Southern Gap Mountain Mayhem --  Three days. Four nights. Unforgettable off-road fun!

 ​    Visitors from multiple states converged on Southern Gap Outdoor Adventure in Grundy July 27-31 for the first ever Southern Gap Mountain Mayhem.

    Three days of offroad fun, including mud bog blitzes, drag races, hill climb racing, a UTV Tug-o-War, games, bingo, music … and more were a part of the event held at the family-friendly ATV, UTV and MX event which drew an estimated three-day attendance of more than 3,000.

   “We had visitors from New York, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Kentucky, Georgia, Ohio, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and several parts of Virginia, in addition to our local folks in attendance,” said SGOA owners Billie Campbell and Patrick Owens.

   A charity raffle held saw three non-profit groups who provided volunteers for the event benefit, including the Southwest Virginia Sportsman’s Club, Harman Memorial Baptist Church and the Russell Prater Volunteer Fire Department. The Buchanan County Shop With a Cop program was hired to work the gate and the proceeds from their work will benefit that program which helps children in need at Christmas.

   Both Campbell and Owens expressed their appreciation to the sponsors of the event, including Title Sponsors Kawasaki, Maxxis Tires, BEAST Equipment, Spearhead Trails, Buchanan County Tourism and the Town of Grundy, without whose support, Campbell and Owens said, an event of this magnitude would not have been possible.  

   Event sponsors, in addition to the title sponsors, included the Boys and Girls Club of Central Appalachia, Carter Machinery Company, Inc., Hillcom, Noah Horn Well Drilling, Heart of Appalachia, Powerhouse Cycles, Southwest Virginia Sportsman’s Club, Planet Powersports and Southern Gap Outdoor Adventure.

   Vendors included Kawasaki, Maxxis Tires, Planet Powersports of Virginia, Spearhead Trails, Marchet’s Shirts and Things, AJ’s SxS Accessories, Soiree, Smart Axe Axe Throwing, Right Coast Off-Road and Smoky Mountain Crafts. Due to the catastrophic flooding that occurred in the region as the event was getting started, several other vendors originally scheduled to take part had to drop out at the last minute.

   Food vendors on site included Pig-n-Out, Dave’s Dawgs, Chillerz, Tub’s Concession, Donuts & More and Countrified Café. Michael Waltrip Brewing in Bristol was the official beverage sponsor.

   Live music closed out the event Friday and Saturday nights and included headliners Goodbye June, from Nashville, Tenn., Saturday night; and Midlife Crisis, from Hazard, Ky., on Friday night. Opening on Friday night was Grundy’s own Cody Kennedy, followed by Bedford, from Morehead, Ky.  Down to the River, from Pikeville, Ky., opened Saturday for Goodbye June.

   “There are so many people we need to recognize for their hard work, but suffice it to say that without the people who stepped forward to volunteer, our families and our staff here at Southern Gap Outdoor Adventure, we could not have done it,” Campbell and Owens said. “We have already been asked if we will do another Mayhem event next year and the answer is ‘yes.’ Mark your calendars for July 27-29, 2023 and we’ll do this thing again.”
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   “Lastly, we want to acknowledge all the members of the off-road community who took part in the events offered at Mayhem,” the continued. “This was probably the best participation we’ve had at any offroad event we’ve done here to date. We congratulate all the winners, including Elijah Tiller, of Council, who was the winner of the drawing for a 14-foot aluminum trailer manufactured by BEAST Equipment.”

Thank You to Our Title Sponsors!