Logan Martin event celebrates 10 years
Story by Linda Long
Submitted and file photos
Is anything better than a day on the lake? With a boat? How about a day on the lake with 80 boats? That’s the plan from organizers and sponsors of this year’s Logan Martin’s LakeFest and Boat Show, May 15-17, at Pell City’s Lakeside Park.
Produced by the Logan Martin Charity Foundation, the popular event marks its 10-year milestone with what is billed as the largest in-water boat show in the Southeast.
“It’s a lot of fun. We have vendors, crafts and music all weekend long, said Eric Housh, event coordinator, “but the centerpiece of the whole thing is the boat show. For this 10th anniversary, we’ve got some really special things planned.”
Boat dealers will present over a dozen lines of boats with some 80 models, from pontoons to speed boats and personal watercraft and just about everything in between. Those interested in buying a boat can get “up close and personal.” They can even kick the wheels, so to speak.
“So, they get in the boat and take it out for a test drive,” said Housh. “It’s a try it before you buy it sort of plan. It’s really a great opportunity to try it out see how the boat feels while it’s actually on the lake.”
Housh says he was brought on board as event organizer “back when the thing was just an idea.” That was 10 years ago, which means he’s now been planning, organizing, communicating and coordinating for the past decade.
“I think the first year we had maybe five to seven hundred people, over the whole weekend,” Housh recalled. “In year three, we got flooded out. Last year, we had close to 20,000 over the course of the weekend. We’ve grown from meager beginnings of just a few hundred people to a great event. We’re proud of it.”
No admission is charged, since the entire event is funded by sponsorship dollars. America’s First Federal Credit Union is one of the lead sponsors and does onsite financing for the boat show. Others are “local businesses,” Housh explained. “Whatever we don’t use to produce event we donate back to local charities,” he said. “Over the course of the event, we’ve donated over a quarter of a million dollars. Last year, we gave $31,000. This year we will probably double that. We’ve set aside funds for the past several years to do some massive improvements to Lakeside Park.”
Those improvements include a new park pavilion and some enhancements to one of the piers for public safety and to facilitate boat parking.
Housh said his favorite part of the three-day event is set for Friday night when local veterans will be honored with a dinner and a fireworks show.
And, as always, the event is “flush with giveaways,” including a boat and an ATV, Housh said.
