I have never watched an entire episode of American Idol, but it has been hard to avoid Taylor Hicks, who won the competition last year. Before, during and after the Super Bowl, he was all over television hawking automobiles for a company whose name I have forgotten.
Now, according to a flyer we received this week, he is hawking a community in Alabama, not far from the Tennessee border. The Oaks at Goose Pond Island advertises home sites from $49,900, including lake access, and dockable waterfront sites from $194,900. A few hours away in the Knoxville, TN, area, similar dockable sites can approach $1 million.
This is a lake-oriented community, the lake being the 70,000 acre Lake Guntersville. Down the road is the Goose Pond Colony Golf Club and 36 holes of lakeside golf. George Cobb, a respected architect, designed the Colony course in 1971; the Plantation course is the work of Don Croft and Phillip Green.
Taylor Hicks has bought property at The Oaks and will be on hand May 19 when the developers release sites in the next phase. Mindful that fame is fleeting, Mr. Hicks is keeping a close watch on his investment. For more information, see The Oaks web site at http://www.theoaks-gpi.com.