International Touring Joara 2013 Morganton NC USA

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Touring Joara a European and Sports Car Tour and poker run combines cars, history, and a fair price. This one day event on Saturday November 2nd is a fundraiser for Exploring Joara Foundation. 100% of each participant’s $25 entry fee will go toward funding the foundations work. Have you ever heard of Joara? It is an important part of US history. In 1567 Juan Pardo arrived at Joara, a Native American town near present day Morganton North Carolina, to build a fort for Spain. For 18 months, 30 Spanish solders occupied the settlement before it was destroyed. Fort San Juan is recognized as the earliest European settlement in the interior of the United States and predates Sir Walter Raleigh’s “Lost Colony” by 20 years. Come and follow in the footsteps of Explorers and Patriots while enjoying some of North Carolina’s most scenic and challenging roads. The tour will visit the archaeological site at Catawba Meadows as well as other historical and interesting sites such as Fort Defiance the home of Gen. William Lenoir, patriot leader and first president of the board of directors of the University of North Carolina .Exploring Joara Foundation is a nonprofit organization located in Morganton NC that supports public archaeology in the Catawba and Yadkin river valleys. Check out our website and registration form at www.touringjoara.org.

We have had an exciting discovery at Joara this Summer. We found Fort San Juan!!! Please check out this link to read more about it… Medieval Spanish gold hunters? fort found in North Carolina | Fox News

 

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Touring Joara is getting closer and it is going to be a great drive and tour.
This year our poker run prizes will be artwork by local artist. We will have an art show at a local brewery in Morganton NC displaying the prizes before the tour and on Friday November 1st there will be a reception for the drivers and artist. This should be a lot of fun so I hope you can come.
Scott Coley

 

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Touring Joara
Touring Joara a European and Sports Car Tour and poker run is next Saturday November 2nd. This year’s poker prizes are donated by local artist and there will be a preview of art at Morganton’s new Fonta Flora Brewery at 317 N. Green Street, on Friday at 6:00pm November 1st. So plan to come and check out the prizes and enjoy fellowship with other drivers.

 

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Touring Joara 2013 This Saturday!!!

Touring Joara 2013
Touring Joara is a European style automotive tour that will lead you on a 98.2 mile adventure. You will enjoy rural mountain roads, see beautiful scenery, and trod in the footsteps of European explorers and frontiers people that helped to make America what we know today. As you drive Touring Joara there will be mountain vistas that rival views found anywhere in the world. The roads are winding and interesting and can be challenging to drive. The roads have dips, sharp turns, step inclines, narrow bridges, and 450 years of history to explore.
We will gather at Catawba Meadows Park, 701 Sanford Dr. Morganton, NC 28655. We’ll register and check in cars between 8:00 am to 9:30 am. Driver’s meeting is at 9:30 and depart at 10:00 AM. Volunteers will be on location once you enter the Park. Hot coffee and pastries will be available. Get there early to enjoy the wide range of cars with other enthusiasts.
Breakfast option for those interested: Morganton Rotary Club is having their annual Pancake Breakfast at the Morganton Community House, 120 N. King St. Morganton, beginning at 7:00 am. Pancakes, sausage / bacon, coffee, milk or juice all for $7.00. Proceeds go to support local Rotary Club projects.
There will be three stops where you will receive a card for the poker run and each stop was carefully chosen for its own unique story and location. Additional “Points of Interest” along the route will be mentioned on your map and will help to tell the story of this historic region. If you look close you will see two small waterfalls on the passenger side of the road, one on Laytown Road and one on Grandin Road. This beautiful part of Appalachia has been home to rugged hardworking people for thousands of years and it is there legacy we are working to preserve.
Most of the tour is on rural roads so please keep a few things in mind:
• If people are watching from the side of the road, smile and wave!!!
• Cell phone coverage is slim in many areas but usually the signal will return just
around the next corner. There is no coverage on Laytown Road.
• Gas stations are found along the tour route and in Morganton and Lenoir. Cheek’s
Crossroads Convenience & Grill also has gas.
• There are some blind curves so stay clear of the center line.
• Caution: Numerous curves on Hwy 90 have non-existence shoulders with a sharp drop
off the pavement, which could cause real damage to a car. Concentrate and
watch your speed in curves.
• Obey speed limits at all times (the local police know we are out there).
• Seating is limited at Fort Defiance, bring a chair(s) or blanket with your picnic lunch.
• Lodging is available at these hotels in Morganton, NC:
Hampton Inn: 115 Bush Drive Morganton, NC 28655
http://www.morganton.hamptoninn.com 828-432-2000
Quality Inn: 2400 South Sterling Street Morganton, NC 28655 828-437-0171
Days Inn and Suites: 100 Burkemont Ave. Morganton, NC 28655 828-430-8778
• Lunch options are very limited: 1) Best option is to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy at Fort Defiance, 2) Purchase lunch at Cheek’s Grill which is a stop on the tour route. 3) There are many different restaurants about 5 miles down Hwy 321 near Lenoir. If you purchase lunch from Cheek’s Crossroads Convenience & Grill we would suggest preordering a sandwich and drink then eat at Fort Defiance which is a beautiful location for a picnic. Menu attached. Cheek’s phone number is (828) 758-1173.
We hope you enjoy Touring Joara.
Scott Coley (cell # 828-403-0019) David Deal (cell # 828-439-3679)

 

[varesecrazy]

hi, I hope the event went well, and funds were raised for a worthy cause,
got any Pictures..??

as we need to see some sunshine in our misty Autumn here in the UK,

thanks,
charlie