Nashville, 'America's Music City,' Hosts CMT DukesFest 2006

Nashville, 'America's Music City,' Hosts CMT DukesFest 2006

Annual 'Dukes of Hazzard' Get-Together Honors America's Favorite Family Show

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 3 and 4, 2006, tens of thousands of Hazzard County fans will pour into Nashville's Music City Motorplex for CMT DukesFest, two days of music, car stunts and family fun.

Ben Jones, who played "Cooter" on the CMT hit series, says the 2006 event may be the first time all of "The Dukes" will make a personal appearance together. "At this point, John Schneider (Bo), Tom Wopat (Luke), Catherine Bach (Daisy), James Best (Rosco), Sonny Shroyer (Enos), Rick Hurst (Cletus) and our stunt team are planning to attend. I'll be there as well, with Cooter's Garage Band and several other great country bands. If the Good Lord is willing, and Hazzard Creek don't rise, this will be the biggest Hazzard Hoedown ever," says Jones.

"And that's saying something," he adds. "Last year's CMT DukesFest drew nearly 40,000 people to the Bristol Motor Speedway. That made it the largest fan gathering for any TV show ever."

Jones, who produces the annual event with his wife Alma, says that Nashville is the ideal location for the show. "'The Dukes' remain perhaps the most beloved show ever in the heartland of America. But we could not have enjoyed that success without the great music that has come out of Nashville for more than 80 years. Our show featured many stars from 'The Grand Ol Opry,' and we are a big hit right now on Nashville-based CMT. Of course, we are delighted that CMT will be our title sponsor, again. They have done a great job with 'The Dukes'."

The event's venue, the Music City Motorplex at The Fairgrounds, is a legendary racing venue for the whole family. It's the kind of track the Duke boys dreamed of racing on.

In addition to personal appearances from the stars of the show, the legendary Dukes Stunt Team will demonstrate the thrilling car action that was a basic ingredient of the show's success.

"We'll also have approximately 100 General Lees in attendance, including several of the original cars," notes Jones. The General Lee was the red- orange 1969 Dodge Charger recently named the most popular automobile in the history of television and film.

DukesFest will precede CMA Music Festival week in Nashville with fans coming from all over the world. The "Dukes of Hazzard" is currently shown in more than 50 countries.

DukesFest is Saturday, June 3 and Sunday, June 4. The gates open at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday and 9:30 a.m. on Sunday. Advance sale tickets for the two- day event are $30, and one-day passes are $20. Children 10 and under are free, and military service men and women are free with proper ID. Weekend passes are $35 at the gate, and $25 for the day.

Advance tickets are on sale now at all Ticketmaster outlets in the Nashville area. Customers can charge by phone by calling Ticketmaster at (615) 255-9600. Ticketmaster outlets can be found in Hecht's, Kroger and Tower Records stores throughout Nashville. Tickets are also available at The Music City Motorplex Box Office, online at http://www.cootersplace.com/, at Cooter's stores in Gatlinburg and Nashville or by calling Cooter's Place at (865) 430- 9909 or (615) 872-8358.

ABOUT DUKESFEST

DukesFest was established by Ben "Cooter" Jones in 2001. Originally held in Sperryville, VA, unprecedented success forced the event to move to Bristol Motor Speedway and Dragway in Bristol, TN in 2004. Since its inception, DukesFest has played host to more than 75,000 enthusiasts and has become the annual gathering for "Dukes of Hazzard" lovers.

ABOUT CMT

CMT, America's No. 1 country music network, carries original programming, specials, live concerts and events, as well as a mix of videos by established country music artists and new cutting-edge acts, including world premiere exclusive videos. Founded March 6, 1983, CMT, owned and operated by MTV Networks, reaches more than 77 million households in the United States. Go to country music's biggest web site at http://www.cmt.com/.

Source: DukesFest

CONTACT: Amy Burge of AB BAM Media, +1-615-855-0775, Abbammedia@aol.com,
or Alma Viator of Viator Associates, +1-202-669-9040,
Alma@viatorassociates.com, both for DukesFest; or David Underwood of Music
City Motorplex, +1-615-726-1818, fax: +1-615-726-0691,
Davidu@MusicCityMotorplex.com

Web site: http://www.cootersplace.com/
http://www.cmt.com/

-------
Profile: intent