Labor Day Means Big Business On Lake Martin
This video is no longer available.
Labor Day usually signals the end of the summer season.
That means it’s time for one last weekend at the lake, which is a big help for business.
This has been one of the best weekends of the year for businesses on lake martin. And they’re hoping that will continue into the fall.
Plenty of people tried to squeeze one last day out of Lake Martin as the holiday weekend came to a close.
That’s meant more seats taken up at the Kowaliga restaurant.
“Definitely a little busier than last year during the same weekend. Weather is nice. Football games affected us a little bit but we get the auburn crowd that stays at the lake over the weekend afterward,” said Executive Chef Russ Bodner.
But it’s not just restaurants that are doing well. Merchandise Manager Scott Goslin says the Rusell Marina has seen a lot of business throughout the entire summer, beating out sales from last year.
“Summer has been real good. We didn’t get the rain we got last summer so we’ve had really pretty weather over the weekends with the exception of maybe one or two. So I’ve been really pleased with the traffic and a lot of people out on the water,” said Goslin.
Alabama power usually starts to drop the lake levels around September 1st, but boaters out on the lake are hoping that will change.
“Oh absolutely, absolutely. Instead of the 10 foot, if they could drop it maybe just 6 or 7, it would really add a lot of acreage and put a lot of people back on the water that finds themselves on dry dock in the winter,” said Bill “Bubba” Bussey of the Rick & Bubba Show, who’s new to boating on Lake Martin.
Lake martin’s full water level is 490 feet. It’s been basically at that level all summer, and Goslin says that there’s work going on to make it stay that way a little longer.
“We’re working with Alabama power and the federal regulatory agency to get another 3 feet added to it and we hope to hear news on that pretty soon. Right now it’s at 489 which is almost full pull and we expect it to stay there until probably the second week of October,” said Goslin.
There will be some changes for these businesses going into the fall season. Kowaliga restaurant plans on changing its hours as they move into the fall and winter.
