Here's the picnic site. By April, it will be nice and green and winter brown gone.
Posted on 03/03/2009 2:46:28 PM PST by MHGinTN
Okay Freepers in the East Tennessee/Western North Carolina/ Southeastern VA Area, we’re gonna have a picnic! Time to gather, meet one another, and become a potential network in the coming months if needed. [ It’s also fun to have a picnic in the Spring before the insects get going too strongly. ]
My family has a nice picnic area with entertainment pavillion in Boones Creek (the Tri-Cities area) and I am inviting you freeper folks to gather there on April 18th for food and conversation. I’m not even asking y’all to bring anything to the picnic, unless you have something special you like to drink. I’m providing sandwich fixins, fried chicken, potato salad, slaw, chips, unsweetened tea (sweet and low and sugar will be available to add to taste), bottled water, and Coca Cola. There will be clean ice in a cooler, and plastic cups, paper plates and napkins and plastic utensils … all the stuff of picnicking.
Plan on eating around 2 PM, but arrive before noon and chat it up. The picnic area has room for primitive camping (no electric or water hook ups), a separate parking area, and a fire pit to enjoy for those who wish to stick around into the late evening. If you let me know in advance you’re coming, I can unlock the area for overnighters on Friday evening, and feel free to stay until Sunday if you clean up after yourselves. I have one gas lantern for evening in the pavilion at the picnic grounds, so if you’re arriving Friday and want to bring a lantern for use after dark, that’s about all you need bring to have a good time.
It is sometime chilly in the evenings in mid-April, so bring a sweater or coat to use if needed. There is a ‘johnny house’ and I will park my little moho at the grounds with a bathroom on board and a generator if evening need arises. Freeper bert (from Kingsport) will be posting pix of the grounds, showing the pavilion and the ‘mosh pit’. Please let us know (bert or me) if you intend to join in so I can plan food accordingly. If you intend to camp Friday or Saturday (or both), please let me know a week ahead.
If you do a google map search on 290 Crouch Road, Gray TN 37659, you will get a view of where the picnic grounds are located. Generally, highway 36 runs from Johnson City to Kingsport. If coming from the Johnson City direction (toward Kingsport), turn right at the light at Zaks Furniture (Boones Creek Road crossing HY 36) onto Pickens Bridge Road (Boones Creek Road turns into Pickens Bridge Road at the light going northeast). Pickens bridge Road goes down a long hill then makes an abrupt left up a steep hill, past a Baptist church on a hairpin right curve and straightens out. In the straightaway Crouch Road turns off to the left and is named Flowerville Road going right … take the left on Crouch Road. About a mile from Pickens Bridge Road you will pass a restored historic log house on the right (the Jesse Crouch historic home site), the picnic grounds are just down the road on the right, across from a large log house and log cottage, on the right up the hill. The picnic grounds are in ‘Mary’s Bottom’, with a spring branch running through it.
If coming along highway 36 from the Kingsport direction (toward Johnson City), turn left at Zaks and follow the above directions. Interstate 81 has a highway 36 exit near Kingsport that is approximately ten miles from Zaks furniture, going toward Johnson city. If you follow Interstate 81 and take Interstate 26 toward Asheville, there is a Boones Creek Road exit. This is the Boones Creek Road which ends at the light at Zaks Furniture if you go right off of the Boones Creek Road exit from interstate 26.
If anyone needs more involved directions or more detailed info, freepmail me and I’ll give you my phone number to call. Bert says freepers are always lookin’ for a reason to take a trip. Well, here it is! We’re havin’ a picnic for freepers.
I drove across Tennessee one summer, including coming through the area you're talking about -- eastern Tennessee is absolutely beautiful. (And it didn't hurt that I got to eat barbecue for three meals a day!)
Ping-a-ling-a-ling
Come down and camp with us!
Pingaling ... you might want to drive over and see the camping area, for the story telling festival visits you make.
Thank you, sincerely, for the invitation -- I would love to see Tennessee again. Unfortunately, I've been out of work for a long time and am living on "survival income." If I don't have any job leads by April, then.... well, let's stay positive.
HOWEVER, your fellow FReepers expect a full after-report, along with pictures!
Let me have my social director get that on the calendar. Sounds like fun
"About a mile from Pickens Bridge Road you will pass a restored historic log house on the right (the Jesse Crouch historic home site), the picnic grounds are just down the road on the right LEFT, across from a large log house and log cottage, on the right up the hill."
I pinged her, too.
Darn! Drat! Sorry! We can’t! Number One Nephew’s wedding down in South Carolina!
For some strange reason Google Maps is not showing the address, BUT if you google map ‘Katies Way, Johnson City, TN 37615’ you will have the precise location. The entry to the picnic grounds is to the left and just before arriving at the loop road called ‘Katie’s Way’ (a subdivision up there).
Ping
Will see if we can work it out. Son’s birthday is that weekend and he wants to have some folks over. Can’t leave a bunch of 18 year olds at the house to trash.
Thank you so much for the opportunity for Freepers in this part of the country to finally get together. I know that we will have a great time.
I hope folks will RSVP, me and my two old cats can’t eat too many leftovers if few show up and I’ve catered in too much food. The camping would be fun, too.
As a man, weddings are not way up high on my "can't wait for the next one" list. But, as a husband and a brother, my "man-sense" tells me what is what as far as my list goes!
Freepers unite bump
When I was in Memphis, instead of heading directly to The Rendezvous (like a tourist would), I made it a point to ask the motel concierge "Where do the locals go for barbecue?" He told me "Neely's Interstate Barbecue" -- which turned out to be the best BBQ joint I've ever visited!
Dixie BarBQ on North Roan Street is one of our best. There is also a very good one on HWY19E, on the road from Bristol Speedway to Elizabethton. Golden Rule is not bad, but Dixie is one of our best. There is or was a really fine one in Kingsport, run by a blackman who ‘trained’ in Ensley, AL near the Football stadium where one could on the weekend drive the street and numerous homemade cookers were out aromatizing the air. (Best BQ I ever ate was from a little old black Lady who cranked her drum up every Saturday morning on football day, right out on the curb! That Lady could cook! I would purchase pounds of pulled pork and eat on it all week.
Didn’t Alton Brown include Neeley’s in one of his roadshown episodes? Alton Brown is my favorite TV star, BTW.
Strangely believe it, we have the best Bar B Q in the world. It’s called the Ridgewood an is maybe 15 miles as the crow flies.
Y’all come
We’ll miss you!!
I could drive from east to west and north to south across Tennessee, eating in different barbecue joints every day and night, and never be dissatisfied. Wish I were there now!....
Are you able to post the photos you sent to me in e-mail? ... I don’t have that Net capability. Also, if we don’t get a few mnore RSVPs soon, the picnic will be cancelled and we can just have a Perkins meeting of three or four.
Here's the picnic site. By April, it will be nice and green and winter brown gone.
I thouht I posted it last week, but someting must have happened . My other posts on the thread from that day are ok. I’m on the road and using borrowed wireless connection from a laptop and the photo must not have posted.
I recommend a new ping to the list and to the SW Va list to encourage turning out. A picnic plan in mid March might not be as welcome as ont the very first of April.
If you was where I am; you’d be shoveling three feet of ‘angel’s revenge’ off of that roof.
BTTT
It’s March 15th and so far we have four committed to picnicking and being a freeper force for the region. I’m pinging everyone again because if we don’t get a few more RSVPs soon, the picnic will be cancelled and we will just meet for lunch at Perkins in Kingsport. If you plan to attend the picnic, please RSVP soon so we can plan for food prep and beverages.
The good aspect of my job is that I work 12 hour shifts and get more consecutive days off when I am off - the downside is that when I'm scheduled to work, it's very difficult to take a day off because someone else has to come in on their day off to cover the shift. Sometimes, we work out trades, but I've used that benefit a bit too much lately, and am indebted to a few of my co-workers.
Ping-a-ling-a-ling
Wilderness Survival Course, Camden TN May 23-24Posted: 3/8/2009 4:31:26 PM
Folks, I will be teaching my regular Wilderness Survival Class May 23 and 24 in Camden TN. Last May this class filled up!
With things so uncertain in our future, survival skills will be high on the list of things we may all need. I am being asked every day about what a person needs to know, what skills, what preps to better prepare for whatever our nation is heading for.
Well, this class would be a solid start.
This is a 30 hour class, straight through. No classroom. All in one weekend. You will live the experienec. You will walk into the woods with just the contents of your pockets. You will walk out with a tremendous amount of knowledge and skill. You will never look at your gear or BOB the same again.
For more info:
Tactical Response Wilderness Survival Class
Thanks for bumping the thread ... looks like the pcinic will be a failure due to lack of interest. We’ll probably have an informal gathering of four or so at a local restaurant in Kingsport area.
My wife, our 15 month old, and myself will be there. My sister-in-law lives near there, and we’re going up this weekend for a baby shower (baby’s not even born yet - how could it need a shower?). How do you feel about a couple dogs coming along? We have a Sheltie and a new Boxer (new to us, Daisy is 8 months old).
See y’all then!
This sounds like a terrific invitation and a wonderful place for a picnic. As far as I know, I probably would be able to attend if nothing unforeseen happens betweeen now and then. I have 2 granddaughters graduating early May, one from ETSU and one from King College here in Bristol!
I might have to have better directions. I will be coming from Bristol and I am bad at directions. Always depended on hubby. I am about two miles from the Racetrack up toward Bristol. Maybe my son could put his Garmin in my car that day. Or, I could have one of them take me on a dry run a while before the event.
I haven’t seen this thread before....maybe I missed the link the day I had that ping. I will go back and check though. I realize you will need more people than you have reported in this thread.
What a nice gesture that there would be such a nice place to have a picnic and gosh, not to have to bring food is unbelievable and very generous! And I would like to thank you very much for such hospitality!
Keep me informed. I wish you the best with your responses!
Dogs? Members of the family are welcome, even four-legged members. Glad you can make it!
When I get a minute, I’ll freepmail to you directions coming into Johnson City from Bristol. It’s easy.
By the way, are there any others in Bristol, if you know!
My dad was from East Tennessee, around Greeneville.
I still havr cousins living in Knoxville.
I wish I could be coming there but I'm stuck in Maryland, bleh!
Freeper bert is most adept at digital imaging ... I think he will probably take plenty of pix. We are hoping to have more turn out than have so far commited. It owuld be nice to have around thirty! We have a dozen so far.
My pop was from TN.....Paris to be specific.
Someday I will visit.....
Best FRegards,
Round up the family and a tent or two and come on!
I’ll put up a sign or two at strategic turn points off the old JC/Kingsport road.
Sounds good to me. Must be two threads running. I looked back over the posts for the directions that were written down for me, maybe I overlooked them on this thread. I will go back and check again.
Thanks much!
Thats okay, its (directions)in Freepmail....forgot! LOL!
do you know steveo?
No, I don’t believe I know steveo. Does he live in Bristol?
I just wrote Nellie Mae to ask if she was going and I could perhaps meet her on 394 at the shopping center. That is, if she hasn’t made other plans. I am waiting to hear from her now.
The picnic is on the left (in 'Mary's Bottom') just past the restored Jesse Crouch log home which sits on the right one mile from Pickens Bridge Road, along Crouch Road).
Come hungry, I don’t have room at home for leftovers. Food served at 2PM, but snacks and drinks will be at the pavillion from around eleven when Ben comes to hang the freeper flags. If you have a sign fromt he Tea Parties, bring it!
Have fun. It looks like it will be a beautiful day for a picnic. Wish I could be there. While you’re eating, I will be taking my first section of the CPA exam. The picnic sounds more enjoyable.
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