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attroll
01-30-2004, 02:23
I am interested and possibly thinking of going to Trail Days this year. I have never been before and would like some more information on it. Is there a home page on the web for this?

Miss Janet
01-30-2004, 02:56
The Trail Days site does not come up right now and there is no new information on the Damascus.org site.
From a reliable source I hear that they are going to charge $5.00 per car for a parking tag. I don't have a problem with the charge but the parking /camping situation was BAD last year. The camping area was fine but not with 500 cars trying to drive in to the camp area to visit every day. Any ideas?

steve hiker
01-30-2004, 03:08
From a reliable source I hear that they are going to charge $5.00 per car for a parking tag. I don't have a problem with the charge but the parking /camping situation was BAD last year. The camping area was fine but not with 500 cars trying to drive in to the camp area to visit every day. Any ideas?
Make them hike in.

Cedar Tree
01-30-2004, 06:54
The increase in fees to attend Trail Days is unbelievable this year. As a vendor, I paid $95 for my booth space last year. This year it is $200, more than double last year.

Lone Wolf
01-30-2004, 07:43
Janet, who is your reliable source? I was at the Trail Days meeting. There will be a $10 fee for parking inside the gates for the whole weekend. All vehicles will be parked in one area. $200 for a vendor for 4 days at a festival the size of trail days is a good deal. There will be less vendors this year so more profit for y'all. It is May 13-16.

chomp
01-30-2004, 09:02
10 Bucks to park for the entire weeke seems like a good deal. I am totally on board with a "parking area", as last year moving the cars all around was a total pain. Can't speak for how much it costs for the vendors, but over double is a pretty big jump.

attroll
01-30-2004, 09:10
Janet, who is your reliable source? I was at the Trail Days meeting. There will be a $10 fee for parking inside the gates for the whole weekend. All vehicles will be parked in one area. $200 for a vendor for 4 days at a festival the size of trail days is a good deal. There will be less vendors this year so more profit for y'all. It is May 13-16.
$200 for a vendor, wow. I was thinking of setting up a booth if I can find time to go and have some T-Shirts done. But not for $200. Maybe I could find a vendor that will let me sit in there booth.

Lone Wolf
01-30-2004, 09:11
The doubling of vendor fees SEEMS high but there is a big waiting list of them wanting in. This year is invitation only. Also Backpacker Mag is sponsoring Trail Daze. They're paying for a big name band yet to be announced.

chomp
01-30-2004, 09:12
$200 for a vendor, wow. I was thinking of setting up a booth if I can find time to go and have some T-Shirts done. But not for $200. Maybe I could find a vendor that will let me sit in there booth.
Maybe you can team up with Leif and Zipdrive from Trailjournals. I know that they always have a booth, and I am sure they are not too excited about having the fee doubled on them.

chomp
01-30-2004, 09:14
The doubling of vendor fees SEEMS high but there is a big waiting list of them wanting in. This year is invitation only. Also Backpacker Mag is sponsoring Trail Daze. They're paying for a big name band yet to be announced.
Wow - that is very cool. Its funny, I always get the impression that Damascus wants nothing to do with Trail Days anymore. But this kind of organization seems to suggest the contrary.

warren doyle
02-02-2004, 14:39
Lone Wolf, thanks for the update on Trail Days. I believe you are the best source on WhiteBlaze.net for accurate information on this event.
The recent developments, for the good or for the bad, is another reason why the Gathering will always be different than Trail Days.

Streamweaver
02-02-2004, 15:18
Backpacker Mag is sponsoring Trail Daze. LOL Man thats like Mercedes Benz Sponsoring Sturgis!! Streamweaver

Tabasco
02-25-2004, 13:36
http://www.traildays.nstemp.com/

They list some camping places on the site, but a lot of them seem to be 20 or so miles out of town. Where can one camp *IN* Damascus?

Lone Wolf
02-25-2004, 13:57
There's a big fenced-in area about .8 out of town where all the camping and gear reps will be. There will be shuttle buses too.

smokymtnsteve
02-25-2004, 13:59
It's past noon..I didn't know they had internet access at dots :dance

attroll
02-25-2004, 14:02
What are the actual dates? Sasquatch the page you posted has 8 - 16 May, L. Wolf posted that is was 13 - 16 May. What is the dates?

Is there a list of events somewhere?

smokymtnsteve
02-25-2004, 14:03
trail days is a week long event ...but the main "party" is the weekend

Lone Wolf
02-25-2004, 14:13
attroll, Trail Days is May 8-16 but activities mainly for hikers begin on the13th.

attroll
02-25-2004, 14:33
:-? This is going to be a problem for me. I really wanted to make it to Trail Days this year. But it is 950 miles one way. That is about 1 1/2 days of driving. To top that I only have a weeks vacation this year. It has to be Starting on Sunday and Ending on a Sunday. So that means I would have to Leave Saturday afternoon to come back or earlier. The last Saturday and Sunday of Trail Days I am sure will be the best days to be there. :(

smokymtnsteve
02-25-2004, 14:52
:-? . To top that I only have a weeks vacation this year. :(


with only a weeks vacation do not go to TRAIL DAYS...go HIKING for a week in your favorite season.. :banana

attroll
02-25-2004, 15:00
with only a weeks vacation do not go to TRAIL DAYS...go HIKING for a week in your favorite season.. :banana
That looks like the better of the two right now.

smokymtnsteve
02-25-2004, 15:02
you could always fly in to the tri cities airport ...near johnson city TN.

SGT Rock
02-25-2004, 19:00
I am trying to get to Trail Days this year. the time looks like I may be able to make it.

loonyhiker
02-25-2004, 20:11
My hubby and I will be going to Trail Days this year. We will be spending the weekend at the Maples Bed and Breakfast. Hope to see some of you there.

loonyhiker:sun

Skeemer
03-10-2004, 22:52
I would like to come back for Trail Days this year. (missed it last year...stayed on the Trail) I was thinking about camping at Grayson Highlands State Park and driving about 20 miles each day to Damascus for the festivities. Would that be a mistake...as in would I be missing anything by doing this? I have a camper and the park has the hook ups, etc...thought it would be nice to use it. I'm not that hung up on camping in my tent in Damascus as I will be doing plenty of that during my trail hiking this year. Does anyone else stay here?

Hammock Hanger
03-10-2004, 23:00
If you don't mind the drive back and forth it would be a good alternative. You would probably be able to do a little trail angeling by transporting a few hikers back to Damascus. Or helping hikers do a few slacks while in town. HH

Lone Wolf
03-10-2004, 23:54
Skeemer, there is the private Iron Horse Campground 2 miles west of town on Hwy. 58 with full hookups, Bear Tree campground National Forest is 7miles east of town on hwy. 58, and Backbone Rock national forest campgrond is south of town 3 miles. Grayson is too far away on a winding curvy road.

smokymtnsteve
03-11-2004, 00:08
back bone rock is cool

A-Train
03-11-2004, 02:34
I'm planning on hiking a day or two during Traildays in the Highlands. Hopefully the trail will be more empty with everyone in town. Would definately love if someone could help shuttle me especially if Skeemer or others were heading into town on a daily basis.

MOWGLI
03-11-2004, 09:02
The ink is almost dry on the Trail Days schedule. I am scheduled to give a presentation on Friday May 14 from 4:30 - 5:30 PM in Rock School Auditorium.

“The Southern Appalachians Initiative - a 5000 Mile Network of Trails” by Jeffrey Hunter of American Hiking Society and the National Park Service’s RTCA Program.

The program will immediately follow the Reunion/Reception for AT 2000 milers that will be held in the same room from 1-4. If any of you Whiteblaze members are at Trail Days, please stop by for the presentation, or just to say hello. I'll be profiling a bunch of great trails in the SE during the program. The project I work on seeks to tie them all together to make one big network of trails.

Jeffrey Hunter
aka Little Bear GA-ME 2000

Jaybird
03-11-2004, 09:38
I am interested and possibly thinking of going to Trail Days this year. I have never been before and would like some more information on it. Is there a home page on the web for this?


if things work out on the homefront...i'm planning to drive up to TRAIL DAYS friday nite & stay thru Sunday morning............somewhere!

might grab a cheap motel room in Mountain City,TN :D



hope to meet some of you WHITEBLAZERS in person!

Texas Dreamer
03-11-2004, 09:52
hope to meet some of you WHITEBLAZERS in person![/QUOTE]
Members of a fiber and textile internet group I belong to print out "official" nametags to wear at such events so that we can identify our "e-friends". Does this group do anything like that?

yogi clyde
03-11-2004, 23:57
I was hoping to get to Trail Days and meeting some of you folks, but
since I am starting my thru hike April 18th, I will probably be in
the middle of the Smokies not might not make it.

Have a fun time!

bearbait2k4
03-12-2004, 00:42
Hey, Yogi Clyde...

If you make it to Hot Springs by that time (which averages to be about 10 miles per day), the Outfitter offers shuttles, which isn't too bad if enough people are rounded up. You may want to go to trailjournals.com, or even here, and post that you would like a ride, and the area you are going to be at.

You may luck out, and someone headed up that way could be passing right by you on the trail. If you do this, you'll have no problem getting a ride back to where you are on the trail.

Hammock Hanger
03-12-2004, 08:52
First let me say that you are starting only 18 days late then I did and I hiked right into Trail Days. Excellent timing. I was no speed demon so unless you are exceptionaly slow you should be in the area (close enough for a ride) to be there.

Even if you were only in the Smokies all is not lost. Last year I shuttled 2 girls from the Smokies to TDays, so it can happen. Just use the web.

Good Luck. Sue/HH

RAT
03-12-2004, 15:34
Hey Trash :
Everything Lone Wolf says is true. $10 fee for all weekend parking in a designated "parking only" area inside the "Toxic Waste Zoo" , no charge to park outside or to hike in. There will be an area for ALL the vendors to be in one circle around a large fire pit (to eliminate the problem last yr of some vendors trying to "run the show" there). Also there will be an "IN" gate and an "OUT" gate which will help the traffic flow problem immensely. Also as I remember correctly many yrs ago the vendor fees for the park (near gazebo) were as high as $200, I will check into that, but either way with less vendors or not, it is a GOOD deal with a LONG list waiting to sign up and do it. Take it or leave it! Backpacker IS NOT SPONSORING TRAIL DAYS !!!! They are simply paying for a few ammenities (sp?) . I will post it here when it is known as I am sure I will be one of the first to know lol. The RAT band will be playing at the Old Mill on Thursday 9 to 12:30 as usual BE THERE !! The comment on damascus folks not wanting TD`s anymore is a little off. There was only a few money grubbers there that were in charge of things that wanted it that way so their need$ would be better served, but luckily those peeps are slowly being phased out! The majority of the nice folks in Big D love and tolerate TD`s and always will, hell, it's bigger (and more lucrative) than X-mas !!!! Thanks for all the good feedback here, look for Hobocentral.com in the coming weeks.(donations now being accepted) See ya there,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,RAT

PS(shuttles are never a problem during this from ANYWHERE so be there,no excuses) This yrs Rat>Patrol theme "MORE IN `04" HAIRNT !!

VSA
03-16-2004, 21:22
I suggest you go to trail days just for the week end if you can. Oops, boss, my car broke down, ... Uhm, i am in a real small town, it might take me a few days to get the parts....

Just a suggestion ;)

ron bell
04-04-2004, 10:07
Are there different areas for vendors? Is the campsite .8 ? out of town the best palce for a vendor?

Any tips or suggestions for a first time vendor?

Many Thanks

tlbj6142
04-04-2004, 21:56
Last year most of the vendors (Hennessy, Six Moon Designs, Moonbow, Equinox, etc.) were in once place (in town). There were a few vendors (Leki, Granite Gear, MSR) that had their "booths" (and onsite repair shops) inside of the campsite outside of town.

Lone Wolf
04-05-2004, 06:47
Gear reps only are allowed inside the campground and are there to repair gear and give stuff away. They aren't allowed to sell anything.

tlbj6142
04-05-2004, 09:48
They aren't allowed to sell anything.Was it that way last year? While MSR and Leki were only "selling" repair kits and/or labor, it certainly looked like I could have bought a stuff sack from Granite Gear. Though they did have an onsite sewing truck to repair packs and such.

yogi clyde
04-15-2004, 08:17
Hey, Yogi Clyde...

If you make it to Hot Springs by that time (which averages to be about 10 miles per day), the Outfitter offers shuttles, which isn't too bad if enough people are rounded up. You may want to go to trailjournals.com, or even here, and post that you would like a ride, and the area you are going to be at.

You may luck out, and someone headed up that way could be passing right by you on the trail. If you do this, you'll have no problem getting a ride back to where you are on the trail.

Hey Bearbait

Thanks for the info, I was wondering if I could find a way to Trail Days from Hot Springs.

I plan to start out my hike taking it easy, I might just make it to Hot Springs in time.

I'd love to meet up with some of the folks here.

Happy Trails to all