Lake Martin Magazine

Steve and Leigh Ann Presley have talked about opening a restaurant for the last 15 years. Now, with the opening of their restaurant “Daisy’s” on Lake Martin, the Presley family won’t be just talking anymore.

Dozens of artists paid a surprise tribute to beloved local artist Virginia Bradshaw on Oct. 4, during the final night of the 18th annual Sarah Carlisle Towery Art Colony.

Painted turtles, like American toads, dragonflies and lightning bugs, are among the native wild animals that play a big role in many Southern children’s lives. Most children have, at one time or another, played with painted turtles. Many have kept them as pets.

Bob and Dell Stone have moved 32 times. They’ve lived in Arizona and North Carolina and Georgia and Mississippi and Florida and New Mexico. They’ve even lived in Germany and England. But when Bob retired after serving on active duty with the U.S. Air Force for 28 years, the couple came back to their roots.

The northern cardinal, the brown thrasher, the tufted titmouse, the indigo bunting, the red-bellied woodpecker and the great blue heron. These are just a few of the birds that can be found on the new Piedmont Plateau Birding Trail.

Lake Martin is surrounded by quaint stores that specialize in gifts, art, clothing, food, antiques and everything in between. Fall is one of the best times to be on the lake, when traffic and temperatures are down and leaf colors are at their peak. Add in Christmas on the horizon and you’ve got the makings for a perfect three-day shopping weekend on the lake.

Lake Martin. Through the eyes of a child, it means fun summer days spent exploring, fishing with grandpa, or taking that first big boat ride. For a teenager, it’s waterlogged weekend trips “catching rays” at Chimney Rock. For adults, it’s a temporary refuge from the stress of the “real world.” For the retired couple, it’s a place to finally relax.

In the aftermath of the tornado that pummeled the shores of Lake Martin and the town of Dadeville on April 27, it was hard for anyone to see beauty in the debris. But Jonna Chizik had a vision for a unique fundraiser – one that would take the trash from the violent storm and turn it into treasures.

Barry Holdridge was born in 1941 in an industrial town in the state of New York. Six years later, he moved to the Sand Mountain area of North Alabama. There, with his parents and grandparents, he lived on a farm for three years. The family then moved to Fort Payne, Ala., where Barry graduated from Fort Payne High School.

As winter hits, the water level drops, the days get short and the water gets cold. What’s a wake rider to do? Well, the obvious is to ride in a wetsuit every chance we get. Most of us are not able to get out very often due the short days and it being dark when we get off of work, which leaves us with weekends.