If you're a classic TV buff like me, and you remember the '80s TV show "The Dukes of Hazzard" (or maybe your own young'un has been watching it on CMT for the past couple years), then you probably know the huge phenomenon that surrounds this action-adventure hit that originally aired on CBS. Quite a few years after the show went off the air in 1985, much like the original "Star Trek," there began to be a huge fan resurgence. It was helped along, of course, when TNN (back in the '90s when it was The Nashville Network) began reairing the episodes, and it exploded all over again with the advent of the yearly DukesFest event and the further reairing of episodes on CMT in 2005 through this year (along with a movie remake or two!).
"Dukes" fans gather for all kinds of fun events throughout the year, not just DukesFest. And they are as active as all get-out on Internet sites such as the Confederate General Lee Fan Club. This weekend, though, there is a new "Dukes" event being born: the Hillbilly Woodstock 2 Dukes of Hazzard Cruise, which has been rolling through North Carolina, Tennessee and northern Georgia for the past week and now winds up for two days of fun this weekend in Covington, Georgia -- where the first five episodes of "The Dukes" filmed.
I had a chance to hang out with the cruisers last night at their host hotel, the Super 8 in Covington (off exit 92 of Interstate 20, if you're in the area today!). We watched some video footage of the event so far and had some fun. James (Rosco P. Coltrane) Best and Byron (Coy Duke) Cherry are along for the ride, along with a host of mechanics and stunt guys who worked on the show behind the scenes. They'll all be meeting and greeting at the hotel today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (that's where I'm headin' when I complete this post!) and we'll be hanging out tomorrow on the beautiful Covington Historic Square downtown (where several "Dukes" scenes were shot).
And having attended plenty of other "Dukes" events, I can tell ya that this one is a great one. Organizer Wayne Wooten is determined to bring fans together in the spirit of fun, integrity and down-home friendship. Wayne, by the way, is a guy well-known in "Dukes" circles. He was able to procure a generous "contribution" to "Dukes" fandom from Warner Bros. back in the '90s -- 17 of the screen-used actual, genuine General Lee cars that had been sitting on a back lot for years. Those cars now reside with fans who love and appreciate them, because of the work of Wayne and the kindness of the WB. Now that's a hobby one can be proud of!
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