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We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment. ~ Hilaire Belloc
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Dukes Fest 2007
We pulled into one of the campgrounds to see if they had any available sites and the lady just looked at me laughing. She said with one of those signature Southern drawls, "Honey, with Dukes Fest going on, unless ya' all made a reservation 6 months ago, you aint stayin." We had no idea that the first weekend of June brings thousands of dedicated fans of the famous Dukes of Hazard TV show to Nashville. This explains why we were seeing so many of the shows signature cars driving around.
With over 100 General Lee replicas in the
Nashville State Fair Grounds, dozens of authentic automobiles from when
the show was
Cindy and I packed a cooler full of cold ones and maybe a sandwich or two, and headed over to the festival. Right away you knew this was going to be some good people watching. We're talking Good Ol' Boys from all around the world. Daisy Duke was one of the first girls I had a crush on. If you were a racing through puberty while that show aired on TV, you're a little light in the loafers if you didn't fantasize about this southern beauty. Those cut off jean shorts she made so famous still race through my mind on occasion along with the giant poster of her I had hung on my bedroom wall.
Then there was the mullets! This hairstyle of Business in the front, with the party in the rear was everywhere! But not as much as the number made so famous by Bo and Luke Duke; that simple number '01'. There were cars, bikes, trucks, VW Bugs, RC Cars and even a few die-hard fans with the '01' tattooed on their bodies! What would you expect to see at Dukes Fest? Well besides the largest collection of General Lee's, there was numerous Blue Grass bands performing and a ring set up where Big Time Wrestling had some of their performers throwing each other around. Besides the cast of the show being on hand for pictures and autographs, another special guest making an appearance at Dukes Fest was NASCAR legend Cale Yarborough. But forget about the autographs, the highlight of the show was the Hazard County Stunt Team.
Most of the stunts were firsts, meaning that they had never been performed by another stunt team, and the stunt artists didn't know what to compare them with for hints so no one would get hurt. Well they brought back the same stunt team and did many of the classic stunts you would see in each episode. They had a mock police chase where they launched Rosco's police car into a Class C RV. Then they had another chase but this time, the General Lee was launched over the motorhome landing some 60-70 feet down the road.
Either way, if you're a fan of the show,
this is the top event for the hardcore Duke Fan and it's fun for the
whole family. “This is a family event, because the 'Dukes'
is America’s favorite family When in Nashville, make sure to stop by Cooter's Place. This little museum is cool to check out for loads of merchandise related to the classic TV series.
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We're
pulling into Nashville for the CMA Festival, and we see the infamous
General Lee drive past us. Within a few minutes of driving around,
we probably spotted 10 of these iconic replicas cruising the Music City's
streets.
on
prime time and many of the actual actors on hand to sign autographs, you
knew we had to check out this event.
Walking
into the Nashville Fairgrounds, I was amazed at how many women were
trying to relive those days with those signature shorts. Some
should buy a better mirror, and others brought back some of those
boyhood fantasies. 
Anyone
who watched even one episode knows that Bo and Luke Duke liked to jump
cars while Rosco P Coltrane was chasing them around the back roads of
Hazard County. They performed stunts with cars that changed the
way movies were filmed. 
For
two days we were humored with the antics of thousands of fans who might
still think this show is on the top of the charts. Maybe they
don't realize they're watching the TVLAND Station.