Seven Springs Lodge hosts Frontier Days
Outdoor events are at the mercy of the weather, especially those that deal with open ground.
For the recent Frontier Days and chuckwagon races at Seven Springs Lodge, the weather was perfect.
The races featured 89 teams from around the country seeking to send man, woman, horse and racing cart around the track in the fastest time.
Seven Springs Lodge began hosting chuckwagon races about 10 years ago. That event coincided with the primitive camping, horse and trail riding that the lodge has been offering since its inception.
All told, around 3,000 people and an untold number of horses stayed at the lodge for the weeklong event from April 21-26.
“We built the lodge in 1998 and (Rattlesnake) Saloon in 2009,” said William Foster, whose family owns the business. “Between 2005 and 2009 we put in all the hookups, stalls and built the original rodeo arena. We redid the arena three years ago to make it larger, and we put in a stage to accommodate everything.”
Frontier Days also featured a bull-riding rodeo, concert, “toughest cowgirl” competition and a drink koozie hide and seek that campers could search for to win a free meal at Rattlesnake Saloon.
“The event went amazing,” Foster said. “We were scared about what the weather might do. We had a chance of rain on Friday, and Saturday it was supposed to really rain. That makes things a muddy mess. But the weather completely missed us, and we had probably the best event we’ve ever had. The weather was perfect — not too hot or cold.”
Seven Springs Lodge will host another event featuring chuckwagon races Sept. 17-20.
“Events like this are right up our alley,” Foster said. “We love entertaining and talking to people. We meet friends and make new ones. It’s all about Southern hospitality. We’ve been doing this for years now, so we’re in the groove of things. Any problem that comes up we’ve had before, so we make sure things work out. Everyone comes for the grounds, so we make sure they are ready and look good.
“I’d like to thank all the racers and people who came and supported the event, and I hope everybody had a good time. We’ll see you soon.”
