According to the Governor of NC, depending on the decline in new Covid-19 cases, phase 1 of the reopening plan will begin on May 9.That means, state parks and some businesses will be allowed to open with restricted numbers allowed on premises. If the decline in new cases continues, phase 2 will begin 2 to 3 weeks afterward. Fontana Village will be in this second phase.

That puts the possible opening of Fontana around the end of May. Plans are still in place to hold Rock the Dragon 2020 on June 4. If phase 2 of the reopening is delayed, this may not be possible. I have set a deadline of May 17 to decide whether to cancel or go ahead with plans for the event. You will be notified by email if you have already registered or by a posting here in the Dragon Forum of the decision.

The Tomcatt meet is scheduled for June 19-21 so Rock the Dragon will have to be scheduled after that weekend. I want to hear from you regarding re-scheduling (once again) or canceling and moving everything to Dragon Fall Run.

As soon as I hear anything concrete regarding reopening I will let you know.

I'm fortunate to have a great working relationship with all of the great people at Fontana Village (and I sure hope I have one after all the emails l) ) and they are keeping me informed of the status.

 

Thanks for staying on top of this unheard of situation, Ken. It’s a difficult call anyway you look at it. I hope our current date is a go. Moving it to mid Summer might work, weather might not be ideal, but for me, planning for the Fall trip proves difficult because it’s the height of hurricane season... when I register for the trip, one seems to threaten and I can’t leave...

 

Keep positive Leslie. I hope we can make it. When I checked before, the June date was the only one available due to all of the other events being rescheduled. I'm hoping that if we have to reschedule once again, other groups will have dropped out and left some good dates.

 

I have been holding off to register since it is hard to tell what is going on around here. The governor did relax things a bit, but still some big restrictions. The local mayor is still being more restrictive. The city issued a stay at home order before the state did here in Durham. Who knows how long before May 22nd when the state will update again. The current state policy:
https://governor.nc.gov/news/governo...g-restrictions

 

The "official" word from Blount County Fire and Rescue.
COVID Updates:
Updated May 6: Here are FAQ's regarding the NC, TN, and GA mountains. Most closures and Stay at Home orders have expired, or will expire on May 9. We will try to keep this information up to date. If you are planning to travel, please contact your destination for the latest information.
We are not here to tell you what you should or should not do. This is only to provide information.

WHAT IS OPEN/CLOSED - NC TN & GA
The 11 mile section of the Tail of the Dragon is open. There are no road blocks in NC.
Cherohala Skyway is open.
Foothills Parkway is open Wears Valley to US129.
US441 through the Great Smoky Mountains is closed from Gatlinburg TN to Cherokee NC. BUT will reopen on Saturday May 9.
Little River Road, TN73 is closed from Townsend to US441. BUT will reopen on Saturday May 9.
Blue Ridge Parkway has multiple closed sections including the southern section from Asheville to Cherokee NC. Campgrounds and facilities are closed. We expect the BRP to open any day, but campgrounds will remain closed at least until May 15. See https://www.nps.gov/blri/learn/news/covid-4-15.htm Real-Time closure map: https://www.nps.gov/maps/full.html?m...36.767/-81.096
The Devils Triangle Loop TN is open.
Six Gap of North Georgia roads are open.
Smoky Mountain Harley Davidson & Outposts are now open.

WHAT IS OPEN/CLOSED
NC stay at home order along with non-essential business closures will expire Saturday May 8.
NC accommodations will be open starting Saturday May 8.
NC restaurants, bars etc can open on May 22.
TN & GA accommodations are open
NC, TN, GA restaurants are open for take out. Restaurants in TN & GA can open for limited seating.
The Qualla Band Land (Cherokee NC) is completely closed. BUT will reopen on Saturday May 9.

WHERE CAN I CAMP
TN & GA state parks are open including cabins, lodges, group overnight facilities, and campgrounds.
NC State Park roads and trails are open to the public, camping and facilities closed until May 15.
Private campgrounds are open in Tennessee and Georgia. We are unsure about private campgrounds in NC.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be opening Saturday, May 9, this includes US441 and Little River Road. Camping and some facilities will remain closed.

WHERE CAN I STAY, call ahead to verify availability
Camping & Camp Cabins:
https://tailofthedragonresorts.com/rv-resorts-camping/
Lodging:
https://tailofthedragonresorts.com/

 

Thanks for the continued communication Ken.

 

Awesome work, Ken...



.

 

I'm not sure there's anyone here who wants to go more than me, but I'm certainly willing for you to hope along side me.

 

I'm still in for RTD June 4-7, in fact I have another friend who just signed up yesterday. We both could use a weekend up in the mountains. However, if you need to reschedule, I'm also good with the event in the Fall.

 

I'm planning on attending, I just have not registered yet or booked with Fontana to wait and see how everything goes first over the next coming days/weeks. I appreciate you making this thread and keeping it updated, Ken. I absolutely want to go but also am holding off until it gets a bit closer to finalize.

At least in the mean time I'll have new rubber on the car next week so she'll be all set!