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By: CJ Rena Johnson
Hatfield-McCoy
TrailFest 2009: an Off-Roader’s Heaven on Earth
Fueling up
The Mud Pit
Lining Up For Parade
View of Road from the Top of the World
TrailFest Vendors
Wedding in the Mud Pit |
The 9th Annual Hatfield-McCoy National
TrailFest in Gilbert, WV went off once again
without a hitch! In a town with a general
population of just over 200, they sure know how
to make room for a couple of thousand ATVers.
We arrived early on Friday morning and were
immediately impressed with how well they were
organized. Events were planned for the entire
weekend. Vendors were set up, showing their
products, and giving demo rides of their
vehicles. TrailFest Entertainment and Special
Events were also getting underway around town
and inside the Larry Joe Harless Community
Center. The Trail System was perfectly groomed
and ready for the load of riders that always
attend their annual TrailFest.
The Hatfield-McCoy Trail System
Of all the events and wonderful things going on,
the trail system still seemed to be at the top
of the list for the weekend. Besides, what is an
ATV Trail Festival without awesome trails on
which to ride? The Hatfield-McCoy Trail System
definitely had that covered with some of the
best off-road trails in America. I am not alone
when I say they are some of my favorite trails
on the east coast.
One of the reasons this place tops my list of
favorite places to ride is because it is so ATV
friendly. I love being able to pull into town,
park my jeep and trailer, unload my RZR and ride
it anywhere I want to go the rest of the time I
am there. I can go get gas, get something to
eat, do a little shopping, and then head right
back out on the trail without ever leaving my
RZR behind.
Types of Trails
They have all kinds of trails for everyone from
easy to difficult to suit every type of rider
from beginner to extreme. They are all very well
marked and can be followed easily even by the
newest of riders. They have everything from
single dirt bike tracks to open-share areas,
which were open to everyone including jeeps,
horses, hikers and others.
The trails were very UTV-friendly as well. I met
riders on everything from dirt bikes to sport
quads, to utility ATVs and a wide variety of
side-x-sides. We rode all the way from Gilbert
to Man and never had any trouble whatsoever in
our Polaris Ranger RZR side-x-side.
TrailFest Events
After a quick trip up on the trails to get the
juices flowing, we went back to the community
center, looked over the schedule of events and
started planning our weekend.
TrailFest events this year included:
- Poker and Dice Runs for Cash
- Factory Ride Demos
- ATV, UTV and Dirt Bike Costume Parade, where
they continue to try and break the world record
for longest ATV Parade (481 was the total for
this year)
- Nightly Drag Racing and Mud Pit Action
- Saturday night Competition Mud Pit Run for Cash
and Prizes
- Fireworks on Saturday night
- Casino Night with Roulette and then Live Auction
for Prizes using HMTS money won in the Roulette
- Catered Meals on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
(breakfast and dinner were complimentary to
registered guests)
- Special Quests included Fishers ATV World and
others
TrailFest Entertainment and Special Events:
To top off all the events, there were also many
different kinds of entertainment and special
events going on including:
- Karaoke
- Music and Dancing ( Including some great Line
Dancers)
- A Separate Autumn Festival inside the Larry Joe
Harless Community Center
- Shopping. All sorts of HMTS merchandise was
available inside the Community Center as well in
the many different shops around town.
- There was even a wedding that took place in the
Mud Pit this year
The Wedding
Richard Lafferty and Cindy Shriner were married
in the mud pit just before the races on Saturday
night. Even though it wasn’t planned prior to
the event, it was still a huge success in the
end. That was the second wedding, according to
my source, that has taken place at TrailFest.
There was one last year as well. However, it
took place out on the trail. I wonder if this is
becoming a trend with TrailFest.
Onsite Amenities:
Onsite Amenities for Participation Pass holders
included limited access to the Larry Joe Harless
Community Center, which provided:
- Indoor Restrooms
- Indoor Showers
- Locker Rooms
Vendors and Demo Rides
The vendor area was hopping all weekend with
many different types of vendors such as Kendra
ATV Tires, Tucker Rocky, Logan Motor Cycles
Sales, Polaris, Kawasaki and many more. There
were even demo rides available at the Yamaha,
Can-Am and the KTM booths throughout the
weekend.
ATV Friendliness
Not only are the local laws very ATV-friendly,
so are the people. Everyone seems genuinely
happy to have ATVers there. The Hatfield-McCoy
Trail System has had a massive impact on the
economy of the Gilbert and nearby communities
and topping that list is the Annual National
TrailFest.
This year was no exception. Even though it
rained on and off Friday and Saturday, there
were still over 2,000 people in attendance for
the 9th Annual Hatfield-McCoy National TrailFest.
Every one of them I asked about next year said
they could not wait to come back again. Me,
either.
Gilbert, WV October 7-11, 2010
Start now making your plans and reservations for
the 10th Anniversary of the Hatfield-McCoy Trail
System and National TrailFest, which promises to
be even better including all the things they had
this year plus some great new ones.
To find out more about the 2009 and 2010 Annual
TrailFests, please go to their official website
at
www.trailsheaven.com.
Remember: Wherever you ride, always TREAD
LIGHTLY, leaving the area the same or better
than you found it.
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