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Great news everyone: summer is in full swing and August is right around the corner, and with that we are just a few weeks away from the Shine On East Tennessee Backroads 2020 VMC National Rally in Johnson City, Tennessee!!! We have been working hard on our rides, our events, our swag & t-shirts AND our plans to ensure each and every one of you have an enjoyable time while you visit with us in East Tennessee!!! If you would like to see more information pertaining to our event or to register and make reservations, just follow the link below: https://eventsthevmcnationalmeet2020.wordpress.com/ First, on behalf of our organizing committee, let me start by saying "thank you" for your continued interest in attending the upcoming Shine On East Tennessee Backroads 2020 VMC National Rally being held August 27-30, 2020. Secondly, we can appreciate any concerns you may have pertaining to the safety of the attendees based on the Covid-19 numbers in the state of Tennessee. That being said, let me assure you that the safety, health and well-being of all of our attendees, organizers, hotel staff and all associated vendors, sponsors and hosts are definitely a top priority for us concerning Covid-19. We keep a constant eye on the Covid-19 numbers provided by various national, state and local organizations, especially those numbers pertaining to Johnson City & Washington County, Tennessee where our event will be held and most of our events will take place. We are also keeping tabs on the numbers in the surrounding counties and outer lying areas where many of our riders will be enjoying the beautiful scenery of East Tennessee, Western North Carolina, Southwest Virginia and other nearby states. Though the numbers in Tennessee seem to be spiking in some of our larger municipalities, this is not necessarily the case in every county or city statewide. We are doing everything we can to ensure everyone's enjoyment of this event while also providing a safe, healthy, fun & entertaining time for all who attend the Shine On East Tennessee Backroads 2020 VMC National Rally. Our host hotel, the Holiday Inn on Springbrook Drive, is also diligently working with us to maintain a safe environment for their guests and our attendees. They recently had a meeting pertaining to the rally and issued the following statement: "IHG and Holiday Inn Johnson City TN, have always prided ourselves on a Culture of Clean and wants to reinforce that commitment to you and your travelers during this heightened period of vigilance. On a day to day basis, IHG branded hotels are required to adhere to comprehensive health and safety procedures. These include IHG procedures, all applicable local laws, and now COVID-19 specific requirements that governments put in place. IHG has provided us with additional COVID-19 cleanliness guidance, training, and information to accompany the health and safety procedures we have always followed in this area. As you would expect, IHG continues to monitor the evolving situation very closely, keeping in line with the latest global health recommendations and adhering to all applicable local laws. Our Team and I are committed and are embracing social distancing and wear PPP masks and gloves. Temperature screening daily for all team members - Promoting safe hygiene and etiquette Key sanitation program Installed acrylic shields at team member workstations Cleaning with hospital grade disinfectant Increased on going Covid-19 training Hand sanitizer is located throughout the commercial areas of the hotel Stay well, and we look forward to welcoming you and your travelers in the future. Kindest regards, Patricia Kilgore General Manager & Team Holiday Inn" The Holiday Inn has also confidently ensured us that they can host our event and still maintain a safe environment using current social-distancing guidelines. They are currently working with us to develop a plan to utilize a larger meeting room and to use the hallways and common areas around that room to accommodate as many of our guests as possible and still adhere to the suggested safe practices. Masks will be available and hand sanitizer will also be provided throughout the commercial areas of the hotel as well as personal hand sanitizer provided to each attendee in their gift bag. We encourage you to use your best judgement and still hope you will choose to attend and enjoy our beautiful scenery, rich history and hospitality. In the event that the state of Tennessee suggests or mandates stricter guidelines, the hotel may have to alter the structure of events. We will do our best to keep everyone informed about any changes to the status and schedule of events as we continue to monitor the Covid-19 situation. Should you still decide to attend, we urge everyone to wear a mask, maintain the safe-distance guidelines, wash your hands, use the provided hand sanitizer and adhere to other recommended safety measures. Now to some of the exciting news!!! As we mentioned previously, we have a very unique host for one of our evening festivities. We would like to thank TENNESSEE HILLS DISTILLERY of Jonesborough, TN for welcoming the Shine On East Tennessee Backroads 2020 VMC National Rally on Friday evening to their facility! They have agreed to host a bike show; provide plenty of parking for our event; provide a space for some of the area's BEST food trucks to be on-hand; provide a stage with a live band; AND provide tents for us to be able to gather, dine and enjoy the music under! You can sample some of East Tennessee's finest rum, whiskey, bourbon, and other fine liquors that Tennessee Hills has to offer while browsing their retail & gift shop; you can mingle and make new friends while enjoying the bike show and live music; or you can take a short walk from the distillery and enjoy Jonesborough's welcoming downtown shops! The Shine On East Tennessee Backroads 2020 VMC National Rally is also proud to announce Witchdoctors has signed-on as a sponsor of our event and will join a growing list of sponsors and vendors including: East Tennessee ATV & Powersports, Conquest Customs, Pork Chops Vic Pucks, Taylor Specialties, Spike Unlimited Metal Art & Jewelry and Big D Custom Racks! Be sure and visit the link below for more information on our sponsors, vendors & donors...AND, if you haven't registered yet for the rally, you better CLICK NOW and sign up while you still can! The early registration deadline may have passed, but you can STILL make it to the event if you CLICK NOW! DON'T WAIT! https://eventsthevmcnationalmeet2020.wordpress.com/ Our host hotel, the Holiday Inn, is also filling up fast! With approximately 25 rooms remaining, you still have an opportunity to stay where the party is going to be! Just call 423-282-4611 and take advantage of the great rates being offered to our rally attendees...AND, if you would like to show up a day or two early, be sure and ask about the discounted rates for early week arrivals! Again, call 423-282-4611, but do it now before the hotel is totally booked! We feel we have put together a fantastic event for our Victory family of riders and enthusiasts. We have an abundance of scenic roads to take advantage of whether you choose to self-guide or enjoy one of several guided rides we have planned. Maps will be available, and we are happy to announce representatives from the Southern Dozen will be on-hand assisting with information on area rides and handing out some goodies! There's gonna be plenty to see, plenty to eat, plenty to do and enjoy and plenty of opportunities to make plenty of new friends. So, what are you waiting for? Come join us August 27-30 for the Shine On East Tennessee Backroads 2020 VMC National Rally in Johnson City, Tennessee! We look forward to seeing you! Craig Stapleton Communications Coordinator for 2020 VMC National Rally Dragon Riders Chapter