Eric Housh stepped away from his work desk for a few minutes, taking a short break from his regular consulting job in marketing and sales technology solutions to talk about his ‘other job.’
That alternate work has become a passion of his that has evolved over the years, much like the event itself. He’s been heading up organizing and promoting Logan Martin LakeFest, billed as the South’s largest in-water boat show, since it launched 15 years ago. But as Housh will quickly tell you, it has grown into so much more.
While the focus is on a show for boats, personal watercrafts and even cars and trucks, this outdoor festival at Pell City Lakeside Park boasts something for everybody. It features dozens of lake lifestyle vendors, nonstop entertainment, food trucks, kids’ attractions, a spectacular fireworks show and a host of other events, drawing upwards of 40,000 people each year.
It began as a vision of the late Jerry Woods of Woods Surfside Marina; Fred Casey, former owner of Tradesman Docks; Joe Paul Abbott, developer of Horizons, and Lee Holmes, owner of Sylacauga Marine. They wanted to create an event that would draw people to Logan Martin, not only to browse their boats but to discover how special the lake and lake life really are.
Lakeside Park is the perfect location for the boat show
Come May 9-11, LakeFest will celebrate its 15th birthday in a grand way. “We say every year that we are beyond blessed with a community that supports us so well,” Housh said. “All the support makes it easier to do this year in and year out.”
Each year seems to outdo the year that came before it, and the burgeoning crowds attending simply underscore that Housh and company continue to fine tune a winning formula.
This year’s fireworks show will be bigger this year, highlighting special events on Friday night. Veterans from Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home are guests of honor for dinner and the fireworks show, escorted into the festival in a special ceremony saluting them. A record number of veterans attended in 2024.
Veterans, Housh said, always had a special place in Woods’ heart. His brother was killed in Vietnam, and veterans have been a focal point since the beginning of LakeFest.
This year’s version will bring a ‘first’ for LakeFest – an actual wedding will take place on Saturday. A couple had called and asked if it was possible to exchange their vows at LakeFest, and “we thought it was a crazy cool idea. All in attendance at LakeFest will be guests at the wedding,” Housh said. “We’ll have other fun stuff Saturday night. It will be a party atmosphere, something fun I think everybody will enjoy.”
Entertainment for the weekend will be centerstage and represent just about every genre possible. They are even looking to add bluegrass this year to its lineup of country, rock, folk and more. Prizes and giveaways will be awarded throughout the weekend.
Many hands are responsible for this unfolding success story. Justin Hogeland partners with Housh to oversee and plan this huge outdoor festival. Judy Carr and Kasey Flurry keep logistics running smoothly. And an army of volunteers – from golf cart shuttle drivers to traffic directors to helping hands wherever needed – report for duty early and stay late, ensuring the safety and enjoyment of the crowds that attend.
The sponsors make the whole event possible, and the vendors and entertainment help give it its wide-ranging appeal. The Splash Pad is sponsored free for kids Friday and Saturday, and for mothers, it’s Mimosas for Moms – free Mimosas and a rose on Sunday, honoring them on Mother’s Day.
LakeFest returns the favor, giving back to the community each year through its profits earmarked for charities as well as upgrades for Lakeside Park. The large Jerry Woods Memorial Pavilion, new docks and other improvements are courtesy of funding from LakeFest’s nonprofit, The Logan Martin Charity Foundation.
“We’re really proud of that. It’s been in our DNA to give back to the community,” Housh said, pointing to the early vision of Woods. True to that mission, LakeFest has generated more than $500,000 for over 30 different nonprofit organizations over the past 15 years.
Logan Martin Lake communities come together after December tornadoes
Story by Roxann Edsall Submitted Photos
Melinda Splawn got the call at about 7:00 in the morning on Sunday, Dec. 29. She needed to get to Lee Park in Cropwell right away to check on massive storm damage there. As owner and manager of the park off Coosa Island Road on which 14 mobile homes sit, Splawn immediately began calling to check on residents.
One of her first calls was to her friend, Matt Kronen, owner of Coosa Island Marina, who lives very near the park and knows most of the residents there. He had already been out checking on residents and property, and he told her to be prepared. “He told me it looks like a war zone. And it did. When I got there, I saw trees down everywhere on homes, porches and across the road.”
The storm, later evaluated by the National Weather Service as an EF-0 with peak winds of 85 miles per hour, was part of a weekend storm system that produced 18 tornadoes in four states. The Coosa Island tornado was one of two in St. Clair County. The second was an EF-1, which damaged property on Roberts Mill Pond Road.
The tornado spent just three minutes on the ground beginning at 12:25 a.m. In those three minutes, sections of the landscape of a two and one quarter mile stretch of land in Cropwell were completely changed. Thankfully, there were no injuries in either of the St. Clair County tornadoes. There were, instead, many stories of close calls, of neighbors helping neighbors, and of neighbors and strangers becoming heroes to those in need.
Kronen was one of those humble heroes who did what needed to be done to help those around him. He recounts having been in bed for 30 minutes, when he suddenly realized he’d left his Christmas inflatables up. He ran to the door and couldn’t open it. “The wind and pressure had it suctioned closed,” he explains.
Crews begin cleanup after December 29 Cropwell tornado
“So, I ran to the sunroom. There was so much rain blowing sideways, you couldn’t see across the lake. Then, as quick as it came, it was gone.”
Kronen headed outside and joined neighbors to survey the area. They discovered they were trapped on the island by debris and trees covering the causeway, so he and other neighbors loaded up chainsaws and started to work clearing a path.
With power lines completely tangled around trees, they couldn’t get far before having to stop and wait for Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative to turn the power off.
Taking his golf cart and carefully steering clear of power lines, Kronen made his way around the neighborhood and toward the causeway to check on friends. His concern was heightened at the sight of one trailer all but crushed under the weight of a downed tree. The home belonged to Tom and Candi Childers, who had told him they’d be at their Lee Park home over the weekend. The Childers are seasonal residents in the park.
When Kronen saw the giant oak tree lying on the Childers’ crushed residence, he was quick to call them and was relieved to hear they had not come due to the weather. The tree, now resting on their bed, made it difficult to get in to see what was left of their trailer. Before they could come to assess the damage and protect what was left of their belongings from the continuing rain, Kronen collected some of their photos and items of sentimental value.
Kronen later brought his skid steer from the marina to help move larger debris out of the way throughout the park. Doing for others, Kronen explains, is just what lake people do. “We come together when something like this happens.” Splawn agrees, adding, “You don’t feel like you’re in it by yourself.”
Those sentiments are echoed time and time again by those who described their experiences during the storm, including by Mark “Nacho” Hughes.
“It’s amazing how eight seconds can change your life,” says the corporate pilot who lives in Lee Park. “It sounded like a million hot air balloons released their air at the same time. The walls of the trailer were pulsating. My wife, Connie, asked if this was the night we die. I said, ‘no, ma’am.’”
In just moments, the tornado was over, and Hughes went outside to check on things. His home had lost much of the underpinning and had roof damage, along with minor damage to his boat house. He immediately walked across the street to check on a neighbor. “We started walking together and checking on damage,” says Hughes. “We went place to place checking on people who might be here.”
What they saw was shocking. “There were lots of trees down and metal and debris on the road,” Hughes recounts. “We didn’t know what to do, so we started calling people to let them know what was going on.”
A few minutes later, first responders started showing up, and we all started removing metal and debris off the road. We started cutting trees about 3:30 in the morning so we could get cars through here.” Hughes punctuates his story with extra gratitude for the first responders that morning and for the response by the St. Clair County road maintenance and debris removal teams.
Large trees bring down power lines during Coosa Island tornado
“There has been such a spirit of cooperation in all of this,” adds Hughes. “There were people you knew, people you didn’t know. They were up here picking things up, helping in the cold and wind. People brought drinks and food. We don’t even know them all, but they wanted to be a part of the healing. It’s amazing how some people’s big hearts make the day go better.”
It was a bad night for Don Urso, who awoke in the middle of the storm adrift on his 88-foot houseboat. “I was traveling sideways freely, going about 30 miles per hour. It was raining so hard I couldn’t see anything,” Urso recalls. “When I finally stopped, after about 20 minutes, I was parked between two piers against the shoreline.” It was a tricky ride for Urso, who was not able to maneuver himself well, having had a hip replacement surgery just two weeks earlier.
“When I stopped, I looked out the side window and I saw a house,” recalls Urso. “The tornado apparently had me spinning around out there. I thought I would have been in Riverside with as long and as fast as I’d been going.” The houseboat had, in fact, only traveled 600 yards across the water from its mooring on Coosa Island. It came to a stop against the seawall of the home of Scott and Lori Knepper.
The Kneppers, who were awakened from their sleep by the heavy winds and trees falling, discovered that water was coming into their house at the back door. Scott went upstairs to find a hole in the ceiling and realized that limbs from a tree had penetrated the roof. He and his son, Cam, grabbed flashlights to check on the pier. “That’s when I saw a very large white boat that was lodged against our pier and seawall,” said Scott. “Then I saw a flicker of light onboard and realized there was a person on the boat.
“We walked down there with another neighbor and talked to him and found out he was okay,” Scott continued. “We checked the boat, and it was not sinking. We asked if we could help him, but he was already on the phone calling for a friend to come get him.”
One friend, Keith Clemmons, came by pontoon boat and another, Kronen, came by land, but because of the wind and rain they decided to secure it there and retrieve it later in the day.
Back on Coosa Island, David and Angela Buzbee were assessing the damage their home had sustained. David, Angela and their daughter, Courtney, had been watching the weather on television. When it looked like the storm threat was diminished, Angela went to bed. Just a few minutes later, David noticed the wind had picked up and the doors started rattling.
“I flipped the blinds open and noticed how strong the wind was and how the rain was swirling,” said David. “Pretty much immediately, the wind got really strong. The cedar and beams that make up the roof to the porch came in toward the house. We got away from the windows and went to the bedroom to get my wife.”
That’s when they heard a loud crash. Later they found out that crash was a result of half their roof on the porch coming off and landing on the other side of the house. The neighbor next door met them outside to check on them.
The Buzbees, who had completely renovated the house just 2 and a half years ago, say they will rebuild. “This is our forever home,” says Angela, who serves as president of the Coosa Island Homeowners Association. “It’s a really close group of people on the island and in the neighborhood.”
Angela’s neighbor two doors down agrees wholeheartedly. Rebel Negley is so thankful for the people who reached out to help her and her husband following the storm.
St. Clair County Sheriff’s Deputy Lionel Calendar is one of her heroes. Knowing her husband had recently had surgery, Calendar sent Negley a message asking if they needed help and offering to get her anything she needed.
As it turned out, what they needed was power for their refrigerator and for the breathing machine. Calendar contacted his brother, Stevie Bentley, who came over and helped Negley put together their generator.
“Chief Paul Leger with New London Volunteer Fire Department was awesome, too. I can say that, like most folks, we don’t agree on everything,” Negley said. “But when something happens to one of us, we are all here to help each other.”
Kronen, Calendar, Leger, Hughes, Clemmons, the Kneppers – neighbors and friends who were all willing to help shoulder some of the weight of the loss created in the early hours of Dec. 29.
Hughes’ summary of the storm and its aftermath resonates among those in the lakeside community. “It’s just the people you don’t know who come in to lend a hand that gets you. These people didn’t have to spend their money, bring their chainsaws, bring food. They could be home with their families, but instead, they’re down here helping our families try to get back some part of normalcy.” l
The last time Coosa Island residents saw the Coosa Island Marina sign was 3 p.m. on Dec. 29. Coosa Valley Electric had Coosa Island Road closed while they worked on restoring power to the neighborhood following the tornado.
Residents remembered seeing the sign, damaged and loose from its pole, lying on the ground. “It’s an important piece of our history,” says marina owner Matt Kronen. “It was here when my family bought the marina in 1983.”
Kronen hopes that if anyone picked it up, thinking it was trash, they would get in touch with him and return it. He says they will get a new sign but would like to have the old sign to display as part of the history of the area.
Talladega is known the world over as a place where racecar drivers put the pedal to the metal.
But on March 15, hunters and anglers will put the metal – pots and pans to be exact – and meat to the flame, all part of the Alabama Wildlife Federation’s regional cook-off at the Talladega Superspeedway.
The winner advances to the state finals.
Proceeds from entry fees and ticket sales, where hungry patrons can feast on some wild game delights crafted by teams of backyard chefs, go to benefit AWF’s many wildlife education and conservation efforts.
Think grilled quail, flounder stuffed with shrimp and crab and covered with cream sauce, or a grilled venison roll. If your mouth isn’t watering now, check your pulse.
The cookoff attracts more than just chefs, there are vendors galore
The event marks the 19th AWF cook-off for Talladega. But the genesis for the competition began in 1996, according to Tim Gothard, now in his 26th year as the federation’s executive director.
“AWF was talking about the fact that sometimes hunters and hunting can be put in the wrong light,” Gothard said. “What we know is that hunters and anglers properly utilize the fish and game that they harvest. It’s not a wasteful thing … We thought the cook-off would be a great way to show that. And it makes great and healthy table fare.”
Like the first day of hunting or fishing season, the cook-off would also be a social event, bringing AWF members together and spotlighting its conservation and education efforts. And it will generate funds to support those efforts, Gothard said.
Mobile hosted the first cook-off in 1996. Now, the Talladega event is one of 14 regional cook-offs culminating in the state championship later this year.
Regional winners will compete for a $1,000 grand prize and bragging rights as AWF Wild Game Cook-off State Champion for 2025.
Like the popularity of TV cooking shows, these AWF events have exploded in popularity. For example, at that first event in Mobile, five or six teams competed and 100 to 125 folks attended. Now the competitions have become a major event on the calendar. Folks want to be there. And, in every competition town, corporate sponsors are hooked.
“Coming up, at the Talladega cook-off, we will have over 1,000 people at that cookoff and probably 30 to 35 cook teams,” Gothard said. “It has grown absolutely dramatically over the years. Probably in the last 10 years, we have doubled the amount of people that come to those events, the revenue that’s generated to support our conservation projects … It’s just been amazing.”
As for the corporate backing, they provide the largest revenue stream.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Gothard said. “If you’re a sponsor, you’re going to get a bunch of tickets that you can use to reward employees, clients, potential clients and friends to come and enjoy the same great food and the same great atmosphere and camaraderie that we see.”
AWF employees will be on hand to talk about the organization’s work and mission. But make no mistake, food – dishes featuring venison, feral hog, quail, and other varieties of game and fish – is the focus.
And this isn’t just a bunch of guys cooking on the truck tailgate, Gothard said.
“They take great pride in what they prepare,” he said. “And I will guarantee you this: There are restaurant quality dishes that you’ll find at every cookoff that we do. And when you come to that state cook-off, and the teams come to compete for the state championship, every one of those dishes are restaurant quality.”
The secret sauce in the cook-offs’ success? “The format that we do allows people to sample the food,” Gothard said. “We’re not providing them with a meal. But they have a wide selection of dishes that they can actually taste.”
While the boom in cooking shows and in turn, the growth in folks wanting to cook great food at home, have played a part in the cook-off success, there’s a dash of something else beyond great tasting food created from Alabama fish and game.
“More than anything else, we have a large membership across the state and it’s an opportunity for them to get together with likeminded people and really enjoy a night that’s really celebrating the hunting and angling outdoor pursuits that we are all involved with and we appreciate and enjoy,” Gothard said.
“ The social atmosphere, that camaraderie and that uniqueness are the things that in my mind have made the wild game cook-offs so popular and really fueled their growth over the last 10 years, in particular,” he said.
Statewide, more than 100,000 Alabama schoolchildren benefit from AWF’s efforts. And that’s a small part of the story.
Talladega Superspeedway has plenty of room for an event this size
AWF has done five oyster restoration projects in Mobile Bay. It’s been able to add scientists to the AWF staff to work on issues like restoring fish and game habitats. The wild game cook-offs provide a portion of private sector funding for what AWF calls its “on the ground and on the water projects. All told, AWF is making a $1 million investment in these projects and more.”
The Alabama Outdoor Classroom Program gives kids the opportunity to learn math, science, social studies and language arts outdoors in a wildlife habitat and against a wildlife backdrop. AWF has four outdoor education specialists crisscrossing the state to serve in schools.
Close to home, the program worked with Munford Elementary.
“They’ve accomplished a tremendous amount,” Gothard said. “And our wildlife biologists have collaborated with private landowners in that entire (Coosa) region for 20 years helping them develop plans for managing their property so they can have quality wildlife habitat and populatons.
“When you have that, the impact spills out beyond the landowners’ property. It helps ensure that we have good wildlife habitat and populations all across the state.”
It’s part of a scientific, systematic approach to game management, Gothard said. And funds from the cook-offs fuel the effort.
“(The cook-off) is a significant source of revenue to help us do conservation work in this state,” Gothard said. “It makes a big difference.”
The cookoffs reveal something about hunters and anglers, who may guard their favorite hunting and fishing spots like state secrets.
But they’ll brag about a recipe as they might a trophy buck or bass.
“They definitely enjoy sharing with other people how they prepare dishes and how good it tastes,” Gothard said. “That is something hunters and anglers love to do.”
Over the years, Gothard has sampled a slew of savory fish and game dishes. But one some 12 years ago at the Talladega cook-off hooked him.
“There was a team that won the Talladega cook-off with a bluegill fish taco,” Gothard recalled. “This was before fish tacos were a thing. I grew up, you caught bluegill, you fried them whole and picked them with a fork. It tasted great, but it was work.”
The taco chefs took a fresh approach.
“They had de-boned all the meat, cooked it up and then flaked it. That was the meat in the taco,” Gothard said. “It absolutely blew me away.”
For Gothard, every team makes an impression.
“The thing that really impresses me and captures my attention is how (teams) take (fish and game) and turn it into a dish that I hadn’t really thought about.”
The cook-off isn’t only a celebration of conservation, Alabama’s hunting and fishing heritage or culinary creativity. The competition is about pride, with teams coming from as far away as Texas.
“Those cook teams are going to take a lot of pride in telling you what their dish is, how they made that dish,” Gothard. “And you’re going to see them light up when on the spot, someone tastes it and says, ‘Man, this is awesome.’
According to its website, the Alabama Wildlife Federation is “a dynamic, citizen-based conservation organization with over 25,000 members and supporters dedicated to creating and promoting a balance between use, management and protection of Alabama’s wildlife and related natural resources through education, community involvement, and boots-on-the-ground assistance.”
The organization’s focus is in three major areas: conservation education, resource stewardship and celebrating the state’s hunting and fishing heritage. Founded in 1935, AWF is celebrating its 90th anniversary. l
Editor’s Note:For more information on the AWF and the cookoff, visit AlabamaWildlife.org.
Historic Riverside home holds multitude of memories, stories
Story by Scottie Vickery Photos by Mackenzie Free
Roxanne Bukacek’s Riverside home overlooking the sparkling waters of Logan Martin Lake is a treasure trove of history, paying homage to the family, as well as the town that shaped her.
There are keepsakes and memories from four generations of family members who have shared meals, hopes, dreams, laughter and tears within the home’s walls. But there’s also a number of artifacts from bygone days that tell part of Riverside’s story.
“This house was built in 1872,” she said. “Riverside was a big logging town, and the sawmill needed a doctor for the employees, and the only way they could get one was to build him a house.”
After the sawmill closed, and the doctor moved away, her great-grandparents moved into the house. Except for a 13-year period, it has remained in the family ever since, and when Bukacek had the chance to buy it back in 1986, she jumped at it.
Bukacek and her husband, Tom Douyard, have a binder full of favorite recipes
“When it came up for sale, I knew I had to buy it,” she said. “Even though interest rates were 16 or 18 percent, I didn’t care.”
Since then, she’s done her best to honor the historical integrity of the house along with its outbuildings, including a smokehouse, on the 7-acre property. When a huge oak tree crashed onto the guest home next door during the April 2011 tornadoes, Bukacek rebuilt the house to look exactly the same from the outside, minus the chimney.
She and her husband, Tom Douyard, have also shared the house and surrounding property with family and friends. “I’ve lost track of how many weddings we’ve had here,” Bukacek said, adding that another one is scheduled for October. “Several of my students have gotten married here,” said the retired art teacher. “I added a gazebo for my best friend’s son’s wedding.”
Family treasure
Walking into the house, which is on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage, is in many ways like walking into a time capsule. Bukacek has saved, restored and repurposed relics from the past to preserve her family’s history. “My father was born in this house in one of the upstairs bedrooms,” she said. “It’s real special.”
To the left of the foyer are twin parlors, both with fireplaces as centerpieces. The second parlor features a china cabinet and a chess table built by her great-grandfather, Alois Bukacek. “He graduated from the University of Prague in woodworking and came through Ellis Island to Chicago,” she said. “They came from Czechoslovakia, trying to start a new life.”
Once in America, her great-grandfather designed and built the interior of Pullman trains. “They had a boy that was sickly, so to keep the baby alive, they moved south,” she said, adding that they settled in Riverside because they had friends nearby. “That’s how I got here.”
Her grandfather was Riverside’s postmaster, and the old post office counter separates the den from the kitchen
Although Bukacek never lived in the family home as a child – she grew up in a house at the end of the street – she spent a lot of time in it. Most of it, anyway. “I was such a tomboy, I wasn’t allowed in this part of the house,” she said of the parlors. “Once I bought it back, I came in here and just romped and ran around.”
When Bukacek’s great-grandparents passed away, the house went to her three great-uncles: Jerry, Emil and Frank. “Uncle Frank was dropped on his head when he was on the boat, so he wasn’t quite right,” she said. Bukacek named a metal scarecrow that graces the side yard Frank after her great-uncle, and he’s blamed for anything that goes wrong, she said with a laugh. “If there’s a leak in the bathroom, we say, ‘Frank did it.’”
The great-uncles added a den, dining room and kitchen, and they also made the front porch smaller. “It used to go all the way across the front of the house, but they said it was too much to sweep,” she said. “Doesn’t that sound just like a bunch of old bachelors?”
The den wall is home to a large collection of family photos, which surround the original map of Riverside that’s dated 1883. “My granddaddy was the postmaster,” she said. The old post office counter, complete with a Money Order sign hanging over the window and 14 mailboxes, separates the den from the kitchen.
A ball point pen is still attached to the counter with a chain, and a sign reads, “The ball point pens placed on this desk for your convenience are the property of the U.S. Post Office Department. Penalty for theft is $500 fine and/or one year in prison.”
“The pen’s still there,” Bukacek said with a laugh. “I’m not going to prison for a ball point pen.”
Dream kitchen
When Bukaceck renovated the kitchen in 2013, she married the old with the new. She kept the cast iron sink that’s original to the home but painted the cabinet blue to match the La Cornue stove that’s both gas and electric. “I ordered it from France; I’m crazy,” she said. “But it was my dream kitchen. I made everything on my wish list come true except I wanted a built-in coffee pot. I didn’t get that.”
Ceiling tins are framed by old wood she found in the barn, and an old “Riverside” sign that’s original to the train depot hangs over the windows. An antique scale that once hung in the post office now has a place of honor in the room.
The element that makes the room unique, however, comes in the form of 50 hand-painted and glazed tiles that Bukacek created, depicting places and details found on the property. The first tile she painted, the brick steps and entrance to the yard, took seven hours to complete.
“I thought, ‘I can’t spend seven hours on each tile,’ so we came to the word, ‘simplify,’” she said. There are tiles illustrating a weather vane, the boat house, the original guesthouse as well as the new one, and the gazebo.
The two-story boathouse is represented, along with an image of a sign that says, “The ‘Douyard Doc,’ ” a nod to Douyard’s career as a dentist. There’s a tile with two wagon wheels and one representing the old Buggy Barn she wasn’t able to save.
The walls are covered with artifacts of local history
Perhaps one of the most special tiles, though, is a painting of a swing that’s just steps away from the back door and reminds Bukacek of her great-grandmother. “That’s where she’d shell her peas,” Bukacek said. “My great-granddaddy put it in for her.”
When Bukacek bought the house back, she discovered the poles and the swing were still there, although they were hidden by decades of overgrowth. “It took me years to finally get the guts to start whacking away at it, but I’m so glad I did.”
That’s the kind of history Bukacek worried was gone forever when the house sold after her great-uncles died. “I was in college, my sister was in high school, and nobody else wanted it,” she said. “I wanted it all my life.”
The new owner operated a tea room for a while, and the home was also used as a recording studio, Bukacek said. “She also put in central air and heat, and I was glad about that. I wouldn’t have been able to afford it.”
Not just a house
Maintaining the home and restoring the property is a full-time job, especially when you consider all the structures and outbuildings. There’s a blacksmith shop and a washhouse where the clothes and vegetables were cleaned. “There’s a two-seater outhouse and a wine cellar is under the greenhouse,” she said.
Her great-uncles made wine, and the arbors still stand in the backyard. She and Douyard also built the “BBQ Shed,” a gazebo that houses all of the grills and smokers. “It was supposed to be a little lean-to, and then she got involved,” Douyard said and laughed. “I just love all the projects we do all the time.”
One project was building a little walkway to a fish pond where Douyard loves to sit. “All the bricks came from the old seawall when it collapsed,” she said. Another pathway leading to the guest cottage was made from bricks she salvaged from the chimney after the house was destroyed during the storm.
Bukacek now operates the guest house, where her Aunt Mary once lived, as an Airbnb, but she taught art lessons there for a while. Bukacek’s career as an art teacher included a stint in a Jefferson County school , 17 and a half years at St. Clair County High School in Odenville and nine and a half years at Pell City High School before she retired.
The cottage, as well as the main house, is filled with her artwork. “This is 18 years work of charcoals,” she said of a series of framed still lifes. “Every year I would teach charcoal and pen and ink, and I made one each time.”
The framed images hang over a console table she made that features tile and a mosaic pattern created from “20 years of broken dishes.” A silkscreen print that was once displayed at the Birmingham Museum of Art, is on the wall by the front door.
She’s also repurposed things she’s found in the outbuildings or salvaged from the original guest house. Two old doors became a headboard in one of the cottage’s bedrooms while old shutters hang behind the bed in another. A piece taken from an antique armoire hangs over a cast iron bathtub in the guest bath. “As an art teacher, I decorate with everything,” she said. “Sometimes, I wish I could stop thinking.”
Some of Douyard’s favorite art pieces of Bukacek’s are the ones hanging in the downstairs bathroom of the main house. “Every year for Valentine’s Day, she makes me a heart,” he said. On one, she cross-stitched the names of the many places they’ve visited together. There are hearts made from feathers, painted bottle caps, buttons and dried flowers. There’s a heart made from antique keys, one made from Easter Egg shells, and one that features dried clovers.
Another heart is filled with lipstick kisses, and the surrounding mat board is made from the foil wrappers from Hershey Kisses. “I really made the sacrifice for that one,” she joked.
Landscape art
Although visitors to Bukacek and Douyard’s home could spend hours looking at all of the architectural details, furniture, photos and artwork inside the house, the view from the front porch is a work of art, as well.
The 700 feet of waterfront, right near the historic Riverside Railroad Bridge, offers breathtaking views and a peaceful calm that that can soothe the soul of anyone fortunate enough to visit. There have been many celebrations down by the water, where Bukacek has spent so much of her life, but when she takes in the view, the scenes she sees are from years past.
“That slough over there is where we’d fly kites,” she said, pointing from her front yard. “And I’ve climbed every tree around here.”
It’s those kinds of memories that make her grateful for the opportunity to be the caretaker of her family’s house. “It’s home,” she said. “It’s home.”
See more photos after the recipes!
Soda Cracker Pie
Ingredients:
3 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
16 soda crackers, crumbled
1 cup chopped pecans
1 jar pineapple preserves (You may use apricot)
2 cartons whipping cream
1 package frozen coconut
Directions:
Beat egg whites, adding sugar, cream of tartar, and vanilla. Beat until thick. Fold in crumbled crackers and pecans. Spread into buttered 9×13 pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool. Spread with preserves, top with whipping cream (follow the directions on the carton and use their hints for the whipping cream). Sprinkle coconut on top and chill overnight.
Granny Nelson’s Beans and Peas
Ingredients:
1 can English peas, drained (She uses LeSueur Very Young Small Sweet Peas)
1 can lima beans, drained
1 can French cut green beans, drained
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 small, grated onion
2 hardboiled eggs, slightly chopped
1 can French fried onion rings
Directions:
Mix first nine ingredients together and put in a buttered casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes until bubbly.
Five Cup Salad
Ingredients:
1 cup orange juice
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated sharp cheese
1 cup Pet milk
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained well
1 3-ounce package lime Jell-O
Directions:
Bring orange juice to a boil, then add Jell-O, stirring until it is dissolved. Add the remaining ingredients. Pour into a slightly greased mold or casserole dish. Put in refrigerator to set.
No sooner than Thanksgiving’s leftovers are history, a transformation of Lakeside Park begins to take place – lighting up the nighttime sky to add sparkle to the Christmas season.
While Lights in the Park has grown each year, 2024’s version stepped up to an unrivaled level of spirit.
Presented by the Pell City Parks & Recreation Department with decorative help from businesses, organizations and individuals, the spirit of competition added to the excitement. The holiday-themed displays lining both sides of the roads winding through the park drew over 80 entries.
Hundreds of attendees voted for their favorites, and the final tally crowned these winners:
Overall Winner: Woody’s Tree Service
Anna Otterson / Edward Jones: Silent Night Award – Simple and clean display
Jessica Blackerby / EXP Realty: White Christmas Award – Best use of white lights
Woody’s Tree Service: Deck the Halls Award – Most over-the-top use of lighting
Clean Haul Roll-Off: Christmas is in the Air Award – Best use of inflatables
House of Prayer: The Reason for the Season Award – Best Nativity display
Faith Community Fellowship: Holly Jolly Christmas Award – Best display that makes you laugh
Alabama Clearing & Excavating: Rock Around the Christmas Tree Award – Best use of animation
Metro Bank: The Rudolph Award – Best use of holiday characters
Girl Scouts Troop 24216: Christmas Story Award – Best youth inspired display
“The Pell City Parks & Recreation Department would like to express its sincere gratitude to all participants, visitors and voters of the inaugural ‘Lights in the Park’ Holiday Competition,” said Civic Center Manager and Contest Organizer Valerie Painter. “We commend the community for their enthusiastic participation and thoughtful voting.”
The winners can already plan their next decorating adventure. They have the opportunity to select their locations in the park for next year’s competition.
“The warmth of our community and the wonder of the Christmas season combine every year for ‘Lights in the Park,” Painter said. “It’s heartwarming to see Pell City come together to create such a magical experience. Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone involved.”
From start to finish, the 2024 edition of Pell City Rotary Jingle Bell Run 5K & 1-Mile Fun Run/Walk had it all.
By the numbers, over 120runners and walkers participated in this second edition of the run, clearing the way for more than $50,000 raised for St. Clair Sheriff’s Boys Ranch and other charities in the community.
Santa was there, cheering on the runners, having his picture made with kids of all ages and managing to delight the crowd by giving a hefty lift to the spirit of the season.
Miss Leeds Area 2025 Samantha Hennings performed the National Anthem to rousing cheers, and more than a few spirited runners donned holiday attire for the festivities.
The Dec. 14 run at Lakeside Park was as Pell City Rotarians intended – a fun communitywide event for the entire family. It drew runners from all over the region and state on a 5K route that took them on scenic trails through the park and along the shoreline of Logan Martin Lake.
“We had a tremendous amount of support from the community this year. For our Club, this event is an opportunity for us to make an impact with some very worthy causes like the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Boys Ranch. Our Jingle Bell Run is about more than running, it’s about making a difference. Thank you to all who ran, donated and served.”
Citing the $50,000 raised, Furgerson added, “We could have never done that without the generosity and involvement of our community. We can’t wait to do it again next year!”
Run Chairman Bill Ellison echoed the notion that it all comes back to service. “Rotary saw a need in the community for an event of this magnitude that the whole family could enjoy. But more important, it saw the need for funds to build a home and help with other renovations to reopen the Boys Ranch this past year.”
He lauded the efforts of sponsors who made the fundraiser possible, the volunteers and Rotarians who helped with every aspect of the event along the way and to the community and runners who supported it.
“It really does take all of us working together to make our community a better place. All involved in the Jingle Bell Run are testament to that.”
It doesn’t seem so long ago that docks and piers were for storing boats, casting fishing lines and as a practice platform for kids who dreamed of belly-buster dives as an Olympic sport.
But 2025’s piers and docks are bigger and can be designed to be another entertainment space for waterfront homeowners.
They aren’t your grandparents’ docks anymore.
Mackey Docks
And from an economic perspective, trends in the industry include not only traditional treated lumber. PVC and the use of composite decking materials “are providing the best long-term investment for the homeowner.
Treated wood is not lasting as long as it used to, making homeowners switch to “a better option,” said Eric Mackey, owner of Mackey Docks in Ragland.
New treated, long life, low maintenance wood makes for ideal pilings. “I’ve been able to find a great source for the pilings that support the whole dock and also framing options on treatment that will make the docks last a very, very long time.”
There are also a variety of options to jazz up your dock. Personal watercraft/kayak ports make it easier to get in and out of the water. Aluminum dock ladders can also take on the colors of your favorite teams, Mackey said.
Other options include flip up seats, benches and stools that attach to the dock without taking up much room. It’s the same story for kayak and paddleboard racks that attach to the dock.
Dock bumpers also protect boats from damage from rough weather and water as well as bad drivers.
For Joey Fortenberry, who along with his cousin, Jodi, owns Marine Worx in Gadsden, the commitment is to quality.
“We just build good stuff,” he said. “Our work stands out from everybody else. There’s more craftsmanship.”
Double-deckers are becoming a hot item in 2025, Fortenberry said.
“They’ve been around for a long time, but they’re getting more popular in our area,” he said.
The new composite materials, like Owens-Corning’s WEARDECK decking, are wood-free material that stays cool, even on the most sizzling summer days.
“It’s the only one that I know of that you can put on the water, and it’s got a cooling technology, and it just doesn’t get hot,” Fortenberry said. “I’m promoting it highly because it’s so good.”
Decks can range in price from $40,000 to $180,000.
Boat lift on Unique Waterfronts dock
Marine Worx also builds or bolsters protective seawalls, particularly in the late fall and winter, when Alabama Power lowers lake levels on Logan Martin and Neely Henry. As every waterfront homeowner knows, those seawalls protect against property erosion.
“Every five years, they really drop it (the water level). That’s when we get a lot of seawall requests. It gets really crazy, and we only have about a month to do it. We’re working six, seven days a week that time of year trying to get all those done.”
While seawall materials may not change from year to year, there have been changes in technology.
“We use an erosion cloth behind the walls. We put gravel and the drains in, and we use tie backs (an anchor point to make the wall more secure).”
Some dock builders have expanded their businesses. Unique Waterfronts now does homebuilding, clearing property and also works with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in disaster relief, according to Chelsea Isbell.
“We’re really excited about growing and expanding the company and having it more like a one-stop place for people wanting a new house, a pool house, a boat house … We’ve been blessed with work and have been able to expand our business.”
Like other area dock builders, Unique Waterfronts uses composite materials, and it also builds double deckers, like the Castle House Air B&B at Logan Martin’s Alpine Bay area. Unique Waterfronts uses the Trex Brand of composite material. As for seawalls, the company uses GeoStone, as well as wood and other materials.
The company also offers a variety of options and strives to live up to its name. “We want every project to be unique,” Isbell said.
Shoreline Creations
At Shoreline Creations, Margaret Isom is optimistic about the future. Waterfront populations are growing, which means seemingly boundless opportunities for new construction and restoration.
As far as trends, she looks to consumers. “We’re seeing educated clients who are value and budget-focused,” she said. Customers are also looking to alternative materials for dock construction, like composite and PVC decking.
“While both composite and PVC decking are low maintenance options, the key difference is that PVC decking is made entirely from plastic, offering superior longevity and resistance to temperature fluctuations.”
For Xtreme Docks owner Daniel Okonski, things are looking up – literally.
“We have a lot of new things in the new year,” he said. “But the biggest thing for us is we’re starting to go up. You can have the lower half of your dock for boats and stuff, and we’re adding platforms up top that you can actually use for entertaining. It’s a really neat concept. Basically you can end up with 2,400 square feet on the lake. It depends on where you live, but most of the time you have 1,200 square feet.”
But beyond construction, Xtreme offers jumping platforms and dock hammocks that give kind of a catamaran feel. Hammocks are custom made for Xtreme.
With an aging population, accessibility is an important factor. Xtreme offers lifts that make life easier for older lake residents or residents and visitors with disabilities.
While he uses traditional treated wood and aluminum in construction, as well as Trex composite decking, Okonski, it seems, has an eye on the future of docks and piers. And that future is vertical.
As an aside, he uses his own deck as an exhibit for potential customers. “Take the dock and turn it into an entertaining spot.”
The dock as more than a place to store boats may be sign that the waterfront communities have emerged from the pandemic and are returning as a happening place to be as it was in the early days of Logan Martin and Neely Henry.
“If you think about it, people are entertaining more,” Okonski said. “The lake is becoming a hot spot again like it was in the 60s and 70s. There were hotels and restaurants, everything. And I feel like it’s getting back that way.”
Zeke Gossett has loved fishing as long as he can remember. A smile spreads across dad Curtis’ face as he tells of Zeke watching him get ready for tournaments when the toddler was just two years old. “He’d watch me get ready and if I didn’t take him, he was at the window all day waiting on me to come back home.”
By the time he was six years old, Zeke was soaking in every bit of information he could on fishing – the conditions and variables that make an angler successful.
At that time, Curtis would watch him and challenge him, insisting that he fish in the current, not in the easier flat water. “He struggled because you have to use certain angles to make different baits work correctly,” explains Curtis. “He’d cast and cast. I’d watch him a while. Then I’d ask him if he wanted me to show him how to do it. When he was just six, I took him out with me, and he rolled that spinner bait across that stump, and he caught one. It gave him the confidence he needed.”
From that point on, Zeke got to fish in the back of the boat with his dad in many tournaments. “One of my earliest memories is when we used to fish club tournaments,” recounts Zeke. “I was probably eight years old. He could have fished with anyone, but he chose to fish with me. He was so much better, but it was him and me together.”
Father and son share fish stories
They were competitive then, just as they are now. “We kept the fish separate,” Zeke remembers. “We were kind of fishing against each other, even on the same team.”
From the moment you meet these two, you can feel the close bond they share. Curtis is intensely proud of his son, who has gone on to become a professional B.A.S.S. angler. The pride is evident when he brings in the six-inch-thick binder with photos and laminated clippings heralding the achievements his son has earned on his fishing journey.
“I got serious about fishing when I was about 10,” says Zeke. Beginning the next year, the focus paid off. He’s been reeling in trophies since he won his first tournament at age 11 – first place in the B.A.S.S. Alabama Junior Bassmaster Tournament for his age division and second place overall. The following year, he won first place overall in the Alabama Bass Federation/FLW Junior Tournament.
Zeke continued to excel throughout middle school and high school, winning and placing in more than 50 tournaments and receiving recognition from numerous fishing organizations.
He was named B.A.S.S. Alabama Nation High School Angler of the Year in 2015 and was named a B.A.S.S. High School All-American. After high school, he continued fishing in college at Jefferson State Community College, then Jacksonville State University and was named 2020 B.A.S.S. Collegiate Angler of the Year. His team won the national championship.
Zeke is just as proud of his dad as Curtis is of him, describing his dad as competitive, encouraging and loving. “He was always so patient, as a parent and as a coach. He’s always supported me from the time I decided this is what I wanted to do.” In addition to being his dad, Curtis was his fishing coach for seven years.
A former school principal and high school fishing coach, who also coached middle school volleyball, Curtis spent many years exercising the patience required to inspire extra effort from his student athletes.
During his nine years as principal at New Directions Alternative School, he also served as head coach for Pell City High School’s fishing team, then for Briarwood Christian School for another three years. In that time, he led his teams to six top five finishes in high school national championships, including two B.A.S.S. High School National Championships at Pell City. He’s coached three B.A.S.S. High School All-American Anglers.
The end of 2020 took a difficult turn for the Gossett family. That October, while Zeke was in Kentucky at a fishing tournament, both his dad, Curtis, and his mom, Laura, were hospitalized with COVID. Laura was released within the week, but Curtis, who suffers from asthma, struggled, eventually being put on a ventilator. “We didn’t tell him right away because he needed to stay and win that tournament,” admits Curtis. After Zeke returned, he was able to bring his mother home, and the two focused on praying for Curtis. “We’d get video calls from the hospital every night,” says Zeke. “It was not really a conversation with him being on a ventilator, but we spent time with him.”
After nearly a month in the hospital, Curtis was strong enough to be released. “His hair was long, and he was so skinny,” recalls Zeke. “But he got his strength back after about a month.” They won the first tournament they entered after that. Winning a tournament is great, but for these two, any day spent fishing together is a win. “Since COVID, fishing with Zeke has become even sweeter,” says Curtis. “I do not take it for granted!”
Curtis displays championship fishing rings
At 27 years old, Zeke is out on the water about 200 days a year, either in tournaments or as a fishing guide, doing what he loves. “These days,” laughs Zeke, “it’s Dad who’s waiting by the window for me to come back from fishing.” Zeke is in the front of the boat and putting the bait “on a dime,” just like his dad taught him. And that, he explains, is the difference in a bite or not.
Curtis’ own dad worked a lot, so it was his mom who taught him to fish, taking him fishing from the age of four. He credits his mom with choosing to make family time a priority by taking him fishing as often as she could. When Zeke came along, Curtis passed along that gift of time with his son and the love of fishing grew, just as their love for each other matured.
The fishing duo is really a fishing trio, as both say they couldn’t do what they do without the support of Zeke’s mom, Laura. “She’s Zeke’s biggest fan,” says Curtis. “She never complains about us being away. Without that support at home, you can’t do what we do.” Both agree that she is the most loving, hard worker they know.
Laura and Curtis have been married 31 years. Another fine catch from that year, a six-pound two-ounce Alabama Coosa Bass, hangs on the wall, reminding Curtis of great times had on Logan Martin Lake.
Today is another sweet day for the pair. They’re spending the day fishing together on Logan Martin. With Zeke’s busy professional fishing schedule occupying 43 out of 52 weekends this year, the two still make time to fish together at least a couple of times a month. “There are not many things in this world I would rather be doing than fishing with Zeke and enjoying the great outdoors,” Curtis says.
The two had a banner year in 2022, when Zeke was named Angler of the Year and Curtis, Co-Angler of the Year, for the Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation. Their combined scores earned them first place the same year at the Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation State Championship.
These days, the roles are reversed for the pair. Zeke is in the front of the boat, the place that controls the boat and the decisions for the team. And Curtis wouldn’t have it any other way, adding “the day he took over that position was a great full circle moment.
Compiled by Paul South and Graham Hadley Submitted Photos
For many lake lovers, whether on Logan Martin, Neely Henry, or anywhere along the beautiful Coosa River, December’s visions of sugarplums melt away in January, replaced by dreams of new boats – crafts that will be a surefire cure for the summertime blues.
Think pontoons or tritoons, ski boats, surf boats or kayaks. The first frost of the season draws more than a few folks into showrooms to check out the newest offerings. Consumer confidence is on the rise.
“We sold four boats yesterday,” Rambo Marine General Sales Manager Grant Stinson said in a phone interview shortly after Thanksgiving.
Optimism, it seems, like lake levels in summer, is high at boat dealerships up and down the river and its popular lakes and streams.
The Sunchaser Calais 23
Available at University Marine at Pine Harbor, the new boats will feature the Honda 350 eight cylinder engine.
The pontoons are a celebration of quality and comfort. The Calais, according to the company, is “the crown jewel” of the Sunchaser fleet.
Featuring a lavish interior that includes four wrap-around couches a power bimini top, as well as theX-Treme PR25 Third Tube performance package that ensures smooth navigation even at breathtaking speeds, the Calais can seat up to 12 passengers.
The Calais also includes platform lighting, an executive console with cooler storage anda WetSounds MC 2 music system that is Bluetooth/USB/satellite-radio ready. Colors include a white panel with black or blue stripe, or a Carbon panel with black stripe.
The Sunchaser Lucerne
Billed as a pontoon that delivers style, functionality and exceptional value, the Lucerne is sleek and durable and comes in eight exterior colors. The entry-level Lucerne has a 50-horsepower motor.
Options include a luxury package that offers a power bimini top, Helix 5 in-dash GPS, high-back helm chairs, interior mood lighting and other features.
Sunchaser offers a variety of pontoon choices for first time buyers on a budget, or boaters who are looking for a luxury experience. That’s what makes these boats special, said University Marine manager Ricky Ganey.
Visit University Marine at www.pineharbormarina.com
Starcraft RX Series
Rodney Humphries, owner of Rodney’s Marine in Pell City, is a veteran of the boat business, working at marine businesses since he was 13. And he’s just as excited today as he was then.
Listen to him talk about the new Starcraft RX Series tritoon boat, a craft that combines plush features, elegance, durability and high performance.
“It’s a new styling. It’s got fiberglasss railing. The design of it is different from their traditional pontoon.”
Depending on options, the boat sells for $80,000 to $120,000 – and the Starcraft traditionally offers seemingly limitless options.
Visit Rodney’s Marine at rodneysmarine.com
Savannah Center Console
Center-console fishing boats continue to grow in popularity. The Savannah line for sale from Rodney’s is no exception. And Savannah keeps stepping up the game for 2025.
Dive into the world of hybrid-bay boats with Savannah Boat Works’ Hybrid Inshore Series. Designed for fishing and family outings, these boats offer the perfect balance of agility and performance. With luxurious features, efficient layout, and unmatched versatility, Savannah boats ensure a comfortable and exhilarating experience on the water, whether you’re chasing fish or enjoying leisure time with your loved ones.
Your Hybrid Inshore model is ready for a quiet early morning fishing followed by rallying the family for an afternoon anchored off a lake island. At 2500 pounds, they’re easy to tow over the road, will pull a tube or a skier, and float in just over a foot of water.
Nucanoe Kayaks
Allen Norris and his wife, Jessica, moved their kayak shop from Shelby County to Cropwell in 2024, recognizing that kayaking is increasingly popular on the Coosa, which is part of the Alabama 650 paddleboat racecourse.
The Nucanoe Unlimited Kayak is a hot property for 2025. At more than 12 feet long, this boat is, as the name suggests, a new design in kayaking. A sturdy craft, it can hold up to 650 pounds and up to three people and offers a great experience for hunters, anglers and kayakers.
The craft sits high on the water and has 360-degree seating. Sold in a variety of colors and crafted in one-piece durable plastic – no seams or weak areas here. A second 360-degree seat can be added, as well as a bench seat, perfect for pets.
A second kayak, the Nucanoe Flint, is also worth a look in 2025. Like the Unlimited, it’s fully customizable, but is better suited to creeks than big water, Norris said.
Visit The Yak Shak at 2705 Martin Street South or online at theyakshak.com.
Avalon Quad Lounger Shift
At Poor House Branch Marina, the buzz words are Avalon and Tahoe — for Avalon & Tahoe Manufacturing, makers of the 2025 Quad Lounger Shift. The Quad Lounger gives boaters a “retro feel” and boasts “luxurious design and a spacious sundeck,” according to the company website.
The boat includes a push-button switchback seating system, a tapered front deck and an expanded rear deck. It offers a 10-year bow to stern warranty and a lifetime structural warranty.
Tritoons like the Quad Lounger offer a smoother ride, according to Poor House owner Dina Chappell.
Avalon Catalina VRL
A second hot boat that was especially big in 2024 was the Catalina VRL for Versatile Rear Lounger, a “bed boat.” The Versatile Rear Lounger features both a port and starboard bow bench. The aft features a seating area that converts into an oversized lounge area perfect for the sun worshippers of the family. Also, the seat can move back and forth so the occupants can face either the bow of the boat or aft.
Poor House Branch also offers a variety of accessories – lifejackets, floats, mats, noodles and more are available.
“We have a shop that has everything you need for a fun day on the water,” Chappell said.
Bennington M Series
The boat that has folks stoked at Woods Surfside is Bennington’s new M Series. The company trumpets it as “a modern expression of style” in the pontoon boat fleet. The series comes in three lengths, 22, 24 and 26 feet and in a variety of colors.
The boat cuts an elegant figure on the water, and includes a newly designed digital display system, Rockford Fosgate Audio and state of the art vessel control.
A sleek, new interior and exterior design, makes the boat “look fast standing still,” said Surfside’s Mark Hildebrant.
Check out Woods Surfside Marina, one of Bennington’s top dealers in the U.S., at www.woodssurfside.com or visit at 37 Marina Drive in Cropwell.
MasterCraft X Series
At Skier’s Marine in Westover, Jeremy Talbot is fired up about the MasterCraft X Series surf boat. Redesigned for 2025, the boat has more ballast capability, a newly-designed sound system, a mix of comfort and performance for all watersports. “it’s a really awesome boat,” he said.
MasterCraft has also revealed new colors for 2025, including the elegant magnetic blue that makes a statement on the water.
“This boat will check all the boxes, handle all the watersports and provide all the comfort that the family needs,” he said.
Harris Pontoons
Skiers is now the area dealer for Harris Pontoons. At January’s Birmingham Boat Show, the dealership will feature Harris’ two top-of-the-line boats, the Crowne and The Grand Mariner. In all, Skiers Marine will feature 32 boats at the show.
Skiers features a pro shop in the dealership with everything from towables, surfboards, innertubes, wakeboards, skis and lifejackets.
Visit Skiers at10171 Highway 280, Westover, AL 35147 or at skiersmarine.com
Barletta Luso
Designed with you and your on-water experience in mind, the Barletta Lusso models offer something for everyone. A classic and stylish rail-set, ultra-soft and ultra-comfortable furniture, a sleek helm loaded with technology and leg-room, pet-friendly amenities…the list goes on and on. Take a look and see why the Barletta L-Class pontoon boat just might be the perfect choice for you and your family.
Barletta Boats redefines luxury pontooning with its exceptional craftsmanship and innovative design. Born from a passion for boating, Barletta prides itself on creating pontoons that blend style, comfort, and performance seamlessly. Each Barletta boat is meticulously crafted with premium materials and cutting-edge technology, ensuring durability and reliability on the water. From spacious lounging areas to state-of-the-art entertainment systems, every detail is thoughtfully curated to enhance the boating experience.
Check out the Barletta line at Rambo Marine on U.S. 280 or visit online www.rambomarine.com.
Yamaha FSH
Yamaha is leaning hard into the center-console boat lines, specializing in their FSH jet boat series, which you can find at Rambo Marine.
Yamaha’s Center Console series epitomizes the flexibility of Jet Boats, whether you’re fishing at dawn, enjoying tubing with the kids in the afternoon, or cruising to your favorite on-water dining spot at sunset. Available in 19-foot, 22-foot, and 25-foot configurations with single or dual engines.
Yamaha’s Helm Master EX and joystick control deliver seamless, precise low-speed maneuvering. With Helm Master EX, drivers can effortlessly command boat movements—forward, reverse, lateral shifts and rotations — all controlled with just one hand on the joystick.
