Community project set to open early 2023

When the ribbon is officially cut on Museum of Pell City in coming weeks, the community will welcome a museum that is believed to have the potential to exceed the expectations of cities of comparable size.

It features an extensive, local exhibit tracing Pell City’s steps from mill town to global marketplace and the scores of people, places and events making its history in between.

“This museum represents a group of people whose love of history and preservation of it never wavered along the way despite the twists and turns of the road to get here. Its opening will be an historic day for our community because of their perseverance,” said Museum President Carol Pappas.

The museum is an impressive blend of the city’s history and the state’s history all under one roof – a 4,000 square foot suite on the second floor of the Pell City Municipal Complex.

Making Alabama, the state’s bicentennial exhibit awarded to Museum of Pell City by Alabama Humanities Alliance, showcases Alabama’s 200 years of statehood and beyond. Within that exhibit are artifacts and little-known nuggets of Pell City history weaved into the story that unfolds.

 Just like the whistle that sounded at the turn of the 20^th century signaling the beginning of shifts at Avondale Mills – Pell City Manufacturing in its early days – the museum will have its own replica of that whistle at the entrance to the local exhibit, signifying the start of a new day.

Museum cases, made possible through gifts from citizens, are full of artifacts that bring the stories and photos of Pell City history to life. Hundreds of old photos are accessed on computer tablets for each period of history. A simple swipe across the screen reveals photo after photo of the days that were.

An interior room has been built to house music history, art and sports, and the national impact of Pell Citians on all three.

Another section tells the story of service with organizations and individuals dedicating themselves in public service, military and civic arenas.

The exhibit housed for years in the county courthouse is featured as well as the places where memories were made – hangouts like the Rexall Drugs, Skad’s, Jill’s and Dairy Queen.

Alabama Power Foundation partnered with the museum on a project to build a working dam model to take visitors behind the scenes of Logan Martin Dam and the impact it has had on the region. A $45,000 grant from the Foundation made the stunning exhibit possible as well as other aspects of the museum.

Pell City is no longer a mill town, and a Global Marketplace section reflects exactly that – the evolution of Pell City as a player on the world stage in business.

The centerpiece of the museum is a Living History Studio, which will be used to record and produce oral history videos designed to capture recollections of events, people and places in the history of the community. Much of it was made possible through a $25,000 grant from the Pell City Rotary Community Foundation Endowment. “That grant will enable us to achieve so many of the goals we have for this ongoing program.”

A mobile video team of experienced videographers and interviewers is being dispatched on location for those who cannot travel. In addition, a special project involving veterans of three wars – World War II, Korean and Vietnam – is making use of a partnership between the museum and the Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home in Pell City. A nearly $9,000 major grant from Alabama Humanities Alliance is the catalyst for the launch of the veterans program.

A control room adjacent to the studio is planned as a working classroom for students to not only develop an appreciation for history through work with these oral histories but to develop skills in video production, audio, lighting, interviewing and research.

Museum First Vice President Deanna Lawley is spearheading the Living History program.  “Since 1968, when my husband, Barnett, brought me to Pell City, I have been enriched by tales of an agricultural area with a Mayberry-paced town where everyone set their watch by the mill whistle. How quickly it began to transform with the damming of a river,” she said.

“We are losing the voices that make you smile, laugh, cry or reflect with their wonderful stories. Our goal is to have a living museum; the oral histories will provide that feeling before more are silenced.”   

Videos will be preserved, the audio transcribed and word searchable for research, and they can be accessed by the public and for use in the classroom. “What a wonderful opportunity we have to not only preserve the memories of eye witnesses to history but to share them to educate and engage audiences,” Pappas said.

Vision being realized

Museum of Pell City was a vision long before this suite became its home. That vision took many forms. The late Mary Mays, long known as an advocate for historic preservation, spearheaded a movement to place museum cases full of artifacts in the county courthouse in Pell City.

Others worked toward restoring the Mays House in Cropwell. Still others created April Walking Tours of historic downtown Pell City.

Another group brought the Smithsonian and Alabama Humanities Alliance exhibit, The Way We Worked, to Pell City in 2014 at the Center for Education and Performing Arts, CEPA, and created an impressive local history exhibit. That display, melded with the Smithsonian’s exhibition saw more than 7,000 people tour during its six-week stay.

That exhibition is widely viewed as the spark, the tipping point that caught fire and convinced a grassroots group that Pell City could indeed have its own museum. “So many people who toured that exhibition approached us about establishing a museum,” said Pam Foote, who served as project director of The Way We Worked and is now second vice president of the nonprofit that created the museum. “It was gratifying, yes, but it also represented a huge hill to climb.”

There was no place to house it. How could a single exhibit grow into a museum?

So, Foote and Lawley, co-chairs of the 2014 event, along with Pappas asked the city to store it, realizing it could be the nucleus of a museum. For seven years, it remained intact in the basement of the municipal complex while they pushed for a home.

There was talk of locating it in the long vacant administrative building, the single structure still standing on the Avondale Mills property, and that course was pursued for a few years.

After the Pell City Library moved into its new quarters in the municipal complex, that vacant building was seen as a temporary solution on location. The group pursued its prospects as well.

Then, Councilman Jay Jenkins had an idea in 2021, and his ‘what if’ turned into the museum’s home – two floors up from its storage in the municipal complex. The museum occupies a massive suite on the second floor.

“The city has been a terrific supporter of this museum,” Pappas said. “We couldn’t ask for better partners than the mayor, city manager and council. They provided us the space, infrastructure support and best of all, moral support for this project. Without them, we never would have made it this far.”

Pappas had high praise for the community and the support it has shown in rallying around the museum opening. “I cannot say enough about our volunteers. They are the linchpin in all of this – small jobs, large jobs and everything from fetching and toting to building and painting – holding it all together and making it happen. Our board had to create and establish this museum from the ground up, and they deserve a debt of thanks for stepping up to volunteer to steer this ship.”

As with any major project, funding is critical. “This museum would not have been possible without the financial support of so many people and organizations. When we say grassroots, we mean it. Over the past year, tens of thousands of dollars have poured into our treasury from ‘seed money’ by business people to sizable grants from civic, business, governmental and cultural organizations to wide-ranging individual contributions, memorials and social media fundraisers,” Pappas said.

Substantial additional support has come from the St. Clair County Commission, retired state Senator Jim McClendon and Congressman Mike Rogers. “Our sincere thanks goes to our elected leadership for their commitment to this project,” Pappas said.

Our Museum 100 – the 100 founding members who gave $100 – shows the strength of what can happen when they work together to raise $10,000 in a community like ours. That’s what it has been about all along and will be in the future – making history together.”

After the public ceremony officially cutting the ribbon, plans call for the museum to be open Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and by special appointment for groups.

Plans already in the works for 2023

Story by Paul South
Submitted Photos

It was a dark and rainy October night.

Traveling by boat, young trick-or-treaters in costumes and life jackets, catch candy bars and bubblegum in nets usually reserved for snagging catfish and bass.

Meanwhile, their parents bob for miniature bottles of booze or sip salty margaritas.

Instead of chasing bones, Dachshunds are dressed in skeleton costumes. Halloween revelers of all ages chat and giggle and get acquainted with lakeside neighbors they may never have met.

Piers and their people, each with a theme, rock Halloween with their own individual party.

For one spooky evening – Halloween 2.0, if you will – a sliver of the seemingly divided world comes together.

Welcome to Boo Bash.

The inaugural autumn event is the brainchild of Kelli Lasseter, Sonya Hubbard and a band of lakefront merry pranksters. The seed of an idea – probably a pumpkin seed – took root in a summer conversation on a pontoon boat and sprouted on social media.

“We were talking about how fun it might be, since the water levels are going to be higher, to have a pier-to-pier trick-or-treat event,” Lasseter says. “So, the next morning I put the idea on Facebook and well, it just took off from there.”

Boo Bash isn’t a philanthropic or  business venture – though some lakefront businesses were involved. Boo Bash was all about old-fashioned fun with a twist.

Lasseter moved to Logan Martin from a Leeds neighborhood where Halloween was “huge.” But until Boo Bash, lake life didn’t mean a steady stream of little ghosts, goblins, princesses and pirates. But it turned out Boo Bash was about more than decorated docks and trick-or-treat.

“The weekend of the event was incredible. People hosted Boo Bash-themed gatherings for family, friends, and in some cases, the entire community. Our wonderful local businesses offered Boo Bash specials for people of all ages. The whole weekend was filled with so much joy. It’s kinda overwhelming to think about now,” Lasseter says.

“Overwhelmingly people said the thing they loved most about the event was that it brought people closer together and it fostered community on Logan Martin Lake. I couldn’t agree more.”

Despite soggy skies, enough homeowners to fill a haunted Transylvanian castle festooned their piers for All Hallows Eve.

“We estimate 45 – 50 host piers participated the day of the event. We had 73 sign-ups, but some had to withdraw in advance of the event due to illness, weather and low water levels,” Lasseter says.

Two restaurants and six marinas, 30 to 40 boats and one personal watercraft braved the elements to welcome between 100 and 130 “dock-or-treaters” of all ages. Between five and 10 furry, four-legged friends joined the fun.

“It was just incredible to see the amount of time, effort and resources everyone put into making Boo Bash such a great event. The people of Logan Martin Lake are very special, and their commitment to Boo Bash is just one example of many that shows how much this community cares about others,” Lasseter said.

Some of the dock decorators – including Angie Murchison’s family and Carl and Marcia “Mar” (cq) Wallace – jumped into the festivities with both feet – or in the case of two members of the Murchison family, four feet.

The Wallaces, with the help of Tim and Shannon Atchenson, won “Best Pier” by viewer’s choice. Other viewer’s choice awards included Mar Wallace and Peggy Boyd for “Halloween Spirit,” and Pier 59 and Angie Murchison for “Cheesiest Pier.” All participating piers received “Honorable Mentions.”

The two family dachshunds, Petey and Beanie, joined by a pack of blow-up skeleton wiener dogs, got in on the fun and inspired their kid-friendly theme – Howl-O-Weenie. One of the family pets had a small cowboy saddled up on her back.

But a neighbor and the Murchison’s two grandsons, ages six and two, sparked the family’s involvement. The Murchisons have called the lake their home for 25 years. Friends made up the family’s “Boo Crew.”

“When you live on the lake, there are unique things that come with living on the lake,” Murchison says. “I wanted (my grandsons) to experience this coming by boat to trick or treat … I wanted to do it for them … It was so, so fun.”

A side note: the Murchisons live on a dead-end road. In their quarter-century on the lake, Halloween 2022 was first the time trick-or-treaters ever visited the family.

In a time when the country is still battling COVID-19, a political divide and a culture where folks may not even know their neighbors, events like Boo Bash are important. Emergence from two years of coronavirus cloister helped fuel Boo Bash buzz. Social distancing was still in play.

“Actually, I had a new neighbor, and because she saw us participating, she actually joined in at the last minute. So that kind of made me feel like I could reach out and have something in common with her, something to talk about so I could get to know her a little bit,” Murchison says. She had another positive connection with a neighbor through the Boo Bash Facebook page.

The Wallaces hosted Hall-O Rita, celebrating the season serving the Mexican adult beverage for grownups and candy for the kids. Sixty adults, 30 kids and three dogs visited the Wallace boathouse.

A retired engineer, Wallace pens the popular “Lake Ramblings” blog  about people, places and events on Logan Martin.

Thanks to social media, Wallace says, Boo Bash took on “a life of its own.”

“It appealed to a lot of different demographics. It was a common goal kind of thing, happening in a season where generally speaking, there’s not a lot going on and lo and behold, it involved children. It just blew up.”

The Murchisons and their “Boo Crew” are already planning their theme for Boo Bash 2023. As for 2022’s event, Angie Murchison summed it up this way:

“It was a great way to enjoy the holiday season in a way that only relates to the lake.”

Only time will tell what Boo Bash 2022 meant to the lake community, Wallace says. But it touches on a need in a 50-mile-long lake community that loves a reason to come together.

“But that being said, my prediction is we’re going to look back and see this as the start of something really, really big … I think next year is going to be unreal.”

Wallace’s takeaway from the first Boo Bash highlights perhaps the greatest treat of all for Logan Martin friends and neighbors.

“I think if you give the lake community an opportunity to come together face to face, they’ll take it every time,” he says. “Everybody that came to our dock, they were just bursting with smiles.”

Facebook seeks to bring community together

Story by Roxann Edsall
Submitted Photos

Does anyone know a good pet sitter? Can anyone send me a picture of the water level on Treadwell Island? Are there alligators in Logan Martin?

When people want answers to these and so many other questions on and around Logan Martin Lake, often they turn to their phones and computers. Just a quick search or post on Love Logan Martin Lake Facebook group and an answer is just moments away.

Want to know where to get fresh blueberries? Need a reference from someone who has had a good experience with an area plumber? Or maybe you want to let everyone know about a great band playing next weekend on the lake. Get it out there to the community in a few easy clicks.

With more than 14,000 members, the Facebook page keeps three administrators busy checking out 10 to 20 posts a day from people wanting to share on the social media site. Even more time is spent checking out potential members to be sure they are somehow connected to the lake.

“We try to keep it classy, keep it informative and keep it relevant,” says page creator and administrator Rebel Negley. They do not allow political posts, spam, business advertising or profanity. “I would say 99% of the time they follow the rules,” she adds. “If we consistently see a problem, we add a rule. We just want it to be a place where you can find peace. While we don’t allow businesses themselves to post, it’s fine to get recommendations from people who have used those particular services.”

What they do is connect people around the Logan Martin Lake community. Having grown up coming to the lake, she has a deep love for it and all that it means to the community. Negley admits that many of the posts are pretty simple – people looking for restaurants on the lake or wanting to know the time of the holiday fireworks.

The greater purpose is to develop relationships with others who love Logan Martin. “We like it to be like family,” says Negley. “There have been times when we’ve heard about deaths within the families in the group. Or the time we had a family who had a house fire. They were pretty much taken care of by the community through the information received and disseminated on our page.”

Negley has lived on Coosa Island for 20 years, the last 17 with her husband, Michael. Her daughter and grandchildren live in Louisville, Ky.

She credits the members with the growth of the group. “The people have made the group, not me,” she says. “They are so willing to interact with others and so willing to share their pictures or their help.”

People who have houses on the lake but don’t live on Logan Martin full time often post asking how the lake levels look during storms. Before and after floods, people look out for others’ homes and property by posting pictures of found items and of potentially dangerous conditions.

“During weather emergencies in particular, I think people rely on crowdsourcing through our site,” says Negley, adding that it helps to have people post pictures if a homeowner is not able to see the situation firsthand.

“I get comments all the time asking to thank the people who have helped others on the lake,” says Negley. “It’s one of my favorite parts of doing this. It’s a testament to how generous and hospitable our residents are.”

There are two other administrators who help with the job of managing the private Facebook group. Each one spends many hours a month reviewing posts to ensure they are relevant and appropriate.

Carol Meadows began helping after Negley had a heart attack a few years ago. David Smith helped for several years but has since gotten busy with other interests. Later, Priscilla Willingham jumped in to help.

Group experts Tim Badgwell and Carl Wallace help out in answering questions on a variety of subjects. A map Wallace created is pinned to the page so that newcomers to the lake can easily find landmarks. Wallace also contributes by updating people about flood concerns and about the higher winter lake level beginning this year.

It’s the place to go when you need lake information or want to share something going on around the lake. Member Kelli Lasseter used the platform to start a thread this fall that resulted in a pier-to-pier trick or treating event for community children.

Over the last two years, there have been many posts about the Christmas boat parade that a local couple started. This year, that family will not be able to participate, so the buzz on the site is that with the higher winter water levels, other boat owners will be making sure the Christmas boat parade goes on. Activities like these create a positive buzz about the lake, its community and its people – all parts of the goal of the Love Logan Martin Lake group.

Many posts each day are simply sharing the beauty of the lake. One post is a series of sunset photos for others “in case you missed it.” Another post announces, “These sunsets at Logan Martin never get old.”

There’s even a cover photo contest where members can submit photos to be used as the group’s cover photo for a month. They must be original photographs from the person submitting, in a horizontal format and posted as a comment under the monthly photo contest post.

“Connecting as a community is important,” emphasizes Negley. “We’re a lake family. We love the water and are connected by it. It’s a great way to get the lake community information out there and to be unified toward a cause.”

That question about alligators in Logan Martin Lake is a favorite for Negley, who adds, “We’ve gone round and round with that one. I’ve looked and looked and still haven’t found any. But that topic comes up every year.”

That’s not to say alligators couldn’t be on the lake, though. A definitive answer comes from Marianne Gauldin of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife and Fisheries, who states, “Although they are more numerous in the southern half of the state, they should be expected in any lake or river. Logan Martin Lake provides suitable alligator habitat and would not be unusual for an alligator to be seen there.”

So, be cautious and post if you see any.

Rebuilt playground opens at Pell City’s Logan Martin Lakeside Park

Story by Eryn Ellard
Photos by Graham Hadley

As an early August sun set on Lakeside Park, a new beginning officially rose for a 20-year-old landmark – the grand reopening of Kids Kastle.

The project was first put into motion at the beginning of the year, and through months of collaboration and design work, along with long days in the triple digits by city employees, the new playground was ready – and so were hundreds of local children.

Pell City Mayor Bill Pruitt gave the inaugural speech, saying that there were many in attendance who were kids back when the original Kids Kastle was built in the early 2000s. Now, those same children are all grown up and were there with their children.

Seven-year-old Cam Williams cut the ribbon along with the mayor, and it was officially time to play. Several new features have been added to the park, including many new swings and rubber mulch walkways throughout, swings and features for disabled visitors, plus new slides.

The layout and the “face” of the park remain the same. Pell City Parks and Recreation Director Bubba Edge said the city’s vision was to keep the original face of the park the same. “We wanted to keep the face of Kids Kastle the same as it has always been all these years,” Edge said. “It is something that all people recognize when they come to our city.” Edge noted that it was also important to keep elements of the old park the same because when people are looking to come to our city, one of the first things they look at is the city parks and things that are available for kids.

After an hour or more of running, climbing, bouncing and spinning, the kids and parents were ready for some refreshments. Southern Snow Shaved Ice passed out over 300 snow cones, and the city prepared hundreds of hotdogs, pounds of popcorn and cold drinks for those in attendance with the police chief and fire chief manning the grill.

Pell City resident Rachel White said it was such a special occasion for her and her 4-year-old twins. “I can remember coming here when I would summer with my grandparents,” White said. “Now we live here, and my girls will get to have great childhood memories here, too.”

Pell City Councilman Jay Jenkins thanked all the employees who spent hours of their time, during inclement weather and in the blistering heat to get the project done on time. “Many of our employees were out here, often times when they probably shouldn’t have been, to make sure this thing came together,” Jenkins said.

With ceremonial duties out of the way, speeches made and the ribbon cut, children rushed into their new playground, already making new memories at the new Kids Kastle.