05/12/2020
Hi 928 Family,
I hope everyone is doing great and staying healthy and safe in this strange new world! Jeannie and I think, and worry, about you guys and gals daily.
It is with a very sad, and very heavy heart, that I have to say Sharks in the Mountains 2020 is cancelled. :-( Even before this global pandemic started I was already missing you all terribly, due to a lot of different things, and it seemed to me like it has been way more than a year since Jeannie and I were able to hang out with all of you. I was so looking forward to seeing everyone this year at SITM,... then the sky fell and rained this crap on the world! 22 years in a row and the only thing that has stopped us in all those years is a Global Pandemic!
We have been waiting and hoping for some sort of miracle to happen that would allow us to put on Sharks in the Mountains for you this year, but time has ran out. We have been in constant contact with the Hotel, Restaurants, and local governments and the answer from all of them is that there is no way we can do it.
Plus to be honest, there is no way in good conscience we could do it with everything as it stands now. The thought of just one of you getting sick (or worse) with Covid-19 going back and forth to, and during, our event is unbearable for us. The 928 Community has already for sure lost one 928er to Covid-19 and I hope everyday there are no more. We have a lot of 928ers that are of a "certain age" that puts us in a high risk category, myself and Jeannie included. I am also in the even higher risk group due to multiple health issues and I am sure I am far from alone in this.
On a brighter note, we have already locked in the dates and locations for next year, so Sharks in the Mountains 2021 is certainly a GO,..even if we all have to wear full hazmat suits, LOL.
The dates are June 4th, 5th, 6th, 2021. I will do my best to make it extra special to make up for missing this year. Depending on how things go we may try to do something later on this year, maybe in the fall, depending upon your interest.
FYI, a few people have told us they will go there and do the event without us, not sure if they were joking or serious, but PLEASE don't do that. Doing so would have negative effects with the locals that we have spent 20 years developing relationships with there. If you are hell bent on chancing something like that during this time, PLEASE do it somewhere else, the North Georgia Mountains would be a nice place since Georgia is not locked down like North Carolina is. North Carolina is still under lock down and even with some of the limited openings happening in the coming weeks there still isn't anyplace that can accommodate us. For example, there is no nearby restaurant that is large enough at 25% capacity to handle all of us at one time, even IF they are open. The Hotels can only have groups of 10 or less, and if we tried the ole "multiple groups of 10" scam, trust me the authorities there aren't stupid. Neighboring Boone and the rest of Watuga County for example, are going to stay completely on lock down for sure to sometime in June, so nothing there either. While I appreciate and celebrate the enthusiasm, just please don't do this on our weekend and location, and certainly not in our Event name.
Jeannie and I love you guys and gals and we are so very sorry to cancel Sharks in the Mountains this year. Please stay safe and healthy so we can for sure see you next year, that is always much more important than any event.
All the best,
Dave
