New dining by the water options for Logan Martin and Neely Henry lakes
Story by Roxann Edsall Photos by Mackenzie Free
Lake residents often claim that if you live on Logan Martin, you’re lucky enough. Now residents and visitors alike can claim the luck of the Irish, too, as they celebrate the grand opening of a brand-new eatery pub establishment on Coosa Island.
In the location of the former Porky Pirates BBQ and Lakeside Grill, Oh Sherri Island Pub opened its doors just over a month ago. It is the second Oh Sherri location for owners Joel and Diana Wallace, whose original Moody location has been open for four years. A third location is set to open in Ohatchee in the next few weeks.
Blending the traditions of Irish cuisine and libations with the culture of the lakeside community, the new pub establishment will feature community-centered events, live Irish music and dance, and a variety of music by local artists from different genres.
Play games with friends while you wait for your food
“We will have essentially the same menu as our original location but will add a couple of specials for the lake, like shrimp, oysters or crab boil. And we’ll do Shepherd’s Pie, pulled pork sliders and Chicago or New York style hotdogs for boaters who want to get in and out fast,” says Joel. “We also plan to have a steam table with a hot bar where we can get you out quick, if that’s what you want.”
But the real beauty of a traditional Irish pub, the Wallaces say, is the no-rush atmosphere. “We want an atmosphere that if you want to you can just hang out,” says Joel.
Diana, a professor and director of first-year engineering curriculum at UAB, adds that they want their pub to be a place where you come to “decelerate from your day, meet new people, and go back to human interactions. Some restaurants want you to come in, eat, and go. We want you to spend time here.”
Maybe not everyone will know your name, but the Moody location regulars know they are welcome to stay, swap stories, relax and make new friends. New friendships created in the four years that location has been in business have resulted in four couples getting married after meeting each other there.
While that isn’t the model the Wallaces are necessarily going for, it speaks to their emphasis on relationship building through community and conversation.
The pub, which is accessible by water, offers a family-friendly atmosphere during the day and early evening, encouraging friends and families to play board games and cards around the table. Later evening hours are all about relaxing and enjoying the music with friends old and new. “It’s a place where you can come and relax and enjoy each other’s company,” says Joel.
The Wallaces are leasing the Coosa Island property from Matthew Kronen, who also owns the docks. The docks, which can accommodate 21 boats, are in the final stages of being completely rebuilt.
Owners Joel and Diana Wallace on deck at Oh Sherri’s
“We’ve fabricated the steel frames, added new wood and new posts,” says Kronen. “We’ve probably over-engineered it. But it should be ready well before the water comes up.” They’ve also simplified the docking process by removing the large boats and yachts that had previously been moored at the docks.
The Wallaces have renovated the inside, removed the oversized picnic tables and exchanged them for smaller, more intimate and flexible table arrangements. With a small army of volunteers and staff, they’ve redone the walls, seating areas and ceilings, making it feel warmer and more intimate. “We had a lot of help from a lot of people,” Joel said, adding that the goal was to create an authentic Irish pub feel.
Opening an Irish pub was the dream Joel’s dad, Frank Wallace, shared with him. Growing up in Chicago, Joel was close to his father and shared a love of sports, particularly the Chicago Bears. Having lost a sister when she was three years old and before he was born, Joel grew up hearing stories about Sherri, never having known her. When father and son talked about opening a pub, the plan was always to call it Oh Sherri (a nod to her impetuous behavior to which her parents would frequently respond with an exasperated “Oh, Sherri…”)
After coaching men’s soccer for 30 years, Joel opened the Moody pub and named it for his sister. “We’ve always believed that Sherri was our guardian angel,” Joel says. “Her picture will be on the wall of each of our locations.”
Because of his coaching background, Joel admits to running his businesses like a sports team. “We want to be organized and disciplined,” he says. “If things don’t go just right, you adjust as necessary and do the best you can. Honestly, it’s about just being really organized and being honest.”
Joel and Diana have a lot of practice being organized, as a blended family of 12. They have 10 children between them, with four grandchildren under the age of 6. “Speaking of family, we want to be a family-friendly, respectful place,” Joel says. “We know we’ll have to adjust our closing times for the lake. We put family first.”
The Ohatchee pub will be half a mile from Neely Henry dam at the corner of Highway 144 and Highway 77 at the former River Grill location. All three locations will be running St. Patrick’s Day specials throughout March.
A noted Irish Proverb says, “If you’re lucky enough to be Irish, you’re lucky enough.” This month, or any month for that matter, we can all be lucky enough to support the new pub on the lake. You can follow them on Facebook at Ohsherriislandpub.a lot of other folks, learn who they are and who their businesses are. If they haven’t been here before, come check us out. If they have, come back and see what’s new this year.”
Where there’s smoke, there’s championship barbecue. At least that’s the menu for April 3-4 at Smoke on the Falls Noccalula Barbecue Competition weekend.
Smoke on the Falls is back at the Noccalula Falls Campground in 2026 with the Kansas City Barbecue Society-certified barbecue contests pitting 60 plus teams through the Professional and Backyard division.
A children’s division is also a part of the competition.
It will be held at Noccalula Campground and is earning a national reputation through its affiliation with KCBS.
Even before the first light’s glow at the inaugural Lantern Festival at Noccolula Falls Park and Campground, one of the area’s youngest residents was already abuzz about the newest event on Gadsden’s calendar.
“After school, I took my nine-year-old daughter Lizzy by where they were unloading the lanterns and things when they were setting up,” said Noccalula Falls Park and Campground Director Brandson Stephens. Her first words when we pulled up were, ‘Gosh Dad, that’s so cool!’”
Dazzling lights cast in the spirit of Chinese legend and lore, as well as world-class Chinese acrobats are wowing visitors amid the natural wonders of Noccalula Falls Park on weekends – Friday through Sunday through April 5 from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. From the excitement already evident, prepare to be amazed.
“This enchanting night walk, inspired by traditional lantern festivals is the perfect adventure for friends and families,” according to event organizer Kaleido Entertainment (kaleido.com), and its ticketing platform, feverup.com. “Wander through hundreds of glowing lanterns, enjoy live acrobatic performances, grab tasty bites from local vendors and soak in a magical atmosphere surrounded by nature.”
Tickets for the family-friendly event range from $15.99-$21.99 per person. Children three and under are admitted free. Local vendors will have food and drink available for purchase.
The lights and entertainment are only part of the story. As the event weekends move deeper into spring, the magic of the park’s plant life – hyacinths, buttercups and daffodils, will blossom, dependent on the weather. The festival and the flowers make this the unofficial start of spring, Stephens said.
“We used to open later and that would give us time to get the Christmas lights down,” Stephens said. “But there was so much blooming in late February that would die out by the time we opened in late March and the first of April, so we decided to open earlier. The lantern festival (organizers) reached out to us and said they wanted to come, so it was a perfect fit.”
Live performers are on hand to entertain and amaze
Stephens added, “All those flowers are coming up and blooming and sprouting, and if the weather is warm enough, you might even see azaleas popping up about that time.”
Kaleido Entertainment operates the festival, which brings a combination of art, tradition, talent and technology together for an amazing experience.
Chinese lantern festivals date back to the Han Dynasty that began more than 200 years B.C. The festival grew during the Tang Dynasty (608-907 A.D.). The displays have grown through the years into widespread celebrations. The lanterns symbolize wishes for prosperity and brighter futures.
The acrobats will be a first for the park. “The acrobats, we’ve never had anything like that inside the park,” Stephens said. “That’s going to be pretty cool.”
Food trucks will be on hand and music will be piped in through the park.
The train, the animal habitat and the petting zoo, three park mainstays, will be on hand as always at the park. The petting zoo has some new arrivals – monkeys, sloths and Highland cattle, the long-haired bovines that are always popular. A small family of kangaroos and a toucan now call the park home.
“What’s cool about Noccalula Falls, too, is that when you come in, you’re still getting the train ride. You’re still getting to visit the animal habitat and the petting zoo and seeing everything that’s new there.”
The park also features 16 miles of hiking and biking trails.
Stephens and the crew at Noccalula Falls have been going full blast during the holiday season, first with its Christmas event and now with the Spring Lantern Festival.
“It’s been a chore, because we only had two weeks to remove a lot of our items that take us months to put up, so that (Kaleido) could come in and unload their stuff.”
The last trucks for the lantern event were unloaded in late January.
For Stephens, who began his love affair with the park as a kid, the Spring Lantern Festival is another magical chapter. “My Dad would bring me and my brother down here, and we would go underneath the falls and be walking the trails when people used to collect driftwood that would wash up,” Stephens recalled.
“There was a tennis court across the road and evidently, people were really horrible at tennis because they were hitting the ball over the fence and into the creek. My Dad would be getting driftwood, and my brother and I would take plastic bags and collect tennis balls, take them home and play home run derby.”
He added, “But when you’re here, you’re in nature. You get to clear your mind, relax and enjoy what’s around you. You’re in the city, but you’re out of the city. (Kaleido) reaching out to us is a testament to how big Noccalula has grown. The company reached out to us, I think because they see how much the park has grown.”
During the Christmas season alone, some 110,000 visitors came to the park.
Stephens gives high marks to his team at the park that works night and day to prepare for events like the Spring Lantern Festival.
“The team at Noccalula Falls is the best anywhere,” Stephens said. “They’re passionate about what they do. They’re passionate about the falls. These same guys are also cutting grass. They’re also landscaping. They also have to take care of everything inside and outside the park.
“A lot of people don’t know that they take care of 50-plus properties downtown. It’s a lot.”
But even when they’re weary, something changes when families come into the park at Christmas, or in February when the Lantern Festival gleams brightly, acrobats soar and joy abounds.
“We hear that kid, or we see those kids coming through … smiling and saying, ‘Look, Mom. Look, Dad.’ It gives you a second wind.”
Excitement was building weeks before opening weekend. “You can almost feel it,” Stephens said then, “because nothing around here has ever been done like this. There’s a buzz around it. I know when the kids see what they’re putting out there, they’re going to love it.”
At most houses on Logan Martin Lake, the view of the water is the most mesmerizing feature.
Guests to Harold and Virna Settle’s Cropwell home, however, are often greeted with such a spectacular sight in the front yard that they often forget to even look past it to the lake. In the spring, summer and fall, some 400 rosebushes, with thousands of blooms in a dazzling array of colors, create such a splendor that it can be difficult to notice anything else. “It’s just breathtaking,” Harold said.
Virna is a master when it comes to pottery
And when the flowers put on their show, the Settles have been known to put out a spread. “We want to invite people when our flowers are blooming,” Virna explained. As a result, “we have a big party every spring, and almost every weekend during the summer there are people here,” Harold added.
Since they both enjoy cooking, guests are treated to all kinds of cuisine. Virna, originally from Manila, Philippines is an expert in Filipino dishes. And after years of managing two Birmingham restaurants – La Dolce Vita and Amore Ristorante Italiano – with her former partner, she’s mastered Italian meals, as well.
“She’s really been working at it and she’s almost as good a cook as I am,” joked Harold, a retired cardiologist. Although he especially enjoys Cajun and Creole cooking, one of his specialties is a Spanish paella that feeds a crowd.
“We used to have contests,” Harold said. “We’d start with the same cuts of meat. She’d prepare it her way and I’d do mine. For some reason, I never seemed to win.”
Food is actually what brought the couple together. Harold and his former wife, Jean, first met Virna when they frequented her restaurants. Jean passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2010, and Harold and Virna reconnected about a year later. They will celebrate their 14th anniversary next month.
In addition to cooking, they share a love of wine and travel, but that’s not all they have in common. They’re both artists, as well. While Harold’s canvas is the yard, Virna is a painter and potter.
Discovering talents
Virna discovered her passion for art about 12 years ago when she went to a painting party with friends. Perhaps it’s appropriate that she painted a fish, because after the experience she was hooked. She began taking classes and experimenting with texture and color, acrylics and oils, and her hobby soon became much more. Her bold, bright paintings – often abstract impressionistic renderings of flowers and ladies – were well-received, and she began showing and selling her work. “Her color palette is outstanding,” Harold said. “She mixes colors beautifully.”
Her true calling, Virna said, is pottery, which she took up about six years ago. Interestingly, that journey started with fish, as well. After talking with a friend about ways to prepare it, Virna decided to get a palayok, an earthenware pot used to prepare Filipino dishes.
“I just decided to make my own,” Virna said, so she started looking around for someone to teach her how. It didn’t take her long to find renowned potter Tena Payne of Earthborn Pottery in Leeds. Virna began taking classes and discovered how much she enjoyed working with clay and coaxing it into shapes on the pottery wheel.
“It’s challenging,” she said. In addition to unleashing more creativity, the process of manipulating the clay has helped her in other ways, too. “I used to have carpal tunnel but since I’ve started doing the pottery, I don’t have it anymore.”
Virna especially enjoys creating dinnerware – plates, bowls, and mugs – and she also makes serving pieces including trays, chip and dip sets, and vases. Once the pieces are shaped and dried, the next step is bisque firing at a low temperature in the kiln to harden the clay.
Next, she glazes the items – Virna is drawn to shades of blue, green and brown – and the pieces are fired again at a higher temperature to fuse the glaze to the pottery. “It makes me feel good when people buy it,” Virna said of her pottery. She also enjoys using the pieces at home and gifting them to friends. Although she doesn’t have a website, her pottery is currently available for sale at The Fish Market Restaurant in Birmingham and The LakeLife Store in historic downtown Pell City.
While clay quickly became her favorite medium, Virna’s kiln is currently in the garage, which got chilly in the cold, winter days. That’s why Virna said she feels fortunate to have two artistic outlets. “When it’s cold, I can do my painting inside,” she said.
Outdoor artistry
The Settle House on Logan Martin Lake is framed through rose bushes
Although it was the lake that lured Harold to St. Clair County, he discovered that the peninsula where he built his home 32 years ago was a “gardener’s paradise.”
The site is nearly surrounded by water, which keeps the temperature several degrees warmer for a longer portion of the year, he explained. “We don’t have a hard, killing frost until the first of December, so the growing season is nine months out of the year,” he said. Plus, “the water is free. You just pump it out of the lake.”
Harold said he’s been gardening most of his life, and as an adult, he became fascinated by floral gardens. He grew up in Virginia, which he calls “a floral garden paradise” and went to medical school at the University of Virginia, with its pavilion gardens tucked away behind serpentine walls.
While in med school, there was a vacant lot next door, and “I dug that up and planted tomatoes.” He planted his first roses in the 1970s while he was living in Cincinnati, where he completed his residency and fellowship and eventually became chief of cardiology at Cincinnati VA Hospital.
After moving to Birmingham in 1979 and going into private practice, he had a house with four acres that allowed him to have a large garden. Still, “I’ve never had the perfect setting like I have here to do it.”
He found it after Dr. John Haynes of Pell City asked him to do some cardiology consultations for him. “When I’d get finished in the afternoons, I’d drive down to the lake and see what I could see.”
By that time, a friend had invited Harold to an afternoon of sailing, and he soon found himself in the market for a boat. “It was bitter cold, the wind was brutal, but it was fun,” he said. He bought a 22-foot sailboat and kept it at Pine Harbor Marina before upgrading to a 27-foot vessel he bought in 2000.
It was the early 1990s when Settle noticed some homes being built in the River Oaks subdivision. He bought a lot, but he didn’t build on it for two years.
When construction started, Settle made sure the brick beds near the street were the first things built. “I planted roses in those before the house had been bricked,” he said. He planted beds alongside the driveway the next year and followed up with a circular garden directly in the front of the home’s entrance the next.
More or Virna Settle’s pottery on display
He needed more space, however, so he bought the lot next door in 1999. “There was nothing but trash trees on it,” he said, adding that he cleared it completely. “I figured it would take me the rest of my life to plant it the way I wanted it. It took me three or four years.”
In addition to roses, Harold has planted 125 named varieties of Japanese maples, which provide a spectacular display of color in the fall. He and Virna have also planted everything from fig, persimmon and plum trees to blueberry bushes, vegetables, peppers, day lilies, hydrangeas, irises, camellias, and ginkgoes. “There’s nothing that I won’t try to grow,” he said.
The planting is the easy part, though. He and Virna, who also has come to love gardening, spend countless hours tending to and caring for the plants. Every spring, the rose bushes have to be pruned back to about a foot high. “I’ll do about 30 and she does 370,” Harold said with a laugh.
They consider it a labor of love, though, and they have countless trophies and ribbons from the Birmingham Botanical Gardens Annual Rose Show that attest to the beauty their hard work created. Harold has entered the show every year for the past 30 years.
This may be the last, however, as the Settles are planning a move to Daphne at the end of the summer. Although they are looking forward to the next chapter, leaving their oasis on the lake and the gardens they have so carefully cultivated will be bittersweet.
“I really hope someone who loves gardening buys it,” Harold said.
Virna Settle’s Pork and Chicken Rice Noodles
Ingredients:
½ cup pork belly or shoulder (I use belly)
½ cup chicken, thinly sliced
1 cup chicken or pork broth
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 red onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 carrot cut into thin strips
2 cups cabbage, sliced into strips
½ cup green beans, cut into diagonal
¼ cup Chinese celery, roughly chopped
6 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons oyster sauce
For garnish:
½ cup roasted, chopped garlic
½ cup chopped spring onions
Directions: Boil pork and chicken for 10-15 minutes or until the meat is tender. Add oil to pan and saute the pork and chicken until the color turns brown. Add onion and garlic to the pan and saute until tender Add carrots, cabbage, green beans, and Chinese celery and saute for 1 minute. Add the broth, soy sauce and oyster sauce. Mix well and let broth simmer. Drain the meat and vegetables from the stock and transfer to a bowl. Set aside. Add noodles in simmering stock and cook until tender. Stir occasionally. Once the noodles are tender, transfer to a serving platter and top with cooked meat and vegetables. Garnish with roasted garlic and spring onions.
Harold Settle’s Paella
Ingredients
3.5 pounds yellow rice
8 cups chicken stock (I make my own, using chicken skin and bones)
2 large onions, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 large bell peppers, diced
1 cup Lima beans, cooked
1 cup English peas, cooked
8 plum tomatoes, diced
½ can (4 ounces) of tomato paste
1 ½ pounds large shrimp (feel free to add clams, calamari, prawns, or mussels)
2-3 pounds chicken thighs (Remove the skin and de-bone a few to make stock)
2 pounds chorizo sausage, sliced into 1-inch pieces
½ cup fresh parsley
2-3 tablespoons fresh thyme
½ tablespoons paprika
Rosemary
1 pinch fresh saffron
Olive oil
3 lemons, quartered
Directions
It’s best to have all of your ingredients prepared before you start cooking.
Microwave chicken thighs for about 10 minutes to make sure they are cooked throughout. Peel the shrimp, leaving only the tail, and salt them.
I always try to make my chicken stock from scratch (time permitting), using the skin and some bones from the chicken thighs. Add a bit of rosemary, a tiny pinch of saffron, and a bit of thyme. If you use bouillon, I’d recommend at least heating it up with these herbs and then straining before you start.
Keep your stock hot, but not boiling, as you cook. Coat the bottom of your paella pan with olive oil. Brown chorizo over high heat for 1-2 minutes. Do not fully cook, just get the outside well browned. Set aside. This will add a nice red color and flavor to your oil.
Brown the chicken for 2-3 minutes. It should not be fully cooked. Set aside. Brown garlic, onion, and bell pepper until softened, adding plum tomatoes shortly before mixture is finished.
Push the vegetables to one side of pan. On the other, add the half can of tomato paste. Caramelize it, flipping and spreading it until it begins to loosen (1-2 minutes over high heat).
Mix vegetables and meats together with the caramelized tomato paste, also adding the paprika, parsley and thyme. Add rice, mixing together and stirring as rice browns (1 to 1 ½ minutes). As rice browns, mix in the saffron. Make sure to break it between your fingers to release all those tasty oils.
When rice is slightly translucent, add enough chicken stock to cover the whole mixture. If it’s been kept warm, it will begin to boil almost immediately. Lower to a medium heat but keep it at a steady boil.
This is where paella is made and broken. I stir a few times in the first 5-10 minutes, adding broth as necessary to keep the rice fully covered. After this, you must let the paella SIT! Let it cook another 10-20 minutes (I find that this step takes longer on a stovetop), adding broth bit by bit to keep the rice submerged until the rice on the top is al dente. Don’t worry about the rice burning to the bottom. This part (called the soccarat) is a tasty delicacy.
Once you’ve stirred the paella for the last time and are letting it cook, when you have about 8 minutes left to cook, lay the cooked lima beans and peas and shrimp on top. Turn shrimp over after 2-4 minutes to cook on the other side.
When rice on top is still quite al dente, take paella off of heat and cover. Let sit for 15-20 minutes.
I’ve taken the lid off prematurely and ended up with a crunch mess. Patience is key.
Once you’re sure it’s ready, uncover, garnish with lemon wedges and enjoy!
A new campaign celebrating this city’s big-city feel and small town charm is up and running. Its message? “Gotta Get to Gadsden.”
The social media and advertising blitz, funded through a $20,000 grant from the Innovate Alabama Network makes the pitch that the combination of modern technology and Gadsden’s proximity to Birmingham, Atlanta, Huntsville and Chattanooga make Gadsden an ideal place to work and live.
The genesis of the campaign took root during a City Hall brainstorming session in John Moore’s office. Moore serves as Gadsden’s director of economic development. Gotta Get to Gadsden is a joint effort by the city and the Gadsden-Etowah Industrial Development Authority.
“We were looking at branding the city, but then we turned it into an industrial development campaign that we could use on a regional basis,” Moore said. “At that point, Tina King wrote the grant application to Innovate Alabama for website development and commercial creation.”
The target audience for the media effort are workers in the Southeast to areas an easy commute from Gadsden.
“Right now, we’re targeting the Southeast region, those people who possibly live in Atlanta, where they’re paying $2,500-$3,000 a month to work from home. We’re asking them to come to Gadsden, where the cost of living is a third of what they would pay in these big cities.”
He added, “We have the amenities of the Coosa River, Noccalula Falls and our cool downtown. That’s what the commercials focus on.”
For now, the social media reach of the campaign will focus on a specific slice of the regional pie. “Right now, we’ll probably target through social media, and we’ll be very specific on age groups and the type of demographics that we target in social media. We’ll be looking at within 200 miles of Gadsden with a higher income. And we’re going to want to have the outdoor enthusiasts.”
Why not? “If you think about it, if we can recruit 200 stay-at-home workers to come to Gadsden, that’s just like landing a plant that employs 200 workers. Our question is, if you could live anywhere, why would you not live here?”
The campaign will have a seasonal bent. Right now, with all the holiday-related events going on in Gadsden, that’s a natural fit. The campaign will re-emerge in the spring, with the Coosa River and recreation taking center stage.
The campaign comes at a time when Gadsden is on the move. “We’re growing. We’re growing fast. But we’re growing in the right way,” said Gadsden Mayor Craig Ford. “We’re bringing in the right people.”
Gadsden’s predecessors left Ford and the City Council with a large pool of undesignated funds. “We were able to do a lot of economic projects we started then it was post COVID … and we started breaking ground everywhere and everybody started noticing Gadsden,” Ford said. “We’ve got a river that runs right through. We’ve got the mountains. We’ve got two hospitals. It’s a great economic sector.”
From 8 to 5 every day, “our population triples. People come from places like Rainbow City to work, then they go back home. We’re growing, and we’re not landlocked because we’re trying to annex everywhere we can.”
Gadsden also faces a housing shortage.
“It’s not just low-income housing,” Ford said. “It’s the $500,000-$700,000 homes that would be $1 million to $1.5 million homes in Birmingham. So, we’re working with our real estate people, our homebuilders. I was born and raised here, and I’ve never seen growth like we have now in Gadsden.”
But the Gotta Get To Gadsden campaign isn’t just aimed at remote workers. It also serves as a reminder to folks who already call the city and surrounding areas home, Moore said.
“Sometimes it’s just good to remind people of the good things going on in your city,” he said. “You sometimes have to remind people of how good they really have it.”
He called it “a twofold system where you’re targeting remote workers. But you’re also branding and reminding everyone that Gadsden is a great place to live.”
When Ford took office, people were leaving the city, Moore said. Now, surrounding areas are trying to be annexed in, Moore said.
“It’s crazy,” Moore said.
Ford put it simply. “Life in Gadsden promises a high quality of life. Gadsden is a great place to visit and once you get here, you won’t leave. You’ll love it. People’s quality of life will improve 10 times by moving to Gadsden,” he said
“You gotta get to Gadsden. That’s the most important thing.”
Editor’s Note:For more on Gotta Get to Gadsden, visit its website, GottaGetToGadsden.com
Gadsden tops off Chili Cookoff with a Mardi Gras parade
Story by Roxann Edsall Submitted Photos
There’s a party going on next month in the streets of Gadsden. Call it a cultural fusion, if you will. A newly formed Mardi Gras krewe will be celebrating the end of Carnival season by leading a parade of floats through the downtown area on Feb. 7, shortly after the winners of the annual chili cookoff are announced.
An unlikely pairing, perhaps, but both Chili and Mardi Gras share a history of beginnings in Texas, Louisiana and Alabama. Steeped in cultural heritage, both are seasoned with spice and community. Chili originated in Texas, but is infused with a blend of Spanish, Native American and Mexican influences. Mardi Gras, with origins in pagan spring festivals, later became known as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday, and is a unique blend of local influence and tradition.
Plans for the newest Mardi Gras parade began less than a year ago, when a handful of Gadsden residents began laying the groundwork for the first such event for their hometown.
While still small, at roughly a dozen members, the group has made a big impact in their local community already. Their mission is to help others and to bring joy and excitement to those around them. They’ve been living out that mission and promoting their new venture while volunteering around Gadsden with tourism initiatives and with the Salvation Army.
On Feb. 7, beginning at 4 p.m., the Krewe of Rowdy Revelers will certainly bring a smile to parade goers as they guide their Pirates of the Coosa ship down the streets of Gadsden, kicking off the inaugural Mardi Gras parade. “We will have a contest for the best float,” says Deborah Miller, half of the mother/daughter duo behind the krewe. “We are hoping to have 100 entries in the parade, either floats or groups walking. We hope businesses, committees and individuals will get in touch with us, and we’ll get them included.”
Miller’s daughter, Danielle Finch, says the pair have always enjoyed attending Mardi Gras parades in Mobile and hope to bring that level of excitement to Gadsden, along with the resulting infusion of sales for local businesses. “My favorite float was one I saw in Mobile. My husband and I love NASCAR, and this was a NASCAR-themed float,” Finch said. “But I like any kind of float with people who are excited and are throwing things!”
There will, of course, be throws, those traditional necklaces and small items that are the signature of any Mardi Gras parade. “We do want to stress that it’s family friendly,” says Miller. “We’re going for good, clean fun.”
“We’re very excited to have the first krewe of Mardi Gras in Gadsden,” says Kay Moore, director of Downtown Gadsden, Inc., the organization co-hosting the event. “With the parade coming after the chili cookoff, it should keep people downtown to eat and to shop.” Plans are to finish the cookoff and announce the winners at 2 p.m. and start the parade on 7th Street at 4. I’ve never been to a Mardi Gras parade before,” adds Moore, “so I’m really interested to see how it goes.”
Gadsden’s Chili Cookoff has been a crowd favorite for many years. This is the 18th year for the spicy shindig on the banks of the Coosa River, which serves as a fundraiser for Downtown Gadsden, Inc. Proceeds from ticket sales are used to fund ongoing downtown improvements. The winner receives the coveted laser-cut chili cookoff trophy. There are cash prizes for first, second and third place and a people’s choice award voted by the crowd.
There wouldn’t even be a chili cookoff if it hadn’t been for the 1893 World’s Fair. A San Antonio food stand there introduced a spicy, saucy dish called chili. Its popularity and variety in recipes inspired the competitive spirit that brought about modern-day chili cookoffs.
When you walk down the streets of Gadsden mid-morning on Feb. 7, the smell of chili and various peppers will be strong, particularly on Broad Street between 4th and 6th Streets. “We close the streets for two blocks and set up the chili cookers on the sidewalks,” says Moore. We usually have about 30 teams competing, but we have room for 35.”
Each team is assigned a number and cups with those numbers are filled for the blind tastings by the judges. “I’m the only one who has the key to what number corresponds with what team,” explains Moore. “The judges have no clue whose chili they’re tasting.”
What the judges are looking for is texture, flavor, consistency and aroma. Specifically, the texture of the meat cannot be tough or mushy, but meat should be permeated with flavor and have a good blend of spices. The chili should be a nice balance of hot and mild, and there should be a smooth combination of meat and gravy and not be too thin or too thick. And there should be a pleasant aroma as dictated by the judges.
People tend to be passionate about their chili recipes. Chili is a sensory dish, and its flavor profile is as unique as its list of ingredients. Does the recipe call for beans? Tomato or no tomato? What type of meat is included – ground chuck, brisket, turkey, sausage, chicken or venison?
The teams will start cooking early in the morning, with all recipes available for sampling starting at noon. Tickets for samples are $1 each or 6 for $5. “Spoons up at noon, then people just wander the streets and eat chili,” Moore says. “We usually have about a thousand people attend. It’s a good time.”
Teams can be added on a space-available basis before Feb. 4. Those wanting to reserve T-shirts will need to sign up two weeks prior to that.
Wander the streets of Gadsden enjoying different chili recipes, then hang out for the parade a few hours later. It’s a full day party, and you’re invited. Let the good times roll, or as the Rowdy Revelers say, “Laissez les bons temps rouler!”
Editor’s Note: For more information on the Gadsden Chili Cookoff, contact Kay Moore at kay@downtowngadsden.org. For more information on the Gadsden Mardi Gras Parade, contact Deborah Miller at kreweofrowdyrevelers@gmail.com or deborahmiller72@outlook.com.
Gadsden turns riverside park into winter wonderland
Story by Paul South Submitted Photos
Folks in Gadsden are crazy about Christmas, and it shows. All you had to do is look no further than the city’s Riverside Park during the holiday season to see yet another way Gadsden rolls out the red carpet for residents and visitors alike.
A 60-by-100-foot ice skating rink, bright lights, fire pits and Alabama’s tallest Christmas tree towering 78 feet tall made this Christmas season merry and bright, not to mention taking the celebration to the next level with food trucks, live music and a breathtaking view of the river.
A newly constructed observation deck allows visitors to watch the skaters and to view the river. The tree was lit on Thanksgiving Eve. You could say the city earned a nickname as North Pole South.
“It’s a very intimate setting,” Janet Tarrance, the city’s director of special events, said. “It gives you the Christmas feel overlooking the Coosa out there that’s absolutely beautiful.”
Bumper boats on the ice
This year’s festivities unwrapped a new gift for revelers, ice bumper cars. The iconic amusement park ride gave riders a chance to work out holiday frustrations. Twelve electrically powered cars scooted around the ice for a stocking full of fun fender benders.
The cars have four wheels and two joysticks for steering. “They are really a lot of fun,” Tarrance said. “Going across that ice feels a lot faster than it actually is. People really enjoyed it. It seems like there were more adults enjoying (the cars) than the kids.”
Ice skating is in its third year. Initially, the rink was a synthetic surface, but now, skaters can slide and glide elegantly on real ice. Ice skating began on Nov. 28 and continued until Dec. 23. The bumper cars returned and will be available until Jan. 10.
“When we started the skating, Mayor (Craig) Ford said it was like skating on cardboard. Now we have real ice,” Tarrance said.
Bumper car admission is $10 per person for a 10-minute ride. Skating admission is $12 during the week, $15 on weekends. Ice skates are included. Bumper car riders must be at least 42 inches tall and weigh no more than 300 pounds.
“Not everybody can ice skate, but most everybody can do bumper cars,” she said, “They’re super fun.”
Perfect complements
When you think about ice rinks and frosty air, thoughts inevitably turn to hot chocolate, cider and coffee. Local vendors offered a variety of festive food and drink. 3 Crow Coffee served a variety of coffee drinks. DonutNV (cq) cooked up gourmet donuts and folks were even able to watch the sweet, round treats being made.
Attalla’s Chill Spot served its lolly waffles, a deep-fried cake-like dessert with different toppings. And pizza cones were crafted from pizza dough filled with sauce and toppings.
Funkee Franks (cq) tempted hungry visitors with gourmet hot dogs, smashburgers and Cajun fries.
For folks wanting something stronger to fight off the winter chill, they could visit Frosty’s, a city run bar that offered Christmas cocktails, beer, wine and shots.
Celebrating the holidays by Neely Henry Lake
Rounding out the offerings was plenty of swag – sweatshirts, gloves and toboggans available for purchase.
Maintaining an ice rink has had its share of challenges, given an unseasonably warm Alabama November, but crews have worked tirelessly to maintain the rink, Tarrance said. Music was piped in, but on special nights, live music and Santa Claus entertained the crowds
Folks from all around – Etowah County, Anniston, Birmingham, Huntsville and from as far away as Tennessee and Georgia flocked to the city to enjoy the holiday fun.
“It’s another way to attract tourism and bring people to Gadsden, to do the ice skating, to do the bumper cars, to go to Noccalula,” Tarrance said. “We have a lot of things happening in Gadsden. We’re growing and it’s exciting to see. Everybody’s energy is just full force. It’s hard not to get excited.”
Skating and bumper cars aren’t just activities. The attractions are a place for making holiday magic, Tarrance said.
“Really and truly, if you want to make some fun memories that have a big city feel in a small, classy, little town, you need to come to Gadsden, because we are full of Christmas spirit and we have a lot of things that bigger cities have, but we are considered a smaller city.”
Tarrance added, “If you haven’t been to Gadsden, you will fall in love with it. It is a magical city, especially during Christmas. I think it’s absolutely wonderful, what we have done.”
Tarrance tells the story of a Birmingham Mom with a disability who came to the rink on a November Sunday with her eight children. The woman was in a wheelchair, but her heart’s desire was to ride in the bumper cars with her kids.
“My employees were able to help her get into a car and make memories with her kids,” Tarrance said. “She wouldn’t have been able to get on the ice otherwise. But my employees wanted to make sure she could do that … Those kids won’t forget that.”
There is a lyric from a popular Christmas tune that calls Christmas, “the time of year when the world falls in love.”
Think about that Birmingham mother, her children and the helping hands and hearts of Gadsden city employees.
That’s love.
And at the end of the day, love is what Christmas is all about, even with a bumper car.
Something fishy will be going on at Alabama’s most picturesque waterfall on Black Creek.
New residents – $10,000 worth of future feisty and flavorful trophy size rainbow trout – will make the creek their home.
The restocking is expected to take place in mid-January. That’s great news for the growing number of fly anglers who flock to the stream every trout season. There’s no need for a long trip to the Appalachians or to the Rockies to catch the legendary fish. Rainbows are right here at home.
The annual event is a joint collaboration between the City of Gadsden, Noccalula Falls Park, the Rainbow Fly Fishing Club and Greater Gadsden Tourism. A grant championed by State Rep. Craig Lipscomb, (R-Gadsden) – a fly fisherman himself – funded the restocking effort, which began in 2020.
“When I was first elected, I was fishing in the Appalachians and realized that my hometown of Gadsden had a very similar climate, insect life and water conditions which would likely support trout,” Lipscomb said.
Lipscomb’s legislation provided grant funding to stock the stream below the falls with a few thousand Rainbow trout. He calls the ongoing effort, now in its sixth year, “a tremendous success.”
The trout provide another revenue stream for tourism in Gadsden and the surrounding area for anglers and their families, who visit local hotels and motels, shops, restaurants and other attractions at Noccalula Falls State Park and beyond.
“It’s become an exciting, one-of-a-kind fly-fishing opportunity for people who love fly fishing and want an experience that is rather unique,” Lipscomb said. “Noccalula Falls provides an incredible backdrop due to its enormity, and you have several miles of fishing downstream from there.”
Lipscomb added, “More so, you have all the camping and recreational activities at the falls to create a well-rounded trip that the entire family can enjoy.”
The annual restocking effort has landed a big catch on social media. Some 838,000 views were hooked on Facebook alone in 2025. More than 100 day permits and 91 seasonal permits were purchased by fly anglers last year, said Tina Morrison, executive director of Greater Gadsden Area Tourism. The city gets a big economic bounce from trout fishing. The falls are located three miles from downtown.
“Just from the permits, that’s about $7,000 that goes back into Noccolula Falls Park,” Morrison said.
The city is also committed to growing the sport. Earlier this year, two fly fishing clinics for kids were conducted at the falls sponsored by Rainbow City Auction and Fly Shop. The shop, co-owned by Frank Roden, provided each participant with a free fly rod.
Fly angler Frank Roden shares expertise with new generation
Roden, an Orvis certified fly instructor, is perhaps Alabama’s biggest evangelist for the sport. Known as “the guy with the tie,” whose fishing attire always includes a necktie, helped with the annual restocking.
Roden has been part of the restocking effort since the beginning. Drought conditions have hindered the fish in some ways. But there has been natural spawning going on. And fish – about nine inches long – enter the stream and can grow as long as 22 inches, he said. The fish that are part of the restocking weigh about a pound when they enter Black Creek.
If you think that the buzz about fly fishing at Noccalula Falls is just an exaggerated fish tale, consider this: Representatives from Gadsden had a booth at the East Tennessee Fishing Show in Knoxville, one of the South’s largest such events.
“We go up there and have a booth to talk about fly and bass fishing. We have a banner that says, ‘Bass or Fly Fishing, Why Not Both?’.”
The booth drew a multitude of visitors. “People would come up and say, ‘We had no idea you could fly fish there, or anywhere in Alabama.’”
Roden saw the positive response coming.
“We anticipated this, that we would have a lot of response and a lot of good fish,” he said. “People are coming from all around. They’re coming from Illinois. They’re coming from Florida. They’re coming from Texas. They’re coming from Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and North Carolina. We’re getting a lot of people and a lot of tourism associated with the fish. And that tourism is bringing a lot to the city.”
But fly fishing is only part of the story at Noccalula Falls Park and Campground.
“ There’s so much to do there,” Morrison said. “You can really bring your whole family, stay in an RV or a cabin. The campground is all brand new. Everything is beautiful, gorgeous, and new. And with the fly fishing, we’ve got miniature golf and a new train that has a wheelchair accessible seat on it. You’ve got hiking trails and an animal barn that has so many animals it doesn’t seem fair to call it a petting zoo. And there are always special events.”
She added, “You could plan your whole vacation and find plenty to do, just at Noccalula Falls, even if you didn’t set foot in any of the other things we have to do.”
Lipscomb offered a word of advice to his fellow fly fishers about Noccalula Falls.
“If you haven’t been there,” Lipscomb said, “then you are really missing out.”
WANT TO FISH THE FALLS?
Trout fishing is open from Oct. 15 through June 30. Catch and release is in effect until April 1. Harvesting is allowed from April 1 through June, with anglers allowed to keep up to five fish.
NOTE: Residents and non-residents must have a valid Alabama fishing license is required, as well as either a day or seasonal permit to fish at Noccalula Falls A state license can be purchased at Coosa Landing, 200 Lake Street in Gadsden, or online.
Day or seasonal trout passes can be purchased at the Noccalula Falls Park office near the Kiwanis Pavillion. Costs are $10 for a day pass, $35 for a seasonal pass. The office is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Fishing should be done with fly rods only. Limit one line and one pole per angler. Barbless hooks and artificial bait are allowed. Fishing is allowed between dawn and dusk and no fishing is allowed in the pool below the falls. Catch-and-release is required until April 1. This is a new policy. During the harvest season, a maximum of five fish is allowed.
Returning to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame
A pair of boat dealers on Logan Martin Lake had an idea that grew from a simple open house. And as good ideas often do, it’s still growing.
Mark Hildebrant of Woods Surfside Marina and Rodney Humphries of Rodney’s Marine began their joint venture as an open house at their respective dealerships. From there, they moved to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame as a small boat show.
Indoor venue makes the perfect all-weather boat show location
It’s appropriately called Legends Boat Show because it brings legends in the boating world at the place where motorsports legends are built.
In contrast to other boat shows, “we wanted something people did not have to pay to get in or park,” Hildebrant said. “We will see how it grows over the coming years.”
By the looks of it so far, they have the makings of a thriving new year’s tradition as the first area boat show of the year – Jan. 16-18.
For 2026, the boat dealers will be Woods, Rodney’s and Woods and Water Powersports. Also featured will be Town & Country Ford, which will have vehicles onsite.
AmFirst federal credit union will be providing onsite financing for boats and vehicles.
Legends showcases pontoon boats from Bennington, Evotti, Starcraft and Manitou along with ATVs and 4-wheelers, golf carts and Waverunners. Dock companies and Realtors have joined the show as well, giving attendees an opportunity to see lake life and the outdoors up close from all angles.
Admission and parking aren’t the only perks free with this show. There will be a free concert Saturday night with Deputy 5.
If it’s a holiday or her father’s birthday, chances are Brooke Tollison is making a pie. An apple pie, to be precise, that’s baked in her grandparents’ cast-iron skillet.
Brooke shows off her cooking skills
They’ve developed quite a system. Once her dad has eaten his fill, “he gives the skillet back to me, all cleaned and seasoned and ready to go,” she said.
The fact that she and her parents, Gary and Lynn Williams, have houses next door to each other on Neely Henry Lake makes the process a little bit easier and a lot more fun. “I love that they are right there,” Brooke said. “Being next to my parents was a big selling point for me. My family has been on this part of the Coosa River for generations.”
That’s probably why, for Brooke, “lake” has always been synonymous with family.
As a child, it meant long summer days swimming with her cousins, learning to ski and kneeboard, and endless hours of boat rides and tubing. As an adult, it means drinking coffee or hot chocolate around the fire pit while watching the stars with her husband and kids on a crisp fall evening.
The one thing that has never changed is that “the lake” means Neely Henry. She and her husband, Jim, live and work in the Pell City area – she just opened The Brooke Tollison agency, an ALFA Independent Agency, and he is the regional manager for Alabama Farm Credit.
“Pell City has been so good to us,” she said. But in the 21 years they’ve lived there, Brooke said she’s only been to Logan Martin Lake three or four times.
“This is the lake I grew up on,” she said, standing at the water’s edge of the house they bought nearly two years ago. “I made so many wonderful memories here.”
Peaceful oasis
Brooke said she wasn’t actively looking for a lake house when the opportunity presented itself, but it had been in the back of her mind for a while, so she was keeping her eyes and ears open. “I knew I wanted a lake house for retirement,” she said. “I’ve still got 15 or 20 years to work, but I also had been watching prices appreciate.”
That’s why, when she learned that the 3-bedroom, 2-bath house on Palmetto Creek was hitting the market, she jumped at the chance. In addition to her parents, her uncle and several cousins have homes on Neely Henry, and she loved the idea of being close to her extended family. “I wanted my kids to have a similar experience to what I had growing up,” she said.
The perfect place to gather and watch the game
That means lazy days surrounded by family and friends. Brooke, who grew up in Hokes Bluff, gets nostalgic watching 16-year-old Claire and her friends having fun on the lily pad float because it reminds her of lake days with her own high school friends, who are frequent visitors to the lake house. Jim and their son, Jay, 19, love to fish, and Jay enjoys canoeing and kayaking, as well.
“This is the perfect spot for that,” she said, adding that the creek has smooth water and meanders about a mile past their house. Although there are several homes nearby, their area of the lake has a peaceful, secluded feel. “It’s private, but it’s not isolated,” she said.
Buying the lake house was kind of a full circle moment for Brooke. Her parents bought their house from her sister in the late ‘90s, and then they also bought the adjacent lot where her house now stands. Her father eventually sold the 3-acre lot to another family member, however, and it’s changed hands a couple of times since.
At some point, one of the owners built the house, and when Brooke bought it, the property became part of the family again. Since then, it’s been put to good use.
She’s helped her parents host a family reunion, and with two docks and two big yards, there was plenty of room for parking and for everyone to spread out. Last summer, she even hosted a wedding with 50 or 60 guests when a cousin exchanged vows by the water’s edge. “It was such a beautiful day,” Brooke said.
Let’s eat
Entertaining at the lake means lots of good food, so what’s on the menu when crowds gather?
“We live on a cattle farm, so we grill a lot,” Brooke said. “We’ll have steak or hamburgers, and my dad likes to smoke wings and briskets. When friends come, everybody brings sides, dips, cakes, potato salad and appetizers, and we all dig in. We love desserts, so there are always plenty of desserts.” Often, they include a tray of Brooke’s no-bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies.
When it’s just family, they usually take a more relaxed approach. “If we come up on a weekend, we go to Local Joe’s, get some food, eat on the pier, and then we go for a boat ride and watch the moon rise. And the stars – oh my gosh, the stars are fabulous,” Brooke said.
Relaxed getaway
Bedrooms let in plenty of natural light and are decorated in lakeside themes
Although the Tollisons escape to their getaway fairly often, Brooke has listed the home on Airbnb so that others can enjoy it when they can’t. So far, it’s been a great experience, she said, and she loves having the opportunity to help others fall in love with the lake that has meant so much to her and her family.
She wanted to create an inviting environment, so Brooke chose light colors and a mix of old and new furniture pieces to create the perfect oasis. There are some personal touches, as well. A family friend, Terry Lee, built the bed swing on the dock, and the artwork of two other friends, Jimmie Nell Miller and Shannon Abbott adorn the walls.
“I wanted it to feel like a lake house, a place that is comfy, welcoming and relaxing,” Brooke said. “Hopefully we achieved that.”
There’s plenty of things to entertain guests and friends who gather. Outdoor games like bocce ball and cornhole are favorites, and the Tollisons have a shed full of water toys like paddleboards, kayaks and a double canoe.
The area is a great spot for fishing, Brooke said, and the chances of spotting wildlife are pretty good. “We have ospreys here and the occasional bald eagle,” she said. “We’ve got bunny rabbits and deer. I grew up with creatures.”
It’s part of what makes lake life so special, she said. “This is my happy place, and I want everyone to love it as much as I do. Go kayaking, go paddleboarding, have a cup of coffee on the pier, sit in the sunshine, get some Vitamin D and just enjoy it. It’s a beautiful, beautiful spot.”
Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
½ cup cocoa
½ cup milk
½ cup butter
¼ teaspoon salt
3-4 cups quick cooking oatmeal
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup crunchy peanut butter
Directions
Combine sugar, cocoa, milk, butter and salt in a boiler and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter, vanilla and 3 cups of oatmeal. Mix thoroughly. Add more oatmeal for a thicker consistency. Drop onto wax paper and let cool.
Skillet Apple Pie
Ingredients
2 pounds Granny Smith apples
1 pound firm, red apples like Gala
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 pie crusts
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the brown sugar and ¾ of the stick of butter in a cast iron skillet (I use a 12-inch skillet) and melt them together. Peel and slice apples in ¼ inch pieces. Sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent browning. Add 1 cup of sugar minus 1 tablespoon to the peeled apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Add salt and vanilla to bowl. Mix to coat. Place one flat piece of crust in the skillet, on top of the brown sugar and butter mixture. Top with apple mixture. Put slices of remaining butter on top of apples. Top with second pie crust and slice vents in the crust. Brush milk across the top of the crust and sprinkle remaining sugar on top. Cover and bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes.
