This is a shot of the proposed area for the group photo. Gotta figure out how much zooooom I will need to make it work. Maybe a panoramic shot with Fontana Dam in the background would work from down on the ground

Hey Black73 (Gary), when you took this shot, do you remember the zoom factor?

Okteenerfest will take place at the Lodge at Valley View in Townsend, TN . A block of rooms has been reserved for us so start making plans to attend. Got a great rate considering the time of year (peak season here in the Smokies). Amenities include the banquet hall, a large grassy area for the car show, fire pit, outdoor video screen, and more. Local PCA has held events here over the years and it is a really nice venue.

Lodging details can be found in the first post of this thread.
Registration Info and a web site with online registration and payment will be coming soon.

Count me in, I'll contact the Atlanta teeners. Al

Glad to hear, Al. Hope to see a large contingent of Atlanta area guys.

This place doesn't sound too inviting.

Trip Advisor

I've been there twice. No, it's not the Ritz Carlton, but I've never had an issue and I know the local Porsche Club goes there yearly. If there were issues, they wouldn't return. But no, don't expect Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt type. It's a Lodge in the mountains. A bit rustic, but nice and clean from our experiences. It has all the amenities we need, and it's not $200/night.

Our block of rooms are in Building 3 which has been recently renovated and is nice. The room they showed me was decent enough. Back when my daughter was in competitive cheer, we spent upwards of $200/night at Hiltons and such that were no better.
Bob has stayed at the Lodge in years past during the local PCA Spring Thing so he would have a better idea of what some of the other rooms are like. To be honest, some of those reviews surprised me
Yeah, there are random construction items and such lying around the grounds but who cares For our needs, it is perfect! Huge grassy area for the car show, outdoor video screen, fire pit, etc. But best of all is that it is along the driving route rather than 20-30 minutes away which means more time the twisties and less time "getting there".

Boy, I would love to join this event if it can be worked out .....TowDolly the 914 to Ball Ground, GA. Leave (or take) the wife with her best friend and bring my buddy Ned up to the Tail of the Dragon.
With my shifter bushings completely revamped I have new life in my little baby.
Working on the perfect break from the Florida heat, my wife loves Townsend so that works as well!!!
I would rather attend this event over the Petit LeMans....did I just say that?

YES!!! If you own a 914 you must drive the TAIL OF THE DRAGON....in your 914!

Vysoc

I have lived here all my life and this will be my first chance to drive the Dragon in my 914! You are so right it is a must do if you have a 914. Much like in Top Gear this could be one of the best roads in the world to drive. Do what ever you have to but get here it will be worth it!

As far as the lodging goes, this is not a bad place. It is not the best hotel in the world either. But I live very close but I am still staying here because meeting people and driving my 914 are the top items on the agenda.

I showed the reviews to my wife and she said and I quote "Well I hope we spend more time with the people and driving the car than being in the room. That is the point of this right?" Hard to debate that!

Absolutely correct, Mike. There should be no one hanging out in their room during this event. Going to be too busy...

That's good to know. I didn't mean to stir the poop, but when I say some of the reviews I was a bit surprised.

Thanks and looking forward to

As was I
Guess it is kinda like a 914 that looks good from the outside but upon closer inspection you find the rusty areas. Still a decent car but rough in spots

Moderators
can we get a highlight on this thread?
thanks!

(trying to schedule this in, SO even receptive, need to rent trailer if we go and arrange parking spot for the previous week. We would combine the trip with Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro, TN previous weekend)

Plans for the autocross are moving right along.

If you will be attending Okteenerfest, will you also be autocrossing?

The location for the autocross is a favorite among local PCAers as it is HUGE. Here is Huey on a run last year...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP4wijHvVZI




Hey, Mods... could you please highlight this thread? thank you!

The picture of the green 914 took me back to 1974. I purchased a 1972 that looked very nearly the same with 26, 000 miles. The bumper protrusions are the only visual difference I spotted.
I usually go to Townsend TN in the spring to a British show, now I will have a 914 event to look forward to.

Finally got the web site ready for the public.
Still working on pricing so registration form is not yet online.
All info will be posted at okteenerfest.com first and then listed here and other online forums.

Hey Steve. Sorry for the delayed response. I was on vacation when you posted and just saw this today. As for zoom factor, I set the Nikon on "auto", point and click! LOL, sorry I can't be more helpful.

Looking forward to seeing you in October.

The website looks great Steve!

Can't wait!

Thanks, Doug.

Thanks, Gary. Guess I will have to drive out there and do some camera tests. I talked to a guy that is involved with Minis and when they take a picture of the 500+ cars at this location, they have someone come in with a bucket truck. I like that idea since the dam will then be in the background.

Should have exciting news concerning the autocross in the next day or two. Stay tuned

I wanted to bring this to the top again...
So...I am kinda in charge of getting prices together, and for the past month or so I have been EXTREMELY busy with a bunch of crap that most of you wouldn't care to hear about...let alone the blown engine on Papa Smurf... But those are stories for another day.

We are targeting getting registration open on August 1. We just have some things to sort out from a pricing standpoint. I am also trying to work with the interim 914 Registry advocate to make this an official Registry annual event. Lots of moving parts in the background going on....

Quick question though for the Saturday night dinner: we can do steaks on the grill, or be a bit more casual (and much cheaper) and do burgers, chicken etc. The place has a great outdoors area that is perfect for grilling and hanging out. I am more toward the casual....I'd personally rather be walking around talking to people and looking at cars with a burger and beer than sit down with a steak knife (yikes, knives with this group??? ) and such. But...what does everyone prefer?

PM or post here.

We really want to make this an annual event. First year will have growing pains, but I really think every that comes will have a great time!!

Burgers

and beer!

Let's see ... Cali to the Black Mountains in October, then hang out somewhere until the Tropical Ramble in November

Now, if only I could find a place to stay in between ...

since it fell back a few pages, I thought it would be good to bring this back up...the awesome video Steve posted of one of our runs that we will be doing on Okteenerfest! (I watched it again this morning and got excited!)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruZ9ti7IZRo

Hotel reservations made! Waiting for web site to open for registration. Now all I have to do is completely reassemble the interior of the car, install my new engine, buy and install a front sway bar, fix numerous electrical issues, and generally sort all of that out before October.

What that could take a single weekend? Not a problem. Right. I hope I get it all done!

Mike,
You should be able to finish that by October with no problem... but save the front sway bar until last just in case you start running short of time.

True Steve but after seeing your video I think the sway bar is a requirement! Maybe I can leave the motor out?

FINALLY got confirmation concerning the autocross...
The Okteenerfest Autocross will be held at the HUGE parking lot at Splash Country in Pigeon Forge
We have arranged to run with the Smoky Mountain Region so there will be other Porsches in attendance besides our 914s. Should be a fun competition for Fastest Time of Day

REGISTER HERE Registration fee is $70 which includes event t-shirt, Friday night meal, car show entry and voting privileges, Saturday night awards banquet, door prize(s) and goodie bag.
Sunday's Autocross is optional with price to be announced. Will most likely be in the $25-35 range. This will be collected at the event.
This is a BYOB event. Feel free to bring the adult beverages of your choice for use at the evening gatherings. Soft drinks, water, coffee and tea will be provided throughout the weekend so you won't go thirsty.

FYI, In order to keep the registration costs lower, and allow people to enjoy their beverage of choice, we decided to make the entire weekend a BYOB event. This way if you don't drink alcohol, or we don't provide your specific preferred adult beverage, you don't feel you are funding the costs for others.

The autocross will be held at Splash Country in Pigeon Forge (about a 30 minute scenic drive from Townsend with one very fun curvy section).
We will be sharing the course with the local PCA region so there will be other Porsche models besides the 914s being run.
There will be separate Okteenerfest awards for our group.
The fee for the autocross will be announced as soon as we know what it will be. Most likely in the $25-35 range.

Click to view attachment

Der Nebelbergring (Smoky Mountain Ring)

Breakdown of the drive on Friday, October 11th.

Stage 1: Foothills Parkway
Stage 2: The Dragon
Stage 3: Moonshiner 28, part 1: Fontana Road
914 GROUP PHOTO at Fontana Dam
Stage 4: Moonshiner 28, part 2: Fontana Road / 143 to Robbinsville
LUNCH in Robbinsville
Stage 5: River Run – Hwy 19/74
Stage 6: Great Smoky Mountains Expressway to Cherokee
Stage 7: Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Stage 8: Little River Road

Each stage ranges from just under half an hour to around 60 minutes.
5+ hours of driving time

Here is a "graphic" of the drive. Tried loading it to the above thread but I got a database error.

Click to view attachment

For all those that have been following Nadine and my adventures with the Dragon Hill Climb, register and attend so you can run up the same road as the Hill Climb!

Bob we all are counting on you telling us how to do it right! Or at least pick up a few pointers on what not to do. Hopefully my car will be ready by then. Engine is in. Just need to adjust carbs and such then on to the interior.

If you have never experienced the 318 curves of the Dragon, now is your chance to do so with a group of 914s. This 11 mile stretch of twisting, turning mountain road will challenge any 914 driver and is guaranteed to put a grin on your face.

As the second leg of Friday's all-day drive, "Der Nebelbergring", we will travel south "up" the Dragon and then further south and east into North Carolina. If you desire more time on the Dragon, you will have a chance to return on Saturday afternoon during "free time".

As a bonus, you will have to drive the Foothills Parkway to reach the beginning of the Dragon. Yeah, I know... nearly 15 miles of scenic sweepers to reach 11 miles of insane twists and turns. Such torture.

Just remember, the Dragon is known to bite those who lose their focus.

Click to view attachment

Register at OKTEENERFEST web site.

I'm officially stoked for this event. I just spent a week in western NC and was fortunate enough to drive some of the roads and see the scenery. Should be a great even all around.



Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment

Nice panoramics, Doug.

Now imagine that in fall colors

Nice pics Doug. Is that the young bride on the bridge?

That would be her.

Nice!

OK, so we have all these people that posted that this is a great idea, and a great event, so where are all of you? Come on! Sign up!!

Nadine and I are going up there to scout out the route this weekend and finalize some stuff. I'll get more video and pictures to have our videomeister to post...

Based on a request from Steve, I have secured a number of items that will be donated to the event and distributed as the organizers see fit!

Register it will be worthwhile!

Thank you, Mike! You have quite the selection of goodies to distribute. We really appreciate that.

Also, I'd like to mention some others who have stepped up with donations:
• Jim McIntosh is donating a custom, one-of-a-kind Okteenerfest frame.
• US129Photos.com will be offering a discount on photos from the Dragon and possibly custom poster(s).
• A friend of mine in Pigeon Forge will be supplying coupons for savings on Old Time Photos and/or accessories. Not exactly sure on the details.

If you would like to donate goodie bag items and/or door prizes, please contact me or Bob (naro914).

And everyone else... sign up already!

Add to that list a must have if you are doing any welding. A fire resistant full leather welding jacket. It may be hot but it saves lots of burnt skin!

Click to view attachment


More to come!

We are pleased to announce that John Forbes at Black Forest Racing will be sponsoring our trophies and supplying us with some 'unique' items to use as trophies . John is certainly a 914 expert...at any given time there are at least 20+ 914's at his shop...

John has also indicated that he plans to bring a very special 'barn find' 914 he recently acquired. You'll want to see this!!