2010 Snowshoe Mtn. Freedom Fest Preview

Motorcycle USA will be joining the party in the scenic West Virginian countryside this week for Snowshoe Mountain’s Freedom Fest, the biggest touring rally in the territory. With a nickname like the "Mountain State," you know you’re in store for some epic riding. And though Freedom Fest is billed as a touring rally, it’s open to all brands and all makes, so don’t think you have to ride a Gold Wing to be welcome. If you come rumbling in on your big V-Twin, you’ll still be greeted with open arms.

The festivities begin Thursday, July 15 with a kick-start party sponsored by Shenandoah Harley-Davidson. DJ Judd will be spinning the tunes, you can have a cocktail or two and watch people get bucked-off the mechanical bull. The schedule of events also mentions something about moonshine. Hopefully it’s a band and not free samples of the homemade concoction. Don’t want everybody hung over after the very first day of partying now, do we?

Snowshoe Mountain Resort will be the epicenter of all activities during the four-day celebration. The official Freedom Fest site states that “The rolling highways of our region are legendary to the bike enthusiast. Our guides will take you through the curves and dips of the mountains and show you the spectacular sights of Pocahontas County and surrounding areas.”

Just check out some of the rides they have planned. The Songer Whitewater Raft Tour heads out Friday morning, July 16, as Snowshoe guides will lead a ride to Fayetteville for a day of whitewater rafting. Upon arrival, the team at Songer Whitewater will get everybody geared up for the fun they have in store. Start the day on your bike, shoot some rapids on a raft and then enjoy lunch courtesy of Songer down by the river.

If you don’t feel like getting wet, Biker Bob from Shenandoah Harley-Davidson will lead another group on a tour of the valleys and hills of West Virginia and Virginia. The ride runs through Greenbank and the Alleghany Mountains to Staunton. After lunch at Shenandoah H-D, the tour will head back to Snowshoe through Goshen Pass and the Monongahela National Forest.

There is a run called the Seneca Rocks Tour also on the agenda. Snowshoe Guides will lead the tour to Elkins on US Route 219 through the area’s majestic mountains and valleys. A lunch break in Elkins at CJ Maggie’s awaits before heading out to Seneca Rock, a unique formation that rises nearly 900 feet above the North Fork River. If there’s time, a 1.3-mile hike to the top of the rocks is planned. Then it’s back to Pocahontas County and a visit to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, the world’s largest fully maneuverable radio telescope. Then it’s onto to Cass Scenic Railroad where you have the option of riding a steam-driven locomotive or heading back to Snowshoe.

Friday will be the day to ride because Saturday there’s a slew of events planned at Snowshoe, from a custom bike show to biker games. Standard rally fare in the form of vendors and exhibits will fill the Rimfire Parking Lot. Ladies can check out the beefcake in the Mr. Freedom Fest strength competition while guys can hoot and holler for their favorite gal in the Mrs. Freedom Fest bikini contest. Live music is planned nightly on the Village Stage and a fireworks show will entertain crowds Saturday night before the party spills into Snowshoe Resort’s Connection Night Club and Moonshine Watering Hole.

Event registration is $39 and includes entry into all regional guided tours. Your registration fee will also get you a 2010 Freedom Fest t-shirt, mug, and pin, and entry into the biker games, bike show and nightly events. All rides will meet at the Brigham Center located by the bus stop in the village a half hour before the scheduled departure.

Motorcycle USA is one of the title sponsors of Snowshoe’s 2010 Freedom Fest, so keep an eye out for the free Motorcycle USA beer koozies that will be circulating. We’ll also have a man on the scene, so stay tuned for reports from Snowshoe as the fun unfolds.