Smith Lake People: Founders of the Smith Lake Concert Series

From an early age, lake life flowed in Ashley Ford & Deborah Rigsby’s veins. Ashley was raised visiting Lake Mitchell while Deborah grew up in Curry, right down the road from Duncan Bridge. The two met in dental school and have owned a practice in Calera together since 1997.   

Discovering Smith

One weekend Deborah helped Ashley and her father fix up his old Chris Craft boat. Shortly thereafter, the two decided to take the boat to Smith Lake to explore for the day.  All it took was one day and Ashley was in love with Deborah’s home lake, our beautiful Smith Lake!  Ashley recalls the deep, clear water and 500+ miles of shoreline and thinking to herself, “one day this is where I want to own a home”.  The two continued to trailer that old boat to Smith Lake for day trips throughout the summer, packing a duffle bag with toothbrushes just in case they ran across some friends and were lucky enough to get an invitation to spend the night.  They eventually started spending time with some good friends on the lake, and it seemed like they met new friends every weekend.  Soon, Ashley and Deborah became a part of a community of lake friends and frequent Smith every chance they get.

When the time came for Ashley and Deborah to own a little piece of heaven, the most motivating factor was having a place to share with friends and family. They started with a lot on Dismal Creek in 1997, opting to sell it; they then purchased 10 acres past Bailey Bridge where they had a single wide trailer for 5 years.  Their present home is nestled in the trees of Rock Creek overlooking a stretch: just perfect for sunsets (and concerts). Their home has been the de facto setting for many weekends shared with their friends and family. Ashley says she can feel the stress melt away from the week every time she heads north. They enjoy sharing this, not only with each other, but with loved ones and giving their guests a break from real life issues while allowing them to slow down and take part in a peaceful, beautiful atmosphere for deeper connections.

Deborah believes that Smith Lake has been the backdrop for some of the best meals of her life. As we all know, everything is better with lake air and scenery, particularly cooking. They have hosted many an afternoon BBQs and intimate sunset dinner parties bringing food and fellowship!

The Beginning of The Smith Lake Concert Series

Not only do these ladies love entertaining with food, but they also love entertaining with music.  Deborah and Ashley share a love for music…good music at that, so it should come as no surprise they are the co-founders of The Smith Lake Concert series. The 2018 concert is set for July 21st at their home on Rock Creek and will feature Grammy nominated The Secret Sisters with Brian Dunne and catering by Shindigs of Birmingham. This is the 5^th year of the concert series in action, but only the second year it has been open to the public. Only 250 tickets are available, if you are interested in attending, email Ashley at ashleyford@smithlakeconcertseries.com.

The Smith Lake Concert Series started as an idea about 10 years ago after seeing one of their favorite artists, Brandi Carlile perform at WorkPlay in Birmingham with friends.  Deborah and Ashley talked about how cool it would be to combine two things they love, live music and the lake.  They were with some friends at WorkPlay discussing the idea, but discovered the price was higher than they could afford. They shelved the idea and decided it was out of their league.  However, once that seed was planted, neither one could let go of the idea. Fast forward 5 years as Ashley was listening to XM radio and heard a song that literally made her stop her car to listen.  The song was “When You’ve Got Trouble” by Liz Longley.  Ashley went to her website and discovered that she had an upcoming concert in Birmingham.  Ashley remembers, “We went to her concert with friends and as soon as Liz started singing, I knew I wanted to try to book her for our first lake concert.

We met after the concert, mentioned the idea, and Liz was onboard!”  As soon as they booked Liz, they called a friend, Benji and said, “We need you to build a stage overlooking the water!”  And a stage over looking the water is what they now have!

The goal of the Smith Lake Concert Series is to promote community by creating an environment where lake friends and neighbors can gather for an intimate night of music. In addition, the artists can enjoy some time away from their typical tour schedule in an atmosphere where they can relax and feel at home. The evening starts with mingling and dining prior to the concert, but when the music starts, they like to create a listening environment where the audience is completely focused on the music.  The artists usually hang out after the concert to meet everyone and sign merchandise.  “We hope to continue what has now become a new lake tradition of bringing amazingly talented artists to Smith Lake!”

Deborah and Ashley said.  If tickets sell out, you can always pull your boat up and listen from the water. The concert usually starts around sunset.

Smith Lake is filled with many things for Ashley & Deborah, from Poker Run Fun to 4^th of July and celebrating our freedom. These two are truly Smith Lake people who are sharing their love of Smith Lake through hospitality and music.