Don’t be alarmed if you are out and about in East Ridge Thursday
afternoon. You won’t be in the middle of a Burt Reynolds movie, it’s
the 2011 version of The Bandit Run stopping off on its way to its
final destination in Braselton, Georgia. The cars have been headed
west and south since leaving their starting position in Nebraska.
According to Bill Breneman, local organizer for the event, there will
over 75 cars in the procession, plus the replica 18-wheeler that actor
Jerry Reed drove in the Smokey and the Bandit movies.
After a morning visit and tour of Coker Tires in Chattanooga, the
participants will head over to East Ridge for their overnight stay at
The Comfort Inn and Suites, located at 6710 Ringgold Road. The
procession will exit I-24 at the Moore Road exit where they will be
met by an escort from the East Ridge Police Department for a parade
down Ringgold Road to the hotel.
Mr. Breneman said that there will food vendors, a live band and
opportunities to look over the Bandit replica cars on the hotel
parking lot. If you are not a hotel guest, you are asked to please
park across the street from the Comfort Inn.
Coors Beer, the original cargo the Bandit was attempting to move
across state lines, will sponsor a Bandit Hospitality Suite for hotel
guests and run participants. Guests of the hotel are invited to mix
and mingle with the drivers of these replica cars.
Beginning at 6:30 Friday morning there will be a Bandit Bash
breakfast with the cars scheduled to depart around nine that morning.
(Dennis Norwood is a staff writer for Chattanoogan.com. You can email
him at chattanoogan1@att.net; follow him on Twitter at
http://www.twitter.com/DennisENorwood)