Got nothin' to do between Carlisle and Marauderville? Come to Asheville!

[IwantmyMMnow!]

Come to Asheville, NC, July 27-29 for the 33rd Annual Bele Chere Festival.

What is Bele Chere? Click the link below for more info:

http://belecherefestival.com/

I know it's 4 months away...just wanted to put this out there.

I'll 'bump' it when we get into June...

Should be an easy drive for most Carolina Marauders as well as those located in north GA, east TN, and SW VA...

[Shaijack]

That looks like fun for all. I have to check with my secretary (wife). Daughter lives in Winston-Salem, could be a two fer trip.

[IwantmyMMnow!]

Just giving this thread a bump to keep it on the board...

Tentative plan could be:

- Everyone rolls in on Friday. Have dinner at pre-determined restaurant. Go to downtown area to partake in Bele Chere festivities.

- Saturday: Leave late morning for a drive on Blue Ridge Parkway. Go to Mt Mitchell (around 1hr drive); have lunch at restaurant located there. (I've been there before..was good) Stop at other overlooks, etc along parkway. Return to Asheville around 3-4pm. Hit Bele Chere once again later on.

- Sunday: open for suggestions...

This is just in the very early thinking stages, so changes are welcome/expected. It doesn't have to be the whole weekend. Fri/Sat, Sat/Sun, or whatever you want to do.

Hotel rates near downtown/inside the I-240 perimeter will probably be jacked up due to the festival. There are several nice hotels near my place (east side of town) that are only 15 minutes from downtown.

Edit: Forgot to mention Asheville has seen an incredible explosion in micro-breweries over the past 5-10 years. I don't know how many local beers are available, but there is one bar in downtown that has over 100 beers on tap. If you like beer and wish to try new flavors/varieties, you need to make a trip to Asheville.

Beat the summer heat with a trip to the cool mountains of NC!

Will bump again in a month or so....

[IwantmyMMnow!]

Bump....

Would say that July 15th is a good cutoff date for organizational purposes...

Tom, you got and 'connections' in the hotel industry up in these parts of the woods/weeds?

[Marauderman]

Bump....

Would say that July 15th is a good cutoff date for organizational purposes...

Tom, you got and 'connections' in the hotel industry up in these parts of the woods/weeds?

I can ask my guy here at the local Hilton and see....BTW........me and the Ms. will be pulling our trailer up this sat thru the A to Mars Hill to daughters house for some hauling of her stuff.......

[IwantmyMMnow!]

I can ask my guy here at the local Hilton and see....BTW........me and the Ms. will be pulling our trailer up this sat thru the A to Mars Hill to daughters house for some hauling of her stuff.......

Great! Gimme a holler when you're in town!

[bugsyc]

Did You ever get the 410's installed????:confused: I'm really going to try to make this trip to Ashville......Been wanting to cruise the blue ridge parkway for a long time...Hope to be Eatonized by then.....bugsy......:banana2: Never mind,just saw your post that you had them done....How do you like the difference?? Did you have the traction lock to begin with??

[fastblackmerc]

Did You ever get the 410's installed????:confused: I'm really going to try to make this trip to Ashville......Been wanting to cruise the blue ridge parkway for a long time...Hope to be Eatonized by then.....bugsy......:banana2: Never mind,just saw your post that you had them done....How do you like the difference?? Did you have the traction lock to begin with??

FYI...

Traction Lock differential was standard on all 2003 & 2004 MM's

[IwantmyMMnow!]

Bumpidity bump bump....

6 weeks away...

[IwantmyMMnow!]

30-day out bump...

[WhatsUpDOHC]

I loved driving up to Asheville from Greenville, SC.

Rex- It's givin' me a hankerin' for some boiled peanuts and some Blenheims!!!

Mark

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[IwantmyMMnow!]

I plan on going to my favorite spot on the BRP--Craggy Gardens--tomorrow evening to watch the sunset from Craggy Peak...then I'll head downtown for some beers and pool. Gotta get the tolerance up a little in preparation for the TK event in GA Saturday...don't wanna be trashed by 4pm...:lol:

[WhatsUpDOHC]

I plan on going to my favorite spot on the BRP--Craggy Gardens--tomorrow evening to watch the sunset from Craggy Peak...then I'll head downtown for some beers and pool. Gotta get the tolerance up a little in preparation for the TK event in GA Saturday...don't wanna be trashed by 4pm...:lol:

Best boiled peanuts are found on the run up through Paris Mtn., through Travelers Rest and up to (at the base of) Caesar's Head.

Look for the big yellow pots that have been rolling for 8 hours - HEAVEN!!!


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[IwantmyMMnow!]

Best boiled peanuts are found on the run up through Paris Mtn., through Travelers Rest and up to (at the base of) Caesar's Head.

Look for the big yellow pots that have been rolling for 8 hours - HEAVEN!!!


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Sorry to burst your bubble, but I don't like boiled peanuts. I've tried them several times, just not my cup of tea....

[WhatsUpDOHC]

It's an A-quired taste.


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[IwantmyMMnow!]

It's an A-quired taste.

Much like pickled herring...MMmmmm

[WhatsUpDOHC]

Much like pickled herring...MMmmmm

In sour cream?

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[IwantmyMMnow!]

In sour cream?

Wine sauce...

[tallpaul]

Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band? Hmmmm.... might be worth the trip.

[IwantmyMMnow!]

Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band? Hmmmm.... might be worth the trip.

Trust me, the 'people' you see during Bele Chere will definitely stick with you for a long, long time...

[djsammyg]

This event sounds like a great first for me, are there anymore details?

[IwantmyMMnow!]

As far as a detailed itinerary...no. There hasn't been much interest shown by others (not that I'm disappointed/upset); Bele Chere is THE annual 2.5-day party for the city that everyone here looks forward to.

Unfortunately for me, due to the fact that my kids go back to school on Aug 8th :eek:, the best timeframe for me to have them for a full week during the summer will be the same time as Bele Chere, which makes things a little more difficult for me to 'hang out' with any members that show.

My Mom will also be up here at that time as well (to watch the kids for me when I go to my evening class during the week), so it's possible that I can have her watch the kids for me on Fri or Sat night so I can go have some 'adult fun', but don't feel 100% comfortable about doing this.

When I created this thread, I had planned on my week with the kids taking place at the beginning of Aug (4th-10th), but found out later that they go back to school on the 8th...I figured the school year wouldn't start until around the 18th, like it did last year. I guess the school system decided they want to start ending the school year before Memorial Day weekend for some reason...

If anyone is interested in coming out this way, let me know and we'll work something out...still got 2+ weeks to plan something...

[djsammyg]

If its not just me I'm totally interested.

[djsammyg]

anyone planning on going????

[IwantmyMMnow!]

anyone planning on going????

No worries. If you can't make it to MVX in Sept, there's a get-together in Wilmington on Oct 13th/14th; usually 6-8 members go. Also gonna do a 'practice run' on the BRP the weekend after that; looks like 5 or 6 (maybe 10 as we get closer to date) will be coming here for that.

There's also the possibility of meeting at the Tilted Kilt in Charlotte before summer is gone as well....stay tuned!

[IwantmyMMnow!]

...I'm actually glad no one made plans to head out this way during Bele Chere. Over the past couple of weeks, I've heard quite a few of the 'locals' talk about how it wasn't all that great. The 'major' supporter (aka $$$ contributor) of the event backed out at the last minute, so I guess that had a huge impact on it. There's also a rumor that this year may be the last year it happens...will have to wait til next summer to see if this holds true.

Guess Asheville isn't the quiet little 'party' town it used to be (figures since I'm living here now)...probably a direct result of the police force being doubled in size over the past 4-5 years. Ironically, Asheville has moved into the #6 spot of cities in NC for meth manufacturing during the same time... :confused:

Oh well, can't win them all...