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By kingjmack
#232226 Read this online earlier. Slammin and Jammin is moving from Lebanon, TN to Knoxville this year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That cuts my drive from 2hrs, to bout 30 minutes. :D :D :D

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/jan/0 ... knox-home/

Slammin' and Jammin' car show finds home in Knoxville
Transplanted event expected to be boon for local economy
By Liz Engel
Knoxville News Sentinel
Posted January 8, 2011 at midnight
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DiggFacebookLinkedInTweet thisPrintAAA.One man's loss is another man's gain - at least that's the attitude surrounding a long-running car show that has seemingly worn out its welcome in one Middle Tennessee city and was passed on by another county last fall.

Slammin' and Jammin', which has called Lebanon home for 17 years and recently was denied rental of a Putnam County facility, has found a new venue in Knoxville's Chilhowee Park. And Charlie Cobble, an East Tennessee native and president of Slammin' and Jammin', is looking for a fresh start.

The car show, one of the biggest in the state, will be held over Memorial Day weekend, May 26-28. The schedule of events, in addition to the standard vehicle displays, includes a bikini contest, oil wrestling and amateur mixed martial arts cage fighting - but it could also carry a price tag of $1 million in revenue for the city, tourism officials say.

Rick Evans, general manager at Chilhowee Park, attended a Slammin' and Jammin' event about six years ago and has worked with Cobble on other shows in the past. Cobble said his deal at the Knoxville facility is on a three-year basis. He called Evans as soon as his negotiations with Putnam County fell through.

"We weren't marketing directly to Charlie, but we always left it on the table," Evans said. "I told him if it doesn't work out there (in Lebanon), give us a call and we'll see if we can't put something together."

"They were familiar with the show, they enjoyed the show," Cobble said. "In fact, every year before Slammin' and Jammin', I would always get a call from Rick. I guess his persistence finally paid off."

Cobble is moving the event for the first time, and with that comes some challenges. He's upping his advertising budget and will be adding activities to draw in a new crowd, including one dragging event in particular that had been discontinued in Lebanon.

The car show was increasingly drawing the ire of police in the Wilson County city, and according to Cobble, car show attendees were being negatively - and wrongfully - targeted by officers. He decided to change course, and, because of its central location, quickly shopped his show to Putnam for 2011.

But county commissioners there weren't exactly welcoming either, and they debated for weeks whether to rent their fairgrounds to Cobble. Several said the anticipated revenue from hotel stays, restaurant visits and gasoline sales wasn't worth the trouble it would bring.

One Putnam County commissioner likened the show to a "Mardi Gras-type atmosphere" and both the Putnam County sheriff and city of Cookeville police chief spoke out against the event. It was ultimately voted down.

"The people who voted against the show, they didn't know the complete package. I always say this: If you treat kids with respect, they will respect you back," Cobble said. "We did not get that in Lebanon because a couple people did not want the show in town. Those people have cost the city of Lebanon a lot of money."

Slammin' and Jammin', in its heyday, brought as much as $1.2 million in revenue to Lebanon, he said. Attendance topped the 15,000 mark. Cobble estimates that this show, factoring in its new location, could bring around $300,000-$500,000. But the Knoxville Tourism and Sports Corporation, which was being conservative in its estimate, said the show could equate to a $1 million economic impact in its inaugural year.

"KTSC is excited to welcome the Slammin' and Jammin' car show to Chilhowee Park," Kim Davis, communications manager for KTSC, said in an e-mail. She said KTSC is working with the show's organizers as a liaison for area hotels and will be assisting with resources and materials to promote the event. "With the show being held over Memorial Day weekend, KTSC feels this new event will be met positively and (will) become an annual event for the city."

Cobble said he's put Lebanon behind him. Evans said the Knoxville venue will also allow Cobble more room to grow. Chilhowee Park boasts 81 acres, numerous shelters and 57,000 square feet in exhibition space. He said the "cruising" of Lebanon's city streets, which was a main source of problems, won't be as big of a deal here.

"We haven't had any issues (with previous shows)," Evans said. "We keep a very tight control on it. The bulk of the show will stay inside the gates. From being at the show in '04 or '05, I think this will be a much better fit."

Sign-ups for the car show already have started, and Cobble said more than 100 vehicles have preregistered, twice as many as this time last year. He's pushing for 1,000 cars overall.

"All these people are working to make this show a better success than it ever was in Lebanon. Hopefully we can make it really big this first year," Cobble said. "I think we can pull it off. A lot of things factored into this move, but if we can pull the crowd, Knoxville looks like our best bet."

Liz Engel is a freelance contributor to the News Sentinel.

© 2011, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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