Strap in folks, this is a long one!
This past weekend all of Hazzard Nation converged in the shadows of the Shenandoah Mountains to celebrate 40 years of our favorite televisio show. These Dukes of Hazzard events have become more than a celebration of the show. It's an opportunity to meet up with friends, make new ones, see awesome cars, experience stunt driving, hear amazing music, meet your heroes, and so much more. I was able to do all of that at Cooter's Good Ol' Boys Fest and I took a ton of pictures of it all to share. Let's dive in.
I took a different route to Shenandoah this year as I started my trip in Hazzard County from the beach. I knew I was getting close when I saw this great billboard. I saw a few more on the way there and back. I wonder where these are going to end up.
I spent a good bit of time at the venue Friday afternoon getting the lay of the land then headed to downtown Shenandoah for the Cruise In. There were all kinds of great cars and a good showing from Hazzard car owners.
This isn't the best lit picture, but you can see Boss Hogg's Caddy, Cooter's Tow Truck and Rosco's Patrol Car lining the streets of Shenandoah.
The main event was the world premier of the new Hazzard Nation documentary that was produced by Ben Jones and Alma Viator. The movie was shown on an outdoor theater and the event had a great Hazzard County feel to it. A large number of the Hazzard Nation showed up for the premier.
It was a blast seeing the documentary for the first time with so many fellow Dukes fans. The film give a great history to the Dukes and the impact it's had over the last forty years. There are interviews with all the cast members and some great archive footage of Sorrell, James, and Denver. I made a brief appearance in the movie and I couldn't be more proud. If you haven't yet, you should really pick up a copy. It's a must for all Dukes fans. You can buy a copy from Cooter's Place using the following link:
I got to the Shenandoah Speedway very early on Saturday morning. Early enough to snag this great sunrise picture of the valley. The calm before the storm.
Before the gates opened I wandered around and took in a few sites. This is Bobby Scott's General Lee. Bobby is very well known in our hobby as THE guy to go to with any General Lee related questions at the events. If you've brought your Hazzard County car to a Cooter's event, chances are Bobby told you where to put it. He also runs the Hazzard Run events that I hear are a lot of fun. I really need to make it to one of those events.
Bobby is active military and shows it off on his General Lee. I've become good friends with Bobby over the years and really value our friendship. Thank you for your service Bobby and keep being awesome.
Here is Bobby, on the right, with Don White, our good buddy Heath Gulley, and Darren Spence. This is one heck of a crew and I got to hang out with them a few different times during the fest. That's what Dukes events are all about.
I snagged a few "calm before the storm" pictures of the stage and autograph area before the gates opened. The venue was massive and getting around took some time.
Very soon after these pictures were taken, there were people everywhere!
Once again a professional photo with the cast was offered to the fans. I was the "director of photography" of the process and basically set up shop in the photo tent. We did a photo similar to this at the Nashville event in January, but added another star of the show, the General Lee to the picture this time. This particular General Lee is owned by Cooter and spends most of it's time in the Garage set at Cooter's in Luray. He was brought out for this special occasion. He was built by our good buddy Richie Alligood.
The line for the pro photo was really long, but everyone was having a good time and excited for the opportunity.
While we were still setting up, a good ol' boy, Luke Duke himself, entertained the folks in line. That was a special treat.
I am so fortunate to be involved with these moments. As we were getting ready for the shoot I got to be a part of some really special interactions with the cast. I am such a lucky Dukes of Hazzard fan.
How cool is it to be a part of this? I love everyone in this picture and so grateful I am a part of the family.
I can say I was the director of the process all I want, but there is no question who is in charge. Miss Alma knows how to get things done. She's the best.
The inclusion of the General Lee gave us some space to work with while placing the fans in the picture. The standard placement was someone between Tom and Catherine and someone beside Sonny. We wanted to make sure the 01 was visible on the Gen'ral. If there were more people in the picture, we placed them beside Rick and on the other side of Catherine. We had up to eight people in a few pictures. When we needed more space, some people, usually kids, sat on the hay bales. Everything worked out great and I think everyone was really happy with their pictures.
I stood in as a Duke cousin for my picture and Alma cuddled up with Enos. I love the outcome. I am so proud of my contribution to the Dukes hobby with these professional pictures. These are very special.
A really cool moment was when Ray Brooks Jr. came through the line. Ray's father, Ray Brooks, was the make-up artist on the Dukes. Everyone was very excited to meet Ray and talk about how much they loved his dad. It was great that Ray made it to the event.
The process of getting everyone their picture with the cast took less time than expected and went without any hitches. Everyone left our photo tent area happy, the cast and the fans.
There were bouncy areas, a climbing wall, and blow up castles for the kids. I really considered doing some bouncing, but never got around to it. I am just a big kid after all.
The crowd was massive and people set up in front of the stage early. The lines for autographs got long quick too, but everyone was able to get their signatures.
Chris Hensel, who played Jeb Duke, was a part of the show and it was cool meeting him. Fans really enjoyed hanging with Cousin Jeb.
Byron Cherry was along for the ride as well. I'd never had a chance to meet Coy Duke before and I'm glad I finally got the opportunity at Good Ol' Boys Fest. Byron was really fun to hang out with. More on that later.
Dukes Lead Mechanic Tom Sarmento also attended the Fest. He kept the General Lee running behind the scenes and witnessed nearly every flight of the General Lee. I got to talk with Tom on Friday and he has so many great stories. His behind the scenes pictures and tales from production are legendary. If you ever get the chance, go to an event where Tom is a guest, and you won't be disappointed.
Everyone loves meeting Tom Wopat. He has a new album out that you should really check out.
So many people had their dreams come true by meeting Daisy Duke. Catherine is just the best.
This particular fan took a picture with me right after taking one with Daisy. This is my Twitter buddy Joe Ridgell. I love meeting people in person that I interact with online. Nice meeting you in real life Joe.
I'm not sure if anyone loves meeting their fans more than Sonny Shroyer. Meeting Enos is such a cool experience. Once you get through Enos's line, you have a new best friend.
I really love talking to Rick Hurst. Over the past few years I've gotten to know him pretty well and he is such a great guy. He loves his fans so much too.
I walked through the Hazzard County Car Lot and checked out some the cars being shown off. Here is a TV screen used General and a movie screen used General! How cool is that? Hazzard history right here.
The TV General Lee is WGL 76 which has tons of history to it, including being used in the Auto Trader commercial in addition to the Dukes show. I wrote a little about this car before.
Heath Gulley's General Lee is always a stand out at events like this. His orange is a little different than most Gen'rals and it always catches the eye of fans. I was chatting with Heath when a couple of people mentioned the color and how much they loved it. I love hanging with Heath, we have a lot in common and he is a great guy. I'm looking forward to the next time he comes and checks out my collection.
I have some history with this General Lee. I even teased a little about it on Twitter during the Fest.
This car belongs to Gary Jag, and once belonged to none other than Waylon Jennings. This is the Dukes of Hazzard Balladeer's own General Lee. Now that's special.
This same General Lee was used for the photo shoot we did with CMT all the way back in 2005 in Nashville. Gary didn't own it at that time, but CMT knew how special it was and included it in the event that Cooter and I were a part of. I told Gary that when I was in the car in 2005, the button for the Dixie Horn shocked me. Some things you never forget. He said all the wires are fixed now and I blew the horn with no shocks. Gary is a very cool guy and I really enjoyed talking to him about the car and my experience with it.
Gary has this note framed that he copied from a hand written note from Waylon about the car. This is so cool.
Waylon was at the event in spirit, and Gary has a great stand up of him in the car. It was great seeing this car again after 14 years.
Walking by this car, you might think this it's a standard General Lee replica...
But if you look closer, a few things are different. That grill, is that a NASCAR like decal?
This is the Northeast Ohio Dukes stunt General Lee, before it was jumped. Ray Kohn and his crew put on a heck of a stunt show on Sunday. I got to talk to Ray several times throughout the weekend. Ray puts a lot of work into his cars and shows and he really does a lot for the Dukes world.
It's always fun to see the more unique Dukes vehicles at bigger events.
But the General Lee is the star of the show for sure.
Of course, Dave and Melissia DeWitt had their mobile museum along for the event. It wouldn't be a Dukes event without them.
I couldn't have completed the 1/18 collection posts without Dave and Melissia's help. He brought a majority of his along to show off.
I love Dave's collection. He has completed so many mini collections and the condition of his items is so nice. I love his eye for design and how he displays everything. I want to be like Dave DeWitt when I grow up!
The door to Dave and Melissia's museum is a relic in itself. They've collected some great autographs on the door. At Good Ol' Boys Fest, they were able to add Dorothy Best's, Tom Sarmento's and Chris Hensel's autograph! That's one awesome door.
Definitely a welcome addition of the show was the activities on the Speedway track. We haven't had something like this since the old Dukesfest days. Fans could ride around the track in the General Lee and take the Extreme General Lee rides in the middle of the track.
Bobby Scott and Jett Yaskow directed the General Lee rides. It was a very efficient operation and made a lot of dreams come true.
Here're our pals Jeff and Amethyst Gardner right after their laps around the track.
These weren't leisurely laps, the General Lee was doing what it did best, straightenin' those curves!
I had to take a selfie when I was flying around the track.
The General Lee needs gas to run? I never saw Bo and Luke filling up. I thought it was powered by imagination, love, and a little bit of magic. Yup, that's what I am going with.
Jett and Bobby ran a heck of an operation keeping everyone safe and having fun. Great job guys.
The Extreme General Lee rides were in the middle of the track and were run my Kevin Waterman and his crew at Dynamic Stunts. The ride includes bootleg turns, drifting, one-eighties, and screams of excitement. There were probably a few yee-haws involved too.
Kevin built his stunt General Lee for the purpose of giving rides like this. That is probably the best use of a General Lee! Don't let me tell you, listen to Kevin in this video I put together of the General Lee rides!
That was so much fun!
I could have stayed on the track all day watching the General Lees!
There were General Lee and Hazzard County cars everywhere! Why can't that be the case all the time?
Great job Uncle Jesse!
There was a huge American flag hanging from a huger crane at the entrance to the speedway. You could see it from everywhere. It was an awesome site. I had to grab a picture of it. It's probably close to a mile away from where I took this picture, it's that big!
Saturday afternoon and evening I spent most of my time in the backstage area. I had a few duties to complete and helped some people get cars signed. I was also on stage a few times which is always fun.
I met up again with Ray Brooks Jr. while he was showing off this amazing cast picture. The over-sized photo was of the cast all gathered around Boss Hogg and they were all laughing at a MAD Magazine. Ray's dad had everyone sign it for him, including Denver and Sorrell. It had messages to Ray Sr. and is truly a special piece.
Turns out Ray is in the comics industry. Small world. I'm looking forward to talking to Ray again soon.
The cast picture is something I hadn't seen before. I definitely recognize the setting. This picture of Boss reading MAD magazine and the rest of the cast gathered around him appears to have been taken during the tree photo shoot where my favorite cast picture came from. There are several different photos from this shoot. I did a little research about this particular issue of the magazine.
Issue 219 came out in December of 1980.
Among articles such as "Those Wonderful Seventies! - A Year 2000 Backward Look at a Warm and Wonderful Decade" and "If We Ever Have Real Equal Rights Laws" there is a TV satire called "The Dopes of Haphazzard!" Wow! This is a photo of the cast reacting to a parody of themselves! What a great image for Ray Sr. to have autographed.
I tried to find the image online and came close. The above photo appeared in a later issue of MAD Magazine. It appeared in issue #222 in April 1981, just five months after the parody was published. Cletus and Boss don't seem as enthused with the parody after reading it. I didn't know about these Dukes references in the magazine and never saw either picture before. I'm really glad I met Ray and got to see his amazing autograph and learn about the Dukes in MAD. I just bought both issues from ebay. Keep an eye out for those in future "New Dukes Stuff" posts.
Back to Good Ol' Boys Fest! Here is General Lee owner Monty, with his wife Monica and their son Maximus along with Hazzard County Sheriff car owners Mike and Shannon hanging out backstage waiting for signatures. It took a little while, but we got them the autographs they needed.
If there's a posed and ramped General Lee set up for pictures, you better believe I'm gonna take pictures with it. This photo shoot set was waiting for the members of the band Confederate Railroad, but I took advantage of it while they were on stage. I like the photo a lot.
The Mayberry Deputy, David Browning, provided entertainment between the musical guests on Saturday. His act is really funny. I was on stage with him for a minute and he had the crowd chanting my name. Needless to say, I enjoyed that. He is performing at Shenandoah Jamboree at Cooter's in Luray on September 7. You shouldn't miss it.
The musical headliner Saturday night was Wynonna and the Big Noise. Her performance was a big deal and some people came just for her. She had a lot of fans there! Everyone really enjoyed her music. Saturday ended with a bang thanks to Wynonna and the Big Noise. It was a great day.
Sunday I went right back at it. We had another photo session scheduled with the cast. Matt, the photographer, asked me to jump in a picture with the General Lee for testing and I couldn't take a normal picture. This may be the first attempt at "The Burt" pose and I may have taken one where I'm not laughing and I may have autographed said serious pose and given them to certain actors from a certain television show that I write a certain blog about. Or that may all be made up. You decide.
This is a very fun picture of the Gen'ral.
Richie and Lyndsey got a group shot and it turned out very nice.
Jeff Gardner and his daughter Amethyst and their pal Jim Ogden helped make the group shots go smooth. They were great to work with and also helped all weekend with their General Lee golf cart. Me and Miss Alma jumped into their group shot and I think it's a keeper.
The group cast photos were a huge hit at Good Ol' Boys Fest and gave the fans a unique opportunity to meet all the cast members at once. I'm so glad we could make this happen. (I see you in that Led Zeppelin t-shirt, and I know why you're wearing it!)
Sunday the drone came out and I got some "lay of the land" shots. That's a lot of orange!
Here's the track with all the General Lees around it, and the entire venue. This was a huge operation.
Here's my home base. The photo booth was a happening place all weekend. It sure is nice to have a tent. The photo booth was an upgrade from my trivia booth at Cooter's Last Stand. We gotta do trivia again soon though.
When I delivered my autographed posed photo to Rick, he enjoyed it so much he said we had to take a picture together. I went with Rick's classic "okay" gesture and I think I took the best picture I've taken with Rick.
How could I not take some pictures of this fun Dukes tribute Jeep? Dave Starliper put this bad boy together. Very cool Dave.
Elsa wanted to take a selfie with me too. I can't refuse my fans.
I grabbed a picture with Ray Kohn before he went to get prepared for his stunt show.
And I even grabbed a selfie with the man himself, Ol' Crazy Cooter, Ben Jones. We are all so grateful for everything Ben and Alma do for us Dukes of Hazzard fans. This hobby wouldn't be what it is without them.
The event had two finales. The first one was on stage with the cast. Dorothy Best, Chris Hansel, Tom Sarmento, Byron Cherry, Rick and Sonny got on stage first and were getting ready to join Tom Wopat who was already performing.
When the whole cast got on stage, I followed. I was able to get some fun pictures from the stage.
The fans loved seeing everyone on stage sing Good Ol' Boys at Good Ol' Boys Fest. I know I sure did. Next up, the stunt show!
People got their seats in the stands around the track early. It was definitely a packed crowd.
There were people lined up all along the outside of the track too. Everyone wanted to see the action.
I've seen a few cars "skied" but I've never seen a beautiful woman surf a ski car. Wow! Great job stunt crew!
Jamey Smith had his Crown Vic General Lee there and he skied it all the way around the track!
All the way around! Without stopping! That's incredible! How do you turn when the car is on two wheels? Just incredible!
Some of the cast and crew enjoyed the stunt show from the inside of the track. I was fortunate to get a great view of everything.
Northeast Ohio Duke recreated the exploding double pipe jump from the Carnival of Thrills episode. They nailed it. I love the explosion!
The jump Ray Kohn performed was perfect. It was long and high and the crowd went crazy! Great job Ray! What a show!
While everything was winding down, I grabbed a picture with Byron. What a fun guy. I thought that would be the only picture I took of him on the track...
There was a lot of destruction on the track after the show. A horrendous crash!!! I love it! I love it!!!
This General Lee has seen better days. But it doesn't look that bad, The modifications Ray made to it really help lessen the destruction.
For some reason, I was one of the first people out to the jumped Gen'ral. I had to grad a pic with it. I get to have so much fun at Dukes events.
Matt King, Bill Shafer, Billy Lambing, and I grabbed a photo on the track. We were just about to take it when someone else came over.
We told the passerby to jump in the photo.
He decided to jump in front of the camera.
Then run around like Godzilla in front of the camera.
Then Byron finally jumped in the picture.
And proceed to goof around. What a great picture with a bunch of Good Ol' Boys at the Good Ol' Boys Fest.
Right before I left I got word that the owner of the movie General Lee that I posted about earlier wanted to meet me. He said he wanted more autographs on his trunk lid. He heard I was in the movie. Wow, what an honor, to add my signature to such an important car!
He has signatures from many of the real Dukes, but I didn't notice any movie cast members. I'd be glad to be the fist.
I wrote my name pretty small and added "Hazzard Citizen" under it. That's how I'm listed on IMDB. I was asked later why I didn't add DukesCollector to the signature. Good question. Maybe next time.
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