, noting that her open-door policy remains intact, as does her passion for the lovely city she calls home.
Nearly every weekend of the year, the waters below Birmingham Sailing Club seem to roil with activity from serious competitors in different classes, like Flying Scots and Thistles, to better their standings on a national point system accumulated over the entire year.
“Every race counts,” said David Reich. “A finish in every race counts. That’s the reason it’s more competitive.”
Birmingham Sailing Club members continue to make their names known in the standings. Sally Morris just finished second in the Dallas Flying Scots Women’s North American Championship.
It’s hard to imagine that the vast expanse of water – the widest opening on Logan Martin Lake at a mile – was once a skinny river surrounded by farmland and thick forest 60 years ago.
Sam Caldwell, a thistler from Birmingham, used to take his boat to Lake Guntersville. In 1962, when Alabama Power Company planned to dam up the Coosa River near Birmingham to harness energy for hydroelectric power, Caldwell had a plan of his own.
With an Alabama Power map in hand, he scoured woods, pastureland and hillsides until he found just the right spot. In 1962, he and fellow thistler, Herb Hagler, signed an option on land near where Logan Martin Dam would be built. By December of that year, the purchase was complete “thanks to the help of fifteen foolhardy souls willing to pay initiation fees to a sailing club with no water,” according to the club’s history. Few knew anything about sailing but bought into the vision.
David Reich’s father was among the charter members, and he helps carry on the vision and the legacy today. “Those are the deepest ramps on the lake,” he said, motioning toward the dock and slips. “They were poured before the lake was here.”
Today, 46 sailing events a year are held there on weekends. Membership stands at 150. It offers adult learn to sail classes, junior sailing and fleet racing in Flying Scot, Thistle and Keelboat.
There are Sunday afternoon races throughout the year and one-day regattas once a month during spring and summer months, as well as invitational regattas that bring in entries from all around the Southeast.
Its nine acres on a knoll overlooking the lake also features a clubhouse, fixed and floating docks, parking, paved launching ramps and a lake swimming area.
Planned is an expanded patio and cooking terrace with a clubhouse entrance, named for Reich’s father, Harry C. Reich.
The elder Reich was “charter member, past commodore, visionary, competitor and sportsman,” according to the architectural rendering description. The Harry C. Reich Memorial Project is aimed at improving the use and appearance of the BSC facility and “enhance the entire BSC membership and guest experience.”
It’s just one more vision on that storied horizon.
He loved Louis L’Amour novels, John Wayne movies and his family. He was an honest man who never borrowed money, who helped his neighbors and was strict with his kids. A witty man with a dry sense of humor. A hard worker who believed in giving an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay.
This is how family and friends remember David Shepherd Evans Jr., owner of Greensport Marina, who died March 12 at the age of 91.
He was one of the last two ferrymen to shuttle people and their vehicles back and forth across the Coosa River. The other was his father, Dave Sr., who continued to operate the Greensport Ferry without his son’s help until the late 1950s.
Greensport Ferry 1955
“Dave Sr. took over operation of the ferry in the mid-1940s, and Dad helped him until 1957, when he went to work for Republic Steel in Gadsden,” says daughter Beth Evans Smith. “It gave him time to spend with his father.”
Dave Jr., known as Pop within the family, had told one of his ferry customers that he was going to look for another job because he had a baby on the way. Little did he know that the customer was the personnel manager at Republic. “He told Dad to be at the mill at a certain time, and when Dad got there, the man hired him,” Beth says.
The original Green’s Ferry was located on the banks of the Coosa River across from the home of former Revolutionary War soldier Jacob Green, built in 1832. That’s the same year the ferry was chartered to deliver mail. Pulled first by slaves and later by mules, by Dave Sr.’s day it was propelled with a small skiff powered by a six-horsepower outboard motor. The ferry took folks from Green’s Port (later Greensport) across the Coosa River to a point a few miles from Ohatchee.
The land attached to Greensport Marina was designated a Bicentennial Farm by the U.S. Department of Agriculture two years ago because it has been in the same family for eight generations. Dave Jr. was a direct descendent of Jacob Green, and his grandchildren make up the eighth generation.
The farm
Dave Evans Jr. and
Extension Agent W.D. Jackson
The farm spans three counties and a couple of centuries. It is in St. Clair, Etowah and Calhoun counties. “It was also recognized as a Century and Heritage Farm by the Alabama Department of Agriculture,” Beth says. “Being a Bicentennial Farm is icing on the cake.”
The Century Farm designation is awarded to farms that have been in the same family continuously for at least 100 years and are currently being used for farming activities. A Heritage Farm must have been used as a family farm for at least 100 years and possess historical significance, including at least one structure standing for 40 years or more. Each type of farm must be at least 40 acres, and the owner must live in Alabama. The Green-Evans farm is about 1,200 acres.
Dave Jr. and his father raised cattle and corn, although they downsized their herd after losing more than 400 acres of prime pasture to the damming of the Coosa in 1966. They also had a store at Greensport and at one time warehouses and a post office.
Dam doesn’t stand in his way
“My grandfather built the marina, but my dad and I went with him to the meetings with Alabama Power Company,” Beth says. “My dad had to do much of the physical work on the farm because my grandfather was not in good health. He was a diabetic and so was my dad.”
A visionary back in the 1960s, he could see the marina in that cow pasture, and built it before the waters were dammed and covered the land. “That was just as much Dad as grand,” says Dave III. “They built the marina for my granddad to have something to do in retirement, but it was Dad’s foresight that made it work. He was on a dozer the day they put the plug in (the dam). He went out there to knock a pile of dirt down, but before he could leave, the water was up to the top of the tracks on the dozer.”
Dave Evans Sr. was elected sheriff of St. Clair County in 1958, and the ferry was no longer operational by then. “Dad was a deputy sheriffwhen my grandfather was sheriff,” says Beth. “Hence his nickname at Republic, which followed him when Republic became LTV and then Gulf State Steel, was Sheriff. He was brave and would take on Goliath if necessary. His experience with the sheriff’s office helped us many times dealing with the public at the marina.”
Always on the go
When her father retired from Gulf State Steel in 1993, Beth thought he would be lost, but he never looked back. “He started going to the stockyards with my brother, Dave III, who is a veterinarian, and helping him with the cattle,” she says.
A man who didn’t believe in borrowing money, he had no credit or debit cards. “He believed in paying cash as you go,” she says. “If you didn’t have the money you shouldn’t buy. If he wanted or needed something he could ‘find’ the money because he stuck it away.”
Her brother, Dave III, says their father was the tightest human being he’s ever known. “I’d give him money to keep for me, and I’d get the very same bills back,” he says. “Dad was pretty thrifty with his money. Also, he kept his word. If he said he was going to do something, he’d do it.”
Beth says her father was strong-willed, too. After he retired, he developed a blood clot in his brain. He had surgery and recovered. “He was tough as nails,” Beth says. “He also survived a collision with a loaded log truck on the way home from Moulton Stockyard. He and my brother came out of that without a scratch, but the veterinary truck was totaled, including every bottle of medicine.”
A hard worker all of his life,at the age of 12, he was in the coal mines in Bibb County. His father’s family were miners in West Blockton, Margaret and Acmar.
“My Dad told stories about driving trucks, falling into the coal shoot, blind-folding the mules when taking them from the mines, and that you didn’t kill the rats and mice because they were your best friends,” Beth says. “When the varmints started running out of the mine you had better be right behind them (because) something was going to happen.” Her mother, Margaret, was a hard worker, too. He was devastated when she died of cancer in 2012. “They were very close,” Beth says.
One of his former co-workers at the steel mill, Bill Lankford, says that in the 37 years Dave Jr. worked at Republic/LTV/Gulf State, he never laid out except when he was in the hospital. “When he was on the morning shift, he would always arrive 30 minutes early and make the coffee. He was very dedicated to his family, his co-workers and his job.” The pair were two of the three men who worked in Republic’s pulpit, their name for the glass-walled computer control room.
“He believed in us working at the marina, too,” Beth says. “We never took family vacations unless we visited our relatives in Foley or Tuscumbia.” Dave Jr. furnished CB radios for the family and workers to communicate with each other around the marina, and later low-band business radios in the trucks. Their 199-foot, low-band tower finally fell this year.
Dave III says when Pop retired, he started helping him in his mobile veterinary business. “For the last 20 plus years, he’d go to the stockyards and different places with me where I would do Coggins tests,” Dave III says. “I have fond memories of him just riding with me everywhere and helping me do the paperwork at the sales.” Dr. Dave Evans III has the South’s only traveling federal veterinary lab, and the pair would go to horse sales that needed immediate results on blood tests.
There was no mistaking his love of country. Beth says her dad never missed an opportunity to vote. He told her and her brother that voting was an obligation. “Don’t complain about anything if you don’t vote,” she remembers him saying. “He said many people gave up a portion of their lives for us to vote and many gave their lives. I don’t miss an election! He served in the Air Force during the Korean War but was released early because his father was ill and as an only child, Dad was needed to run the farm.”
An honest man who “told you like it was,” what you saw in him was what you got. “There was nothing fake about my Dad,” Beth says.
A fan of Westerns
“Dave really enjoyed Westerns, and in the 1950s, he would come to our house to watch them on TV with my father while his wife, Margaret, visited with my mom,” says Margaret Green, one of Dave’s cousins. “The mountains around his home prevented him from having TV reception, but on the hill at Lock 1 where I lived, the reception was good. I hardly ever saw Dave without a Western novel somewhere close. His favorite author seemed to have been Louis L’Amour.”
Beth says he read every book written by L’Amour and had more than one copy of some of them. He also read Ralph Compton, the Western author from Odenville, and others, and enjoyed the newspaper and the Shotgun News. His favorite actors were John Wayne and Clint Eastwood.
A strong will
Another attribute that set him apart was his ability to accept the cards he was dealt. One example was the way he quit smoking: cold turkey. “It was like he was a chain smoker one day and the next day he threw the cigarettes away,” Beth says. “Also, from the moment he was diagnosed with diabetes, he knew what had to be done. Momma changed the way she cooked, and daddy stayed on a strict diet. He didn’t have the issues other diabetics have, such as loss of eyesight, amputation of limbs, sores not healing and constant fluctuations in his blood sugar levels. He was diagnosed in 1972-73 and lived with the disease 50 years.”
The blood clot developed in 1993, and Dave Sr. went on a honeymoon period of 10 years without insulin. Then he began to lose weight and had to start on insulin again. “In his last years he had aFib,” Beth says. “He fell out at the barn and lay there several hours before being found. When he went to rehab the second time, he got pneumonia and from then on, his health started spiraling downward. As a result, he had to have care 24/7.”
Dave III probably handled 70-80 percent of the night shifts with Pop the last few years of his life, but his son made sure Pop’s daytime caregivers drove him around various places each day. “I wouldn’t want to be sitting staring at four walls all the time,” Dave says. “Pop’s mental state the last year wasn’t the best, but he still enjoyed conversing with folks.”
Stephanie Evans, wife of Dave III, describes her father-in-law as “one of the most business-minded, innovative people that have been on the property.
“Throughout the building of this RV park, which opened in 2019, my father-in-law was my biggest encourager,” she says, tears welling up at the memories. “He was wheelchair-bound toward the end, but his caregiver would bring him by the office every day. Four days before he died, he said, ‘Stephanie, I can’t see out of this eye, and this side of my face is paralyzed,’ and I said, ‘Pop, do you see the good side or the bad side of me?’ And he said, ‘I always see the good side.’”
Pop would sit in a rocker on the front porch of the office, and Stephanie, who works in the park office, would leave the door open so they could converse. Often, he would have his caregiver drive him through park to see the changes. “He loved to talk to people at the store and boat ramp, especially about the history of the place,” Stephanie says. “He was a pleasant man to be around.”
Stephanie says her relationship with her father-in-law was one of best friends rather than in-laws. “I took him to lots of doctors’ appointments,” she says. “My husband and I had this joke. I used to say to my husband, ‘Your daddy made my day. Sorry it wasn’t you.’ When Pop died, my husband said, ‘Well, gotta step up my game.’”
“My goal is to continue his legacy in how he’d want the property to move forward.”
Nothing’s sweeter than life on the lake … with a baker and a griller
Story by Scottie Vickery Photos by Kelsey Bain and Graham Hadley
If it’s a weekend in the summer, chances are good there’s going to be a crowd at Leigh and Jeff Gardner’s Neely Henry Lake home in Ohatchee.
Leigh Gardner’s co-workers loved her breads so much, they encouraged her to start selling them.
The sparkling water, the lure of a boat ride and the promise of some crappie fishing are pretty good draws, but more than likely, the group is coming for the food. Jeff’s probably got some hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill, wings in the fryer or ribs on the smoker, but Leigh’s desserts are the main attraction. “I’ve been baking since I was a teenager,” she said. “Jeff says I snagged him with my chocolate cake.”
Whether it’s cakes, cookies, sweet breads or fudge, Leigh has pretty much mastered it all. In fact, her baked goods got such rave reviews from friends that she took their advice and started a side gig. “I was always making things and taking them to work; it’s just one of the things I like to do to make it a great work environment,” said Leigh, a pharmacist at Quick Meds Express Pharmacy in Oxford. “The girls at work kept saying, ‘You need to sell these.’”
Now, she gets frequent requests for her cinnamon walnut bread, her strawberry cheesecake bread with strawberry butter, as well as a variety of cakes, cookies and other treats. “People like to give them as gifts,” she said. “I’ve gotten orders on top of orders.”
It’s in the genes
Right off Leigh’s kitchen that overlooks the water is a coffee bar with a bin of snacks hanging above it. The chips are a hit with her two daughters and their friends, but it’s her great-grandmother’s coffee cups and sugar bowl that warm Leigh’s heart. The china cabinet and buffet are filled with family treasures, and her great-great-grandmother’s dough bowl has a place of honor in the center of the table.
Family is important to Leigh, and she has wonderful memories of growing up and helping her mom and both grandmothers in the kitchen. “Growing up, peanut butter cookies were my specialty,” she said. “That was my thing, and I still use the same recipe from way back when.”
History has a way of repeating itself, and these days, 10-year-old Elise loves to help her mom in the kitchen. “I crack the eggs because Mama’s not that good at that,” she said. “She gets eggshells in there.” Brooklyn, 15, isn’t a big fan of kitchen duty, but she’s always a more-than-willing taster. “Most everything she makes is pretty good,” the teenager acknowledged.
Lots of folks seem to agree, based on the requests she gets after she started selling her breads, cakes and cookies last December. She started by offering her cinnamon walnut bread on Facebook, and the next thing she knew, she was taking orders and making deliveries.
Sweet success
“The plan was to do bread, but then I had one client ask if I could bake a certain cake,” Leigh said. “I baked it for her, and her family loved it. Then she wanted me to do macaroons and a few other things. I like different things that challenge me.”
Leigh’s cinnamon walnut bread and strawberry cheesecake bread with strawberry butter are two of her most popular offerings
Although she’s got a collection of favorite recipes, she’s always on the hunt for more. “I look up a lot of stuff online and then I tweak it to where I want it to be,” she said. “People give me recipes now, and I love it. I like to have a story with it.”
While she takes lots of orders, Leigh often posts on Facebook when she’s got extra loaves or cakes that are fresh from the oven. Some days it’s salted caramel or butterscotch bread, and some days it’s chocolate pecan, banana walnut or sourdough. Her regular breads sell for $15, and the breads that come with strawberry butter or honey cinnamon butter are $20. Cookies are $15 a dozen, and cakes start at $40.
Although the Facebook offerings get claimed quickly, most of her customers aren’t picky – they’ll take whatever they can get and they’re willing to wait. “A lot of people just say, ‘Whenever you do your next batch, make me a strawberry cheesecake,’” she said. “Around the holidays, I got a lot of last-minute orders. People would ask what I had available, and I usually have something for them.”
Leigh has an extra fridge on the back porch and a freezer in the garage for just such emergencies. “I make a lot of things ahead of time and freeze them,” she said. “They’re just as good as the day you make them.”
So, what’s her secret? It starts with her homemade vanilla, which she makes by soaking vanilla beans in vodka for six to eight weeks. “It makes everything taste better,” she said. “I make bottles and give them as gifts at Christmas.”
Another weapon is the different starters for her breads. She uses a mixture of flour, sugar, milk, yeast and water, allows it to ferment and “feeds” it every five days by adding more of the ingredients. She’s had the same batch of starter going for four or five years now, and she uses it for the cinnamon walnut bread and her carrot cake.
Although Leigh never intended to start a business when she baked for her co-workers, she’s enjoyed making her breads and desserts for family, friends and her growing list of customers. “It’s been crazy,” she said. “Every evening I’ll come in from my full-time job, mix something up and bake it. A lot of mornings, I’ll mix up some bread, and it’s ready by the time I’m out the door at 8:15.”
Just add water
On the mornings she’s not baking, Leigh loves to get up early, walk the dogs and enjoy the scenery. The Gardners moved into their lakeside home last September, and even though they had lived in a house with a view of the lake for years, they’re still discovering the joys of being right on the water.
Elise, Leigh and Brooklyn at home in kitchen with Mom’s creations.
“We love it here,” Leigh said. “We went out in the boat all the time before, but we had to pack up the car and drive to get the boat. Now we can just walk down, get on the boat and go.”
Fishing is a lot easier these days, too. “We can go anytime we want,” she said. “The other night we fished off the pier until almost 10 o’clock.”
Leigh and Jeff, a driver for UPS, said their new home is an answer to prayer. Jeff was driving his route one day when he saw a sign in the front yard. “We had just ridden over here on the boat and said, ‘Man, I wish they’d put that house up for sale,’” he said. “That was Sunday, and I was over here Wednesday. I called Leigh and said, ‘You’re not going to believe it.’”
Their old house “was in binocular’s distance” to their new one, Jeff said, but the ease of walking out the back door to head for the water can’t be beat. “We loved both places,” he said, “but this is a whole lot more convenient.”
Want to taste some of Leigh’s breads and desserts yourself? Find her on Facebook at facebook.com/leigh.fordham to place your order.
Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
½ cup cranberries
½ cup pecans
½ cup white chocolate chips
Combine butter, brown sugar and sugar. Then add egg and vanilla, and mix well. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, and mix well. Add remaining ingredients one at a time and then mix well.
Chill dough 2-4 hours or overnight. Drop onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.
Bread Starter
¼ cup warm water
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
Combine water and yeast and let mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Mix flour, sugar and milk together and add yeast mixture. Put the starter in a gallon-sized plastic1 bag or a plastic container and let it sit on the counter for five days (do not refrigerate).
After the first five days, add 1 cup milk, 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. After five more days (and every five days after) add ½ cup milk, ½ cup flour and ½ cup sugar.
For best results, let the starter ferment for 2-3 weeks before using. Save 1 cup of starter after making the bread and repeat the feeding accordingly.
Honey Cinnamon Butter
½ cup (1 stick) salted butter
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp. honey
½ tsp vanilla
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
Add ingredients one at a time and mix well. Store butter in the refrigerator. Toast or microwave cinnamon walnut bread slices and spread butter on top. Enjoy!
Cinnamon Walnut Bread
Cinnamon Walnut Bread
(Makes two loaves)
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
½ cup milk
½ tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
2 boxes instant vanilla pudding
1-2 cups walnuts
1 cup bread starter
Mix all ingredients well and pour into two greased loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.
St. Louis-style Ribs
1 package St. Louis Style ribs
Salt
Rub of your choice
Garlic powder
Hickory wood chunks
Boil ribs in a pot of water with salt for about 30
minutes. Cover the ribs in a barbecue rub of your choice and garlic powder.
Put ribs on smoker, but don’t place them directly on the fire. Add some hickory chunks. Cook for about 3 hours. Eat them plain or dip in your favorite barbecue sauce.
Story by Linda Long LakeLife 24/7 Archive photos Submitted photos
When the dogwoods bloom, and tulips and daffodils compete for color, you know it’s springtime in the South. You also know it’s party time in Pell City!
The traditional must-attend event of the year is just weeks away, Logan Martin LakeFest and Boat Show, the Southeast’s largest in-water boat show, May 20 – May 22 at Lakeside Park.
And why not? Where else can you be filled with music, carnival food, more music, barbecue and what some call the best crab cakes anywhere around? And you just might go home with a brand-new boat.
According to LakeFest Eric Housh, who organizes the annual event with Justin Hogeland, some 35,000 folks are expected to attend this year, up from 5,000 at the first one 12 years ago.
And they’ll be coming by boat or car – maybe on foot – lawn chairs, kids and pets in tow.
“Yeah,” laughed Housh, “a guy brought a pet snake one year. But mostly, we get dogs. It’s the biggest party on the lake – one of those events that’s family friendly and pet friendly.”
Housh says while the three-day festival offers something for everyone, the boats are by far the biggest draw. Seven boat dealers are showcasing their products this year with everything thing from bass boats to pontoons, tritoons and personal watercrafts.
“The boats are in the water,” said Housh. “People can actually test drive them on the lake, something they can’t do at dealerships. Of course, our presenting sponsor is America’s First Federal Credit Union, so they’re on site with their equipment. If somebody finds a boat they really like, they can finance it right there and basically go home a boat owner.”
Housh applauds all the event’s corporate sponsors saying, “We’ve been really blessed in these 12 years with a core group of sponsors who, from day one, believed in this event and the community and who worked to support it. Having that level of commitment from the corporate partners makes putting on an event like LakeFest so much easier, the fact that we’re able to keep it free. We always said we wanted something that would not only enhance the community but also give back to it.”
And they have – through the impressive event itself and through the tens of thousands of dollars the parent organization, Logan Martin Charity Foundation, has given to nonprofits throughout the community and to improve the park. A pavilion at the park in memory of Jerry Woods, one of the original founders and visionaries of LakeFest, and additional boat slips are courtesy of the group’s foundation.
Housh also gave kudos to the City of Pell City for its support. “Having Lakeside Park as the venue and having the support of the city really helped us grow the event. It’s been phenomenal. The city has always been great to us, and we’ve enjoyed their support.”
Ready for a test drive?
This year, some 50 vendors will offer their wares at LakeFest. All services or products must be targeted to lake living or relevant to the lake lifestyle. Preference is given to businesses that are headquartered or primarily operate in the Logan Martin Lake area.
“We’re expanding the vendor area this year,” said Housh. “We don’t want to exclude anybody who wants to be a part of the event, but we are kind of selective in terms of the kind of vendors we allow down there.”
They have moved the parking area to allow for a lot of green spaces, kids area, access to the splash pad and a lot of areas of interest all weekend long.
On the concert-sized main stage, live music is featured all weekend long as well as all kinds of giveaways. Headlining the 2022 edition is a free concert Saturday night at 7 by country music star Tyler Farr.
As is tradition, on Friday night, around 8 p.m., fireworks light up the sky over Logan Martin Lake with a spectacular show dedicated to veterans, and Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home residents are special guests for the show.
Despite having a day job, Housh says the reason he volunteers his time and energy to LakeFest is simple. “I love it. I love the lake. I grew up on this lake skiing and boating and fishing. I’ve always had a passion for it.”
And by the looks of the size of the crowds that flock there each year, they do, too.
Editor’s Note:Follow LakeFest on Facebook and Instagram. Check loganmartinlakefest.com for updates to scheduling.
LakeFest Schedule
May 20: 2:00 PM – 9:00 PM
8 am – 1 pm: Vendor Setup
2 pm: LakeFest open to the public
2 pm – 9pm: Beginning GIVEAWAYS on the hour, EVERY HOUR!
4pm – 9 pm: Live music on the TRACKER OFF ROAD stage
Soon after dark (estimated around 8 pm): FIREWORKS show honoring veterans from the Colonel Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home
9 pm: LakeFest closes for the evening
May 21: 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM
7 am – 9:30 am Vendor Setup
10 am: LakeFest Day 2 Open!
11 am – 9 pm: GIVEAWAYS on the hour, EVERY HOUR
12 pm – 9 pm: Live music on the TRACKER OUTDOORS stage
7 pm: FREE CONCERT Featuring Country Superstar TYLER FARR
9 pm: LakeFest closes for the evening
May 22: Noon – 5:00 PM
12 pm –LakeFest Day 3 Open!
12 pm – 5 pm: Giveaways on the hour, EVERY HOUR
1 pm – 4 pm: Live music on the TRACKER OUTDOORS stage
5 pm: LakeFest 2022 ends!
There will be raffle giveaways every hour on the hour that LakeFest is open.
Pandemic nudge sets wheel in motion for local artist
Story by Roxann Edsall Photos by Meghan Frondorf
Breathing in the essence of her vision, she throws the clay onto the wheel, carefully aiming for the center. Extending her slim hands, she enfolds the clay as it spins and bends to her will. The clay seems to take on a life of its own as it sways to her touch.
Fingers pinching and pressing, the artist patiently pushes and directs the medium to the perfect form and extension. The duet spins and sways until, finally pleased with the performance, the artist ends the dance. Removing the cup, she sets her delicate partner on the shelf to dry.
Virnia Settle with one of he many works
Logan Martin resident and potter Virna Settle has done this carefully choreographed dance many times over the past two years and has produced hundreds of pottery pieces, some of which have been commissioned by those who have seen her work.
While she still sells many of her pieces on Facebook, her handiwork has also been featured at Fish Market restaurant in Birmingham. Because of that exposure, she’s recently been asked to provide pieces for Nichols Nook Coffee Shop in Springville.
Settle has learned from one of the best. Her mentor and teacher is internationally-renowned potter, Tena Payne, owner of Leeds-based Earthborn Pottery. Payne’s works may be seen at some of the most famous spots across the country, including the Bellagio Resort and Casino, Caesars Palace, and Peche Restaurant in New Orleans. Birmingham top chef Chris Hastings (Hot and Hot Fish Club) used her serving pieces when he won Food Network’s “Iron Chef America.”
A journey of discovery
Originally from Manila, Philippines, Settle spent quite a few years in the restaurant business herself before discovering her other artistic gifts. She moved to the Birmingham area in 1993 and spent several years running two Birmingham restaurants, La Dolce Vita and Amore Ristorante Italiano with a former partner.
It was at La Dolce Vita that she met Harold, a Birmingham cardiologist, who would later become her husband. He and his first wife were frequent customers before he lost her to pancreatic cancer in 2010.
The two were married at their Cropwell home in the spring of 2012. Three years into their marriage, Virna discovered a talent for art after attending a painting party with friends. “I went to the party and painted a fish,” she says. “I loved it, so I took classes for five years to learn more.”
What she learned, along with her natural talent, brought her success as a painter. Paintings she hasn’t sold hang on her walls or sit in her small art studio. Harold wishes she would spend more time painting, but she has found her greater love in pottery. “I encourage her,” he says. “She’s really good. I love the way she blends her colors.”
Just two years ago, she didn’t know a thing about pottery. Her interest in pottery was a blessing that came out of the pandemic. In the spring of 2020, she was visiting with her sister and a friend by video chat when the subject of dinner came up.
A discussion of fish and ways to prepare it led the friend to suggest that Virna get a Palayok, a traditional Philippine clay pot used to steam fish. After that call, she got on her computer and looked up where she could take classes in pottery so she could make her own Palayok. She found those classes nearby at Earthborn Pottery.
Throwing the clay onto the pottery wheel, she says, is not as easy as you may think. “It took more than a year for me to learn to center the clay properly,” admits Settle. “If you don’t get it right in the center, it will wobble, and that’s not good.” It’s the throwing part, she adds, that locked in her love of the craft.
“When you throw the pottery, you can see it come together and be something,” she explains. The process and how the clay transforms is what she loves. From her masonry arch back porch, she doesn’t have to look far for inspiration for her work. The earthy tones and muted blues and greens mimic the expansive lawn that leads out to the waters of Logan Martin Lake. She throws her pottery from that spot, just a few steps from her backyard paradise.
It’s the perfect spot for creating beauty. Ironically, Settle does not like perfection in her work. It’s the rustic imperfection, the asymmetry, that makes a piece right for her. Her pieces are all unique in design and color, true one-of-a-kind art. Her plates have curved and often rippled edges, though not evenly so. The colorations are deep and earthy.
The urge to learn more and different styles of pottery design is driving her to travel more. She’s checked out pottery in North Carolina recently and says she wants to continue to learn more about other styles. European design is an interest, so she hopes to travel there soon.
Meanwhile, she waits on projects at various stages of drying, firing or painting. Pottery is not for the impatient. Smaller pieces can dry in two to four days, but larger pieces, like the commissioned berry bowl on the shelf, can take two weeks to reach the leather-hard stage.
When they reach that stage, the bottoms are trimmed and waxed. Then she paints, waits for it to dry, then fires in her kiln. Then there’s the glaze and another firing. And, she understands that at any stage the piece can break, and she will have to start the process again at the wheel. Embrace the process, the imperfection and the patience. Practicing those steps, Settle hopes one day to see her pottery on the worldwide stage. For now, she is content with the process, at the wheel, one dance at a time.
Reeling in a brighter future for Lincoln and region
Story by Carol Pappas Submitted photos
Rising from the banks of a main channel stretch of Logan Martin Lake in the small city of Lincoln lies the future of an entire region.
That’s what officials see in the reflection of a massive investment taking root on 100 acres adjacent to Lincoln’s Landing, a 40-acre fishing park quickly becoming a destination point in its own right. Couple it with Angler’s Pointe, the $30-million residential, recreation and entertainment community now under construction next door, and together, they become a destination spot from all kinds of points inside and well beyond Alabama’s borders.
McCaig & Griffin, a lakeside and commercial development company based in Lincoln, is creating an exclusive waterfront resort with a mix of cottages, RV lots, a swimming pool, an amphitheater-anchored entertainment district of food trucks, arts and crafts and other vendors plus a stage and seating for performances. Dubbed The Yard, the entertainment district is the centerpiece of the project.
McCaig & Griffin CEO DeLane Griffin calls it a return to typically Southern hospitality, reminiscent of families and friends gathering in the back yard while children played and the adults enjoyed the fellowship of their neighbors.
“It will be a relaxed environment,” he said, a place to get away from “the chaos that is the rest of the world and make it disappear for a little while. That’s what I see in my mind – a return to true Southern hospitality.”
Just next door, Lincoln’s Landing, features a world class tournament fishing park, pavilions, a 10-boat launch into the main channel and a boardwalk with fishing piers and boat slips. Plenty of parking accommodates the crowds. Coming in the next phase is a swimming beach. When complete, the park will be a venue for reunions, weddings, get-togethers and other celebrations.
The vision began when the City of Lincoln was considering the 40 acres where the fishing park is now. “We talked about the fishing park and what they wanted, and it became apparent what they were going to need – places for people to stay, something for the families of anglers and recreation,” recalled Griffin.
He and his partners own other lake developments in the area – River Bay, Waterfront and Blue Eye communities, where they have made vast improvements to enhance them for residents.
Layout of the development
As the vision for Angler’s Pointe began to take shape, “we saw it as a community, a resort to serve everyone, not just the fishermen,” he said.
In March, the Lincoln City Council approved rezoning for the property, and creation of plots and appraisals followed. Model cottages are being built now for pre-sale.
Angler’s Pointe will be developed in two phases. Phase I is one- and two-bedroom cottages, 800 to 1,000 square feet – and covered RV lots plus the entertainment district. Phase II is a continuation of the cottages and RV lots. It will become a resort with all the amenities and aesthetics of lake life. In total, there will be 118 RV spots and 203 cottages.
“People from all over the country will be coming to fish here, and we’re not even touching the surface of realizing what it will be,” Griffin said. “This will be a destination point that draws people here.”
Lincoln Mayor Lew Watson couldn’t agree more. “We built the park with the idea to attract more business at the same time,” he said. Angler’s Pointe is “the perfect complement to Lincoln’s Landing. It’s designed to support it. It takes care of lodging needs for people to enjoy the lake. It will bring more people in, attract more business and reinforce Lincoln’s Landing.”
The mayor said he could not have envisioned a better neighbor to the city’s development, which has already exceeded expectations. “We had no idea we would be booking this many tournaments, he said, noting that they have already landed bookings as far ahead as 2024.
And the vision that included more business, like hotels and sit-down restaurants is indeed beginning to have a ripple effect from Lincoln’s Landing and Angler’s Pointe, the mayor said.
“We are beginning to get some attention in that area – a good sign of the efforts.” Likening it to fishing, Watson reasoned, “You have to have good bait. We’re seeing the cork bobbling now, and we’re getting some nibbles.”
Councilman Joey Callahan called the area a “transformation to a recreational family environment that is an asset to the city. It’s a place people can come to on Logan Martin, buy a cabin to rent or stay the weekend. It’s huge for Lincoln and for the whole area.”
It’s bigger than Lincoln, he said. “Spending has a regional impact. We benefit from each other.”
Echoing the sentiment, Councilman Brandon Tate, in whose district the developments lie, called it an asset for the entire county and the state of Alabama. In the short term, “it’s already making a huge impact. There’s lots of interest and people coming in.”
Long term, he sees more good things ahead. Pointing to the developments side by side, he expressed gratitude to Griffin and his company for “seeing the vision and planning a premier, luxury” destination to go with it. “We’re excited to see this happening next to our world-class facility.”
An added benefit, he noted, is a local company undertaking the investment. Griffin has a proven track record in the area, and his experience and understanding will serve the development and the city well. “DeLane and his team are perfect for this. The vision is there, and they will be mirroring what we’re trying to do out there.”
Looking toward the future, Tate said, “Lincoln was already on the map in my mind. This definitely puts it up there with everybody else.”
“DeLane is a visionary,” said Councilwoman Jennie Jones. “That man amazes me.” She, too, sees the future in a brighter light because of Lincoln’s Landing and Angler’s Pointe. There may be other attractions nearby, like Talladega Superspeedway and Barber Motorsports Park, but fishing is a sport that lasts all year long. The impact will be felt throughout the year, too, she said.
“The citizens will benefit,” Jones added, explaining that restaurants and hotels and tourism dollars will follow to meet the needs of anglers. Easy access from Interstate 20 is a plus, and observers should see a sizable economic impact on the entire area. “I’m excited about it. Very excited.”
Robinson eyes the city’s new lake neighborhood as a “win, win, win. This is a win for everybody. It complements the park in such a way that fishermen can stay a stone’s throw away from the park. They can keep their boat in the water and don’t have to launch again.”
As for Angler’s Pointe, “they are just steps away from an attraction to support it.” It checks the boxes for lodging and entertainment needs, and golf cart trails illustrate the close connection between the two developments.
The design of the cabins and RV sites complement Lincoln’s Landing, Robinson said. “It’s a no-brainer that the city would support it. It is only going to complement what we have.”
Body low, head down, eyes ahead. You see the hill approaching fast. Downshifting, you begin your ascent and keep pumping. Halfway up the hill, calves, quads, hamstrings and glutes burning, you hit the button once, then twice. Immediately, the bike takes over and the pedals cease their attack on your muscles. You ascend the hill with only as much effort as you want to put into it. Welcome to the world of electric biking!
Electric bicycles are being spotted all around Logan Martin, echoing the explosion of sales around the country. The growth has been fueled, at least in part, by the pandemic, as people shy away from mass transportation and find alternatives for getting around. According to market researcher NPD Group, eBike sales shot up 240% in the 12 months leading up to July 2021. Industry experts predict that upward trend to hold as people continue to spend more time outdoors.
Around the lake, it’s all about having something else fun to do outdoors. Darrell Spears pledges to emphasize the fun in all aspects of electric biking, including the purchasing process.
Electric bikes have come to Logan Martin Lake.
The owner of Logan Martin Electrek, he hopes to help people navigate the world of electric bikes and build the eBike community on Logan Martin Lake. After retiring from the Army, he began looking into purchasing an electric bike to get outside and enjoy areas around Logan Martin.
“Doing research, I went down quite a few rabbit holes,” Spears explains. “There’s a lot to sift through, tons of information and choices to make.” He ended up buying online and making what he describes as “not the best decision for me.
“It’s such a weird business model,” says Spears. “When I went to a regular bike shop, I realized their focus is on selling the bikes they have. I don’t have a storefront, so I find out what’s the best fit for the rider to help them buy the bike that’s most suited to them and what they want to do with it.”
He does this by offering an eBike consulting service. The customer contacts Logan Martin Electrek and fills out a survey to describe their wants and needs. Spears meets the customer in the location where they would be riding the bike and finds out more specific needs and preferences.
At that time, the customer has a chance to try out several test bikes. The consultation and ride are included in the $100 fee, which ends with the customer receiving an emailed consultation report outlining Spears’ recommendations. The fee is applied to the price of a bike, if the customer decides to purchase through Spears.
“I include a lot in the consultation and test ride,” says Spears. “So, it is well worth the money. If I had done this before buying my first bike, I would have made a much better choice.” He insists that it’s fine if you don’t buy from him. You can use the information to purchase elsewhere or online or not buy at all. He just wants to be sure if you do buy, you get the bike that best fits you and your needs.
Spears describes the variables in the eBike buying process. The questions begin with where you want to ride an electric bike and how experienced you are with biking. Then there’s the shape and style you might be interested in.
Do you like a cruiser style or a mountain bike style? Do you prefer a step-over or step-through frame? Are you an upright rider or more aggressive? Are you looking for a hub-drive a mid-drive? And that’s just the beginning. “There are so many variables, but if we get the right fit, it’s more likely that the rider will use the bike and enjoy the experience,” assures Spears, emphasizing the value of his business model.
Martha Davenport and her partner, John Moberg, recently went through the buying process, guided by Spears. An avid cyclist, Martha began having trouble with one of her knees to the extent that she was no longer able to ride her bicycle.
Moberg pushed to investigate the electric bike option for her. “John’s wanted an electric bike and has been researching them for years. Darrell made the process simple,” says Davenport. “He even came over the second day after we got the bikes and showed us several additional features, like how to operate the pedal assist, which is so great!”
She, Moberg and her dog, Gizmo, live at Logan’s Landing Campground and love to take their eBikes out around the lake every day it’s not raining. (Most models are safe to operate in the rain, although models with a built-in charger are not.) They’ve recently purchased a bike rack for John’s car so they can take the bikes to different locations.
“With my knee injury, I never thought I’d be able to ride a bike again,” adds Davenport. “Having an electric bike has really made a difference for me. I love being able to ride again.”
Pell City Parks and Recreation maintenance crewmember John Richardson, and his wife, Melissa, have had two eBikes for about a year. His wife also has issues with her knees. “We like them because they’re easy. If you want to pedal, you can. If you don’t, you don’t have to,” says Richardson. “We use them camping and when we go to the beach. They’re great!” While they bought before Spears opened his business, Richardson was happy to hear about it for others in the market.
Even if you’re an avid standard cyclist, there are benefits to electric bicycles. “The frequently used metric is ‘2x you’ and ‘4x you,’ meaning they can put out two to four times the normal power a rider will put into a bike for a distance of 20 to 80 miles, based on terrain, user input, motor size and battery,” Spears explains.
So, if you want to get more distance with less effort, eBikes may be a good option. And, for those wanting more exercise, industry leaders say most people ride farther because it’s easier, and they end up getting as much or more exercise than they did riding a non-motorized bicycle.
Electric Bike controls and dashboard
Electric bicycles are, clearly, a major purchase, starting north of $1,000 and up to $10,000, depending on models and options. Most eBikes come with a battery warranty of between two and five years. The charge typically lasts about 40 miles, depending on how much use the motor gets during the ride. It usually takes about six hours to charge using 120 volts.
How fast you can go depends on the class. Electric bikes are divided into Class 1, up to 20 mph with no throttle and motor kicks in when the rider is pedaling; Class 2, up to 20 mph with throttle and can be used when rider is not pedaling; and Class 3, up to 28 mph with or without throttle and requires the rider to pedal.
That price may sting a bit less if President Joe Biden’s $1.75-million Build Back Better bill passes. The bill includes a 30% tax incentive on the purchase of eBikes with price tags under $4,000, with the goal of helping to reduce carbon emissions by replacing gasoline-powered cars with electric options, including electric bikes.
A desire to encourage environmental responsibility and the ability to ride bikes again after a physical injury or limitation top the list of reasons for getting an electric bike.
But the number one reason, according to Spears, is fun, adding, “It lets you be 15 again!” As he nears his 50th birthday, Spears even traded his plans for a motorcycle cross-country trip in favor of a coast-to-coast eBike ride. In late spring or early fall, he plans to fly out to California and ride an electric bike from the Pacific Coast to the Atlantic Coast.
Spears loves the Logan Martin Lake community. He retired in Alabama to be near his two boys, Jonathan, now at the University of Alabama, and Chase, who’s at Jacksonville State University.
He tells the story of when he was looking for a house to buy a few years ago and drove around the lake constantly on the search. One day he drove down a long driveway, thinking it was a road and had to pull off when a car approached coming the other way.
“I talked to this guy for a long time about the area. He was super nice and even invited me to the Rotary Club. He was just about as gracious a person as I have ever met.” Turns out the friendly fellow was Elmer Harris, former CEO of Alabama Power, the company that created Logan Martin.
Spears has started an electric biking group to help build the eBiking community. The group gets together the last Sunday of each month. Their last ride was Bull’s Gap trail in the Talladega National Forest, but he’s always checking out other trip options.
Editor’s Note:For more information on the biking group or to book an eBike consultation, check out their Logan Martin Electrek Facebook page or go to www.lmelectrek.com.
When Brenda Reaves and her daughter set out to compile a cookbook for a family reunion in 2008, they asked everyone to contribute some of their tried-and-true recipes. They wanted a variety of dishes – everything from meats and vegetables to casseroles and desserts – and only one rule applied: “We said don’t give us the recipe you wish you could cook, give us the recipe you always cook,” Brenda said.
The result is a mouth-watering collection of offerings including sausage balls, biscuits, chicken and dressing, red velvet cake, squash casserole and macaroni and cheese. “We do country cooking,” Brenda said. “I like to cook like my grandmother and mother cooked.”
These days, Brenda does her cooking from the kitchen of the family’s Neely Henry Lake home, where they have lived for seven years. “We originally thought it would be just a weekend place, but the more we were here, the more we didn’t want to be anywhere else,” she said. “It just seems like being on vacation all the time.”
As a result, the focus is always on good food and great fun. Brenda and her husband, Tony, love spending time with family, neighbors and friends at the home they’ve dubbed the Coosa Loosa Lodge and Marina. “We’re kind of known for a having a lot of people over,” Brenda said. “We can cook for a crowd easier than we can cook for two.”
Home cooking
Brenda’s love for good home cooking can be traced back to visits with her grandparents, Rosetta and Bud Wood, affectionately known as Mama Bill and Uncle Bud. “Mama Bill served three meals a day most days,” Brenda wrote in the forward of the Wood Family Cookbook. “Chicken and dumplins were one of my favorites and still are. Fried potatoes, sliced not diced, with lots of black pepper were on the menu quite often. If you were lucky, you were there when there was a peach, apple or blackberry cobbler.”
Many years ago, the family started hosting a reunion in October to celebrate Mama Bill’s mother’s birthday and “since that time, every year on the second Saturday in October, we honor Mama Bill and Uncle Bud’s memory by getting together as a family and visiting and eating,” Brenda wrote. “What could be more appropriate?”
Brenda’s daughter, Beth Reaves, had the idea to compile a family cookbook, and many of the recipes were Mama Bill’s. In addition to her chicken and dumplings recipe, there’s her lemon pound cake, a pecan pie recipe she passed down to her daughters, and Mama Bill’s 15-Day Dill Pickles, which indeed take more than two weeks to prepare.
Brenda contributed a number of her family’s favorites, including chicken and dressing, carrot cake, and meatloaf. Her broccoli and cauliflower salad recipe, which includes a notation that “Tony Reaves is the best chopper in the world,” offers some insight into how the family eats so well all of the time. When it comes to cooking, they subscribe to “the more the merrier” philosophy rather than the idea that “too many cooks spoil the broth.”
“It’s kind of like divide and conquer,” said Beth, who along with her husband, Corey King, moved into the Reaves’ renovated basement last November. “Someone’s putting a salad together, someone else is chopping something, and in 30 minutes, you’ve got a meal.”
Brenda said teamwork is the key. “I wouldn’t cook like I do if they didn’t enjoy eating it and they didn’t pitch in,” she said. “We have some of our best times when we’re cooking. We put music on and make it fun.”
All in the family
Just as Brenda learned her secrets by being in the kitchen with her grandmother and mother, her children and grandchildren are pretty accomplished cooks, as well. “When she was cooking, I was in there talking to her and you just pick it up,” said Beth, who was preparing meals like roast and vegetables for the family by the time she was 10 or 12. Her son, Blake, now a college student, “was chopping onions and okra when he was 4,” Beth said.
The screened porch at the “Coosa Loosa Lodge”
The Reaves’ son, Bret, is a master griller, and he often can be found helping to man the Big Green Egg, the smoker, barbecue grill or flat-top grill, all of which get quite a workout. “We’ve got it all covered,” Tony said of their assortment of outdoor cookers. “On the Fourth of July, we did breakfast for 25 and cooked everything out here,” Brenda added.
Veggies are a big draw for the family, as well. “When my kids were growing up, their favorite food was broccoli,” Brenda said, adding that Blake and her granddaughter, 17-year-old Bella, love turnip greens and asparagus. She and Beth buy their produce from nearby farms and farmer’s markets and get plenty of extra for later.
“It takes a lot of time in the summer to put up the green beans and corn and strawberries, but in the winter it sure is nice to get those fresh veggies from the freezer, Beth said.
A slower pace
Although the family has always loved getting together, the gatherings have become even more fun since Brenda and Tony bought their lake home. “We wanted to have a place for our kids and grandkids to be,” said Brenda, who has wonderful memories of summer days at her parents’ lake cabin. “That’s where my love for the water came from.”
They bought the house in 2014 and spent about a year remodeling it, doing most of the work themselves. Since then, the house has undergone two additional renovations, including changes made a after a 2017 tornado.
The living room now has vaulted ceilings, the swimming pool has been filled in to make a spot for a fire pit and chairs, and a screened porch was added. The deck below is home to all the outdoor cookers, and a wooden walkway connects it to the top deck of the boat house. “We built a bridge so we can get our wheelchairs out there,” Brenda joked.
Some of that work, and the most recent kitchen renovation, was completed after a tree fell through the middle of the house on New Year’s Eve 2019. Beth and Corey were sitting at the table working a puzzle when they heard a loud noise. “We thought someone was just getting an early start with the fireworks,” Beth recalled.
Not ones to let a little thing like a fallen tree and heavily damaged home get in the way of some good food, they took time to eat the New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp that was cooking at the time. “We took it out of the oven and ate it in the carport,” Beth said. “We’re not going to miss a meal,” Tony added with a laugh.
They did miss a few, though, in the more than 20 years that Brenda and Tony operated the Anniston Memorial Funeral Home and Anniston Memorial Gardens before retiring in 2018. The hours were crazy and there was no such thing as a day off. “Even during Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner, usually someone would have to leave to go to work,” Tony said.
That’s why they cherish family time even more. “We have enjoyed so much being able to live a slower life,” Brenda said. “This is a life I never could have imagined. If I could have dreamed it, I could not have dreamed it better.”
Mama Bill’s Chicken and Dumplin’s
1 whole chicken or chicken parts
2 tsp. salt
1 stick butter
Dumplins:
3 cups Bisquick
1 can cream of chicken soup
Flour
Cook chicken in enough water to cover and salt. Remove the chicken and add the stick of butter to the broth.
Prepare 3 cups of Bisquick, mixing as directed. Roll flat, to about ¼ inch, on well-floured surface. Use a floured knife to cut dough into 2-inch squares. Roll each piece of dough in a small amount of flour.
Drop squares into boiling broth and push it down into the broth. After dropping all dough, reduce heat and cover. Cook for 10-15 minutes and then stir in soup. Cook 10 more minutes and add the chicken pulled from the bone.
*Although Mama Bill used homemade biscuit dough, the taste is very similar.
Carrot Cake
2 cups plain or cake flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups sugar
½ cup chopped nuts
3 cups carrots, grated
1 cup Wesson oil
4 eggs
Frosting:
1 box confectioner’s sugar
1 stick margarine
2 tsp. vanilla
1 8-ounce cream cheese, softened
½ cup chopped nuts
Sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda and sugar together three times. Put Wesson oil and eggs in mixer; beat until fluffy. Add grated carrots, then blend in dry ingredients; add nuts.
Pour batter into three 9-inch pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
Frosting: Combine sugar, cream cheese and margarine. Add vanilla and nuts. Frost each layer completely.
