Lake Martin Magazine

Jim and Lisa Peace were first introduced to Lake Martin in 2003, when the Brewton residents purchased a lake home in the Marina Marin neighborhood of Dadeville. Four years later, Jim took a job as president and CEO of Russell Medical Center and the family decided to make Lake Martin their full-time home.

The Spotted Dusky Salamander, known by scientists as Desmognathus conanti, is a relatively stout, brown salamander with a moderately keeled tail that serves as a vertical paddle when swimming. It’s found all across Alabama, and its range includes most of the Southern United States, from Louisiana to South Carolina.

It’s out with the old and in with the new at Church of the Pines this month as Children’s Harbor completes its renovation of the iconic outdoor church. The church is making changes to its open-air, A-frame structure, including adding more seating.

Springhouse Restaurant Executive Chef Rob McDaniel has had since July 2011 to get used to the idea of being on national television. And now, he’s finally ready for all the questions about his Iron Chef experience to be answered.

Brian Bice, owner of Bice Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Alexander City, is married to Ellen Ferguson Bice from Signal Mtn., Tenn. (this May will be 15 years) and they have 7-year-old twins Mary Elizabeth and Robert. He attended Auburn University and graduated from AUM, but has always been an Alabama fan. As a teenager, Brian was a competitive water skier who won the state championship three years in a row.

It’s been over 40 years since Ben Russell founded the group now known as the Lake Martin Resource Association. But, listening to him tell the story, you’d think it was just yesterday. The year was 1970, and Ben had just been named the head of “The Lands Company” – or as we know it today, Russell Lands On Lake Martin.

February is the last month of low water in Lake Martin. The lake begins to work its way up toward full pool starting around the middle of February, and the visual shoreline begins to diminish.

Lake Martin waterfront home sales passed another milestone at year’s end. According to the Lake Martin Area Association of Realtors’ MLS, 207 waterfront residences were sold in 2011. That is the most since 235 were sold in 2006.

If you’re a bass angler in the Southeastern U.S., you just can’t help getting excited about the upcoming fishing season. Most tournament trails in our area of the country crank up in February and March … and for good reason. This time of year is probably the absolute best time of year to catch truly giant bass.

February has been named American Heart Month since 1963. Not because of Valentine’s Day, but rather to raise public awareness about heart disease. Heart disease is a broad word that describes diseases that affect your heart.