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Event Reports

Cherokee Blue Ridge Run

To Read The Full Article, Go To www.cyclesource.com

Article And Photos By: Chris Callen

Originally Published In The September 2018 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine

Cherokee North Carolina has had a long-standing tradition of supporting the biker culture with events. The first ever SmokeOut was right on the reservation and for a long time the Blueridge Run was legendary as one of the coolest party events of the time. Last year, after a five or six-year hiatus, the Cherokee Blue Ridge Run came back to life. Through the work of Mark and Yvonne Creswell and the Cherokee Nation, the put down a flag for this event to once again take its place among the list of national rallies. Let’s face it, I would hardly have to sell you on a reason to end up at this event. It’s located just at the end of the Blue Ridge Parkway at mile 469. So even on the way there you will have more than your fill of incredible riding. It sits at what they call the gateway to the Great Smokey Mountains and you would have a hard time finding a location more perfect a backdrop for a motorcycle event. Article And Photos By: Chris Callen Let me tell you about 2017, the first year back in the saddle. For us, we brought the Grease & Gears Garage crew out for a sweet ass set up. We incorporated builders that we brought in with artisans who were on hand and had killer segments all weekend, but this isn’t about us.

Perewitz held a paint show, Jay Allen was the Emcee, the American  Motordrome was there, right next to Circus Una. It was a full-on rally. We threw a ride in bike show on Sunday and there were stunts shows outside our venue all weekend as well. The guys from the Kustom Culture Artisans shows threw down some incredible prize money for their indoor show and the bikes that rolled in were unbelievable. Shovels and Evos and Pans oh my. Tim Dixon took top honors with his sweet little pan, a much-deserved accolade in the crowd of finely finished machinery. Outside the party rolled on. The big rig Yamaha truck did their best to keep knees in the breeze, sending out packs of a dozen or more test riders, I like to call them stunt pilots, every ten minutes. The place is a natural amphitheater of sorts, so it isn’t hard to get great sound for the bands. Although they do have a stage and seating set up the people take more of a festival approach to the enjoyment of it with asses on grass all over the place.

This year there are plans for expansion already. The Cherokee Nation is stepping up to make the Artisan Show one of the qualifying rounds for the AMD World Championships. That means the winner from the Freestyle class will get $2000 in prize money plus $7000 in travel money to go to Germany in 2020 to represent Team America in the Worlds. There will be a total of $18,000 in prize money across all the classes of the show. Both the Perewitz Paint and Cycle Source shows are back this year and are ride in shows open to the public. Taylor Schultz will be doing Pinstriping classes for young and old and will even have helmets for kids to paint on while they are there. It sounds like they are building a race track and while I am not sure at this moment if there will be AMA sanctioned races at this year’s show or if it will be a hooligan style event, the plans are to work with the AMA in the future. Grease & Gears Garage will be back in full swing with new presentations from the world of Custom Motorcycle Building, and our boys from the Wall Of Death will be sliding, diving and racing around a straight up and down board wall. All in all, I’d have to say that big things are coming down the pipe for this event and I’d put it on your radar if you are a fan of the great riding the Smokey Mountains have to offer. Check the out at http://www. blueridgerun.com or just catch us in the Smokies!

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