Holler Crawlers in Dirt Wheels

[Knott Trail Rider]

I'd like to congratulate the Bell County Holler Crawlers on their recent inclusion in the July 2011 Edition of Dirt Wheels Magazine.

I've put up a PDF version of the article just in case anyone is interested in reading it. You can view it here: knottcountytrailriders.com/uploads/dwjuly2001hcarticle.pdf

[Knott Trail Rider]

Club Profile
Holler Crawlers Off-Road Club
By the staff of Dirt Wheels – July 2011

Members of the Holler Crawlers Off-Road Club are stewards of the Wilderness Trail Off-Road Park, a 9000 acre, free-to-ride park in the mountains of Bell County, Kentucky, which is on the Kentucky-Virginia-Tennessee state line. It offers some of the best scenic ATV trails in the county and has over 100 miles of trails. The park also has dozens of places to fish (anglers must practice catch and release with a Kentucky fishing license), and folks can set up primitive camps for free as well. Most of the trails on the park are suited for beginning riders, but there are several challenging ones as well. The Holler Crawlers help maintain the park in partnership with the local county government. To learn more about this great club, we spoke with Jon Grace, the adventure tourism director for Bell County and found of the Holler Crawlers off-road club.

Dirt Wheels: How did your club get started?

Holler Crawlers: We formed in 2007 for a few reasons. First of all, Bell County and eastern Kentucky in general have as many per-capita ATV owners as anywhere else I have been. The love of trail riding in prevalent in our region and has been since the first three-wheelers were spotted back in the early ‘80s. There is a sea of wilderness here, and ATVs have become a logical way for most people to enjoy our mountains. I was a member of the Harlan County Ridge Runners ATV Club, who helped transform their economy through adventure tourism. I put an ad in our local paper asking for ATV riders to come out and help start a club, and we had a great response. We took off from there, developing friendships and getting a lot of miles of trail under our wheels. That’s really the best part of a club like this is the friends you gain in the process.

DW: How many members does it have?

HC: We have several hundred members from all over the eastern U.S. since our club began. We have a strong core of folks who help in holding events and doing work on the park.

DW: Tell us about your meetings

HC: The club hold monthly meeting on the second Tuesday of every month at 6:00 p.m. They are held in the third floor meeting room of the old Pineville courthouse in Pineville, Kentucky. Anyone is free to attend, member or not. We normally talk about upcoming events we have planned. We hold several events each year, all of which are free of charge to attend. Sometimes we will hold benefit rides for different charities and just ask that people who come donate whatever they can to help. We also talk about ways to help promote and grow our club and riding area, talk about the park and any work days we have planned, and other ways to help promote adventure tourism in our county. And of course, we talk about other things like ordering merchandise, club finances… all that good stuff.

DW: Let’s hear more about these rides.

HC: We’ve done several different rides since we started in 2007. We’ve done benefit rides to help raise money for the March of Dimes Foundation, the American Cancer Society, and a few local charities as well. One ride that has become a club favorite and a staple Holler Crawler ride is our annual Haunted Forest Ride, which is held the Saturday before Halloween – this year it’s on October 22nd. It is a blast, and last year we had almost 1500 people show up. We deck out several miles of trail in Halloween décor and let folks ride through on their ATV or side-by-side. There are a lot of ghouls along the trail that do their best to ensure that riders need a new pair of britches afterwards. This year, we hope to make it even bigger and better than last years, so make sure to mark your calendars for Saturday October 22, 2011! Also, this spring or early summer we are planning a ride as well, which will probably be a benefit trail ride of some sort. Just check www.hollercrawlers.com soon and click on the “Events” link and it will be updated.

DW: Are there any dues or fees associated with being in the club?

HC: Our club dues are $15 a year for an individual, $25 for a family, and $5 if are a veteran or active-duty serviceman or woman. Club dues foes toward the hosting of club events or toward the maintenance of the off-road park.

DW: The floor is yours.

HC: We’d love to invite everyone down to experience Wilderness Trail Off-Road Park and the Holler Crawlers Off-Road Club. We have a ton of great riding in Bell County, and we’d love to have you come experience for yourself. If you check our website forum, often our members will post impromptu trail rides which anyone can attend. Best part is, the riding area and club events are free of charge. We are always looking for new members to help up keep this club going, and once you ride with us, we believe you’ll come back for more. Again, for more information on the club, go to www.hollercrawlers.com or e-mail us at [e-mail]. If you want information on Wilderness Trail Off-Road Park, just visit www.wildernesstrailoffroadpark.net. We hole to share some trails with everyone soon! And, of course, a special thanks to Dirt Wheels; our members really enjoy your magazine! Keep up the great work!

[bco]

Thanks so much! Yalls article was great earlier this year as well!