Big Canoe Creek

Celebrating a first year of great success

Story by Carol Pappas
Submitted and staff photos

It’s hard to imagine that Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve is celebrating its first birthday already. It was more than a decade in the making, and it sometimes seemed that opening day would never arrive.

But it did. On Feb. 3, 2024, 731 people streamed in, and the crowds haven’t stopped. Over 400 attended the grand opening, ribbon cutting ceremony the day before. And the numbers since that time have not only climbed, they show no signs of slowing.

Ribbon cutting, opening ceremony a year ago draws huge crowd

In the first year of operation, 13,000 people, an average of 1,100 a month, have visited the preserve – 422 acres of nature nestled in the city of Springville, whose population is just a little over 5,000, according to the latest census.

Its hiking, biking, birding and horseback riding trails wind their way beneath towering canopies of hardwoods, pine and maple trees with colorful palettes of flowers and diverse native plants marking the paths as if guiding the way.

A meandering creek, pristine as it flows through the heart of it all, is the ideal centerpiece – home to aquatic species – some not found anywhere else.

As Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve Manager Doug Morrison says, it’s the perfect place to “get your nature on.”

Early days

On an unseasonably warm day in late February, Morrison sits on the porch of the preserve office – a tiny wooden building, almost cabin-like in its appearance. He reminisces as he motions to the trails, bioswale and parking, surrounded by dense woods forming a picturesque backdrop.

Much of what you see was absent the year before. Trails were being built. A bioswale was being created to remove pollutants from stormwater runoff and let it settle in the soil to decompose rather than polluting the preserve below.

Entrance roads and parking lots were constructed. Signs erected. Benches were strategically placed throughout as a welcome respites along a hike or a placid place just to enjoy the scenery. 

Activity was at a fevered pitch as work was tireless in its efforts to open. It had been long awaited to fulfill a longtime dream by Morrison and others.

For a decade or so, they waged a passionate campaign to have the land preserved and protected so that generations from now, the preserve can still be experienced and enjoyed. Forever Wild Land Trust bought the acreage and set wheels in motion to do just that – preserve it forever.

These days

These days you’ll find Morrison and company planning, visioning, working toward improvements to the experience and enhancing its awareness and education programs to take it to the next level.

Lucy Cleaver has joined the team as education coordinator. Jake Tucker is maintenance technician. With Morrison, the trio keeps the preserve running on a daily basis.

Entertainment at first birthday celebration cookout
Entertainment at first birthday celebration cookout

Education has long been a central focus of the preserve. It is key to its future to facilitate not only an understanding of the importance of nature, but a passion for preserving it.

Cleaver enters the picture with an impressive resume with a bachelor’s degree in Agriscience Education and a master’s in Natural Resource Management from Auburn University. She taught high school Agriscience classes before joining the Park and Rec Department of the City of Springville.

Already, she has the education calendar full of activities. 

On March 8, it held its second Youth Turkey Calling Expo, getting youngsters up and out on a Saturday morning at the preserve to learn all about wild turkeys. They learned how to make turkey calls and all about turkey hunting and the outdoors. The free event had a multitude of sponsors and the value of items given away to the kids totaled over $5,000.

On March 10, Jones Valley teaching farm interns and students went for a hike at the preserve and learned all about its features.

April 5 will see the preserve partnering with Alabama Cooperative Extension for a native tree workshop. June 7 is set for an invasive species seminar, and Sept. 26-27, it will be the site of Forest Her, a workshop for women on how to read deeds, bank documents and wills and how to manage land. It is a joint effort with the U.S. Soil Conservation Service for Women in Agriculture, necessitated by a growing number of women inheriting the family farm and needing such guidance.

She is networking with educators in the Alabama Environmental Association to help develop more programs.

Rounding out the year, Creek Jam, the popular outdoor music festival at Homestead Hollow to benefit the preserve, is set to return Oct. 25.

Future plans

While the early chapters of this success story have already been written for the preserve, officials have no intention of stopping there. Innovation, accessibility and more education are its guides.

Immediate plans call for making a section of the lower trail more accessible by paving a 1-mile section to allow wheelchairs. This will be made possible as the result of funding from grants secured by the Big Canoe Creek Preserve Partners, announcements forthcoming.

Tucker is working on a ram pump, which employs a set of valves working together to provide pressure enough to move 14,000 gallons of water from a spring through 350 feet of line up an 80-foot elevation without electricity.

Morrison discovered the ram pump idea from Randy Moody, a friend who had previously lived on the property in a rental house. “I asked him, how did you get water because I knew no water lines were run up here,” Morrison said.

Moody explained that the remnants of an old spring house had a gathering reservoir that fed into a pipe and there used to be a ram pump there. Morrison had never heard of a ram pump before, but he and Tucker researched. Tucker found a ram pump kit online and installed it.

“Jake can do anything I throw at him,” Morrison said. As long as the water collected into the pipe flows downhill, a ram pump inserted inline on the pipe could gather and push water uphill. For every 1 foot of fall on the pipe, it could push 7 feet uphill.

The end result? “We collect water through the pipe, the ram pump pushes it uphill, and we can collect it in a reservoir. Right now, we have a small 250-gallon tote, but plans are for a much bigger reservoir to collect the water and send the overflow back to the stream, thus providing water for irrigation and possibly flushing future toilets.”

Eventually, this off the grid creation will become an education model.

Meanwhile, pollinator gardens planted in the fall will be in full swing in spring and summer.

They are hopeful that an open-air pavilion with restrooms is on the horizon, made possible by a $400,000 grant from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs as part of its Recreational Trails Program. It was written by Mike McCown with assistance from Morrison and Candice Hill, director of St. Clair County’s new grant resource center.

There, they will be able to hold education and other events, and restroom facilities will now be available.

Why they do what they do

“This watershed is very, very special,” Morrison said as he talks of the protected species there, especially the Canoe Creek Clubshell Mussel, which had nearly become extinct. In 2022, they were placed on the endangered species list.

He points to the ecological potential for the future and a 2013 project on the creek.

Students from Jones Valley Teaching Farm schooled in features of preserve

In November 2013, The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, river conservationists, The Friends of Big Canoe Creek, Coosa Riverkeeper and the Geological Survey of Alabama, DCNR and Alabama Power united to remove Goodwin’s Mill Dam. The former grist mill dam was built in the 1880s, and it was abandoned in the 1940s. At the time above the dam site, 15 different fish species, but no mussels, were found. Below it, twice that as more than 30 species of fish, were found, signaling that the dam had been obstructing the free flow of the fish.

“The fish passage was hindered by the dam. Fish have a symbiotic relationship with mussels. You see the female mussel releases glochidia (mussel larvae if you will) that latch onto the fishes’ gills. They feed off the blood of the fish for a few weeks, then drop off. And that’s where their life journey begins,”  Morrison explained.  Ten years later, they found mussels there, Canoe Creek Clubshells at that. Once the fish passage was unobstructed, the mussels were returning, and their role as a natural water filter will be vital to keeping the creek pristine.

After USFWS folks discovered the Clubshell there in 2023, they worked with Paul Johnson and Michael Buntin at Alabama Aquatic Center in Marion where they raise mussels. They released over 120 Clubshells and about the same number of Coosa Mocassinshell mussels in early 2024 into Big Canoe Creek, Morrison said, and they have high hopes for what it means for the future.

Through the preserve and the environmental and conservation work being done, “We want to teach people more about our watershed, how important the critters are that live here and how to take better care of our waterways so these special critters can exist. We must do what we can to prevent further extinctions,” Morrison said.

“All of God’s creatures have a right to exist to live a full life. We can tune in more to nature, explore more and discover more. Who knows what is still undiscovered? Bottom line, we all need to ‘get our nature on’, and maybe your existence will be rewarded tenfold.”

Dirk Walker Fine Art

Life through the eyes of an artist

Story by Scottie Vickery
Photos by Mackenzie Free

Dirk Walker’s artwork has found homes all over the world. His paintings hang in houses, churches, businesses, corporate headquarters and sports stadiums. They grace walls all over the country and faraway places like Germany, Denmark, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

It all started with his own bare walls.

“I wanted to buy art for our home,” said Walker, who lived in Birmingham at the time.  His search took him to the Loretta Goodwin Gallery, and by the time he left, Walker, who worked in banking at the time, couldn’t shake the feeling that he was meant to be an artist.

“I don’t know why I thought I could do it, but something appealed to me about trying to learn how to paint,” said Walker, who has had a studio in downtown Pell City for 11 years.

Fans of his work are awfully glad he did. Walker’s paintings, both oils and watercolors, are known for their bold colors, rich texture and loose brushstrokes. His subject matters are varied: he has collections ranging from landscapes and city scenes to his spiritual series. He also paints sporting and hunting scenes, art focusing on the growing bourbon culture, and whimsical subjects like Santa Claus.

“The variety of things I like to do just keeps me fresh in all of them,” he said. “I’m not doing the same thing all the time – that would drive me bonkers. A lot of people can’t say they love what they do, but I get a lot of gratification from it. Once I get in to doing a painting, everything else just sort of goes away.”

Finding purpose

There were signs early on that Walker had the makings to be a great artist. Growing up in Birmingham, he watched his father dabble in watercolor, and his own high school work caught the attention of his art teacher. She encouraged him to pursue it, but his interest and talent lay dormant for years.

After graduating from Vestavia Hills High School, Walker earned a degree in industrial design at Auburn University and that helped provide a foundation in drawing and perspective. “I did a little design work right out of college, but I had the opportunity to go with the bank, and it was a better option for raising a family at the time,” he said.

Debbie and Dirk Walker in the Pell City studio

After the visit to the gallery, however, Walker decided to give in to the pull. His first painting was a still life. “It was horrible, looking back on it now,” he said with a laugh.

Still, he took it to back to the gallery to be framed, and Loretta Goodwin, who would become a dear friend and mentor, saw something he didn’t. She asked him who had painted the piece. “I said, ‘I did,’ and she said, ‘Can you do it again?’”

It took him about two years to create something he wanted to show her. “It was the most nerve-wracking experience,” said Walker, who started painting with oils. “I circled the block two or three times because I wanted to throw up I was so nervous.”

The first few times he showed Goodwin his work, she told him, “You’re not quite there, keep trying,” Walker remembered. “I’d tuck tail and go back home and stay at it. Eventually, I got to the point where she thought she could do something with it.”

Goodwin was a tremendous influence on Walker. “She loved the arts, she loved local artists, and she did so much to promote the arts in Birmingham. We formed a deep friendship where we talked as much about the business of art as we did the painting process. It instilled in me a love of both.”

She wasn’t his only influence. Hungry to learn, Walker sought guidance and inspiration from Alabama artists John Lonergan, who taught art at Pell City High School for 25 years, and Tom Black, who grew up in Gadsden and lived in Pell City before moving to Arizona. “I would go up to Tom’s studio and just watch him mix color and see what he’d do. I was too nervous to paint around anyone,” he said.

Walker later met and took workshops from David Leffel and Sherrie McGraw, both artists who taught at the Art Students League of New York. His early style was similar to those who had influenced him – “very much the Old Masters, very much the old Renaissance look,” Walker said. “It was the play of shadows and light, light flowing over objects.”

Still working at the bank while pursuing his art, Walker didn’t have the luxury of painting outside during the day and taking advantage of the natural light. “At night, I’d go down to my studio and set up a still life so I could control the light,” he said.

Walker’s work soon grew a following, and in addition to the Loretta Goodwin Gallery, his art has been featured in eight galleries across the country. When his job went away after a bank merger, Walker bought Goodwin’s gallery, which he owned for 20 years before becoming a full-time artist.

Changing times

Walker, who now lives in Cropwell with Debbie, his wife of eight years, has said that painting “is a lifelong struggle, but one that is well worth the journey.” He said he loves the fact that he continues to grow and change as an artist.

“It’s something you never completely learn,” he said. “I think that’s one of the big appeals for me. Forty years later, I’m still learning and experimenting and making mistakes.”

The artist’s spiritual series stems from his personal faith

In fact, Walker said his willingness to continue to explore techniques and subjects and experiment with color has been a big part of his success. “So many artists just kind of get stuck and they wonder why their art isn’t being accepted the way it was maybe years earlier,” he said. “I learned how to watch what people responded to, and through the years, it impacted how my style changed.”

Walker’s portfolio soon expanded to iconic landmarks. His work includes Alabama landmarks like Sloss Furnaces, the Alabama Theatre, Vulcan, the Pell City Depot and the Mobile Bay Lighthouse. He eventually added scenes from Atlanta, as well as places like the Lincoln Memorial, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Eiffel Tower.

“I started off painting very tight, very traditional, and then I wanted to go a little more abstract, a little more impressionistic,” he said, adding that one of the first steps was adding nondescript figures to some of his landmark paintings. “Through the years, I kept pushing in that vein.”

Walker started experimenting with sporting and hunting scenes after his son, Geoffrey, who works in the sporting goods industry, showed his artwork to Kevin and Kathleen Kelly, owners of Kevin’s Fine Outdoor Gear & Apparel. Based in Thomasville, Geogia, it is one of several retailers who represent his work.

“They asked if I ever did hunting scenes, and Geoffrey said, ‘I don’t know; I’ll check,’” Walker said. “He called me that night and said, ‘Dad, I think you need to try doing some hunting scenes.’”

Walker took his son’s advice, and the collection has been wildly popular, thanks in part to his abstract realism style. “I think my style was a really fresh approach,” he said. “Most of the wildlife art you see is very tight, very realistic, very static. Mine was loose and colorful, and I think it caught people at the right time. There’s been a tremendous response to it. It’s just kind of blown my world up.”

Walker, who lived on Logan Martin Lake for years before he and Debbie moved to their gentleman’s farm in Cropwell, has fond memories of fishing and hunting growing up and eventually fishing with his own kids. “We’ve got so many great memories of being on the water,” he said. “That’s one of the really neat things about that genre of work. People connect to it on an emotional level. They want a painting of a dog like they had, or they hunted with their kids. It evokes a lot of memories.”

About four years ago, Kelly approached Walker about doing limited edition prints of some of his paintings. He was reluctant at first, but he realized that people who couldn’t or wouldn’t invest in original art might spend $300 or $400 on a print.

They began offering a line of collector’s closed edition prints, and “we get orders almost every day,” he said. Debbie handles that side of the business, and “it has really broadened our exposure,” Walker said. “Now I get calls to do commissions from all over the country and from other countries, as well.”

Higher calling

Another series that has been personal for Walker is his spiritual collection, which includes depictions of Jesus’ baptism, the Last Supper, the feeding of the 5,000, and the crucifixion. The series was born of his own personal faith and struggles.

Raised in the church, Walker said “if the doors were open, we were there.” As an adult, he went through a period where he floundered a bit, but “something was calling me back to the church.” Not long after he returned, he felt ta strong desire to paint scenes from the Bible.

“Being a person of faith, I think everyone is given gifts on some level, whether it’s music, art, writing, whatever,” he said. “This is something that’s He’s given me, and it’s a way for me to kind of give back and witness a little about my faith. I try to portray something in a way that might cause someone to want to sit and think, and if it also helps someone else find the Lord or deal with issues, that’s a blessing for both parties.”

Walker spent a lot of time on his spiritual art the past two years after being commissioned by Vestavia Hills Methodist Church to paint a series of scenes portraying the life of Christ according to the Gospel of John. Baptist Health also commissioned artwork for all of its hospitals in Alabama.

He also was commissioned to do several large pieces, including a portrayal of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, for collectors in Australia and Germany. The connection was largely the result of his online presence. 

“Without the internet, that never would have happened,” he said. “It’s kind of a God thing. He’s using this voice of mine to reach people literally around the globe. It really makes me very humble and proud.”

A new medium

While he has painted with oils for most of his career, Walker was moved to study a new medium about six years ago when he introduced his bourbon series. “Bourbon is such a collectible thing right now, and they’re a lot of fun to do,” he said of the paintings. “Watercolor is sort of the perfect medium for that subject.”

Walker said he strives to create the same kind of look as his oil paintings – the boldness of color, for example – so his approach is a little different than that of traditional watercolorists. While most watercolors tend to have a lot of transparency, he often uses gouache, which is similar to watercolor, but more opaque. The result is paintings with more dimension and vibrancy. “My technique is a little different in that regard,” he said.

The challenge is part of the allure. “Watercolor is a hard medium,” he said. “I enjoy it equally as much as oil, but I’m still kind of learning as I go.”

Walker, his own toughest critic, has a stack of watercolors in his studio that he has discarded. “You’re never completely satisfied no matter how good a painting might turn out,” he said. “I can go back and look at a painting I did yesterday or 10 years ago and see things I wish I’d done differently. Even to this day I’m frustrated by why one painting works and one doesn’t.”

Finding balance

At 70, Walker has no plans to stop painting. “Debbie and I work really hard at this, and I’m up in the studio almost every day,” he said. “I enjoy it, though, and it’s something I hope I can do for years to come.”

Vintage Pell City train depot, an original painting Walker donated to Museum of Pell City as a fundraiser

They do make time for other pursuits, however. Debbie, who traveled the world in her younger years is trying her best to help Walker catch the travel bug, and being with family will always be a priority for both of them.

Their combined family is a big one. Walker has four children, Debbie has two, and there are nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren with another on the way. One of his greatest joys has been creating scenes that mean something to them and will be around for generations.

“I’m so proud that my kids have been able to see me develop, although they give me grief about it,” he said. “If they ever think my ego is out of check, they bring me back down to earth. But it’s so cool because they’ve all told me, ‘Dad, you want to give us something for Christmas, give us a piece of your art.’ That, as a parent, is awesome.”

Chances are, there are a lot more Christmas gifts in their future. Walker, who said he can’t see ever retiring, will never get too far from his red Craftsman tool cabinet that holds brushes and paint and other tools of his trade.

“I once read, ‘Art is a delicate balance between the visual concept and each artist’s technique,’” Walker has said. “After years of chasing that artistic balance, it is the anticipation of the struggle that keeps me coming back to the canvas.” l

Jacob’s Ladder

A lifelong love of fishing has Springville’s Walker climbing in pro fishing circles

Story by Paul South
Submitted photos

Like most anglers, from weekenders to tournament champions, Jacob Walker’s love affair with fishing brings with it a creel full of family and friends who taught him the art and science of the sport.

Like a teenage boy smitten by  the homecoming queen, Walker fell fast and hard for angling. Even as a small boy, from the Warrior River to Logan Martin Lake, fishing and family were his Alpha and Omega.

He and his friends even engaged in a little truancy to take to the outdoors. “We didn’t skip school to do bad things,” he said. “We skipped school to go fishing and hunting.”

After high school, he enrolled briefly at UAB. But boats and tackle, not books and tests, won out. While working at Mark’s Outdoors, a Vestavia store, Walker’s fire for fishing – sparked as a small boy by his grandfathers, father, Geoff Walker, stepfather, Dexter Laird, and friends – only grew.

One grandfather owned a place on Logan Martin Lake. “When I was little, my grandfather took me to Logan Martin all the time,” Walker said. “It seemed like we got up at 1 in the morning when we’d get up early and get out on the water.

Filming a pro at work

“They would never see me from the time we got there until it was time to leave,” he recalled. “I was walking around, fishing. I’ve been doing it my whole life, man. It’s crazy.”

From those earliest days, Walker began to craft his own style of fishing. Now on the Major League Fishing Circuit, that style has served him well.

In 2024, he captured his first MLF tournament title in a weather-abbreviated event at Lake Champlain, N.Y.  On the circuit, he carries counsel from his early teachers in his mind and heart: Find your own style – from water depth, to location, to lures – and strive to be the best.

“You can’t beat everybody at their technique. You can’t always be the best at every technique. So, when I was growing up fishing on the Warrior River, I spent a lot of time fishing in shallow water… around a lot of  grass and logs and lily pads and stuff. What’s really got me (to the pros) is shallow fishing.”

What advice would he offer to someone dreaming of a pro career?

“Try to do it all. Try to learn everything. But do what fits you. Don’t try to copy someone else’s style. Try to find a style that’s going to work for you. Sometimes, that’s not going to work out. But when it does, it’ll pay off.”

That philosophy has worked in Walker’s brief tournament career. According to the MLF website, in 12 tournament appearances he has five top 10 finishes, including the Lake Champlain title, earning more than $150,000.

Tournament fishing, like the rest of society, is increasingly technology driven. But even at 26, Walker considers himself “old school.” Sure, he uses tech gadgetry, but his fishing is driven by attributes as old as fishing itself.

“There are a lot of younger guys coming out of high school and college, I would say 24 and under. Those guys are very, very good at technology … But the guys like me who are between 25 and 35, we grew up fishing the old-school techniques, not a lot of technology. The really good technology we have now, we go to watch it advance.”

He added, “A lot of guys like me, we grew up learning from the old school fishermen. No technology. They would just go off their eyes, their hearts, their instincts. (Younger tourney anglers) don’t really know the old-school techniques – fishing off your instincts and reading the water.”

So he holds fast to the old ways, even In these modern times. Shallow water. Fishing around cover and around docks. For Walker, style matters, but so do the old ways.

“Luckily, I’ve got the old-school instincts. But fortunately, I’ve been on board with the technology. So I can do both.”

He calls that period for fishermen between the mid-20’s and mid-30’s  “the magic number.” And Alabama is loaded with talented anglers, buoyed in part by the state’s diverse waters with different depths and stains and currents.

“The Coosa River, all these rivers, there’s all kinds of styles of fishing you can learn. So I was  very fortunate to grow up fishing here. It’s taught me everything.”

And that knowledge along with the support of his wife, Alyssa, and other family, friends and corporate sponsors have driven his dream. He knows his career will involve fishing. What form that professional life will take is the great unknown.

He’s a brand ambassador for NSR Fishing, Coosa Cotton apparel, Phoenix Boats from Stateline Marine in Lanett, Mark’s Outdoors, Megabass, Deps lures and Dirty Jigs Tackle and other firms and individuals. Walker has a long list of supporters.

“Part of the reason I decided not to go to college was I knew I wanted to pursue fishing as a career. Whether it’s fishing in tournaments, or being in the industry, I still don’t really know 25 years from now what I’ll be doing. But I know I want it to be  (fishing) industry related. Working  at Mark’s Outdoors gave me that golden ticket.”

A family tradition is born

His tournament career began in the pandemic year2020 in the Bassmaster open series. He finished second in his first event at Lay Lake, winning more than $18,000. In the next year, he narrowly missed qualifying for the Bassmaster Elite Series.

“I was confident after that. I know I could do this.”

After moving to MLF in 2023, Walker, now the proud father of a new baby, fished closer to home, but managed to finish sixth overall.

He credits Alyssa for her support and keeping the waters steady at home. Thanks to his job and the support of corporate and personal sponsors, he’s been able to compete in tournaments that carry with them $5,000 entry fees.

“It’s been a great year,” he said. “I finished  seventh overall. I fished in six tournaments. I got a check in five, including Lake Champlain.

“It’s crazy that a guy from way down in Alabama could go all the way up there close to the Canadian border and win,” he said. “That was such a cool experience.”

High winds that made waves treacherous on a lake that features an “inland sea” cut the tournament short. In the joy of winning, something gnawed at Jacob Walker’s heart. It didn’t feel like a full-fledged win. That led to an unusual victory celebration. There was no  cracking open a bottle of champagne, no lighting a victory cigar. He had to settle his mind and know that had the tournament not been cut short, he still would have won.

But it seems his celebration would have been a hit with family and friends who stoked his passion for fishing when Walker wasn’t much bigger than his rod and reel.

“I went fishing,” he said. “After that, I got to prove to myself I would have won anyway. It was a ball.”

And if there is a takeaway from Jacob Walker’s story, it’s thankfulness, family and friends.

“I’m very thankful to the people who took me fishing when I was a kid. I’m very thankful to my sponsors and to my wife, too. Without them, I wouldn’t be here.”

Brocks Gap Training Center

A range of the highest caliber

Story by Roxann Edsall
Photos by Mackenzie Free
Drone photos by Eric Love
Additional photos by Michael Goodman
Photos by Ed Tyler
Contributed photos

Like so many, they were looking for a new home. The group had a place they’d outgrown and needed more space, open concept, for sure, with room to breathe. Their dreams were realized when they found 877 acres for sale in St. Clair County.

The search committee for Brock’s Gap Training Center had been peppering the area with inquiries, targeting any large tracts within 30 minutes of their Hoover location. They zeroed in on the perfect location on Camp Creek Road in Pell City. They sold their 90 acres in Hoover and were able to purchase almost 10 times the acreage in St. Clair County for their shooting range and training facility.

Covered wood shooting benches

Recently opened, the facility boasts one of the longest ranges in the southeast. “We’ll have a 1,400-yard range as one of our offerings,” says Michael Goodman, president of Brock’s Gap Training Center, a membership-based shooting club. “It’s uncommon to have a range of that length. People usually have to travel to Tennessee to practice shooting that distance.”

“There’s a community that really values those longer ranges,” adds Goodman. “We’re hoping to attract those shooters from Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee to come to our range.” Additionally, the new center will have 100-yard, 50-yard and 30-yard ranges with covered shelters, along with pistol bays and two “plinking” ranges. (A plinking range is a shorter distance range with metal targets.) Ranges also offer either bench rest or positional shooting.

As you look out over the acreage, you see rows of uniformly sculpted berms, well-drained and seeded. In between those berms, the shooters are protected from ammunition from other ranges.

Range safety officers hold each group to strict code of hard and fast rules, including gun expert Jeff Cooper’s “Coopers 4” rules: 1) Treat every firearm as if it is loaded, 2) Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire, 3) Never point your firearm at anything you do not intend to shoot, and 4) Be sure of your target and what is in front of and behind it.

Brock’s Gap Training Center offers courses in gun safety, concealed carry, women’s personal safety, competitive shooting and training for security teams. They currently assist local law enforcement by providing facilities for their officers to practice for certifications. They also have had high school students preparing to enter the military come to their facility for training.

“Safety is number one,” emphasizes Goodman. “We hope to encourage and empower people to be responsible gun owners. We prioritize safety, gun maintenance and understanding of the responsibilities of gun ownership.”

Having the facilities to practice with their firearm keeps the gun owner familiar with it and establishes safe and responsible use and care habits. “It’s especially important, if you’re using your gun for self-defense,” explains Goodman. “You need to be introduced safely to your firearm and learn to establish safe handling practices.”

While Brock’s Gap is a private facility, membership is open to the public. The membership application process is overseen by an elected board. You do not have to be a member to participate in classes or to come to the matches. Those are all open to the public.

History of growth

In the 62-year history of Brock’s Gap Training Center, they’ve grown to 900 members and host shooting matches and competitive shooting events nearly every weekend.

They’ve already begun hosting their first matches at the new facility. Those matches are a boost for the local economy, with state-level matches drawing more than 100 people from out of the area into St. Clair County for food and lodging revenue. Brock’s Gap has hosted matches for the International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA), Steel Challenge Shooting Association (SCSA) and the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA).

With the move, Brock’s Gap has been able to expand the number of shooting bays and stage areas for matches. Most matches are held in “berm-defined” bays, using 6-12 of these bays set as “stages.”

Covered area overlooks the range

They play in a squad of 8-10 shooters. As in a golf match, those in the squad have handicaps and compete against those with similar handicaps. When each shooter has completed the targets in each stage, the group moves to the next stage in the next bay.

Some of the larger matches can use up to 20 stages. With more bays, they will be able to host larger matches and even have matches that overlap dates. The additional bays will give them the latitude to set up stages for incoming matches while current matches are concluding.

Facilities at Brock’s Gap Training Center include the Range Headquarters building, with restrooms, ice and water availability, and a training room. Future plans include the addition of a small RV park to accommodate out-of-town match participants and an EMS helipad. Current plans use just 250 acres of land, leaving plenty for future development and growth.

“There’s a large recreational shooting community in Alabama,” says Goodman. “We need facilities like this one to be able to participate safely in this sport.” There are those like Goodman who shoot every weekend and some who have specific seasonal needs. “We have people who use our facility to zero their rifles to get ready for hunting season,” he says.

The training facility also supports Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP), a national program that provides an environment for student athletes that supports learning through shooting sports activities. They have also been a resource for scouting groups through the years.

 “A friend introduced me to competitive shooting,” says Goodman, “so I’d been shooting off and on my whole life. Once I joined Brock’s Gap, it became an every week kind of thing.”

If you’ve set your sights on shooting as a hobby or sport, you now have a neighbor in St. Clair County with a high caliber facility ready and waiting for you to take aim.

Editor’s Note: Visit brocksgap.com for more information about Brock’s Gap Training Center.

Pell City’s 3 Rs

Rooftops, retail and restaurants

Story by Carol Pappas
Staff and submitted photos

ecember took action residents around these parts have anticipated for years.

 The Council made it official – Longhorn Steakhouse and Olive Garden – are coming to Pell City. Leases are signed, and infrastructure work is expected to begin in February. Owned by the same company, Darden, the restaurants will be located next to each other on Veterans Parkway near Walgreen’s.

“It’s supremely located,” said City Manager Brian Muenger, noting that the sites are the last remaining quadrant along that section of interstate, which is prime property for developments like these.

To ensure that work moves at a good pace, the city invested $2.5 million in site preparation funding. The property had some challenges, requiring utilities to be relocated and other work to get it ready for construction.

The Council reasoned that the investment will yield dividends in tax revenue generation as well as being able to fulfill residents’ ‘wish list.’ “We are aggressively pursuing things people tell us they want,” Muenger said.

Outback is expected to open in February

City leaders are confident that the growth trend will continue based on the successes of other projects locating in the city. “These brands are thriving, and they will do exactly the same here,” Muenger predicted. With names like Longhorn and Olive Garden, “more brands will look to locate here,” he said. “We’ve demonstrated success, which gives green lights for other developments.”

He has good reason to be confident. The announcement comes on the heels of the opening of Outback Steakhouse, just across the interstate near Pell City Square shopping center. Outback is expected to open in February.

The new shopping center saw over 1 million visitors over the past year. Wingstop just opened in the strip center anchored by The St. Clair, Tavern, Starbuck’s and Jersey Mike’s.

Just across the way, Whataburger opened on John Haynes Drive.

Kami Thai Sushi & Fusion has just announced that it, too, plans to make Pell City home, giving greater diversity to the restaurant scene. Its sights are set on the former Papa Murphy Pizza location near Publix.

“We’re a growing area with growing demand,” Muenger said. “It speaks to the area’s needs. I’m glad to see business succeeding here.”

Planet Fitness opened in January, and Mariott’s TownSuites hotel may be open by summer.

“There has been a lot of investment in the (interstate) corridor,” Meunger added, “and we’re happy to be able to meet the demand. We’re excited to see people enjoying it.”

Housing market continues upward trend

He cited rising population and strong community support as factors in swinging the latest deals. Pell City is seeing sizable increases in the housing market year over year.

The newest residential development on Florida Road, Oak Village, has completed the preliminary phase of roads and infrastructure and permits for construction should follow quickly. There are over 200 lots in the development.

Sumter Landing and Dickey Drive are in the final phase of building out. Meadowbrook on Hardwick Road is nearing full build out, as has Horizons on Logan Martin Lake. The fourth phase within Morningside should be “going vertical” soon, said Muenger.

Pell City has averaged adding over 100 new residences per year, sometimes much higher, over the past five years. In 2024, Pell City saw the same level of new construction as it saw the previous year – even in a higher interest rate environment. “We’ve seen steady growth since 2018. We don’t think it will stop in the near future.”

There also are housing developments just outside the city limits that should have an impact on the area’s growth.

He noted, “There is a lot of demand for people wanting to get into the area,” and multifamily rental property is a need, too. The planning commission has just approved plans for a new set of apartments on 19th Street South. It has not gone to the council yet, but 60 units are planned in what is the first multifamily property planned since 2012.

Martin Street Mercantile

Realtors expand horizons to retail

Just when you thought Realtors Nicole and Amanda Anderson-St. John’s schedule couldn’t get any fuller, they open a retail gift shop … at Christmas.

It follows their purchase in the Fall of The Realty Pros building at the corner of U.S. 231 South and John Haynes Drive on 12th Avenue North to operate the The Anderson Group of Lake Homes Realty. Then, they bought the property management asset of Realty Pros, and Lake Homes Property Management now manages 40 rental properties and two homeowners associations.

One would think that was plenty for one year, but these two entrepreneurs weren’t quite finished. The realty building has two floors. On the top floor is the Nicole Anderson Group, and they expanded to include South Bend Land Solutions contractor, property management and Real Source Title and Closings. It gives them the ability to offer a range of real estate and property services all under one roof.

On the bottom floor, you’ll now find their newest venture, Martin Street Mercantile, a gift shop featuring specialty gifts and apparel for the whole family.  It may seem like quite a leap from their real estate business, but the two had always wanted to open a retail store. They were out of town and saw a mercantile shop, and “we fell in love with it,” Nicole said. “Something hit us, and we said we should just do it.”

They already had the space, originally planned for office rentals, but the open floor plan lent itself well to the shop. They opened just as the Christmas shopping season began. “It has been so well received,” Nicole said. “It shows there was a need.”

The mercantile is filled with all sorts of products – from locally made to national brands, from cradle to special items for men and women. Men’s gifts were really popular this Christmas, she said.

Browse around the store, and you’ll find local vendors like Goodnight Moon Candle Co. and Yae’s Yae’s Soap Shop, coffee from Red Bike, a bamboo line of linens, pajamas and slippers from Face Plant Dreams.

Especially popular have been the Capt. Rodney’s soups, dips and glazes, Mud Pie, towels and pillows.

There’s plenty for babies, teens and tweens – a little something for everyone, Nicole said, and they continue to add more lines and products. It was one of those leaps of faith that might not have worked. But judging by the response so far, Nicole said, “we did right.”