As someone that has not attended a nationals event before and someone that is deciding to go at the last minute and therefore, has no reservations or other advanced planning accommodations, I'm starting to wonder if maybe I should find something else to do over the weekend after seeing the stories of no rooms, no parking, etc, etc. So, is it just not possible to drive there and find a room within a reasonable distance of the show and drive back and forth and park at the show??? Do all the events require advance booking? I don't have a car to show so really just looking to meet some fellow CO folks and spend a day at the show, hunt some parts and head back to the Hotel for some BEER and BS. I've looked at the event calendar and checked out some other sites but don't really have a good feel for what to expect...other than possible pandemonium. Hopefully I'm overreacting to the other event posts but would like to know a little more about what to expect before driving 5 hours over the mountain from NC.

Thanks!!! .... and hope to see some of you there....maybe .

 

I can't speak from experience here, but I can tell you that rooms are still plentiful in Johnson City and Bristol. So if worse came to worse, you would probably have a nice place to stay if you didn't mind driving a little. I don't know what to expect regarding the show either because I've never been to one of these.

 

I was going to message you and see if you were going or not but now I can't go. Maybe a future event we can meet up again. The guy that bought your old car from me has vanished. I do not know where he or the car went.

 

It's definitely worth going for the show and swap meet. Prime show viewing will be Friday during judging, as all cars will be on the showfield. On other days people may be off with their cars doing other events. Spectators are free. Spectator parking is apparently very tough to come by, however. As Bill notes, rooms are plentiful if you don't mind being 30-60 min away. Heck, my daily commute is much more than that!

Yes, all the "official" events require buying tickets, but many will be just hanging around. There's a C.O. member dinner on tap for Thurs night.

 

Sounds good Eric. Was hoping to see you and your family there but completely understand about family priorities and hope and pray that your father is on the mend and back on his feet in no time!

 

Not getting into town until Friday so will have to miss the dinner but determined to track down some CO members...heck, will there be folks there that are not members of this great site??

Anyway, if I manage to leave with some motivation to move forward on my 'project' and some new friends, then it will have been worth it.

 

Quick update. This is one of the best Olds swap meets I've been to, at least for the people looking for 1964-72 A-body parts. I did more business while unloading the truck yesterday than I did at the last two or three Carlisle swap meets. There are some amazing parts for sale (NOS D-head castings, for example). I probably am going to hurt myself here.

 

Joe: That's great to hear . My plan is similar to Scott's as I'm also planning to drive over the mountain from NC tomorrow. I have to call the overflow hotels to see about spectator parking and taking the shuttle. It's a day trip for me (2.5 hrs or so each way).

 

I'll be in around 3:30pm today. What time does the swap meet typically close for the day?

 

As long as someone is at the booth.... but I always found it starting to dye around 6:30 to 7:00

 

Due to the heat we shut down around 5:30 last night. Seems like everyone else had pretty much the same idea.

 

You need a sign that says "beat the heat sale" Open 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM.

 

Yeah, that's a long day for sure. You need one of those styrofoam cooler air conditioners. I've seen them but always wondered how well they work. I have a garage fan I can bring if you want some additional airflow. Let me know, leaving in 20 min.

 

We are coming to this event tomorrow and would like for someone tell where in Kingsport is this event at or is some of it happening at the Bristol speedway?

 

http://www.ocanationals.com/travel.html

 

Thanks Joe, been inside there before at an invitational rare muscle car show several years back.