A few gentle waves rocked the boat on a hot July afternoon in 2017 as George Hardy worked out the offer for the Willow Point lot on the shoreline in front of him. An Alexander City native, Hardy practices dentistry in town but also has a busy acting and producing career. He played Michael Waits in 1990’s Troll 2 and has played numerous roles in 17 additional films and television productions, including Texas Cotton, Here Comes Rusty, Chosen and House of Forbidden Secrets. His family has had a presence on Lake Martin’s acreage since before the dam was built.

“This was one of the last lots available, and it was not conducive to building a traditional Lake Martin home. About three quarters of the lot was at a 45-degree angle, and it had never been developed. It was just trees,” Hardy told Lake magazine seven years after he’d made the purchase. “I sat on it for four years. I didn’t know what to do with it.”