With the opening in April of Alabama Cancer Care’s new 10,000-square-foot facility overlooking the Coosa River, Gadsden is expanding its healthcare footprint in northeast Alabama.
One of the things that makes Gadsden unique for a city its size, is that it’s home to two full-service hospitals – Gadsden Regional Medical Center and Riverview Regional Medical Center – as well as Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital. The city appears to be following the lead of neighboring Birmingham, transitioning in part from a “smokestack economy” to one propelled by the service sector.
It will still recruit manufacturing firms, but leaders are diversifying. “We’ve not abandoned continuing to recruit for manufacturing, we’ve just broadened our scope,” said David Hooks, director of the Gadsden-Etowah Industrial Development Authority.”
Hooks, former executive director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs under then-Gov. Jim Folsom, Jr., said Gadsden is becoming a major health care hub serving northeast Alabama and Northwest Georgia.
“I thought it was imperative that we capitalize, not only on keeping those hospitals open, but growing them and adding health care services with them. The cancer centers is one of the first indications of our doing that,” Hooks said.
The push to expand Gadsden’s health care offerings are part of an effort to build a diverse economy, driven by tourism, recreation, health care and industrial growth. The city is also fast becoming a sports and cultural center. City officials hope to transform one-day visits to three-day stays.
“The City of Gadsden has traditionally been viewed as an industrial city,” Hooks said. “As we now move into the 21st century, we are looking to broaden our economic base and become a destination city.”
The $6.5 million center means that residents in a 10-county region won’t have to travel to Birmingham for treatment.
Mayor Craig Ford at the grand opening
In fact, when he became the IDA director in 2019, he targeted the health care sector as a major component of the area’s economic development drive.
“One of the first things we did was look at the target markets that we had in place and looked at where we should be expanding, and we added two (sectors). We added food and farming, and we added health care.
“Health care has been the fastest growing industrial sector of the last 20 years, and it will continue to be the fastest growing industrial sector for the next 20 years,” Hooks said.
“We have a major health care community in the area; we’re a regional health hub, and there’s no reason for us not to continue to develop that growth,” Hooks said.
Mayor Craig Ford agreed.
“We are constantly looking for ways to grow (health care) in Gadsden and recruit companies that offer different types of services and treatments,” Ford said. “Look at Birmingham and what a great job they have done with UAB and how that complex has really grown that area of the city.”
Gadsden City Council President Kent Back said that while Gadsden Regional offers cancer care, Alabama Cancer Center’s market research shows a need for another cancer care facility.
Back believes the natural beauty of the Coosa riverfront will lift the spirits of patients during their treatments.
“I think that’s going to be a game changer,” Back said. “Most cancer treatment facilities don’t have that kind of amenity. This company has a history. They’ve been successful.”
Studies in Europe and in the United States show that cancer patients who are treated closer to home can have more positive outcomes. Area residents won’t face the travel and parking hassles of a trek to Birmingham.
“If you live in Ider, for example, Birmingham can be pretty intimidating to travel and navigate and park,” Back said. “They’d rather come to Gadsden and get treatment.”
The new center is located on the old National Guard Armory site in an agreement forged during the administration of then-Mayor Sherman Guyton.
Kim Clebine, Bobbie Martin and Justin Steinman show off a stereotatic radiation therapy linear particle accelerator
Current Mayor Craig Ford said Gadsden was selected as the home for the new, full-service oncology center because of its location. Some 16 new jobs will be created.
The new facility will help the city and county maintain its health care presence to serve Gadsden and the surrounding counties, Hooks said.
“The particular services that this facility will render will allow people that are currently driving out of the county for these services to Birmingham and other areas, to be able to stay close to home and receive the appropriate care that they need here in Etowah County.”
With its proximity to a hospital and to the burgeoning riverfront entertainment district, the growing healthcare facility can fuel Gadsden’s economic growth, both on the Coosa and downtown.
“If you look at what happened in Birmingham with UAB and the resurrection of the southside of Birmingham, Birmingham’s growth has been driven by health care services. I think you can see Gadsden’s economy driven by the health care sector around that facility as well,” Hooks said.
“Gadsden has a similar economic base to what Birmingham used to be, just smaller,” he added. “I think there’s a lot to be learned from that. I think there’s an opportunity for us to redevelop downtown. I think Gadsden has an opportunity to be the gateway to all of northeast Alabama.”
The impact will not be just be felt in Alabama, but reach into Georgia as well. Gadsden has the impetus to improve its services and grow its opportunities, Hooks said.
“We, as a city, need to continue to improve our services, broaden our services and give people a reason to drive in this direction.”
There’s nothing quite like a warm summer day by the water, and as far as Terry and Cheri Grabany are concerned, the warmer the better. In fact, 900 degrees is just about perfect – for making dinner in their lakeside pizza oven, that is.
Terry built the wood-fired oven by the water’s edge of their Logan Martin Lake home about seven years ago, and since then, feeding family and friends has been as easy as (pizza) pie.
“Pizzas are just so quick and easy to do,” Terry said. “I buy all the stuff, and everyone makes their own,” Cheri added. They’ve tried just about every topping combination over the years, and whether it’s brisket and veggies, Canadian bacon and pineapple, or just lots of cheese (their grandchildren’s favorite), every version has offered a slice or two of heaven.
“There’s nothing better,” Cheri said. So, what exactly makes it so good? In addition to enjoying the mouthwatering meal, “you get to be out here and see all of this,” Terry said, gesturing at the sunlight bouncing off the water and the trees and flowers dotting the shoreline. “It’s just beautiful.”
Fresh from the oven
Everything about their move to the lake in 2015 has been beautiful, in fact. Although they bought the lot and the single-wide mobile home that was on it at the time as a weekend retreat, it wasn’t long before the lure of full-time lake life became too strong to ignore. They made the move in 2021 before building their 3-bedroom, 2 bath cottage in 2022.
Since then, the lazy days of summer – and fall, winter and spring – have meant lots of time with family and friends. The focus is on food and fun, which is where Terry’s construction expertise has come in handy.
He’s worked in equipment maintenance for the City of Hoover for the past 24 years, and his building skills have served him well when it comes to the mechanics of making food for a crowd. He’s built everything from a 20-foot barbecue trailer used for Hoover’s Pig Iron BBQ Challenge and SEC baseball tournaments to a 12-foot oven used to make giant apple pies for the city’s annual Celebrate Hoover Day.
That’s why, when the Grabanys’ daughters asked Terry if he could make a pizza oven, his reply was a simple, “I guess.” He did his homework first, researching fireproof bricks and mortar and the best way to build the outdoor oven. “Most of the time when the girls ask, I make it happen,” he said.
The pizza oven gives Cheri and Terry one more option when entertaining. In addition to the kitchen, where Cheri handles the meal prep and sides, Terry built a barbecue trailer of his own. They’ve got two smokers, a grill big enough to cook 50 hamburgers at a time, and a boiler they use to make Cajun dishes.
“We feed people here,” Cheri said with a laugh. “It’s an all-day thing,” Terry added. “Whatever anyone wants, we’ll cook it. We’ll have barbecue for lunch and then fire up the pizza oven and put barbecue on pizzas that night.” S’mores, which they have discovered are even more ooey and gooey when cooked in the pizza oven, are the perfect end to lots of perfect lake days.
Meant to be
Owning a home on the water was always part of their future plans, but about 10 years ago, Terry decided he didn’t want to wait. Although the couple lived in Hayden, he started looking at properties on Logan Martin, where Cheri’s brother’s family and other friends and relatives live and where their daughter and son-in-law, Lindsey and William Weller, have since bought a home.
“It was always a retirement dream,” Terry said of buying a lake home. “I was raised on the Warrior River, and I always wanted to come back to the water.”
In 2015, Terry spotted a house near Stemley Bridge on Craigslist, but when he called about it, the owners said they already had an offer. The Grabanys asked to see it anyway, and they fell in love with the view. “I sat down in the swing (that is still on their pier) and looked out over the water and said, ‘I can do this,’” Cheri remembers.
The folks who had made an offer on the home missed the deadline, so the owners asked Terry and Cheri if they wanted it. “We wrote it up on a legal pad and a handshake,” he said.
“We just knew it was going to work out,” Cheri said. The house number was the same as their home in Hayden, where they’d raised Lindsey and her sister, Cory. And the cost of the house was just 97 cents more than the amount they had available from financing and the savings they planned to use.
In addition, when Cory told a friend from work about the house her parents bought, the friend realized that it used to be her family’s home. “We just knew God had his hand all over this,” Cheri said.
The Lord also provided a peaceful place for her to heal. Less than six months after buying their lakeside retreat, Cheri was diagnosed with colon cancer. A month later, she had a melanoma removed, and the next year doctors discovered she had a brain tumor.
Despite the three diagnoses, Cheri is cancer-free today and is grateful for all she survived. “Terry always says, ‘I wish it had been me,’ but I tell him I’m glad it wasn’t,’” she said. “He’s not a talker, and he wouldn’t go up and tell people everything that God did like I do.”
Details matter
The lake provided the perfect balm during the healing process and became a refuge during the COVID pandemic. In 2021, after Cheri retired from her bookkeeping job at Hayden Elementary School, they began thinking about moving to the lake full-time.
The decision got a lot easier to make in March of that year when “someone came and knocked on the door of our house in Hayden and asked if we were interested in selling,” Cheri said. “God had his hand in that, too.”
Terry’s prowess as sketch artist seen in Saban portrait
Not long after moving into the mobile home, “we had some pretty bad weather,” she said. “We had trees cracking all around us and I told him if I was going to stay here, I was going to need a house.”
Once they decided on a floorplan and some of the finishing touches, Terry, a pencil portrait artist, drew up the very detailed house plans. “I’ve drawn all my life,” he said, estimating that the portraits, which almost look like black and white photographs, take about 30 to 40 hours to complete. “I’ve just never had a designated space to draw.”
He does now, after recently finishing the attic space that includes a drawing nook by the window. The room, which has a ping pong table, television set and plenty of toys, gets lots of use when Cory and her husband, Caleb Townsend, and their children, Cora Jane and Case, head to the lake from their Gardendale home. “We’re trying to get them to move to the lake, too,” Cheri said.
Although Terry has created portraits of celebrities including Nick Saban, Lucille Ball and Adele, his favorite is the one he drew of Case. While Cheri loves that one, as well, she’ll always have a soft spot in her heart for the drawing of two puppies in a basket. “He gave that to me when we were dating. Actually, we had broken up, and he used that to woo me back,” she said with a laugh.
Special touches
While Cheri and Terry’s house is newly built, it’s filled with family memories and personal touches. Terry made the metal and wooden entry table that holds family photos and a 200-year-old vase that was Cheri great-great-grandmother’s.
A clock her great-grandmother received as a wedding present in 1906 has a prominent place in the guest room, and the images of two little girls that Cheri’s mother cross-stitched for Lindsey and Cory hang over twin beds in another.
Terry made the mantles for the fireplaces in the great room and on the screened porch, which both have an amazing view of the water. And the pizza oven and fireplace were made from stone that was at their Hayden home.
Although they both commute to work – Cheri now works at B&A Warehouse in Birmingham – they agree that making their retirement dream come true a little earlier than planned has been well worth it.
“I love being at the lake,” Terry said. “When you get home from work, it’s just so relaxing. It’s an instant calm when you walk out and see the water.”
Homemade Pizza
Ingredients
Pizza crust or dough
Pizza sauce
Cheese
Favorite toppings, including pepperoni, barbecue, Canadian bacon, mushrooms, bell pepper, onions, ham, pineapple, brisket, etc.
Directions: After a lot of trial and error, and in keeping with their laid-back lake lifestyle, the Grabanys have learned to keep things simple and use pre-made pizza crust and sauce. They provide a variety of toppings and let guests go crazy while creating their own pies. The pizzas bake about 10 minutes, and Terry uses a paddle to lift the pizza to the top of the oven at the end to ensure the cheese is melted well.
Barbecue Ribs
Barbecue Rub Ingredients:
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup paprika
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon cocoa
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Barbecue Sauce Ingredients:
1/3 cup honey
¼ cup barbecue sauce
¼ cup apple juice
½ cup apple cider vinegar
Ribs:
French’s yellow mustard
Parkay Squeeze
Apple juice
Brown sugar
Directions: Rub ribs on both sides with mustard and barbecue rub. Smoke for 3 hours on open smoke. (Terry uses peach wood, apple wood or pecan wood.) Put ribs in foil, add Parkay squeeze, sprinkle with brown sugar, and add a little honey and apple juice. Wrap ribs and smoke two more hours. Remove foil and smoke ribs an additional hour. Brush on barbecue sauce and enjoy!
Brother and sister return to the scene of ‘big catch’ year after year
Story by Carol Pappas Photos by Richard Rybka
Kentuckians Gloria Spangler and Richard Donoho don’t know much about sibling rivalry. Their only tussles since childhood have been with a fish – a battle they’ve enjoy fighting together for decades.
From an early age, they developed a love for fishing. Their grandfather taught them on rivers, ponds and creeks, and that passion for fishing sparked long ago is a shared bond that only strengthens now as they age well into their 70s and 80s.
It’s what brings them to Logan Martin Lake twice a year, where they catch a boatload of Crappie with the help of their fishing guide, Curt Simpson, who also lives in Kentucky.
Fishing from the dock to pass the time
Why Logan Martin, Alabama? The answer is easy on this sunny day in late March at University Marine, where their boat is docked. Just a glance at a nearby table reveals a spread of 60 Crappie – all over the 9-inch requirement – caught earlier in the day. “We caught 22 Crappie in two hours,” Richard said. “The Crappie here are bigger than Kentucky. If you caught one that big in Kentucky, we’d be screaming!”
By week’s end, they’ll have 100 plastic freezer bags chocked full of Crappie filets to bring back to family and friends and of course, to savor for themselves. “It’s more than we can eat,” Richard said.
They return to Logan Martin each Spring and early Fall on the same quest – catch as much Crappie as the law allows. “We enjoy being here,” said Gloria. “We love this place.”
They should. It’s paid them more than a whopper in dividends, judging by the catches they proudly display and disburse. “Curt provides everything – the bait, rods, reels. Deep, shallow, he knows where to fish,” Gloria said.
The boat is equipped with state-of-the-art electronics, including a live scope, and they head out each morning with Curt about 7 and return to the marina about 4 or 5. That’s the drill for their seven-day stay.
They have aunts in Gadsden and Lincoln, so they were already familiar with the area. They’ve fished the Coosa River chain of Weiss and Neely Henry, too, but they keep coming back to Logan Martin.
Curt’s the one who encouraged them to try Logan Martin. Since then, it has been a return engagement twice annually for years. Gloria worked at Franklin Bank & Trust for 50 years in Bowling Green, and that’s how she met Curt. He had retired from IBM but was working as a courier at the bank. “When he found out I liked to fish, every five minutes, he was in my office,” she said.
Curt’s own love of fishing led him to the fishing guide business in retirement and with Gloria and Richard’s zeal for the sport, it was a perfect match. “He’s a good guide and a good friend,” Richard said.
Curt was steered toward Logan Martin back in 2004 by a guide on Weiss Lake, Butch Young. “He introduced me to Logan Martin. I fell in love with it.” Now, he guides 30 to 40 trips a year.
He always liked his job at IBM, a job he held for 31 years, he said, “but IBM didn’t let me fish a lot.” Retirement did, and Young mentored him. “All my skills were honed through Butch Young.”
Curt’s enthusiasm for Crappie fishing is contagious and along with the day’s limit of Crappie, the siblings have definitely caught it. Richard and Gloria enjoy their time together out on the water with Curt leading the way. “The rest of the family thinks we’re crazy,” Gloria said. “We have fished when it’s been snowing and scraped the ice off the seats of the boat to fish.”
They’ve fished after a tornado. They’ve endured hail and lightning. “That’s the best day. After that, you can catch fish,” Gloria said.
The enjoyment of it all is evident from the smiles that never seem to leave their faces as they recall their angling adventures over the years and their close-knit kinship. “We’ve never had an unkind word in our whole life,” Gloria said.
She credits their upbringing with the closeness of their family. They have a sister and brother, too. “She’s the oldest,” Richard said, pointing toward Gloria. “So, I take care of all them,” Gloria retorted.
“Our mother was soft spoken,” she added. “She worked hard, and she always wanted the best for her children. She was proud of us, and she told us that. We’ve always tried to live up to that.”
As Richard and Gloria pull in another day’s limit of Crappie, it’s suspected it would be a sight their mother would be proud to claim.
Crappie tips from a successful guide
Ask what fishing guide Curt Simpson fishes for, and the reply is simple: “Just Crappie.” His website gives more than a hint of that laser focus – crappiecurt.com.
He “fell in love” with Logan Martin years ago, and the lake has been his getaway and his treasured ‘fishing hole’ ever since.
Curt shares his knowledge with clients and was willing to give a few tips to our readers.
On this week in March, where they caught the day’s limit every day for a week, these were the tools of the trade:
The lure: Black Chartreuse Charlie Brewer Sliders and fishing grubs
The rod: BnM 7.5-foot
The line: 4-pound K9 Clear Fluorescent
So, take a tip and try your luck when Crappie season hits February to May and early Fall, and your “Gone Fishin” should hold a lot more promise.
Pro fishing tips on Logan Martin Lake and Neely Henry Lake with Zeke Gossett
Logan Martin Lake
Logan Martin’s water levels will be changing during the months of May and June, and in turn, the patterns of bass will change during these months as well.
Early in the month of May, you can still see bass on beds and also catch fish out deep. Typically, in May, bass will be very spread out and in very different phases of the spawn. However, for the majority of the time in May, your better fish are still going to be shallow.
The water on Logan Martin is just starting to rise and get to summer pool. Typically the fish will follow this water up and stay shallow during May. There are a couple of key baits I like to use in order to catch fish while they’re in their post spawn funk.
First bait I’m going to reach for early, especially in the morning, is a swim jig. What I like about the swim jig is that it is very versatile. This bait is great around almost any kind of shallow structure, such as docks, trees and grass.
The swim jig allows me to cover water fast and efficiently in order to capitalize on the daylight bite. Once the sun finally starts to get up, I’ll start casting to isolated structure with a wacky rigged worm. This is a great way to just get bites and get those post spawn fish to bite.
I usually target really shallow docks with this bait, along with casting to what bedding fish might be left.
Once we start getting into the month of June, the water temps will begin to rise, and the shallows will begin to slowly lose oxygen, especially if there is lack of rain. The fish will start schooling up on the end of long points and humps – anywhere from 10 to 20 feet of water. I also like to target brush piles in this depth.
My favorite bait to target these fish are a deep-diving crankbait and drop shot rig. Some of the biggest offshore fish I catch all year will come on the crank bait most of the time. The crankbait is an awesome way to really fire up a school of bass and get more fish to bite in the school.
The drop shot seems to excel a lot more in brush piles because it is more of a reaction type bite if you drop it right in the brush pile. I feel like the drop shot is always my best chance to get bit in the brush pile no matter what size of fish might be in the pile. These fish are typically more lethargic since they’re usually pretty beat up from the spawn.
Give these techniques a try and you will find success during these months on Logan Martin.
Neely Henry Lake
Neely Henry is a shallow fisherman’s paradise during the months of May and June. On top of that, a few deep fish will start showing up as well.
Typically, during these months, you will still catch your better fish shallow. I love to fish around shallow grass in the mid-lake region with a swim jig and frog. I usually keep my eyes peeled for bream beds as well.
Another great way to catch fish on Neely Henry is super shallow docks. When I say shallow docks, I’m talking any docks five feet deep or less of water.
I let the weather tell me what I need to throw around them. If it’s in and out clouds I like to throw more of a moving bait like a bladed jig or squarebill crankbait. If it’s slick calm and sunny, I will pick up some type of Texas rigged worm and drag it on the bottom around the docks.
Now, moving into the month of June, some fish will make their move out to deeper water. Most of the time on Neely, I’ll find fish in that mid-range depth around the 10 to 15-foot mark.
Most of the time, you will find these fish off the end of long points or in brush piles. I will use my electronics in order to find these fish as well. I will keep my bait selection simple if I’m wanting to figure out fast if the fish are doing this pattern.
One of my favorite baits to pick up first is a football jig. The football jig is a very versatile bait for offshore angling. I like to either keep it close to the bottom or if I’m wanting to cover water fast, I’ll just swim it close to the bottom.
Another great option if things are tough is a drop shot. A drop shot will produce bites when nothing else will.
Keep an open mind this time of year and don’t be afraid to try something new. It might surprise you how good the fish can really bite on Neely Henry even when the fish might be in in their post spawn funk.
Zeke Gossett of Zeke Gossett Fishing grew up on the Coosa River and Logan Martin Lake. He is a former collegiate champion and is now a professional angler on the B.A.S.S. tour circuit and is a fishing guide. Learn more about Zeke at: zekegossettfishing.com.
Rivers have a head and a mouth, but don’t have a voice to speak for themselves. That’s why Coosa Riverkeeper exists – to be a voice for the river and the many communities that live, boat, swim, fish, recreate and rely on the Coosa River.
We do this in a variety of ways – through patrolling the waterways, educating the public and advocating for the Coosa River. We have many free services to the public to ensure everyone knows what’s going on across the Coosa basin and how it impacts you, your loved ones, your property and Alabama’s economy.
From May to September, we test the Coosa’s most popular places to swim to help provide people with information about water-quality conditions. That lets people make informed decisions about enjoying the Coosa during the peak season. Check out where we test by visiting our website at CoosaRiver.org/SwimGuide.
If you fish on the Coosa, our Angler Advocacy is your home for all things fishing. Our website features an interactive map showing popular fishing locations, marinas, waterside restaurants and more. We also offer recipes and educate residents about local fish species. Check it out at CoosaRiver.org/FishGuide.
If you’ve got kids or grandkids, our C.R.E.E.K. (Coosa River Environmental Education for Kids) program educates children about conservation and sustainability in fun formats like wildlife workshops, free fishing clinics and so much more.
Whether you are swimming, boating, fishing, driving over a creek or watching a sunset on the Coosa — if you see something fishy (pun intended), let us know. Coosa Riverkeeper’s staff patrol the water and address pollution reports from the public. We will follow up with investigation, testing and help you find the solution.
The Coosa River is so special, which is why we must protect and conserve this mighty river. To learn more and stay up to date on our Swim Guide results, swim on over to our website, coosariver.org.
With a walking trail, mural, butterfly garden and more, community looking better than ever
Story by Paul South Photos by Richard Rybka Submitted Photos
Imagine Riverside without its new playground or there was no colorful mural welcoming one and all to town. What if there were no annual community soup supper, Santa’s arrival or Poker Run?
For the 2,251 who call this lakeside town home or the thousands more who visit each year, the allure wouldn’t be quite so inviting; the quality of life so appealing.
That’s why Riverside Beautification Organization is key to Riverside’s everyday life, making it better – brighter.
RBO began as a grassroots effort to beautify the city. Its premise is two-tiered: Organize events, activities and projects to benefit and showcase Riverside. And hold fundraisers to achieve those goals.
More than a garden club, the seeds for RBO were planted in 2008, right after Mayor Rusty Jessup took office.
“I knew there was a need for a good civic group here in town,” Jessup said. He met with several women interested in making Riverside a better place to live.
“I just wanted an organization interested in making Riverside a more beautiful place,” Jessup said. “It took off, and they’ve just done so much for our town.”
The small group of five blossomed into a small, all-volunteer group of women. In its early days, the group focused on planting flowers at city buildings and promoting volunteer recycling.
A stroll or drive down Depot Street these days showcases the RBO’s work – flower beds, a welcome sign, Landing decorations for the holidays, city building signage, a new playground at Riverside Park and walking trails in the park. Jessup could make a list.
The 501 (c) 3 nonprofit has grown into a catalyst for the construction of walking trails at the city park, maintaining the Lotus Pond – home to the native American Lotus only found in three places in St. Clair County – and building sanctuaries for birds – bluebirds, osprey, purple martins and wood ducks.
“When we adopted Lotus Pond, we realized that it would be nice to have walking trails throughout the park,” said Laura Pounders, who serves as RBO president. “With several grants and fundraisers, we’ve just now been able to complete the walking trails that connect the playground area to the ballfield area to the ponds and to the back fishing pond.”
The RBO hopes that one day, the area will be part of the Alabama Birding Trail.
“You know, we’re a small town. We don’t have a lot of resources,” Jessup said. “What we do have, we have to spend on police officers, the fire department; we just don’t have a lot of frills. Riverside Beautification Organization has helped to provide these things.”
Chimes in the Park
Grants, contributions from citizens, businesses and fundraising efforts finance the RBO’s efforts, and volunteer labor keeps the work more affordable.
It seems the RBO has done things great and small – from city hall landscaping to logo designs to signs pointing to city businesses and the new playground to lighted snowflakes and a nativity at Christmas.
Their work impacts the city’s ability to attract new businesses and new residents, Jessup said. It’s about quality of life
“It’s a tremendous help,” Jessup said. City parks and signs and the new playground are “things that add to the quality of life. That’s why a civic group (like RBO) is important. Everybody in town wants (these amenities). But they don’t want a tax increase. It’s great to have volunteers who step up and make these things happen.”
The RBO spent over three years writing grants and raising money for playground equipment and the park, Pounders said.
The organization is also trying to do more than beautify. It wants to build stronger ties between Riverside residents. A yearly, communitywide Soup Supper was held in late February and Santa’s arrival came in December.
A new community event to promote local crafters and artists, Spring Fling, is set for March 23. In 2023, 35 vendors sold their wares along with activities for children, including an egg hunt and the Easter bunny. More are expected this year, Pounders said.
Spring Fling turned out to be a fundraiser along with the Poker Run on the river in June, which has become an annual community event.
Future projects to be completed by the Poker Run in addition to the Riverside Post office mural is another mural behind the Landing designed and painted by Penny Arnold that will greet boaters as they prepare to dock or dine at nearby Buck’s Barbecue.
But the RBO is always looking for new ideas and new members in the growing city.
“The biggest thing that they do is that they create a sense of community, a sense of pride in the Riverside area,” Jessup said. “And it’s the kind of pride only citizens can provide. City leadership, we can do everything as far as making ends meet and meeting the basic needs of the community. But the citizens and volunteers of community are really what make quality of life. Without them, we would sorely miss the quality of life that Riverside offers.”
“We’ve clearly gone beyond planting flowers,” Pounders said. “We’ve all fallen in love with Riverside. The river and all the little tributaries that come off of it are beautiful.”
Riverside, she added, is “a pretty little town. Because it’s a small town, you get to know your neighbors. We’ve made so many friendships by opening up the RBO to anybody that’s interested in volunteering and being part of us.”
RBO has a wish five or 10 years down the road. “We could be more of an educational group,” Pounders said. “We could have school groups come into the park and learn about native plants and animals. Community education and participation are important.”
Just like its quality of life.
Editor’s Note:The Riverside Beautification Organization meets monthly and open to all residents. For more information, contact Pounders at juliepounders@yahoo.com
The perfect place to make a home on Neely Henry Lake
Story by Scottie Vickery Photos by Mackenzie Free
Connections are a vital part of Tracci Cordell’s life. She treasures the links to her past as much as she loves introducing friends and co-workers to each other, enlarging her tribe as a result. That’s why her new home on Neely Henry Lake has become the perfect refuge, a place that anchors her to her roots and allows her to strengthen bonds with those she loves.
“I wanted to have a place where everyone could just come and hang out,” she said of the home she built last year on property her parents owned for decades in the Riddles Bend area of the lake. “I don’t have a lot of family here now, but my friends have become family. Every good memory I have growing up happened right here, and now I’m making more.”
Friends Rainbow City Mayor Joe Taylor (center) and Southside Mayor Dana Snyder get in on the kitchen action with Cordell
Connection has become even more important to Cordell in recent years. In a 13-month period from January 2019 to February 2020, she lost her husband, Ron; her sister, Terri Maddock; her mother, Gail Maddock; and Scott Reed, a cousin who was like a brother.
“You have two choices when something like that happens,” she said. “You don’t go on, or you can just choose to live. Before he died, my husband said, ‘I want you to be happy and let your light shine.’”
That’s why, when Cordell moved into her new home last June, one of the first things she displayed on the entry table by the front door were wooden blocks that read “Choose Joy Today.” A painting of her childhood home in Gadsden, a gift from her sister Tammi, is surrounded by pictures of her loved ones.
These days, Cordell finds joy gazing out her windows at the sunlight dancing off the water or gathering a crowd around the firepit. One of her favorite things, though, is hosting the yearly “sauce-a-thon” when she and a group of friends help make 100 quarts of her mom’s Italian Spaghetti Sauce, just like Cordell used to do with her mother and two sisters.
The recipe, in her mother’s handwriting, is so special to Cordell that she had it made into wallpaper for her kitchen pantry. “She’d been making it all her life, but after she started getting older and had had a stroke, I knew we needed to pay attention,” Cordell said. “After she died, friends started coming to help and then more friends came. It’s just a big fun time.”
Dana Snyder, the mayor of Southside, is one of Cordell’s longtime friends who has rolled her sleeves up for the big event. Their friendship, however, has yielded much more than just delicious Italian sauce. Cordell introduced Snyder to another friend, Joe Taylor, who is the mayor of Rainbow City.
“The first time I met Dana was when Tracci bummed money from me for her campaign,” Taylor said with a laugh. All three worked for the City of Gadsden at the time, and as their friendship has grown through the years, so has their commitment to the lake that is such a vital part of their lives and communities.
The vast majority – about 79 percent – of Neely Henry’s 339 miles of shoreline is within the city limits of Southside and Rainbow City. As a result, Snyder said that she and Taylor have become professional partners of sorts in addition to being friends.
“When we were both elected, we said we were going to work together,” Snyder said. “Early on, we said we were going to be partners.” Taylor agreed, adding that “everything we do is to help each city. This lake is critical to the life of this region. It has to be one of the paramount issues when it comes to planning.”
Establishing roots
When Cordell built her home on Neely Henry, one of t was the fulfillment of a dream her parents had more than 45 years ago. Richard and Gail Maddock bought the lot in 1978 and it became the family’s favorite escape. The property wasn’t cleared and there were trees and brush all the way down to the river, but that didn’t stop Cordell and her sisters.
“My mom would cut a place out so she could put her chair and we would play in the water,” she said. “We came here every weekend and had birthday parties here. Eventually my parents built a T-shaped dock for Tammi, Terri, and Tracci.”
Their father, Richard, died of colon cancer at 59, and after their mother and sister passed away, Cordell and Tammi began the process of cleaning out and making hard decisions. Tammi lives in Virginia and Cordell had a house in Southside at the time, but they couldn’t bear the thought of selling the lake lot.
“We were cleaning out and found some house plans that Dad had made,” Cordell recalled. “We looked at each other and Tammi said, ‘We can’t get rid of it.’”
They soon found another sign. “I was a spoiled Daddy’s girl, and he always told me he bought this lot for my birthday,” Cordell said. She didn’t really believe it until they found paperwork showing the purchase was made on February 28, 1978, Cordell’s 7th birthday.
Once the decision was made, Cordell sold her house and stayed with some family friends during the building process. After moving in, she filled her home with specials memories from the past that she wanted to carry into her future. She refurbished her great-grandmother’s kitchen table and hung a picture of a maple tree in its full fall splendor nearby. “That was my dad’s favorite tree in Gadsden,” she said.
Just off the kitchen is a hallway to the laundry room, which features a collection of dozens of black and white photos of her family members and friends. Her husband is there, as is her daughter, Kelsi, a flight attendant who lives with Cordell when she’s not working. There are pictures of her parents, her sisters, her uncle Ronnie Reed, and other family members, as well as a host of friends and her boyfriend, Barry Ragsdale.
“These are my people,” she said. “They are my tribe. They’re family, and they’re friends who have come family.”
Cordell also cherishes the painting of her father that hangs in her bedroom. “He was over purchasing at Gulf State Steel for a long time and he was a suit and tie guy at work,” she said. “He was a wannabe farmer, though, so he would come home and put on his overalls and John Deere cap and head outside to his tractor.”
The three girls gave him the painting, which was created by Elaine Campbell, a family friend and artist, for Father’s Day one year. “It cost $600 and we each paid $200,” said Cordell, adding that it felt like a fortune since she was in high school at the time. Today, though, she considers the painting and the memories it evokes to be priceless treasures.
Large island gives plenty of room to help cook or dine
She feels the same way about the wallpaper in her pantry. After finding the index card with the handwritten recipe for Italian Spaghetti sauce that her mother got from a neighbor in 1979, Cordell had cutting boards featuring the recipe made for family members. After scouring Etsy, an online site featuring handmade and vintage items, she decided to have the recipe made into wallpaper.
“I thought about just doing one wall with the wallpaper but then I decided that if I could do a wall, why couldn’t I do a whole room,” Cordell said with a laugh. “It makes me smile every time I come in here.”
Chances are, the fact that Cordell continues to make the sauce makes her mother smile, as well. “I have such wonderful memories of making this sauce with my mom and my sisters,” she said. “There are no Italians in my family. Why my mother started making this sauce, I have no idea. But I think she would love that we’re still making it.”
Sauce-making day has steadily evolved over the years. “We used to make it outside, but it’s too hot,” Cordell said. “It’s usually the opening day of dove season. The men are in the woods and we’re in the kitchen, but we make them core the tomatoes before they leave.”
Cordell only uses tomatoes from Chandler Mountain, and she gets 10 half-bushel boxes. The first step is to lay them all out on blankets and tables and countertops “to look for any bad spots you might miss,” she said. “One may be getting mushy, so you’ve got to get it out of there.”
The day is as much fun as it is messy. “We have a really good time talking and laughing,” Cordell said. “It’s family, it’s making memories, and it’s just what we do.”
Lure of the lake
The fact that Cordell and her tribe have a beautiful view of the water makes the day even more wonderful. “It just means peace to me,” she said, adding that Taylor weighed in on her decision to build. “He said, ‘Whatever you do, don’t sell that lot,’” she said.
He and his wife Rachel have called Neely Henry home since 2016 and he said that lake property is much harder to come by because so many people keep it in the family for generations. Snyder knows that firsthand. “It took us several years to find a lot,” she said, adding that she and her husband Chris plan to start building within the next year.
The cherished painting of her father hangs in her bedroom, a gift to him on Father’s Day from the daughters
“I already say I’m a river rat, though,” she said. “My grandparents had a house in Whorton Bend and we’d go there every weekend. My grandfather would take us fishing and for rides on the pontoon boat. My aunt had a paddle boat, and we would just disappear.”
The passion Snyder, Taylor and Cordell share for the lake and the whole region has helped cement their friendship. In addition, all three have worked in different capacities for the City of Gadsden.
Cordell worked in the human resources department for more than 20 years before Mayor Craig Ford named her planning and zoning administrator last July. Part of her new duties include helping to guide and implement “GROW Gadsden,” the city’s new comprehensive plan. “The one driving force behind this plan has been the Coosa River that runs through Gadsden,” she said. “It is one of our most talked about assets.”
Snyder, who worked for a private law firm for 15 years before earning an accounting degree, transitioned from private practice to civil service when she joined the City of Gadsden’s legal department in 2009. She also served on the Southside City Council for four years before being elected mayor in 2020.
Although the mayoral position is officially part-time, Snyder left her full-time job with the city after she was elected to focus on her new duties. “I knew I couldn’t get anything done with a full-time job,” she said. “I’m one of those people who wants things done today and not tomorrow.”
Taylor joined the City of Gadsden in 1995 and served as a commander with the Fire Department after running a landscaping business and serving in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper and then in the Army National Guard. He also remodels houses and has refurbished and sold nearly 150.
“This job is is everything I had done before all rolled into one,” he said of his role as mayor, which he took on in 2020. “Dana and I have both been civil servants, and that has helped us in our role as mayors.”
Both mayors have also developed comprehensive plans for their cities, and they agree that finding ways for more people to enjoy Neely Henry needs to be a priority.
“As the cities grow, both of them, we’ve got to provide more public access (to the lake) for people who don’t live on the water,” Snyder said. “The fact that we are on this lake is the greatest asset we could ever have,” Taylor added.
As the owner of a new home on the water and her new role at work, Cordell understands that concept more than ever. “I have really come full circle from growing up on the river to helping make sure it is being showcased as the jewel it truly is. It’s home, and I can’t imagine ever living anywhere else.”
Italian Spaghetti
(Tracci Cordell)
1 pint Wesson oil 4 hot banana peppers, chopped 3 pounds onions, chopped ½ bushel tomatoes, unpeeled and quartered 2 whole heads garlic 1 cup sugar ½ cup salt 4 12-ounce cans of tomato past 1 tablespoon oregano 1 teaspoon sweet basil
Optional: 1 to 1 ½ pounds of ground beef, Italian sausage or ground turkey, cooked.
Simmer the tomatoes and garlic for about 1 ½ to 2 hours; more if necessary. Drain in a colander and return to pot. Saute banana peppers and onions in oil until soft and add to tomato mixture. Add sugar, salt, tomato paste, oregano, and basil and bring to a full boil. Put into jars and seal. Yields 12 quarts of sauce with meat or 9 quarts of sauce without meat.
Italian Salad and Dressing
(Dana Snyder, Mayor of Southside)
Salad: Use a variety of greens, such as romaine, kale and spinach 1 medium red onion, sliced ½ cup grated parmesan cheese 1 cup pepperoncini peppers Kalamata olives Salt and pepper to taste Croutons
Italian Dressing: 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp dried basil ½ tsp salt ½ cup extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
Mix all ingredients together in a jar with a lid. Shake vigorously until all ingredients are combined. Shake again before each use.
Story by Roxann Edsall Photos by Mackenzie Free Submitted Photos
In the heart of Gadsden, there stands an unassuming brick apartment building. It seems rather unremarkable for 2024, but if one were to step back in time just a few decades, to the year 1930, this same building was quite remarkable.
Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly visited the hotel
It was Feb. 12 at 10 a.m. when the doors officially opened for business at the swanky, 10-story brick Reich Hotel. Adolph Reich, the hotel’s owner, was commended by industry peers for the quality of the furnishings and décor. Dignitaries and guests celebrated Gadsden’s modern luxury hotel on into the early morning hours.
The hotel business had been a part of the Reich family since Adolph’s father, Hungarian-born David Reich, purchased Gadsden’s Printup Hotel in 1894. The Printup had been built by the Gadsden Hotel Company in 1888, in large part as a response to housing needs that resulted from the addition of the Rome-to-Gadsden branch of the Southern Railway. A train station was conveniently located across the street from the hotel’s lobby.
David and his wife, Lottie, owned and managed the Printup until David’s death in 1914. At that time, Adolph took over ownership and made major renovations to this property and began dreaming of building a more modern facility. The opening of the Reich Hotel 16 years later was the fulfilling of a promise made to his mother, that one day Adolph would build his dream hotel for Gadsden.
Gadsden, at the time, was an important port city. People and goods moved along the Coosa River, bringing much-needed supplies, guests and new citizens, many needing a temporary place to stay. The 1930 opening of the Reich Hotel was both perfect and challenging timing for Adolph’s new venture.
It was good in that the new Goodyear Tire Gadsden plant had just been built, and executives needed lodging. It was unfortunate timing in that the hotel opened just a few months into the start of the Great Depression. Despite the bleak times, the hotel thrived, and Adolph and the Reich Hotel became well known in the community. Reich’s hotel business continued to do well through World War II and into the early 1960s.
Wade’s father, Bobby, with a football ice sculpture
The Reich was the site of many social affairs over the years, ranging from weddings to high school proms. “I used to be a schoolteacher, and we had a lot of Christmas parties there at the Reich Hotel,” said Gary Garrett, president of the Etowah Historical Society. “It was beautiful. My mother was a hairdresser, and she used to have a lot of the beauty conventions there, too. I knew the son, Bobby, through my mother.”
Adolph’s son, Robert “Bobby” Reich had graduated from the University of Alabama and gotten into the hotel business himself, building the Guest House Hotel in Birmingham. Bobby eventually sold that hotel and returned to Gadsden to help manage the Reich Hotel.
By the mid 60s, the interstate highway systems made traveling by car more popular, and the hotel industry began to lean more toward “motel” type properties, downplaying the grand lobby style hotels. In response, Adolph took out a bank loan, and Bobby oversaw a major remodel of the Reich, beginning by tearing off the roof to build a patio and swimming pool and adding the additional comfort of air conditioning. Then a motel wing was added, and the name was changed to the Reich Motor Hotel. All rooms were refurnished with modern furniture. The old furniture was sent to the Printup Hotel, which Reich still owned.
Bobby’s son, Wade Reich, was in 7th grade when they put in the pool at the Reich, and he remembers enjoying that. But, he admits, he had an even better time in the elevator. “I loved operating the Otis hand-crank elevator,” he says. “We’d crank it up to the 6th floor and then let it drop to the lobby. Your stomach would be up in your throat. That was a lot of fun!”
The transition to the motor hotel model and the million-dollar renovation were the beginnings of the end for the Reich Hotel. Marketing the new motor hotel product did not go well. Bobby ended up selling his family’s Gadsden home and moving into the Reich Hotel to keep it afloat.
When that didn’t work, in 1972, the Reich Hotel was sold, and the family moved into the Printup. The hotel building is still standing, now renamed Daughette Towers and operates as a government-subsidized apartment building serving seniors and disabled adults.
With the Reich Hotel closed, Bobby and his wife, Jane, focused their efforts on the Printup Hotel. They converted a space where Mrs. Tarpley’s Flower Shop had been in the Printup Hotel and opened a small café they called the Whistle Stop. However, the new café wasn’t enough to revive the aging debt-ridden hotel, which was, by now, surrounded by vacant buildings. In December of 1973, the Printup checked out its final hotel guest.
The Reichs retained ownership of the building, offering spaces for ground leases, including a car repair shop, barber and beauty shops, a taxi service and a dress shop.
Wade and Eachin Reich
While Bobby and Jane focused on saving the Printup, their son, Wade Reich, completed his college degree in business administration and marketing. After graduation, in 1974, he and his parents painted the Printup lobby and opened a new restaurant called Poppo’s, the name paying homage to Wade’s grandfather, Adolph.
The restaurant stayed in business until 1978, when, Wade says, “it became apparent the future would be better for family if we sold the building.”
Having sold the building, Wade went to work for Dan Wallace, the inspiration for the movie Big Fish, whose company specialized in grocery store premiere promotions. That venture ended up sending him to London, which led to a new job with a similar business in Paris.
Wade and his wife, Jennifer, spent 14 years living in Paris. Although he loved Paris, Wade does have one regret. He never attended the famed Le Cordon Bleu culinary school. “I could have done Cordon Bleu, but I didn’t,” Wade laments. “It’s crazy! I’d spent countless hours taking customers to all the fine restaurants in Europe. I wish I’d done it.”
Wade and Jennifer returned to the Birmingham area in 2002 to be close to his aging mother. He worked in the grocery store promotions business again for a little while. Then a friend asked him to help run a gas station in Pell City. He came to run the Chevron station near downtown Pell City. Then, in 2008, he and his business partner bought the Texaco station across the street. In 2009, they started smoking butts and ribs there for holidays under the name Butts To Go.
In the 15 years since it opened, Butts To Go has been featured in several publications internationally, including The Toronto Star, USA Today, The Guardian (London), and in Southern Living magazine. They were also featured in the cookbook travelogue The South’s Best Butts by Matt Moore. In late 2021, Butts To Go left the Texaco, and after a brief partnership with The Kitchen, they landed in the old Dominos location on Mays Drive.
Wade has worked long hours all his life and admits to being a “tinkerer.” He started a new venture last year with his son, Eakin. By day, Wade works at Butts To Go, but at night, he’s busy helping wherever he is needed at The Grill at the Farm, a restaurant which opened just nine months ago off Logan Martin Dam Road.
Eakin returned to Cropwell from Key West, where he was food and beverage director at Jimmy Buffett’s famed Margaritaville Beach House Resort. Now he manages The Grill and is busy developing plans for the next stages of the property’s growth. “It owns me,” Eakin admits. “It’s been fun being here from the ground up. And it’s good to be near family.”
Plans for the future of the 62 acres the restaurant sits on are still in the development stages, Wade says. “We’re trying to figure it out,” he adds. “We have event space right now for 130 people. If we fixed up the barn and added a kitchen out there, we would be able to do bigger things. We’re still working on what it will be.” Whatever The Grill is or is to become, he says, “we wouldn’t be doing this if Eakin weren’t here.”
As busy as they are, the Reich family continues to give back to community that has supported their businesses. Recently, they helped with food for events for Dovetail Landing, a veteran transition and wellness facility being built in Lincoln, and for the Wellhouse, a home for female victims of human trafficking in St. Clair County.
Family, hospitality and community. The legacy now lives on through five generations of the Reich family.
Pro fishing tips on Logan Martin Lake and Neely Henry Lake with Zeke Gossett
Logan Martin
Days are getting longer, and bass are on the move. Warmer and longer days these two months have the fish on the move from their wintertime homes.
Typically, in March, I still believe the bass are in their pre-spawn mood. They are feeding up and fattening up, preparing to move into their bedding areas to get ready to spawn. Usually, I’ll target most of these fish in 10 feet of water or less this time of year.
Fish love to stage on points that lead into spawning bays. Also, brush and shallow docks are great places to look for fish making a pitstop before they spawn. A few lures I typically reach for would be a bladed jig, square bill crank bait, or a topwater walking bait.
If the water is still in the mid-50s, I’ll reach mainly for the bladed jig and squarebill and cover as much water as possible. I mainly target creeks on the lower end of the lake. Generally, this is where the fish will try and spawn first.
I also like to target windy banks if possible. Once the water temp reaches the 60-degree mark, that’s when I will reach for the topwater walking bait. I do this especially on cloudy, windy days. The fish will usually be one- to three-feet deep on points.
Do not be afraid to throw it midday if the conditions are right. This is my favorite technique to catch these fish, especially in April. If we have our normal weather pattern, you will really start to see the largemouth bass lock on their beds. This is the time get the spinning rods out and get on the finesse gear.
The tried-and-true wacky rigged Senko is an awesome way to get these bedding largemouth bass to commit. Now, I do switch gears when it comes to fishing for spotted bass. Spotted bass tend to spawn in shallow bays and flats in a little deeper water.
An awesome way to cover water and efficiently pick these broader areas apart is with a Carolina Rig. Typically, I use about a 2-foot leader with a ½ oz. tungsten sinker.
One of my favorite baits to use is a Menace Grub from Strike King Lure Company in green pumpkin or chartreuse pepper. I typically want a smaller bait. That way, once you drag it across their bed, they can easily just pick it up and hold on to it longer. This a great way to catch those big ole Coosa River Spotted Bass later on in the month once the fish really start to lock down on bed.
Neely Henry
These two months are when Neely Henry can really shine and produce some big fish. Just like Logan Martin, these fish are on the move once the days start getting longer and warmer.
Neely Henry bass love to live shallow this time of year. My approach is a little different though on this lake. I typically like to target mid-lake areas this time of year.
My favorite places to find these fish are creeks mouths and small river pockets. Neely has a lot of bank grass and wood to offer in these short pockets. These pockets also have a lot of shallow docks that fish like to stage on before the spawn.
My three favorite baits to use are a frog, swim jig and stick bait. Typically, in early March, I will fish with the swim jig a lot more than the other two baits because the water temperature is usually still on the cooler side.
Another great way to find fish on Neely Henry this early in the spawn is on rip rap banks. These banks hold heat and tend to hold fish any time of day. A squarebill crankbait is usually what I will start with on the rip rap banks.
I normally have to play with a number of colors to find the right one! If the bass do not seem to want the crankbait, I’ll slowly fish down the rip rap with a jig, especially if it’s a very slick, calm day.
Just like Logan Martin you can also catch fish around shallow docks. Typically, the docks in five foot or less tend to be the best. If the fish seem to be active, I’ll start out with a bladed jig. The bladed jig allows me to make more cast in and in turn, I am able to present the bait to more fish.
Just like the rip rap talked about earlier, sometimes on slick calm days, the jig will outperform any bait on the docks. Once the water temp reaches the 60-degree mark, that’s when I’ll pick up the frog. The frog and swim jig combo is something I can stick with all day.
Once we get into the month of April, that’s when I will start adding in the stick bait. And just like on Logan Martin, you can’t forget about the trusted Senko type bait.
I generally Texas rig the Senko on light 5/16 oz. weight. I really reach for this bait when I feel like the fish are in full blown spawning mood. I’ll pitch this bait around stumps and docks or wherever I feel like a fish might be spawning.
You might not be able to physically see the fish since Neely is generally pretty dirty water. Just fish slow inside pockets and really pick everything apart. This is the best way to get bit while the fish are really locked on beds.
The bass are in big time transition during these two months, however, these months can offer up some of the most rewarding fish catches for the entire year
On the Saturday of the 2023 inaugural Alabama Fishing Show at The Venue at Coosa Landing, Gadsden’s director of economic development, John Moore, decided to check things out.
What he saw was jaw dropping.
“The doors opened at 10. I pulled in about 9:45, and I swear to you, there were at least 400 to 500 people waiting to get in,” Moore says. “The thing stretched out from the Venue, and it just wrapped around in the parking lot.
“I was like, ‘What the heck?’ There’s something here on this. I was just amazed. People starve for stuff like this.”
Indeed, there was. An estimated 7,500 visitors streamed to the event, anglers shopping for everything from handmade rods and tackle to high tech electronic fish finders.
The Alabama Fishing Show returns to The Venue at Coosa Landing, March 8-10. Daily prices are $12 for adults, $8 for kids. Children under 5 get in free. Food and drinks are available for sale. Parking is free.
Hours are 10 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. on Friday; 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Sunday.
The Gadsden event was years in the making before its debut. Alabama Fishing Show organizer Shelia Bunch began discussions with the city several years ago about bringing the East Tennessee Fishing Show to Alabama. For Bunch, geography was the draw.
“You guys have some of the greatest lakes down there. You’ve got some of the best pro fishermen from that area. One thing that was missing was a true fishing show,” Bunch says.
A true fishing show is about more than watercraft, she adds. “I’m talking about bringing vendors from all over with products that you can’t even get anywhere else except for this show. You’ve got handmade fishing rods, you’ve got crankbaits. You’ve got jigs that you can’t buy anywhere else but this show. And a lot of these vendors are small business people. Their passion is all about fishing and about catching fish. They work day and night on their products.”
Along with featuring more than 100 vendors casting their wares upon the water to sell, Bunch hopes to reach a new, younger generation of anglers. The 2024 show will host a kids’ fishing tournament at the Venue on March 9.
Introducing kids to fishing is a goal of the show, Bunch, a mother of three, says. “We feel like kids are our future when it comes to fishing. Our goal is to give kids the opportunity to fish and make it a big deal, right there at the show.”
Pro anglers will appear at the show, and seminars are also slated to educate anglers on how to use the equipment and make their fishing experience more enjoyable.
“We try to make it a fisherman’s paradise,” Bunch says. But the show has something to hook the entire family.
“The mothers are really involved in the kids’ fishing tournament,” Bunch says. “We honor the women and give away hats to the wives who put up with the fishermen. The first 200 (women) through the door get a free hat. They really love that.”
She adds, “It’s a great place for families to connect.”
The show will highlight the hottest trends in fishing. Electronics lead the pack.
“Every year, Lowrance or Hummingbird or Power-Pole or any of them, they come out with something new every year,” Bunch says. Those will be on display at the show. A lot of people buy this equipment and don’t know how to use it, so we will have people who come and do seminars to show you how to use your electronics.”
Safety and environmentally friendly equipment are also trending, Bunch says.
“Safety and taking care of your lakes and taking care of your fish is a big thing. That’s why you have catch and release … When you catch fish, you need to save the fish.”
Like Moore, Bunch was “shocked” by the big turnout in the inaugural show, because it was a new event in unfamiliar waters, so to speak. This year, she expects an even bigger turnout.
“We’re wanting about 10,000 this year,” Bunch says. “That’s my goal.”
As an aside, one in six Americans are anglers. And, the sport is growing.
For Bunch, putting on the fishing show are measured in smiles.
“Truthfully, my favorite part is seeing my vendors do well – for them to walk away with smiles on their faces and me knowing that they did well at the show. My second favorite part is seeing the people leave there with smiles on their faces, knowing they got supplies they couldn’t get anywhere else.” Anglers – from offshore to fly fishermen – who attend the fishing show can up their game without breaking the bank, and they share a common mission with vendors.
“The goal is to catch a big fish,” Bunch says.
Moore believes the COVID-19 pandemic that kept folks shuttered for two years played a role in the huge turnout, and something more.
“I think (the pandemic) had something to do with it. Number two is that there’s nothing like it within a 60-mile radius. You have to go to Birmingham to the (Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center) or to Huntsville to Von Braun to see a show of this magnitude with this many vendors.”
And vendors were hooked on Gadsden.
“They signed up that day for (2024),” Moore says.
The show fits with Gadsden’s branding efforts as a tourist destination, Moore says.
“The mayor (Craig Ford) always says that not only do we have a responsibility to our citizens, but we have a responsibility to our merchants, too, bringing stuff like this in here.
“It actually helps grow our economy. Every hotel room in Etowah County is filled. The shops will be filled. It’s perfect. The wife may go and shop downtown, while the husband looks for fishing supplies. There were a lot of buddies going to the show in sort of a guys’ trip.”
At the end of the day, he adds, “what we’re looking for is to be ‘Fun Town’. We’re looking to be that city that people look to spend three, four, five days enjoying the river, the mountains, the downtown area, the shopping,” Moore says. “I think the fishing show plays into that.”
Along with a crowd, Bunch hopes to hook something else – for vendors and attendees alike. “I just want everyone to do well and be happy.”
Clearly an evangelist for fishing, Bunch captures the spirit of the show. “Fishing is a great time for families, and you can’t get those times back.”
