 If the ace mechanic who
kept Hazzard County rolling is correct, a weekend
in August in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia
is going to be a turbo-charged delight for the
faithful fans of “The Dukes of
Hazzard”. Ben Jones, the former Congressman
who played “Cooter” on the ever-popular
family show is putting together another
“Hazzard Homecoming” extravaganza on
the weekend of August 11th and 12th in
picturesque Rappahannock County, Virginia, and
according to him, “Hazzard Nation is rising
again!”
“Our whole cast is going to attend,” he
says, “and that doesn’t happen very
often. It’s been a few years since we all
saw each other at one time, and this might be the
last time we get to share a stage together. John
Schneider, Tom Wopat, Catherine Bach, James Best,
Sonny Shroyer and Rick Hurst will all join in the
fun. So this is not only special for the fans, it
is also very special for us.”
Jones should know these things because he and his
wife Alma Viator have spent much of the last
fourteen years enjoying the continuing success of
all things Hazzard. They have two popular
“Cooter’s Place” venues in
Gatlinburg and Nashville, Tennessee, and he tours
annually with “Cooter’s Garage
Band”, a Southern country-rock combo. Ben
and Alma also created DukesFest, the mega-event
that peaked when more than 100,000 fans flocked
to Nashville in 2007.
“We kicked back after that,” Viator
says. “We both wanted to do something more
laid-back and down-home. Something more like a
county fair back in Hazzard.” The result was
Hazzard Homecoming, in a bucolic rural setting in
the mountain county where the Joneses live.
“There are only about 6,500 folks in
Rappahannock County and we don’t even have a
stoplight. Last year for two days the Homecoming
added about 10,000 to the population here. But
everything went off without a hitch, and
everybody had a ball. We even had a bunch of
folks from Europe.”
This year the event will be held at the Ben Venue
Racecourse, located at the intersection of
Highway 211 and State Road 729, near historic
Washington, Virginia. “It’s a beautiful
spot and gives us a lot more room than we’ve
had in the past. It will make folks think they
are actually in Hazzard County, says Jones.
“Except that we don’t really drive like
that around here!” adds Viator.
 Besides the
cast, Hazzard Homecoming will feature two days of
rockabilly, country, bluegrass, and gospel music.
The entertainment will include Grammy winner Dr.
Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys,
Stella Parton, Southern rockers Silver Travis,
Rockabilly icons Sonny Burgess and Sleepy LaBeef,
and gospel legends The Lewis Tradition. “And
don’t forget that John Schneider and Tom
Wopat are world class country singers with a lot
of hit records to their credit. The concert
itself will be worth the trip,” says
“Cooter”.
Reached on the set of “The Young and the
Restless” where she is guest starring,
Catherine Bach, who played the fetching
“Daisy Duke”, echoed Jones’
sentiments. “I can’t wait to get back
to the Homecoming! It is just plain old fun, the
kind we used to have when I was growing up in
South Dakota. And it is in such a beautiful
location. Even though it is a very busy event, it
seems sort of like a vacation in the country. I
can’t wait to see my ‘Dukes’
family and all of the fans who have supported us
for so long.”
Besides personal appearances and stage
performances by the cast and the other
headliners, Hazzard Homecoming will feature a
Dukes Stunt Demonstration, American BMX Stunt
Team with Keith King, a Hazzard County Car Show
including more than 50 “General Lees”,
wrestling with legendary WWE Champion Jerry
Lawler, a Saturday night fireworks celebration,
and lots of children’s activities including
rides, slides, and a country petting zoo.
The “Dukes of Hazzard” series, which
originally aired from 1979 through 1985,
continues to be a staple on Country Music
Television (CMT). “Each generation that
comes along falls in love with it,” says
Jones. “They never say ‘The Dukes was a
great show.’ They always say ‘The Dukes
is a great show.”
Tickets for Hazzard Homecoming August 11 & 12
are on sale now at www.cootersplace.com. Advance
tickets are $25 for Saturday and Sunday, or $20
for one day, plus a $2 handling charge. At the
gate, a weekend pass is $30 and a single day
ticket is $25. Children 10 years and younger are
free, as well as seniors 65 and over and U.S.
service men and women with military ID.
Hazzard Homecoming will be held at the Ben Venue
Racecourse, located at 38 Ben Venue Road near
Washington, VA, 22747. For more information about
the festival, call (615) 872-8358 or visit www.cootersplace.com.
www.CootersPlace.com
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