Events
Activities abound at the lake
in the month of May

As thoughts at the lake return to boating and bathing suits, events at Russell Lands On Lake Martin are quickly packing the activities calendar. From a benefit pancake breakfast and Derby Day to art events, a wake and surf clinic and the annual Memorial Day Weekend Concert, you'll find plenty to enjoy in May.

Pancake Breakfast to Benefit Tornado Relief
Saturday, May 7, 8-10:30am
The Stables at Russell Crossroads

From SpringHouse Executive Chef Rob McDaniel
Many of you have heard me talk about the mission of Slow Food Crossroads. In a nutshell, it is to build community around a sustainable food source. In the eye of the destruction that we see all around us, giving back to the community seems to be the logical thing to do.  We will be holding a pancake breakfast the first Saturday of every month, from 8 to 10:30am, through the summer, to raise money for Slow Food Crossroads. This Saturday all the money that is raised will be donated to The American Red Cross to help with the tornado relief efforts.  The cost of the breakfast will be $5 (cash or check, please) and will include pancakes, milk, coffee, orange juice, water and syrup. Please come out to The Stables and help us donate as much as we possibly can. Thank you all so much for your support and God Bless!

Derby Day
Saturday, May 7, 3-6pm
The Stables at Russell Crossroads
Open to the public

Derby Day at the Stables at Russell Crossroads is this Saturday, May 7. Join us for music, a best hat contest, light refreshments, the "Run For The Roses" race and a great time. So, ladies, find the sundresses and pick out your hat. Guys, grab the blazers, khakis, searsucker or polos and join us for another great Derby Day at the Stables. See the Derby Day article in this month's Explorer for more details.

Friends of Children's Harbor Auction
Silent and live auctions Friday, May 20
Silent auction 6:30pm; Live auction 8pm
Willow Point Golf & Country Club

One can hear the excitement in Auction Chairperson Lynda Robinson’s voice when she talks about the Silent and Live Auctions that are part of the Tour of Homes benefitting Children’s Harbor.  The Auction will be held on Friday, May 20th, at Willow Point Country Club.  

“We’ve always had a fantastic, fun-filled evening at this auction, “says Lynda.  “This is our fifth year, and donors from all over East Alabama have really stepped up.  Not only is there something to please everyone, but this year we have the largest selection and highest quality items we’ve ever offered.”

The Auction will be held Friday evening, May 20, at Willow Point Country Club.  The Silent Auction begins at 6:30, followed by the Live Auction at 8:00 p.m.  Tickets are $75 per person, which includes a buffet dinner and beverages.  Tickets can be reserved in your name by sending a check to:  Children’s Harbor, 1 Our Children’s Highway, Alexander City, AL  35010. Tickets will be ready for you when you arrive at the event.

Friends of Children's Harbor Tour of Homes
Saturday, May 21, 10am to 3pm
Registration, maps and on-site ticket purchases at the Ridge Marina
The Ridge on Lake Martin

On Saturday, May 21, four exquisite homes located on beautiful Lake Martin will be open to the public, thanks to the generosity of the homeowners.  The event is an annual production of the Friends of Children’s Harbor, a group of women dedicated to supporting Children’s Harbor and its mission of serving seriously ill children and their families.

Tickets purchased before May 21 are $25 and are available at Barton-Clay Fine Jewelers in Mountain Brook and at Catherine’s Market at Russell Crossroads at Lake Martin.  Tickets may also be ordered by mailing your check to:  Children’s Harbor, 1 Our Children’s Highway, Alexander City, AL, 35010.

Laurent Home — Dreamy Design
and Details
Mark and Shirley Laurent make their permanent home on Lake Martin, having relocated here from Texas.  Working with architect Chris Reebals of Birmingham and builder Mabrury McCullough of TCC in Alexander City, the Laurent residence is filled with features to delight family and visitors alike. Interesting angles allow this home to fit perfectly on its site, and the roomy, open design provides plenty of space for gatherings with family and friends.  Unique architectural details include large stone columns on the open wrap-around porches, which are beautifully furnished for dining and relaxing while enjoying expansive views of the lake.

The McAlpine Home — Need we say more?
Bobby McAlpine, widely referred to as one of the best architects in America, is opening his personal getaway on Lake Martin for this year’s Tour of Homes benefitting Children’s Harbor.  Who could resist the opportunity to see how an architectural and furniture design genius sets up camp for his own down time?

Davidson Home Combines Art and Architecture
Since purchasing their lake house from Montgomery homebuilder John Livings, owners Sherri and Tom Davidson have added their own unique personalities to the property.  Sherri sought input from designer Diane Baker-Clelland, and their combined talents gave this home an atmosphere that is at once private, yet inviting.

Gracious Grandeur Abounds in Stark Home
Upon entering Wayne and Wanda Stark’s large home on Lake Martin, one cannot help but focus first on the grand scale of this house.  Main level rooms feature ceilings that soar some thirty feet, as does the stacked-stone fireplace in the main level family room.  One of the home’s three complete kitchens has space for two oversized granite-topped islands.  Walls of French doors topped by large windows provide an unbroken view of miles of Lake Martin.  A curving wall of windows in the main level guest wing gives one the feeling of having stepped into the finest suite of a luxury liner.  Kenny Hayes of Montgomery built the home, which was designed by architect Bill Farshee.

Wake & Surf Clinic
Saturday, May 21
Kowaliga Marina

Russell Marine once again presents its Wake & Surf Clinic. This year's event will be held at the Kowaliga Marina and led by professional wakeboard and surf coaches, including Taylor Renfroe, X Games Pro Tour rider from Team Hyperlite. The clinic is open to all skill levels and ages 7 and up. Two sessions are available with a maximum number of 12 slots each. The sessions run from 8:30 to 11am and from 12 to 2pm. The cost is $25 per rider/student, and includes lunch. Please bring your own equipment (life vest, wakeboard, gloves, helmet). If you don't have equipment, no worries. We will have displays set up. Call the Kowaliga Marina at 334.857.2111 for more information, and to sign up.

Children's Harbor's Art on the Lake
Saturday and Sunday, May 28 & 29, 10am to 5pm
Children's Harbor

Art on th Lake will be held on the Children's Harbor campus May 28 and 29.  More than 50 artisans from throughout the Southeast will display and sell their treasures, with 15 percent of the sales benefitting Children's Harbor.

A full day is planned for the entire family, with a children's corner, entertainment and numerous other activities.  There is no charge for admission.  Questions:  Call Tammy Jackson @ 334.857.2021. Hope to see you there!

Memorial Day Weekend Concert
Featuring Tonic with Blackberry Smoke and Trotline
Sunday, May 29, gates open at 4:30pm, show starts at 6pm
The AMP - Lake Martin Amphitheater

Tonic
Six Top 10 singles. Over 4 million records sold. Grammy nominations, platinum albums, numerous awards and hit songs around the world, plus the #1 most-played rock song of 1998. Tonic was a musical powerhouse, merging the raw honesty of rock to unabashed melody…and ushering rock ‘n’ roll into a new millennium.

Blackberry Smoke
You can call Blackberry Smoke’s music southern rock and you wouldn’t be wrong. Or you could call it country and you wouldn’t be wrong, either. But you would be selling both the band and its legion of fans short. With influences that run the gamut from country to bluegrass to gospel and yes, southern rock, Blackberry Smoke is more than the sum of its diverse parts.

Trotline
Trotline has absolutely become one of the most popular "country/southern rock" bands in the Southeast today. Since originating in South Georgia in 1997, the five-member band has made their way from their home state of Georgia to Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, the Carolinas, and Texas.

Details
Gates will open at the Lake Martin Amphitheater at 4:30pm and the show starts at 6pm. Tickets $25.00 in advance and $30.00 day of the show are available at www.lmat.org, the Adventure Center at Russell Crossroads, or day of show at the gate.  Children 6 and under will be admitted free. Visit the Lake Martin Amphitheater website at www.lmat.org for more information.

To see all events, view the Russell Lands On Lake Martin interactive events calendar >