Everyone loves a get-together, especially with COVID-19 still hangin' around. We're dyin' for something to do!
Jeep events have been scarce since March. “Jeep Beach” happened in Daytona, but after that, it was a vast wasteland with nothing on the horizon for those who love all things Jeep. So, the Great Smoky Mountain Jeep Club Invasion was NOT gonna be sitting on the sidelines. People NEED the escape, but at the same time, people want to feel safe with a pandemic going on.
So what did Jeep Invasion do? They pressed on. They were determined to make the event happen. I was involved in the process working all the social media angles and I watched as the Jeep Invasion organizers, LeConte Center, the City of Pigeon Forge, and the Pigeon Forge Police Department put their plan together with a large crowd expected and over 200 vendors who had planned to arrive.
I watched, week by week as the organizers worked tirelessly, mapping out the event, figuring out where everyone would enter/exit, park, set up vendor space, and most of all, stay safe.
The number of people inside was limited throughout the day as well as the outside portion of the event. It was very well organized. (like a well-oiled machine to be exact) …and after the third day of the event, we realized, WE DID IT! Jeep Invasion proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that large events CAN be held in a controlled environment.
*masks were worn (required inside the venue)
*social distance guidelines per the “Tennessee Pledge” were followed.
This is how you pull off a large event correctly. The TSSAA and The NCAA have no idea what they're doing when it comes to high school or college sports. You might as well write that off until next year, but concerts, restaurants with outdoor seating, festivals, etc., should go on. That's all the editorial comment you're gonna get from me on this blog post.
By the way, there were more than 25,000 people there for Jeep Invasion and over 10,000 Jeeps over the three day event. No accidents, no trouble, no protests, no arrests. Oh, and no “spikes.”
I'd like to say a big thank you to Justin and Kevin and everyone in the Smoky Mountain Jeep Club for letting me be a part of this for the past three years. I'm looking forward to 2021's event. By the way, it's August 26, 27, and 28th of 2021. Make your reservations now.
The 2021 Great Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion is already in the planning stages.
Here's some more pictures from the 8th Annual Great Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion:
