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.”
What may be the biggest lake party in Alabama returns for its 16th edition Mother’s Day weekend.
Logan Martin Lakefest and Boat Show will once again generate funds for charity, while at the same time cooking up a greater sense of community. Over the years, the festival has raised some $500,000 for good causes across St. Clair County.
LakeFest is set for May 8-10 at Pell City’s Lakeside Park. And while there will be some new wrinkles for festival goers this year, the family friendly recipe remains the same – hot live music, tasty food and drink, sleek new boats and a variety of vendors.
Bass boats, personal watercraft, ATVs and more on display
A patriotic spirit flows through the event annually, particularly in this, America’s 250th year. A Friday night fireworks display will honor veterans from the Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home.
“Me and the other event producers are just blessed,” said Lakefest Director Eric Housh. “The support we get from the (Pell City) Fire Department, Police Department and the city itself and our wonderful core group of sponsors and other businesses in the community, I won’t say it’s easy to pull off, but it’s not as a difficult as it used to be.”
In cities and towns across the country, festivals come and go. But there’s a secret sauce that’s kept LakeFest rocking for nearly two decades.
“I think from the start, our mission and our purpose was to bring the community together and do something good for the community,” Housh said. “I think once you have a purpose that all your sponsors and everybody affiliated with the event can really buy into, it kind of serves as your North Star.”
As it has been from day one, Lakefest admission is free. For Housh, the event serves as the unofficial kickoff of the summer, prime time on Logan Martin.
“People come out, and they’ve got their lake houses ready. They’ve got their boats ready,” he said. “They’re ready to engage with some vendors and boat dealers and maybe spend a little money and get ready for the summer season.”
For years now, Lakefest has been drawing huge crowds to Logan Martin
Dozens of vendors are expected, including artists and sellers of home goods, apparel, home services and more, tailored to the lake lifestyle. A small fleet of gourmet food trucks are part of the festivities with offerings from popular spots like Moody’s Carpenetti’s New York Style Pizza, Down South BBQ and local taco trucks.
Snacks like fresh boiled peanuts, lemonade and D&W Kettle Corn are just part of the food lineup.
Throughout the festival’s history, the community has always come first. And it has responded. Some 50-60,000 people turned out for last year’s event.
“The community has always been our focus, “ Housh said. “I think that serves us well. Our crowds have always been fantastic and increase every year. We try to do something new and different to keep crowds coming back every year.”
Housh praised the small army of volunteers, led by Judy Carr, Justin Hogeland and Kasey Flurry.
“We’ve just got a good team of folks that have done the event so much,” Housh said. “We know what to look out for. We know how to do different things to keep the public coming back and keep them happy.”
This year, Moms at the festival will get a special Mother’s Day treat – a Sunday mimosa.
The event kicks off on Friday, May 8 at 2 p.m., and continues until 9 that night. The fireworks show will be the culmination of the opening night. Fun resumes Saturday. Gates open at 10 and the festival lasts until 9 p.m. On Mother’s Day, festival hours are from noon until 5 p.m.
A drone’s eye view of festivities at Logan Martin Lakeside Park in Pell City
A Saturday feature is a children’s parade sponsored by Visit St. Clair, where kids dressed as mermaids and pirates can join the fun. Face painting and other fun are in store, too. The “Mermaids and Mateys” parade, patterned after New Orleans’ famous second line jazz parades, is co-sponsored by Coosa Riverkeeper. It will also provide environmental education for the kids.
Live music is a Lakefest tradition, but the lineup of bands – and some other surprises this year – were still being worked out at this writing.
“We’re still kind of cooking that up for this year,” Housh said. “You’ll see some familiar faces this year and probably some new acts as well.”
Lakefest began as a community fundraiser. Back then, the Logan Martin Lake Protection Association was raising funds for a wetlands boardwalk. The LMLPA asked local businessmen Jerry Woods, Lee Holmes, Joe Paul Abbott and Fred Casey if they could help. The men came up with the idea for Lakefest and asked Housh, then a member of the LMLPA board, to help.
“I had some event exposure,” Housh said. “I wouldn’t call it expertise at all. I’d done events before, so they brought me in and let me run with it.”
That inaugural event covered what was needed for the boardwalk and the rest is history.
The first couple of years were held at Horizons, downriver from where the event is now. The festival moved to its current location a couple of years later. Because it was in the Pell City limits, local police and fire were able to pitch in. That made a huge difference.
“That just kicked it into another gear,” Housh said.
Not only is it the largest festival on the lake. Lakefest may be the biggest in-water boat show in the state, if not the Southeast, Housh said.
“As far as pure attendance, I don’t know if there’s a bigger event on the lake in Alabama.”
Despite the large numbers, the festival doesn’t feel crowded.
“Even though it may seem a bit overwhelming, it doesn’t seem crowded at all,” Housh said.
Has the success of the festival been a surprise?
“If you had asked me 16 years ago if I thought I would be doing it in 16 years, I probably would have said no,” Housh said. “I would have thought this is something we would do for four or five years, raise a little money and let the event run its course. But early on, seeing the response of the community, local businesses and entrepreneurs and the city leaders, it became clear to us that this was an event that people valued and wanted to see succeed,”
Housh refuses to take credit for the event’s success. “The success of Lakefest is completely attributable to the buy-in in this community and by the folks that have been our sponsors for the last 16 years.”
The festival’s ability to bring the community together is important, said St. Clair Tourism Coordinator Blair Goodgame. Also, the festival highlights the lake lifestyle.
“Anything where we are able to do to gather our community together is huge,” Goodgame said. “The volunteers, businesses, civic groups, families, when all of those people are coming together, it really shows how special the area is and how special Pell City is.”
She added, (the festival) is one that people just rally around. It creates a shared sense of pride which is what we always want in tourism. We want our locals to tell others where they are and how proud they are about it.”
The proceeds go to helping local charities in Pell City and St. Clair County
Housh and his team earned high marks.
“They do a fantastic job promoting the event,” Goodgame said. “They make sure it’s promoted beyond St. Clair County. What they’ve been able to give back to the community and to local charities is outstanding.”
The attendance and backing combined with the positive feedback affirm that the work is worth it. The nonprofit event benefits charities in the area.
“That’s incredibly rewarding,” Housh said. “When we cut checks, a lot of the charities we help don’t know they’re getting the money. It’s really a blessing to be able to bless those that are giving so much back to our community.”
For Housh, one word best describes the importance of Lakefest: Community.
“A lot of folks will move all around their whole life and never really find a really good supportive community. In the 16 years, we’ve never had a (negative) incident out there. You think about it: We’re running 50,000 people in and out of a confined space, and the public’s never acted up. We’ve never had to arrest anybody or escort anybody out, or had any safety issues. It’s just a really great community.”
What does he love best about LakeFest? “I love throwing the biggest party on the lake. I love supporting local charities. I love showing some love to our veterans. And as sadistic as this sounds, I love the grind of putting this thing together every year and having the satisfaction of seeing this happen.
“If I had to boil it down to one thing, it’s just this community and what it means to me and what it means to everybody who lives here.”
For newcomers to Lakefest, Housh made a point. It’s about community.
“This is a safe, free, family friendly event. It’s basically the more the merrier. If you go out there, you’re going to see the best people in our community. Our vendors have the best art and clothes and house stuff, and there are folks representing home services,” Housh said.
“If you come out, you’re going to meet 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.
Looking for free kids events this Spring? Look no further! Coosa Riverkeeper and our partners at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve are kicking off 2026 spawning season with Take a Kid Fishing Day.
We’re excited to be introducing both beginner and intermediate classes for ages 5-18. So whether your kids are seasoned anglers or wanting to start their journey, this event is for you and your kids to enjoy quality time on the water (stocked pond). Learn how to bait your hooks, cast, catch and more during Take a Kid Fishing Day.
Join us at Big Springs Park in Springville on March 28, by 10 a.m. for fishing fun. Registration is not required, but it helps us know how many fishing poles are needed. Visit TinyURL.com/BigSpringsFFC to register.
All of the required materials are provided by Coosa Riverkeeper.
Volunteer Appreciation Week and Earth Day are within the same week, and we would love to see folks on the water, making waves! Volunteers can participate at events, help river cleanup and restoration efforts, and more. Sign up for our volunteer list to make an impact this Spring by visiting our website below.
Want to join us as we protect, restore, and promote the Coosa? Visit CoosaRiver.org to sign up for our email list or check us out on Facebook & Instagram.
Follow Coosa Riverkeeper on Facebook & Instagram @CoosaRiverkeeper For more information, swim over to www.CoosaRiver.org.
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.”
Cooking event an annual draw for Central Alabama and beyond
With names like Kickin’ Quail Quesadillas, Gobblin’ Turkey Taco Soup and Venison Bang Bang Chili, you know culinary creativity is at the pinnacle and tastebuds are sure to be tantalized.
That’s just what you would expect from the Alabama Wildlife Federation Wild Game Cook-Off. The regional cook-off in Talladega is set for Saturday, March 14 at 4 p.m., at Talladega Superspeedway. Tickets are $50 for up to two adults.
The Talladega cook-off is part of a statewide effort to support Alabama Wildlife Federation. Local AWF chapters host annual Wild Game Cook-Offs across the state and “everyone is invited to participate,” according to AWF. “These competitions are excellent ways for backyard chefs to show off their culinary skills and enjoy some good ‘ol fashion fun, fellowship and fabulous food.
Whether it’s fish, fowl or game, this cook-off has it all. There’s even a youth division.
If you would rather eat than compete, you can sample some of the best wild game dishes around. Previous winning creations in the past have included “Grilled Dove Breast,” “Smoked Venison with Cajun Wild Rice,” and “Flounder stuffed with Shrimp and Crab topped with a Butter Cream Sauce.”
Other activities and entertainment are part of the day’s festivities. Music, door prizes, raffles, and a silent auction that includes outdoor themed art prints and ladies’ items.
For more information, contact AWF at (334) 285-4550. To register your team or purchase a ticket online, go to: AlabamaWildlife.org.
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!
When the Tiki Hut opens on Logan Martin May 2, it’s not just a date on the calendar to circle, but circle it anyway – it’s the unofficial start of lake season, and it’s a party to remember.
For locals and visitors collectively, it’s a destination point, a ritual and a lake life tradition all rolled into one fun gathering place to celebrate another season on the water.
Now in its fifth year, Tiki Hut has evolved into an event celebrated weekend after weekend all summer long. Cups and apparel will commemorate the fifth anniversary this season.
Everyone will be enjoying their best lakeside living on Logan Martin as the weather warms up
With its island vibe and lakefront view, patrons arrive by boat, car and on foot just to join in the revelry. Although famous for its frozen adult beverages, it’s a family gathering spot as well with Tiki Hut Jr., River’s Edge Burgers & Breakfast, River’s Edge Marina, tiny homes rentals, a beach and playground area and 60 boat slips to accommodate the crowds lured its way.
Manager Michael Emerick and owner Paul Emerick previewed what’s in store this season. On opening day, May 2, Skier’s Marine will present an in-water boat show.
But the big celebration comes May 16 at the summer kick-off event with live music, plenty of food and drink throughout and of course, games and other activities. Performances will feature South Bound Music, 2 Da Max and Love Chyld. DJ performances will be between sets from DJIV sponsored by ABC Towing as presenting sponsor, along with Capps Painting, Stone Concepts, Woods Surfside Marina, ERA King and A Plus Tire & Auto.
Guests gather at the bar and along the beach
Open Friday nights from 5 to 9, Saturdays until 8 p.m. and Sundays until 5 p.m., it will feature bands every Saturday night beginning with the summer kickoff. Hunt Bros. Pizza is being added this year to help with food options, and Tiki Hut Jr. is being expanded to accommodate pizza.
The Emericks are adding to the playground. Bingo is back on every other Friday night, run by Nic Nic (Nicole) and Ma (Tanya), beginning May 29. Small bands will play on the other Friday nights, beginning May 22.
On the 4th of July, there won’t be fireworks, but a daytime concert series is planned, headlined by Poison Whiskey.
River’s Edge and Tiki Hut will help sponsor nearby Pier 59’s Poker Run as part of its Christmas in July events to raise funds for Christmas gifts for children at Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind.
Live music and DJs on Logan Martin Lake
On Aug. 1, the Greater Birmingham Homeowners Association will hold its poker run there, and Tiki Hut will feature a band during the festivities.
While the Tiki Hut closes in September, it does reopen for a special event – Boo Bash After Party –October 3. It’s the perfect exclamation point for a day of fun as Logan Martin hosts this dock-to-dock trick-or-treating extravaganza. Tiki Hut is the presenting sponsor, helping make it possible.
It also helps sponsor Dam Palooza, a giant boat tie-up at the dam with plenty of live entertainment and good times. The 13th annual event is set for June 27.
At the five-year mark for Tiki Hut, the 13th season for the restaurant and the 19th season for the marina, the Emericks reflected on the motivation behind their giving and supporting events around the lake, not just their own.
“The lake’s been a big factor in our growth,” said Paul, “and we want to make the lake a better place.”
Son Michael echoed the sentiments: “The lake has given us a lot, and we just want to give back.”
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.
