These photos were taken as we were pulling into the event on Saturday around 11 am local time.  It had been raining for much of the previous afternoon, night, and earlier that morning.  It was a muddy first day.

Edited August 3, 20179 yr by Rollman

I made a new friend, Gary from Pennsylvania.  He is a Ford parts guy.  This is his 1979 F150, with a souped-up 460 and 36,000 original miles.  It was a show-winning quality pickup, and I'm glad he parked next to me. 

I'm in awe...wish I could've gone!!!!

So very thankful you're posting these!

It was a really good time, I had a lot of fun.  It took hours just to get one individual autograph, so I passed on that.  Most of the cast members were charging $20 for a signature, and usually around $30 or so for a car part.  John Schneider was charging $150 to sign car parts if you brought them to him, I was kind of put off by that.  He was really nice when I met him in person several years ago, though.  Sonny Shroyer and Rick Hurst were walking around the car exhibit charging $100 to sign your vehicle.  Tom Wopat was driven in to sign one fan's General Lee painted Toyota 4runner, I have no idea what he charged the owner.  Tom is known to be on the unfriendly side.  I tried talking to several staff members there to see if I could get a picture of Ben Jones sitting in my wrecker, but I was unsuccessful. He was a busy man.

 I watched them as they got on stage together at the end of the day, but you all would probably do better to look it up on YouTube.  The car jump is on there as well.  This was supposedly the final Dukesfest style event.  It may very well have been, but with the amount of money made there, it would be hard for me to believe that someone won't pick up the torch at some point.

 

Thanks for posting the pictures!  That's a lot of General Lees.

Your Cooter 1967 Ford wrecker looks amazing, like it's right out of the show.   

Thanks for posting these pictures, Rollman. I really like the way they've recreated the interior of Cooter's Garage down to the tiny details. On the down side, those autograph prices seem very steep, but I've never paid a cent for any of the autographs I've got (sadly, none of them are from the Dukes).

AWESOME PICTURES! Thanks for sharing them. 

I was talking to another fan at the show, and he counted between 90-95 other Chargers there, and there were a handful that weren't painted as the General Lee.  The inside of Cooter's Garage was very cool to see, they definitely put a lot of time and effort into it.  I am glad that Ben Jones has really put his heart into keeping the show alive. 

It was great!!! Glad I was able to make it, though I didn't get to do as much as I usually do (due to a hip that wasn't in the game!) 

DixieDavenport

I had entertained the hopes of going back in the winter but it was not to be. First being a teacher and here we start EARLY, and CLS was only 2 days after we had to report back to prepare for the kids the following week. Second because of the historic trip I'd taken to the west in early December.

But seriously, hearing about those autograph prices right put me off, to be honest. I can say it's a good thing whenever disappointment is doused out. Plus hearing how Tom was apparently seriously rude to folks during the weekend.... Well, I guess I'll be okay then

So glad to hear from you Dixie. If you get a chance give us more details about your experience. Sorry to hear about your hip. 

Tom was probably rude because he was going through cocaine withdrawals at the time. Luke Duke would beat the crap out of a scoundrel like Tom Wopat if they ever met. I love the show, the characters, and the cast, but Tom's behavior is inappropriate. 

14 hours ago, Rollman said:

Luke Duke would beat the crap out of a scoundrel like Tom Wopat if they ever met.

 Niiiiice one!!!!

On ‎8‎/‎13‎/‎2017 at 2:52 AM, Rollman said:

Tom was probably rude because he was going through cocaine withdrawals at the time. Luke Duke would beat the crap out of a scoundrel like Tom Wopat if they ever met. I love the show, the characters, and the cast, but Tom's behavior is inappropriate. 

You got that right! Luke is a good ol' boy and Tom is an A hole!!

I've met the cast both at events and on the reunion sets. Tom was definitely the least friendly of them all. I hope he gets the help he needs though. Sounds like he's a mess.

Wish I could have made it to this event, but my health wasn't cooperating. A big thank you to those of you who went sharing your experiences!

I hope you're feeling better Ma'am and as far as Tom...I don't know...I think he's to the point of no return. I think it's a personality issue/problem!

Brings back great memories!

Here's the vid from vlogger JD Joyrides where he's talking to me and my buddy at 1:57 min.

 

With Cooter’s Last Stand having happened, are events still a regular occurrence? Someone needs to keep this going for generations to come, Hazzard will be forever. 

I loved that Rat Rod and the General Lee lawn mower !!

Edited December 20, 2025Dec 20 by Hobie Hartkins