New store brings kayaks, accessories and more to Pell City
Story and photos by Carol Pappas
Turn off U.S. 231 South at the colorful, largemouth bass mailbox, and it’s your first hint that something special awaits up ahead.
Just beyond is newly opened The Yak Shak, a stone’s throw from Logan Martin Lake. Inside, you’ll find something special indeed – and it’s not just the kayaks and accessories.
Meet Allen and Jessica Norris, owners of The Yak Shak, a business they started five years ago when they were dating. Kayak fishing was Allen’s hobby, and he soon introduced Jessica to it. When it became their passion together, they decided to build a business around it. The Yak Shak already has a franchise opening in Indiana soon.
Allen, Jessica and Madelyn Norris, not pictured, 2-year-old Coleman
They located their initial store in a strip mall in Pelham and experienced early successes when the COVID pandemic hit, and people began heading outdoors. “It’s been a wild ride,” Allen said. “We’ve only known pandemic retail,” added Jessica. “Interest exploded. We thought that was the way it was going to be.”
While other businesses closed their doors during the pandemic, The Yak Shak thrived. It wasn’t until the year after, when supply chain problems surfaced that their business plan headed in an adaptive direction. “We worked off pre-orders,” where customers could choose their exact color, style, and customization.
Much of their business is still centered on pre-orders today, but they have adapted and expanded when opportunities arose. They found a market in used kayaks generated by the new kayak market. They have trade-ins, they offer full customization of the kayaks, and they ship smaller items all over the country.
They define their business as a “destination” type – customers looking for a place to buy a kayak. They sell kayaks, paddleboards and inflatables not found in big box stores. They also offer well-known brands like AFTCO, Heybo, Big Bite Baits, YakAttack and Rapala. They sell Bending Branches paddles and NRS inflatable kayaks.
Average price range of kayaks and accessories is $500-$2,500. Now that kayak fishing tournaments allow motors, The Yak Shak has seen an influx of customers wanting to add trolling motors, outboards, live scope, and many more electronics to their kayaks. “We cater to tournament-focused brands,” Allen adds.
A tournament weigh-in held there a couple of weeks ago accommodated 17 vehicles with kayaks and trailers in the parking lot. “We had plenty of room,” said Allen, noting another plus of their move from Pelham to Pell City.
Of course, it’s not a weigh-in in the bass tournament sense of the phrase. Kayak fishing tournaments are ‘weighed’ with photos and a “bump board,” a ruler-like board with a hard end to measure the fish from nose to tail. A photo then captures the size for this catch-and-release method.
Every boat and accessory they offer, they tested themselves. “It’s our passion,” Allen said. He gives the nod to Jessica in the fishing, though. “Her personal best is a 7-pound largemouth.”
How they got here from there
The couple arrived at this moment in their lives from different directions, but there is no disguising the joy they have already found running a business in Pell City together.
Kayaks on display in showroom
He graduated from Kennesaw State College in Georgia in Management, Entrepreneurship and International Business. “I speak Chinese,” he said, referring to his International Business interest. He went to work at Hewlett Packard right out of college, and a promotion brought him to Birmingham.
She graduated in Communications at the University of Alabama, and her background is in marketing and franchising. In her spare time between their business, working remotely with a software company, tending to their 4-month-old and 2-year-old, she wrote a children’s book – Francine’s First Fish. She was already in Birmingham.
They met, fell in love, married and started a business. They found a home on Logan Martin Lake and moved a coupled of years ago. It just made sense to trade the long commute for a business near their home and the lake.
“We’re excited to be a part of the community,” Allen said, noting that The Yak Shak has already been involved in LakeFest and events at Lincoln’s Landing. “This is where we live and want to do business. It’s where we want to raise our kids.”
He points to the growth all around and said, “It is very encouraging to see that as a new business.” When the location on U.S. 231 opened up, they decided to close Pelham and move The Yak Shak to Pell City, Allen said. “It was the best move for our family and our business.”
Story by Carol Pappas Photos by Mackenzie Free, Graham Hadley and submitted
Move over pontoons, bass boats and other lake and river-faring vessels. There’s a couple of new watercrafts navigating their way around these parts this summer.
On Neely Henry, that distant tune reminiscent of ice cream trucks and days gone by is actually coming from an ice cream boat, which launches and regularly ‘patrols’ Neely Henry Lake.
On the Coosa River in Gadsden, you’ll find a parade of dragons, ducks and swans floating by at Coosa Landing – a fleet of pedal boats the city has launched for renting this summer.
Greg and Peggie Watson offering tasty memories on the lake
The ice cream boat is the creation of Greg and Peggie Watson, Ashville residents who saw a need and filled it. Greg is a retired sheriff’s investigator, and Peggie works for the district attorney’s office.
“There really isn’t much on Henry Neely as far as food, etc., unless you go to Southside or Gadsden,” explained Greg. “We know it gets hot on the lake, and people need some relief. So, we decided to provide a unique and fun way to help them with ice cream. That’s where the ice cream boat idea came from.”
The boat’s 11-foot ice cream flag is hard to miss. So is the ice cream truck song that plays continuously. Boaters and those on dockside have been lining up for a tasty respite from the summer heat.
“People on the docks can hear us coming,” Greg said. “We have met some really great people. We had some people that actually messaged and asked for our location this last weekend. We were near Southside. They came from all the way from Ragland Dam and tracked us down.
“They said they wanted the ice cream and were looking for us all day. They also had a furry friend with them that devoured the pup cup ice cream from us.”
Hershey ice cream is the main provider for their ice cream. They use real cream. “So, the taste is by far the best out of all the ice cream in my opinion,” Greg noted. “We do have another vendor where we get some of the specialty ice cream like Batman, Tweety Bird, and Kung Fu panda. So, it’s the people’s choice on what they want. The funny part is that more adults than kids want the ice cream.”
Meanwhile, Coosa Landing’s new pedal boats are getting quite a workout as are the people who power them. Each boat fits up to five people, and they pedal their way to fun in the sun on the water.
“We are excited to offer families and friends something fun and safe to do together this summer while enjoying the great outdoors in Gadsden,” said Mayor Craig Ford.
You can rent the boats at Coosa Landing bait shop from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You must be at least 18 years old and provide identification. Life jackets are required, and the city has some available. The rental fee is $20 up to one hour. For more hours, it costs $15 after the initial $20.
Paddlers to get new access to Neely Henry through grant
Story by Paul South Photos by Graham Hadley Submitted photos
For Dave Tumlin, the memory is as vivid as summer sunsets on Neely Henry Lake.
As an Alabama kid transplanted to California, he and his family would travel from the West Coast to visit relatives and spend time on the Coosa River. His family eventually moved back to Alabama and built a rock and shake shingle house on the Coosa River in 1968. Dave still lives there today.
The trips – and his parents’ stories of family and the river – would linger in Tumlin’s head, heart and imagination long after returning to California.
“When we were kids in grade school, my brother and I would take the double mattress off my folks’ bed, throw it on the floor, and we would pretend like we were rafting down the river like Tom Sawyer,” Tumlin said. “That’s how long my love has been for this river and this lake.”
NHLA President Dave Tumlin shows where access will be installed
The Tumlins were one of the lake’s first families. He remembers when the area was dominated by the Coosa River and cow pastures.
“It was pretty close to the first house on the lake after the lake came up in the 1960s,” Tumlin said. “We’ve watched it evolve from a beautiful river and bottom land to a more beautiful lake.”
Alabama Power Company created the lake in 1966.
Now retired, Tumlin serves as president of the Neely Henry Lake Association. The organization, representing some 130 lake families working to protect and improve life on the lake, received a $2,200 grant from the Alabama Scenic River Trail Waterway Enhancement Program.
The funds will be used to construct the Rainbow City Paddle Launch. The project will provide the first assisted launch device on Neely Henry Lake, which will benefit paddleboarders, kayakers and canoeists, making water access easier and safer for them, particularly enthusiasts who don’t have their own dock.
NHLA was one of six recipients in the inaugural round of ASRT grants.
“The accessibility, if you don’t have your own dock, there is none, quite frankly,” Tumlin said. “That triggered the thought … What could we do with the popularity of paddleboarding and kayaking and so forth to give the public better access. So, it kind of evolved from there. We felt like it was a good thing to do.”
The grant is a first for the association.
Dave Tumlin explains to kayaker Shawn Craven of Ragland how the new system will work
Martha Grace Mize, Development and Outreach coordinator for the Alabama Scenic River Trail, praised the NHLA’s “really thought out” and thorough grant application. In its first year, the grant program attracted 10 applicants. The ASRT, best known for hosting the Great Alabama 650, the nation’s longest paddle race, awarded $25,000 in grants.
“They (the lake association) were very considerate of thinking about what it would take to bring the project to fruition and what the follow up would be,” Mize said. “They were very intentional about how this project would impact public use and how they could explore other projects in the future on Neely Henry.”
The ASRT was founded in 2008 to enhance recreation and tourism on Alabama’s more than 6,000 miles of rivers and streams, the longest historic river trail in the United States.
The accessibility devices can either be fixed or floating. The NHLA launch will float and be affixed to a dock. The new launch will be able to rise up and down with the lake levels.
NHLA, in conjunction with Rainbow City Parks and Recreation, expects to complete the project by summer’s end. The accessibility device will be located at Rainbow Landing near the Southside Bridge on Alabama 77.
“We wanted to be able to provide something that to our knowledge doesn’t exist for the public,” Tumlin said.
Currently, kayakers, paddleboarders and the like have to go to a public dock and lower themselves onto their vessels. Balance can be tricky. The project will change that.
“You can put your kayak, paddleboard or canoe on top of the floating device and ease yourself into the water using arms that are on there. And the reverse is true when you return. You can pull yourself out of the water.”
The project is in response to the increasing popularity of canoes, paddleboards and kayaks. The COVID-19 pandemic actually boosted the popularity of paddle sports. The global market was estimated at $2.4 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach $3.3 billion by 2027, according to the Great Outdoor Recreation Pages (gorp.com).
That increasing popularity underscores the need for the project, Tumlin said.
“With the really rapid growth in the use of kayaks, canoes and paddleboards, we need that accessibility on our lake,” Tumlin said.
“I think this will go a long way to help people who enjoy doing that and give them a safer way to access the lake. It seemed like a really neat thing to do to improve life on the lake because a lot of people are going to kayaks, canoes and paddleboards. It’s a great way to connect with the water,” Tumlin added.
While pontoons, ski and bass boats and personal watercrafts, even sailboats, are popular, paddle sports provide a more intimate experience.
“It’s just a whole different way to experience the lake,” Tumlin said. “The shoreline is closer and certainly the water is closer. But it gives you a connection you don’t get any other way.”
He added, “There’s nothing cooler than being on a paddleboard or a kayak and going up quietly into a slough. You really are one with the lake when you do that.”
Paddle sports also benefit the environment, propelled by human strength, not fossil fuels.
“It’s quiet. You get exercise when you’re out there, so that’s a good thing. But from an environmental standpoint, there’s absolutely no impact. So, it’s a very good thing.”
As for the future, NHLA is considering similar paddle sport projects on the lake and plans to pursue more grants, Tumlin said. The group is currently researching possible sites in Gadsden, Southside and in St. Clair County.
“We would like to put one up in Gadsden at Coosa Landing,” Tumlin said. “They’ve got a small inlet area there that I think would be [a good place] to launch before people got out into the river itself.”
Bottom line for Tumlin is, “I’d like to see one in Canoe Creek. I’d like to see one on Southside and one in Gadsden.”
The love affair that he and his family have had since even before his imaginary childhood Coosa River on a mattress has only deepened. The biodiversity and changing topography are only part of the lake’s variety. He’s explored much of it in a flat bottom boat.
North of Gadsden, the lake is riverine, narrow with high banks.
“That’s a whole different world, and it’s really cool to explore that. When you get down below Gadsden in the Southside area, the lake spreads out and the fishing changes. You’ve got mountains and the history of the area. I could talk forever about the beauty of this lake and the river.”
The initial Neely Henry access project is the latest in a series of projects by the association on the lake that improves the quality of life.
“Anything that can improve life on this river, that’s the most important thing,” Tumlin said. “We’ve seen the growth of boats and more families on the water and more kids experiencing what I experienced as a kid on the water. (Paddle sports are) a whole new way of experiencing the water. It’s just great to see that growth.”
For Tumlin, as certainly for other families and visitors, Neely Henry Lake is – to borrow a phrase from an old hymn – a fount of blessings.
“When I’m out there [on my patio looking at the lake], maybe having a glass of wine in the evening, I think how blessed I’ve been that my parents made the decision that they did. That decision – being on this lake – has affected my whole family. Just the joy over the years that my family has been able to experience because we live on this lake.”
What would his parents think of the new project?
“I think they would be really pleased that the lake association and the Alabama Scenic River Trail were able to expand to a whole other group of people the joy of being on this lake.”
Editor’s Notes: For more information on the Neely Henry Lake Association, visit neelyhenrylake.org or call Tumlin at (256)368-5200.
On the social media platform “X” – formerly known as Twitter – Eric Housh made a powerful statement:
“I love the lake. Is it summer yet?”
“The lake” is Logan Martin. And Housh helps run LakeFest, a combination boat show, arts and crafts fair, music festival and block party that in 2023 drew an estimated 45,000 people.
Known as the largest in-water boat show in the Southeast, The Logan Martin LakeFest and Boat Show returns to Lakeside Park May 10-12 as “the place to be” for the past 15 Springs, save one coronavirus year. Some might even call it the unofficial start of another spectacular summer on the lake.
Boats on display at discounted prices
“We’re proud that it continues to grow a little bit every year and get bigger and bigger,” Housh said. “This year, we’ve already had a good response from all our sponsors and several vendors, so we’re looking forward to another really good, full event.
The festival will feature over 80 models of boats and personal watercraft, live music on the Tracker Stage, featuring the popular Louisville, Ky. B and The Velcro Pygmies, gourmet food trucks, lake lifestyle vendors and a fireworks show honoring vets from the Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home in Pell City.
Admission is free. But food, drink and vendors’ wares will be for sale, so bring your wallet. Also, for prospective car and truck, boat and personal watercraft buyers, on-site financing will be available courtesy of America’s First Federal Credit Union.
LakeFest is an effort to promote Logan Martin Lake, raise money for local charities and build a stronger sense of community.
The seeds for the wildly popular event took root in a conversation between Housh and his next-door neighbor, Mike Riley, then president of the Logan Martin Lake Protection Association, as well as local businessmen Jerry Woods, Lee Holmes, Fred Casey and Joe Paul Abbott. Housh served on the association’s board and ran its website for a time.
“They had this vision of doing an event to really showcase Logan Martin Lake and the surrounding areas,” Housh said.
“If you live here, you know how special the lake is,” he added. “We felt like if we really showcase not only the lake and what it had to offer, but local businesses, vendors, local artisans, craftsmen, restaurants … The event was really about sharing with the outside community. It was kind of a way to welcome them in and share our special little slice of paradise here.”
Folks flock from across the South to the event – Mobile, Huntsville, Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Atlanta and points in between. Call it a gathering of 40,000 of your closest friends.
“People come to the lake before then. But that weekend, everybody’s there,” Housh said. “You may see your lake friends year-round. But you may only see friends from Birmingham that weekend. It’s a way to have a celebration and look forward to enjoying another season on the lake and the lake lifestyle.”
Housh sums up the uniqueness of LakeFest in one word – “Community – “the people, the sponsors that make it happen. It’s always been a free event. We’re providing entertainment. We’re providing security. We have this massive fireworks show, and we feed the veterans on Friday night. That’s only made possible by people in this community.”
In its 14 years, the event has never had a safety incident, adding to its reputation as a family-friendly festival in this tight-knit community. And volunteers from church and youth groups man parking, concessions and other responsibilities.
“The public really values this event,” Housh said. “And that’s evident in the fact that everyone just comes out and has a good time. It’s a super-positive atmosphere. You can feel it.”
The in-water boat show even has a beach
Logan Martin, it seems, is like New Orleans, in that just about every month, there’s a festival of some sort – LakeFest in Spring, Boo Bash in the Fall, summer’s Rock the Lake in Lincoln, Lakeside Live, Live at Logan Martin and so on. People here respect the lake and its community, celebrating it with family-friendly events.
“There are a lot of different opportunities to come together,” Housh said. “In general, we’re a community that likes to celebrate. We like to celebrate on the lake. We like to celebrate with our friends. So, as a result of that, you see a lot of these festivals popping up.”
Giving back to charity is one aspect that fuels LakeFest. So far, some $500,000 has been donated to local charities – police and fire department foundations, the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Boys Ranch, animal shelters, Lakeside Park improvements and the like. Sponsors fund the event, but also boost charities.
“We try to be wise stewards of the blessings that we have and then turn around and give away what we don’t invest in the event,” Housh says.
Looking back, Housh remembers what organizers have overcome, like in year three, when heavy rains nearly washed away vehicles and closed Highway 34.
But one thing remains constant, the glowing, joyous faces of kids and veterans and new boat buyers. And after the event, charities receive big donations.
“Yeah, it’s a little stressful over the course of the weekend. But you always see these glimpses of people being happy, living their best life. Every year, something magical happens,” Housh says.
“If they haven’t come out before, I’d encourage them to come check it out,” Housh said. “It’s fully accessible. It’s pet-friendly. There’s something for the entire family.
There’s a bubbly reason to put LakeFest on your Spring “to-do” list for Mother’s Day weekend: Mimosas for Moms on Sunday. Free Mimosas are in store for mothers on their special day.
And while organizers spearhead the event, Housh is quick to point out that there’s a small army of volunteers – and the community – who help make the magic.
First-time festgoers need to know one thing, Housh said.
“If you haven’t experienced this community yet, this is a great opportunity to feel that. It’s a really special event.”
For many kids, summer camp is a dream come true. There’s swimming, horses, campfires, crafts and new friendships that often last a lifetime. Factor in more than a mile of shoreline on beautiful Logan Martin Lake, and it’s easy to see YMCA Camp Cosby as a field of dreams of sorts.
The lake is a huge part of what makes the camp special, according to Sky York, senior program director. “We have so many activities on the water,” she said. “There’s sailing, canoeing, paddleboarding, fishing, and we’ve got a section of the lake roped off for swimming with lots of fun inflatables. The kids love it.”
High ropes course presents challenges
The fun doesn’t stop there. Thanks to a partnership with Rambo Marine, which provides the use of ski boats and pontoons, campers can enjoy waterskiing, wakeboarding, wake surfing and tubing while learning about water and boating safety at the same time. “A lot of kids, especially if they’ve grown up in the city, have never gotten to do things like that,” York said.
Trying new things and meeting new people are some of the best parts of camp, she added. “It’s really neat to see kids come out of their shells and get really excited about trying new things,” she said. “I also really enjoy helping guide the staff so they can help kids fall in love with camp.”
100 years and counting
Camp Cosby, which is accredited by the American Camping Association, has been providing summer fun for more than a century. The camp first opened in 1922 after the YMCA bought property north of Trussville that had a 26-acre lake. While it started as a camp for boys, it later offered sessions for girls, too. The camp moved to its current location on 135 acres in Alpine in 1972.
Today, there are eight sessions of summer camp for kids ages 6 to 16, and more than 2,000 campers attend each year. While most sessions are Sunday through Friday, there’s an option for kids attending more than one session to stay over the weekend. In addition, a three-day session is offered for rising kindergarteners and first-graders who may not be ready for a full week, York said.
The goal of camp is to build confidence, inspire independence and foster a spirit of acceptance and family. In addition to watersports and swimming, campers can participate in horseback riding, archery, high and low ropes courses, arts and crafts, ceramics and more. Older kids can even learn to ride and maintain minibikes, and there are separate trails for hiking, horseback riding and minibikes. An outdoor classroom helps campers learn about and develop a love of and appreciation for nature.
The fun isn’t just limited to the summer, though. Camp Cosby offers programs and special events all year long, including Winter Camp, offered during the holiday season, and Teen Retreats held over weekends in the fall and spring. The focus is on leadership, and participants learn employment and life skills, as well.
Not just for kids
One of the biggest draws, though, is Family Camp, offered in the spring and fall, when entire families can stay in a cabin and enjoy the outdoors together. “Some parents may have only been to camp for drop-off and pick-up,” York said. “This gives them an opportunity to enjoy some of the same experiences their kids do.”
Mini-bikes are a favorite at the camp
It’s also a great way to disconnect from electronics and other distractions so family members can better connect with each other. “Sometimes families just want a weekend away,” York said. “It’s a nice respite when they can come and hang out, take some time to get outside, and get a break.”
Family Camp can also be a good way to give new or young campers a glimpse of what they would experience at summer camp. “By the time summer rolls around, they know what to expect and they remember how much fun it can be,” York said.
Camp is a wonderful way to help build relationships, whether with family, counselors or new friends. “We have staff and kids from all over the place. Many times, those camp friendships end up lasting longer than other friendships,” York said. She added that group activities, cabin time and team-building experiences help deepen bonds.
The camp employs more than 100 seasonal staff members, and they come from all over the region, country and world. “We’ve had staff from Australia, New Zealand, Europe, South America and Mexico,” York said. “I love seeing the counselors bonding with the kids and encouraging them to try new things. Growing up, the counselors I had at summer camp had a big influence in my life.”
In fact, camp, in general, made a big impact. “I have a passion for it,” York said. “It’s a fun way to meet people you might never meet otherwise, and it’s a cool way to try new things. Some of my best memories were made at summer camp. It had a big impact on me as a kid.” l
For more information about YMCA Camp Cosby and its programs, visit campcosby.ymcabham.org.
On the Saturday of the 2023 inaugural Alabama Fishing Show at The Venue at Coosa Landing, Gadsden’s director of economic development, John Moore, decided to check things out.
What he saw was jaw dropping.
“The doors opened at 10. I pulled in about 9:45, and I swear to you, there were at least 400 to 500 people waiting to get in,” Moore says. “The thing stretched out from the Venue, and it just wrapped around in the parking lot.
“I was like, ‘What the heck?’ There’s something here on this. I was just amazed. People starve for stuff like this.”
Indeed, there was. An estimated 7,500 visitors streamed to the event, anglers shopping for everything from handmade rods and tackle to high tech electronic fish finders.
The Alabama Fishing Show returns to The Venue at Coosa Landing, March 8-10. Daily prices are $12 for adults, $8 for kids. Children under 5 get in free. Food and drinks are available for sale. Parking is free.
Hours are 10 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. on Friday; 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Sunday.
The Gadsden event was years in the making before its debut. Alabama Fishing Show organizer Shelia Bunch began discussions with the city several years ago about bringing the East Tennessee Fishing Show to Alabama. For Bunch, geography was the draw.
“You guys have some of the greatest lakes down there. You’ve got some of the best pro fishermen from that area. One thing that was missing was a true fishing show,” Bunch says.
A true fishing show is about more than watercraft, she adds. “I’m talking about bringing vendors from all over with products that you can’t even get anywhere else except for this show. You’ve got handmade fishing rods, you’ve got crankbaits. You’ve got jigs that you can’t buy anywhere else but this show. And a lot of these vendors are small business people. Their passion is all about fishing and about catching fish. They work day and night on their products.”
Along with featuring more than 100 vendors casting their wares upon the water to sell, Bunch hopes to reach a new, younger generation of anglers. The 2024 show will host a kids’ fishing tournament at the Venue on March 9.
Introducing kids to fishing is a goal of the show, Bunch, a mother of three, says. “We feel like kids are our future when it comes to fishing. Our goal is to give kids the opportunity to fish and make it a big deal, right there at the show.”
Pro anglers will appear at the show, and seminars are also slated to educate anglers on how to use the equipment and make their fishing experience more enjoyable.
“We try to make it a fisherman’s paradise,” Bunch says. But the show has something to hook the entire family.
“The mothers are really involved in the kids’ fishing tournament,” Bunch says. “We honor the women and give away hats to the wives who put up with the fishermen. The first 200 (women) through the door get a free hat. They really love that.”
She adds, “It’s a great place for families to connect.”
The show will highlight the hottest trends in fishing. Electronics lead the pack.
“Every year, Lowrance or Hummingbird or Power-Pole or any of them, they come out with something new every year,” Bunch says. Those will be on display at the show. A lot of people buy this equipment and don’t know how to use it, so we will have people who come and do seminars to show you how to use your electronics.”
Safety and environmentally friendly equipment are also trending, Bunch says.
“Safety and taking care of your lakes and taking care of your fish is a big thing. That’s why you have catch and release … When you catch fish, you need to save the fish.”
Like Moore, Bunch was “shocked” by the big turnout in the inaugural show, because it was a new event in unfamiliar waters, so to speak. This year, she expects an even bigger turnout.
“We’re wanting about 10,000 this year,” Bunch says. “That’s my goal.”
As an aside, one in six Americans are anglers. And, the sport is growing.
For Bunch, putting on the fishing show are measured in smiles.
“Truthfully, my favorite part is seeing my vendors do well – for them to walk away with smiles on their faces and me knowing that they did well at the show. My second favorite part is seeing the people leave there with smiles on their faces, knowing they got supplies they couldn’t get anywhere else.” Anglers – from offshore to fly fishermen – who attend the fishing show can up their game without breaking the bank, and they share a common mission with vendors.
“The goal is to catch a big fish,” Bunch says.
Moore believes the COVID-19 pandemic that kept folks shuttered for two years played a role in the huge turnout, and something more.
“I think (the pandemic) had something to do with it. Number two is that there’s nothing like it within a 60-mile radius. You have to go to Birmingham to the (Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center) or to Huntsville to Von Braun to see a show of this magnitude with this many vendors.”
And vendors were hooked on Gadsden.
“They signed up that day for (2024),” Moore says.
The show fits with Gadsden’s branding efforts as a tourist destination, Moore says.
“The mayor (Craig Ford) always says that not only do we have a responsibility to our citizens, but we have a responsibility to our merchants, too, bringing stuff like this in here.
“It actually helps grow our economy. Every hotel room in Etowah County is filled. The shops will be filled. It’s perfect. The wife may go and shop downtown, while the husband looks for fishing supplies. There were a lot of buddies going to the show in sort of a guys’ trip.”
At the end of the day, he adds, “what we’re looking for is to be ‘Fun Town’. We’re looking to be that city that people look to spend three, four, five days enjoying the river, the mountains, the downtown area, the shopping,” Moore says. “I think the fishing show plays into that.”
Along with a crowd, Bunch hopes to hook something else – for vendors and attendees alike. “I just want everyone to do well and be happy.”
Clearly an evangelist for fishing, Bunch captures the spirit of the show. “Fishing is a great time for families, and you can’t get those times back.”
On a misty Saturday morning, just after daylight tried its hardest to peek through a solidly overcast sky, Lakeside Park was just awakening.
The gates opened, and volunteers scurried about, preparing for the big event. Tents went up. Swag bags, Tshirts, runner bibs and a host of ‘must haves’ for a 5K run were readied. Sound system? Check. Runner check-in apps? Downloaded. Volunteers in their positions? Ready.
And they’re off!
And at 8 a.m. on Dec. 9, runners from throughout the region took off to make history in the inaugural Pell City Rotary 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk to benefit the St. Clair Sheriff’s Boys Ranch.
From the starting point to the finish line, the event evolved as a true success story, raising over $50,000 to help build a new home at the Boys Ranch and bringing a community together for a common cause. Santa was there, much to the delight of smaller runners, walkers and spectators, and the event is well on its way to becoming a Christmas tradition for Pell City Rotary Club, a leading civic service organization.
“Since I became president of the Pell City Rotary Club, it has been my goal to lead the club in serving the community,” said Serge Brazzolotto. “I wanted to create a new event that would be close to Christmas and that would involve the entire family from infants to grandparents.” A 5K run/1-mile fun walk was a perfect fit.
After hearing a presentation from Michael Smith, the executive director of the Sherrif’s Boys Ranch, about the need for a new house to be built, “I talked to our Board of Directors and Service Club Committee Chair Bill Ellison about the idea, and everyone said, “let’s go for it,” Brazzolotto said.
“Our only problem was that none of us had experience to prepare for such an event,” he added. “I told myself a few times, ‘don’t fool yourself, it won’t happen.’ We had only three months to get all this done.”
Ellison put a 5K team together, and they were – pardon the pun – off to the races. “That team worked tirelessly for three months, day and night, even weekends to get everything together, to get sponsors, social media advertisement and registration and much more,” Brazzolotto said.
Performing the Star Spangled Banner
The team – Gay Blackwell, Kelly Furgerson, Melanie Housh, Kathy Burke, Jaxon Phillips and Casey Cambron –were determined to not only meet the goal, but exceed it. And they did. Because of the effort of all involved, he said, the Boys Ranch will now be able to build its third home for youths.
“Teamwork makes the dreams work,” Ellison said. “I picked people with unique and diversified talent to serve on the 5K committee. They all showed strength, wisdom, courage, commitment, passion and focus throughout the planning, fundraising and day of the event.”
Brazzolotto agreed. “I don’t have the words to thank all who have made this event possible and be such a success – the Rotary 5 K team, the Rotary Club members, the sheriff’s department, the police department, the fire department, Pell City Park and Recreation, Partners by Design, The City of Pell City, all the participants and especially, all who have made donations and sponsored this event and fundraising.”
It was all done in service to the community, in keeping with its motto, “Service Above Self.”
“All Pell City Rotary members enjoy giving back through community service to the community that has been so good to them,” Ellison said. “We’re already planning for next year.”
In a continuing effort to cast a wider net marketing the Coosa River and the waterway’s lakes and streams into a fly-fishing destination, Gadsden will host its inaugural Fly-Fishing Expo on Jan. 20 and 21, 2024, at The Venue at Coosa Landing.
“We would love for Gadsden to be known as a fly-fishing destination as well as for the other amenities we offer,” says Deborah Hawkins, administrative supervisor of The Venue.
Alabama Fishing Show and Expo drew vendors
and a crowd
This free expo will host fly-fishing-related vendors and exhibitors of all kinds from the neighboring states and counties at the gleaming 55,000 square foot facility on the banks of the Coosa River.
The fly-fishing event comes on the heels of the successful Alabama Fishing Show at The Venue this past March.
The expo is the latest move by Gadsden to grow fly fishing in the region. The city invested $10,000 to stock the waters around Noccalula Falls with Rainbow trout.
Along with the success of the Alabama Fishing Show last spring, Hawkins credits one man – the owner of Rainbow City Auction and Fly Fishing – who lured the city with the idea for a fly-fishing focused event.
“It was the work and due diligence of Frank Roden that brought this event to Gadsden,” Hawkins says.
A sign of things to come
On the streams around these parts and beyond, Frank Roden is known as “the guy with the tie,” his homage to a more elegant time when fly anglers – clad in hats, shirts, boots, waders and Windsor-knotted neckties – took to the waters. For traditionalists like Roden, the tie seems as important as the right feathered fly or the perfect 10 o’clock-two o’clock cast, the perfect fly-casting motion.
Roden, one of area fly fishing’s most fervent evangelists and an instructor for the iconic fly-fishing merchant Orvis, saw the sport’s growth coming over 20 years ago.
Somewhere around 2001, Roden recalls, he and his wife, Tammy, couldn’t get the gear they wanted locally, even around the state. So, they opened their fly-fishing shop as part of their antique furniture business.
When the couple announced their first fly fishing seminar, locals predicted a sparse turnout, 20-25 people, tops. What occurred was something akin to a fly angling tent revival.
“When the instructors and manufacturers pulled up 15 minutes before we were supposed to start, they had 169 people waiting under the tent. That was just the tip of the iceberg.”
He sees the January event as a positive step for the city and the sport.
“Someone for a long time has needed to bring a fly-fishing expo to the state of Alabama,” Roden says. “Gadsden has that facility right there on the Coosa. They brought a general fishing show to The Venue last spring, and it was huge. They did a great job with it.”
Gadsden has the formula for a fly-fishing show that will mirror the success of last spring’s effort.
The Venue at Coosa Landing continues its success story
“They have the space available,” Roden says. “They have the stuff that can support it around The Venue there (restaurants, gas stations, shops and hotels). Now we just need the wholesalers and dealers.”
The expo is the latest evidence of Gadsden’s commitment to the sport.
“Boy has that been good,” Roden said in a past issue of LakeLife 24/7 Magazine®. “We should give them a lot of credit for putting the winter trout fishery in. Greater Gadsden Area Tourism has done a lot to promote the fly fishing here.”
And organizers hope that tackle, equipment, wholesalers and dealers from across the country come to Gadsden for the expo. After all, fly anglers travel from the streams of Maine to the big waters of Montana and points north, south, east and west.
“Don’t assume that (fly fishers) just fish locally,” Roden says. “They go to the Gulf Coast; they go to the mountains. They travel out west and to the Appalachian chain. We needed (to keep that in mind) when we started hunting new equipment.”
Roden adds, “The sport has grown, not just in the Gadsden area, but to the places people are going. The population of the Gadsden area can travel all over now that they know what they’re looking for.”
A study from Grand View Research quantifies the growth in the popularity of fly fishing through the sale of fly-fishing equipment and apparel, a $3.1 million business in 2022.
The industry is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 4.1 percent.
The increasing popularity of the sport isn’t the only driver. People are drawn to more environmentally friendly sports and sustainability efforts like the fishery stocking areas in Gadsden, as well as the diverse needs and preferences of the fly-fishing community, the study said.
The expo may lure more fly-fishing shops and merchants to the area. Surprisingly, Roden sees that as a positive.
“I think it’s great, Roden says. “Bring ‘em on. I’m not getting a lot of business off the trout fishing because most of the people who come here come here for tourism, and they already had their gear before coming to Gadsden.”
He said many who come to areas like Black Creek to fish move their homes and businesses to the area.
Roden says he doesn’t have to aggressively sell fly fishing in the region. “That’s the good thing. I don’t have to sell it. They come to me looking for it. My business is soft sell.”
While there are skeptics about the future of fly fishing in Etowah and St. Clair counties, Roden points to the Coosa and talks about streams like Black Creek, Big Canoe Creek and the Noccalula Falls area and others.
“Man, that’s a lot of water out there.”
For non-anglers who may be film buffs, the two-day expo will include the Fourth Annual Fly-Fishing Film Festival, beginning at 5 p.m. Saturday. And of course, there are shops and restaurants nearby.
Tickets for the expo are $25. Vendor booths, including tables chairs and power are $200 for the weekend.
Hours for the festival are 10-5 on Saturday with the film festival screening at 5. The festival continues on Sunday from 10-4.
While city officials have not projected the Fly-Fishing Expo’s economic impact, Hawkins is optimistic that local businesses will see a ripple effect – like a rainbow trout jumping in a cool, quiet stream – for the area economy.
“This absolutely will have a ripple effect such as lodging, restaurants, shopping, license fees for the city, gas and other necessities … Since this is our first fly fishing expo, we don’t have a projected economic impact. But we will work as hard as we do for anything else to bring income and awareness to our great city.”
Editor’s Note:For more information on the Fly-Fishing Expo, call 256-549-4587.
Story by Paul South Photos by Richard Rybka and Carol Pappas
“The best way to make friends with the audience is to make them laugh. You don’t get people to laugh unless they surrender – surrender their defenses, their hostilities. And once you make the audience laugh, they’re with you.” – Frank Capra
Most documentarians – Ken Burns springs to mind – want audiences to examine society’s ills through film.
For award-winning documentary filmmaker Sam Frazier, the direction he heads is quite the opposite. Laughter, he says through his work, is the best medicine.
Frazier, a Birmingham native, has captured the hearts of audiences at prestigious film festivals like, Indie Memphis and Birmingham’s blossoming Sidewalk Film Festival and across the United States and Europe through old-fashioned absurdist escapism.
Videographer films interview with racers
Think sketch comedy – Monty Python’s Flying Circus or Saturday Night Live plus pro wrestling – meets reality. Or as he puts it, “Smart people being stupid for no apparent reason (except it’s fun).”
His current effort uses an unusual vehicle, or in this case, vessel. They are cardboard boats held together by miles of duct tape – as college professors, doctors, engineers and the like try to build seaworthy boats that can successfully allow them to navigate Alabama waterways, including Logan Martin Lake.
As Frazier and his crew began filming the races at Lakeside Park in September, a crowd of about 50 gathered to watch filming that leg of the inaugural Cardboard Boat Racing World Cup. Each competitor—mostly Frazier’s friends – earns points depending on their finish in each race. Even a boater who finishes “DFL” (Dead Freakin’ Last) earns points.
Just as in NASCAR or Formula I auto racing, the points leader at the end of the heats will win the Cardboard Boat World Cup championship trophy.
His friends are folks he’s known for years, through a charity kickball league he created or through years of hanging out with pals who are in his words, “weirdo artistic types.”
“They are a bunch of weirdos who are up for almost anything, like myself,” Frazier says. “And that helps. The weirdos that I don’t know, all you have to do is tell them what you’re doing, and they’re all about it. If you’re talking to the right person, they say, ‘Oh, this is something I’ve got to do.”
The final film will be roughly half script – featuring scenes with Sportscenter-like studio anchors – and half improvisation, including interviews with competitors.
His road to filmmaking is as colorful as his subject matter. A graduate in philosophy from Washington & Lee, who also studied abroad at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, Frazier described it this way. Law school, the track chosen by others in his family, wasn’t for him.
“You have three choices,” Frazier said. “You can either get in the unemployment line, or you can try to use philosophy for extortion … That’s not really an option, or you can do something weird and creative. I went with weird and creative.”
Unlike today, when documentaries find homes on multiple platforms from PBS to streaming services like Netflix, Apple TV and HBO, that wasn’t the case as Frazier came of age.
“I saw Roger and Me (Michael Moore’s expose’ on GM), for the first time, and it blew my mind. Then I found out all the ethical problems with that movie, I guess you could say, that were egregious, and it broke my heart.
“I also remember seeing Hoop Dreams (the story of two African-American high schoolers dreaming of playing professional ball) for the first time, and it equally blew me away,” Frazier says.
The genesis of his films comes from comedy and the land of Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair or masked villains from “parts unknown.”
“I’ve always been into comedy,” Frazier says. “It’s an influence to have sort of an absurd style and kind of the pomp of professional wrestling, along with different sorts of comedic approaches of how to do a documentary.
“Nobody really does a documentary like me,” Frazier adds. “I’m the world’s only comedic, short documentarian.”
Most documentary films don’t yuk it up, he acknowledges, instead focusing on sober subject matter.
“It’s not funny when you hear about people in war-torn nations trying to survive. That’s not going to be a laugh riot. It’s also hard to watch. You have to be in the right frame of mind.”
Frazier’s approach?
“I focus on events that mostly people can do on any given day on their own, just with some friends.”
Network sports shows, like ABC’s iconic Wide World of Sports, also influence Frazier’s films. Remember Mexican cliff diving, logger sports and wrist wrestling, along with NASCAR, the British Open and table tennis from the People’s Republic of China?
“I always thought that was an inherently sort of a silly way to view the world,” he says. “These are sporting events. This is not a world war. But it’s treated on that level of importance. So, I thought, let’s take unimportant sporting events and raise them to the level of a World Cup or Super Bowl.
“I think that is inherently funny to treat something like a cardboard boat race like the World Cup. That’s essentially what we’re doing – a carboard boat race World Cup.”
Fans of the British comedy troupe Monty Python doubtless recall The Upper-Class Twit of the Year sketch, satire on dimwitted members of England’s upper class. There’s a dash of that in his cardboard boat racing series, Frazier says.
“Shooting this at times, I realize that I have these highly successful people building cardboard boats, people you’d think would be naturally really good at it.”
Not necessarily so. One of the film’s boat builders, for example, is a successful architect.
“He’s designed Lord knows how many buildings, and he’s a terrible cardboard boat designer,” Frazier said. “His boats barely got off the beach. That is inherently funny to me.”
Audiences seem to think Frazier’s films are funny, too.
Frazier’s films have captured “Audience Choice” Awards at the Sidewalk Film Festival, Indie Memphis, the Santa Fe Independent Film Festival and others. The Santa Fe recognition came after a vigorous write-in campaign by festivalgoers.
The first Cardboard Titanic film was done while Frazier was “retired” from moviemaking. He screened it at Sidewalk, intending to go no further.
“People asked, ‘What’s your next project?’ ” When he responded that he was retired, the response was surprising and made his calling clear.
“You don’t understand,” he recalled moviegoers saying. “You’re not good at anything else.”
From there, the film was screened at some 50 festivals in the United States and Europe, winning a “ton of awards,” including Best Documentary at the Louisville Film Festival.
And it led to a sequel: Cardboard Titanics: Smart People Being Stupid. “Cardboard Titanics was in competition with the short documentary winner at that year’s Sundance Film Festival.
The film that was in part shot with Go Pros, cameras, drones and the like on Logan Martin is the latest in what Frazier hopes will be a six-part series.
And cardboard vessels aren’t his only methods of fun filmmaking. He’s also had tall bicycle jousting films – riders on stacked bikes bearing lances tipped with cushions and boxing gloves.
Sam Frazier Jr. directing
“When you’re doing a comedy, (festival) audiences are going to like you,” Frazier says. “Especially if they’re getting a lot of very dark things and documentaries. People would really rather laugh than be miserable or be outraged on a certain level. It’s a happier way to live.”
Asked if the positive audience response is the result of these days of COVID-19 and polarized politics, Frazier didn’t mince words.
“Damn right,” he says. “Social media has polarized us to a different level of conflict. We’re becoming increasingly tribal, and I’m not a very political person. I’ve spent my life trying to get people to get along.”
So Alabama’s happy warrior of independent documentary soldiers on, dumpster driving for cardboard, hoping to outrun the winter chill in his latest project, all while funding his films from his own pocket.
Pell City and Lakeside Park drew rave reviews from the filmmaker who shot a portion of his current project in August. He still has two more races to film.
“It was the perfect location, and they were so nice to us,” Frazier says. “The staff helped tremendously. They were so enthusiastic about it. We would love to shoot there again. Maybe there will be season two of the Cardboard Boat World Cup. I hope so.”
His mission is simple. Unlike other documentarians who hope their films will change the world, Frazier charts a different course in part with a small fleet of soggy cardboard vessels and a crew of more than 30 people.
While audiences may see the glamour of film, Frazier compares his calling to “herding cats and walking into traffic. The only thing I can do is make people laugh and enjoy their lives for a certain period of time.”
Frazier recalls an encounter at the Atlanta Film Festival with a California filmmaker, who looked every bit the part of a surfer dude, with attitude to match. As an Oscar-qualifier festival, Atlanta is a marquee indie film showcase.
“He watched the film and said, ‘That was a joyous celebration of life,’ ” Frazier recalls.
Coosa Riverkeeper, LMLPA and community team up to teach fishing, water safety
Story by Graham Hadley Photos by Richard Rybka and courtesy of Coosa Riverkeeper
Want to teach children to love the Coosa River and our local lakes and streams?
The Coosa Riverkeeper says one of the best ways to do that is to teach children all about not just how to enjoy the water, but to learn why this natural resource is so amazing.
To that end, the Riverkeeper teamed up with the Logan Martin Lake Protection Association and the Pell City Boys and Girls Club to hold a Kids Casting free fishing clinic at Pell City’s Lakeside Park on Logan Martin.
“We have seen fewer children over the past few years who know how to fish. That is a multi-generational activity in Alabama, something that is important for so many reasons,” said Abby Brown, director of Community Engagement for Coosa Riverkeeper. It is a hobby, a sport, even a way for some people to help provide for their families.
Class gets underway
“We decided to start free fishing clinics this year, with the goal of teaching 100 kids how to fish. It is just over halfway through the year, and we have surpassed that number.”
The sessions focus on traditional fishing techniques with spincaster rods, how to tie knots and about lures and the tools they use to fish.
They also focus on how to be safe around water, and not just fishing.
“We teach kids about water safety and how to fish safely – check the weather, check people around you, use personal flotation devices if you are not a strong swimmer,” Brown said.
All fishing at the event is catch-and-release, and the Riverkeeper instructors take the opportunity to teach the young anglers about the different species of fish, where they live, what they eat and the ecology of their habitats.
“We talk about safe fish handling to reduce the chance of any injuries to the fish,” Brown said.
“Then we teach casting in the parking area. Once they are proficient there, the children are allowed to go ahead and fish in the water.”
At the end of the day, any child who does not have a fishing rod in their home to use is given one to keep.
“We would like, if we get more funding in the future, to be able to give every kid who attends one of these events a rod,” Brown said.
Every participant does, however, get to take home a tacklebox stocked with lures and other gear, along with all sorts of useful information on fishing and water safety.
The Pell City fishing clinic was one of several across the area, with other events on Choccolocco Creek in Anniston and Neely Henry in Gadsden and Rainbow City, and Brown is quick to point out how much of a collaborative effort these and similar classes are.
“The LMLPA did a great job securing the use of Lakeside Park for us,” she said.
Coosa Riverkeeper members help with donations to support the effort, as do other organizations similar to the LMLPA, groups like the Choccolocco Creek Watershed, which has played a big role in working with the Riverkeeper.
She also wanted to thank Bass Pro Shops for helping fund the projects with donations and grants.
“Our community groups, our cities, we all have to work together to get these done,” Brown said.
Because the programs are free, they often give children in underserved parts of the area a chance to learn to fish and about water safety, giving them access to one of Alabama’s greatest natural resources, its waterways.
“Alabama is the river state because we have so many of them” – over 130,000 miles of rivers and streams according to the Alabama Rivers Alliance – “Alabamians should have access to and be able to safely use those waterways. That is why we include water safety, even in a fishing class and provide families with swim guide information,” Brown said.
The fishing classes are just part of the Coosa Riverkeeper’s educational efforts. They sponsor a number of other classes under their Coosa River Environmental Education for Kids (CREEK) program. These cover a wide range of topics. In July, they partnered with Lovelight Farm from Wilsonville to teach children about biodynamic farming.
Organizations like the Coosa Riverkeeper, LMLPA, Choccolocco Creek Watershed, Neely Henry Lake Association and others all need support from local communities and businesses to keep programs like these free for local students. They post regular fundraising efforts on their social media pages and websites and are worth checking out.
Brown said they are a charity partner with the Kellypalooza festival coming up in Ohatchee, which is a great way to help support the Coosa Riverkeeper organization.
