Nantahala Outdoor Center’s (“NOC”) popular
Guest Appreciation Festival (“GAF”) begins Friday September 23 and continues throughout the weekend offering guests totally free attractions, live music and entertainment. The festival, NOC’s way of thanking the company’s guests at the end of the primary paddlesports season, is one of the most popular outdoor lifestyle gatherings in the Southeast, attracting over 5,000 visitors.
The 2011 show will feature a new headlining act on Saturday: the King BMX stunt show—a high-flying, dynamic performance that will also be featured at the Steelers/Colts halftime show the following Sunday. Show performers will use ramps to perform thrilling aerial tricks as well as impressive ground-based maneuvers.
This year’s event also features live music performances from five different musical acts appealing to varied musical tastes. Traditionalists will enjoy the old-time Appalachian sounds of Blue Eyed Girl and the hard-driving string music of the Freighthoppers. Modern music fans will hear “high country reggae” from Chalwa, R&B and Soul from the Secret B-Sides and bluegrass, jazz and jam fusion from Brushfire Stankgrass.
Free attractions include rock climbing, storytelling, an interactive mountain bike pump track, educational live animal exhibitions, paddling competitions, outdoor skill demonstrations, face painting, and craft workshops.
The core of GAF is NOC’s annual Used Gear Sale where the company sales off its rafting, kayaking and canoeing supplies from the season at famous discounts. Adjacent to this, the Used Gear Sale is a used gear marketplace where enthusiasts buy, sell and trade their gear with other enthusiasts. NOC’s Outfitter’s Store will also be liquidating its 2011 demo fleet of whitewater and flatwater kayaks, as well as rental mountain bikes, offering guests yet another chance to get big savings on up-to-date gear.
NOC will be running guided and rental whitewater trips, kayaking instruction programs and wilderness medicine classes at regular prices GAF weekend.
For more information, go to noc.com/gaf. Parking information, event specifics and the event schedule are all posted online, as well as details on the gear sales and boater shuttles.
Ash, c'mon now… give us a little more of what made us loyal, please.
Jason,
What has happened to this blog???? It seems to have become a shell of its former self with updates and new posts now a rare commodity. Almost a full week between the last update?!
Not sure if you are ok or what. Are you still committed to this really good local blog?
Would love to see Ashvegas return to its former glory. Lots of people I know really miss it and are getting pretty tired of checking in and finding nothing new or newsworthy.
Thank you.