“DUKESFEST” REUNITES CAST MEMBERS AND FANS FOR 2005 CELEBRATION OF THE ORIGINAL HIT SERIES “THE DUKES OF HAZZARD”

Ben Jones, Catherine Bach, John Schneider and Shooter Jennings to Appear

HAZZARD COUNTY (March 31, 2005) – When the folks from Hazzard County put on a shindig, they don’t mess around. An annual gathering for “Dukes of Hazzard” lovers, CMT DukesFest 2005 could bring as many as 50,000 folks to Tennessee’s Bristol Motor Speedway and Dragway over the weekend of June 4-5, 2005.

Ben Jones, who played “Cooter,” Hazzard County’s ace mechanic, says that the show is having “a phenomenal resurgence of popularity.”

“When CMT brought the show back on the air in February, it took off like the General Lee. We have become a hit among the youngsters again. The kids think it is a new show, and they love it as much as their parents did,” adds Jones.

CMT will sponsor this year’s festivities, billed as “A Celebration of America’s Family Show.” Jones will co-host the event, along with Catherine Bach (aka “Daisy Duke”), John Schneider, who starred as “Bo Duke,” and other members of the original cast. In addition to appearances of the show’s stars, DukesFest will feature stunt shows performed by the original "Dukes" stunt drivers, two days of country music, a major Mopar show featuring two days of world class drag racing at the Bristol Dragway and a cruise-in featuring scores of "General Lees.”

Special features will include a parade of the “General Lees” around the famed Bristol Motor Speedway half-mile track, and an attempt by stuntman Corey Eubanks to top his record jump in 2004. Fans will be able to cruise the Speedway in a General Lee by making a contribution to Special Olympics. There will also be a special children’s activity area.

A musical tribute to the show’s narrator, the late Waylon Jennings, will be headlined by his son Shooter Jennings.

“We feel that CMT has done America’s families a great service by bringing the ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ to their network,” Jones says. “And DukesFest will have fun for the whole family. Y’all come!”

“The Dukes of Hazzard” airs weeknights on CMT at 7:00-8:00 PM, ET/PT (repeats at 11:00 PM-12:00 Midnight).

  Advance tickets for DukesFest are $15 for a single day or $25 for a two-day pass. Children under 10 and military personnel with ID are admitted free of charge. Tickets for DukesFest are available online at the cootersplace general store or by calling Cooter’s Place (865) 430-9909 or the BMS ticket office at (423) 764-1161.

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