This is one wild story. If you saw "Dukes of Hazzard Reunion Tour 2000" then you know the beginning. Here goes.... After the show at Hershey, we were talking with Travis and Gary who were on the road with the show and John and Jaci who were also going along. The next day they planned to go to see a guy's General Lee. Since they were also looking for some Charger parts and we happened to have some, they planned to stop by our house. This day together cemented the friendship. We had a great time.
Travis and Gary were disecting a parts car like kids in a candy store.
We had a good day topped off by just enjoying eachother's company and swapping Dukes facts.
Of course, had to be a little naughty and....
....but it was all in good fun!
Later we all took off the see the General Lee. No matter what condition, a General is wonderful to see and since Travis and Gary have founded the North American General Lee Fan Club they were striving to document every General Lee they could find.
After Hershey the next show on the Tour was to be in Renfro Valley, Kentucky. Travis, Gary, John, and Jaci planned to leave Pennsylvania and spend the days before the next show in Covington, Georgia where the first 5 shows were filmed in hope of finding original filming sites, talking to those local people who had a part in the making of the show, and locating more photos from the show. We wished to go, but work and obligations prevented us. Unfortunately, I soon found out I had a family member ill in Georgia so we packed up and went. We eventually found the rest of the group and took hotel rooms at the Holiday Inn in Conyers, Georgia where the cast and crew stayed while filming the shows.
We enjoyed a cookout on the balcony overlooking this beautiful view!
Our adventure began with a trip to see Tony , who when he was 18 worked in the original garage where the first General Lees were made. We ejoyed his stories about his experiences working with the show. Of course, can't forget to get Tony's autograph on our General! Thanks Tony!
After visiting Tony we headed for Covington Square to see the original heart of "Hazzard" County. We found the courthouse, sidewalks, and many of the businesses to be the same as they were in the orginial Dukes shows. Another show, "The Heat of the Night" was also filmed here. Our lovely hostess, Jo, gave us a tour of her Dukes museum located in her flower shop. She then referred us to some of the best down-home southern style cooking we ever ate!
Time to move on. Next stop was the house used on the show as the Orphanage followed by the farm used as Uncle Jesse's place. The original house was a log cabin built approximately 1880-1890. Through the years the house was added on to and siding applied. We met the current owner who had removed the siding to tear down the now dilapidated house. He stopped upon discovering the 2 room log cabin within it. We also spoke to Bud, the gentleman who owned the house at the time of the filming and rented it to Warner Brothers. He himself was born in the house. A painting of the original house hung over his fireplace. Today there isn't much left to remind you of Uncle Jesse's house as seen on the show, but upon entering it, it is fun to imagine the Duke family sitting around the table for a bowl of Uncle Jesse's crawdad bisque!
We couldn't leave the area without stopping to see Henry, the owner of the original garage where the first General Lees were made. It was fun to listen to more stories about the behind the scenes activities. We pulled our cars into the garage to give the illusion of how it looked about 20 years ago. While we were there, we were lucky to meet Pete Hamilton #40 from the Nascar circuit. Of course he and Henry both needed to sign our car!
Stops we hoped to make but were closed were the original shop where the push bar and roll bars were made as well as the shop where the "01" and flag decals were created. Maybe next time.
One of the prettiest stops we made was at Seney Hall where the first jump was filmed, the General Lee jumping over Rosco's car. The site in on a college campus and the interior of a building next door is where the slot machines were placed for the ladies auxilliary in the first show, "One-Armed Bandits". (the railings were black in the show but are now painted white). These buildings are beautiful!
The final stop on the Dukes part of our trip was the Boars Nest. It was gray for the show but is now pink. For the most part it looks like it did in the show except for the color change and the entrance is no longer enclosed. We were fortunate to catch the current owners on the premesis and we got to see the inside. It looked just the same...same tables and chairs...same colors...and a lovely wood bar area. Could almost picture Boss Hogg eating his raw liver for breakfast!
The last thing from our trip was a stop at Buford Dam. It had some really nice views, but boy was it windy! Travis almost blew away!
Finally, we would like to sincerely thanks the many people who took time to talk with us and share their memories. It is fine people like those we met who make the world more enjoyable and helps people like us who have strange hobbies!
