POWERGRAMS

Fletcher Farrington (1902-1968) is remembered nationwide as the Father of Farm-City Week celebrations. The county agent organized the Dadeville Kiwanis Club in 1934, then originated Farm-City Week, which was adopted by Kiwanis International 21 years later. Just outside town stands the restored Walker Bynum Trail and Smith Mountain Tower, where Distribution Specialist TJ Pearson proposed to his wife, Abbie, as have other nervous young men through the years. The 90-foot- tall tower built in 1939 is managed by the Cherokee Ridge Alpine Trail Association, surrounded by undeveloped land owned by Alabama Power. Nearby down a rollercoaster entry road is Sandy Creeks Estates on Lakeshore Drive, which is the only area inside Dadeville city limits that touches Lake Martin. The peninsula is filled with cabins and houses, most having piers, boats and personal watercraft outside. Just a mile or so farther southwest is Alabama Power's D.A.R.E. Power Park, a handicapped-accessible, 30-acre lakeside haven that stands second to none in Alabama. Its white-sand beach, two fishing piers, pavilions, grills and bathrooms are open to the public from May through September, with the public boat ramp and parking lot available year-round. At 9 a.m., four young men are picking up trash along Youngs Ferry Road during the 15th annual Renew Our Rivers cleanup sponsored by Alabama Power and the Lake Martin Resource Association. Permanent roadside signs urge drivers to "Take Pride in Lake Martin, Keep it Clean," and long-time cleanup leader John Thompson says that's exactly what the public is doing, as trash collection totals diminish each year. On State Highway 49 South is the unique CreekSide Lodge and Conference Center, which backs up to a slough off Blue Creek at Lake Martin. The main three-story structure is a throwback to days gone by, with wood floors, walls and ceilings in all 24 rooms and three suites. Built in 2007 with a small parking lot separating the two primary buildings, each room has its own name associated with native Alabama trees: Dogwood, Redwood, Hickory, Oak … and each has a real metal room key attached to a replica of the wood-burned door nameplate. Throughout the halls are paintings of area wildlife, such as deer, fish and bears. The centerpiece of CreekSide is a 20-foot-tall, 40-foot-square natural stone fireplace that is lighted on cold nights. Guests gather on couches and chairs, including a pair from Paul Newman's estate, that surround the fire. In the east first-floor hallway are archival photos of Martin Dam's beginnings and the original Kowaliga Bridge being built in the late 1920s. There are shelves filled with books to share with guest readers. 25 25 Fire tower built in 1939 stands 90 feet above Smith Mountain peak. CreekSide Lodge is along Lake Martin on State Highway 49 South. Giant stone fireplace warms nights for motel guests. PHOTO by CHUCK CHANDLER PHOTO by CHUCK CHANDLER

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