Check Out What's Happening: GAF 2013

Every year, NOC celebrates another great season of outdoor recreation by offering unbeatable deals on gear and apparel and by providing a weekend full of free, fun outdoor lifestyle events. This is our famous Guest Appreciation Festival, or simply "GAF."

Here are the top 6 things to look forward to during GAF weekend, September 27-29, at NOC:

1. Family-Friendly Activities - With a variety of kid's activities, GAF is a perfect time to bring the family to NOC for a beautiful fall weekend! This year we will have a bounce house, face painting, button making, coloring, games and much more for the whole family to enjoy.  Last year, the kids activities were on the tennis courts, but this year they will be closer to the festival, making it easier for parents to play too!
2. Snakes, Stories and Survival - Join Steve Longenecker for a hands-on lesson about snakes living in our region and around the world, Tim Hall for exciting, humorous mountain-themed stories and Appalachian folktales or sit in for a lesson on how to survive in the wilderness, courtesy of NOC's Survival School.
3. Discount on NOC Activities - As a thank you for your support and loyalty to NOC, we invite you to go whitewater rafting down the Nantahala River, take a ride on the Mountaintop Zip Line Tour or challenge yourself in the Zip Line Adventure Park for 15% off! Reserve your trip for GAF weekend, September 27-29, and use code "GAF15" to redeem this special discount.
4. Upper Nantahala and Cascade Releases - If you are a class IV-V kayaker, this weekend is perfect for you! The Upper Nantahala and Cascades Section of the Nantahala River will be running on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5 pm.  We are offering free shuttles for this release in partnership with Endless River Adventures.  Sign up here to give us an idea of how many people to expect for the shuttles!
5. Of Course, the Gear Sales - Get your outdoor gear from NOC's Used Gear Sale or the Guest Gear Marketplace at some of the lowest prices you will find.  From paddling and rafting gear to clothing and accessories, these marketplaces will have something for everyone! To sign up for a booth to sell your own gear, click here.
6. U.S. Slalom National Championships - Watch the nation's best racers carve up the exciting Nantahala Falls course on Saturday and Sunday morning. The winners will be crowned the national champions for 2013, so the competition will be fierce. Find out more from the Nantahala Racing Club. 

Soar above the tree tops on the Mountaintop Zip Line Tour

Thanks for another great season! We look forward to seeing you at GAF.

For more information and a full schedule for GAF 2013, click here.

GAF 2013: Live Music Line Up

NOC's Guest Appreciation Festival is not only packed with deals and activities, but also with free live music. Check out the lineup below and plan your schedule accordingly:

Friday
2 PM - The Night Trotters
From Asheville, The Night Trotters offer "Thoroughbred Bluegrass Music" that's 100% traditional and true to the "old sound." 


5:30 PM - Common Foundation
"Playing a blend of downtempo reggae, chugging Jamaican rocksteady and upbeat ska, Common Foundation fills the air with infectious danceable rhythms and an easygoing atmosphere" This show promises to be a perfect after-work start to GAF weekend. 

9 PM - Lefty Williams Band
A one-armed guitarist playing traditional southern rock and blues, Lefty Williams brings an Allman Brothers sound to the GAF stage.

Saturday
2 PM - Buncombe Turnpike
Out of Asheville, Buncombe Turnpike brings traditional and contemporary bluegrass to the stage. PLaying songs from their fifth album "Forever it Will Be" these accomplished musicians are a can't-miss show on Saturday afternoon.

5:30 PM - Packway Handle Band
An NOC guest favorite,  Packway Handle Band is a bluegrass quintet from Athens, GA that mixes bluegrass with unique covers and high energy beats presenting the audience with a dynamic and upbeat performance. PHB has played some of the biggest shows NOC has ever hosted.

9 PM - Antique Firearms
At the top of the music scene in Asheville, Antique Firearms brings a unique repertoire of experimental, rock and alternative music reminiscent of Radiohead and My Morning Jacket. Perfect music for a Saturday evening party.

We hope to see you out on the dance floor this year!

Click here for a full GAF schedule.

What to Expect: Six Days of Free Live Music

Need another reason to attend the biggest whitewater paddling event in years? How about free live music from some of the Asheville area's best bands? Come for the competition, do your own outdoor activities and stick around to celebrate the day alongside 200 paddling athletes from all over the planet.

See the official live music schedule below to find out who we've got lined up for your visit.

Live Music Schedule. All Shows on Main Event Stage at NOC Competition Venue:

Tuesday, September 3rd
5 PM - 8 PM The Broadcast - Rock/Neo-soul/Classic

Wednesday, September 4th
5 PM - 8 PM Chalwa - Reggae

Thursday, September 5th
5 PM - 8 PM The Fritz - Electronic Funk Rock

Friday, September 6th
4 PM - 7 PM Playing on the Planet - Contemporary Bluegrass
8 PM - 11 PM The Freight Hoppers - Bluegrass/Strings 

Saturday, September 7th
4 PM - 7 PM Buncombe Turnpike - Traditional/Contemporary Bluegrass/Gospel 
8 PM - 11 PM The Mad Tea - Rock

Sunday, Septebmer 8th
4 PM - 7 PM Unspoken Tradition - Bluegrass
8 PM - 11 PM Dirty Bourbon River Show - Folk/Rock/Blues/Jazz/Latin/Gypsy/Traditional New Orleans Styles

-->
Please note this is a tentative Music Schedule.  These bands will play on specified days of the week, but times may vary. Check here for a final Music Schedule for the week of the event.

Spend Your Fourth of July Weekend with NOC

This blog has moved. You will be redirected to the new blog in 5 seconds. If your browser does not redirect, please click the following URL:

http://www.noc.com/blog/spend-your-fourth-of-july-weekend-with-noc/

From adventurous raft and zip packages to entertaining bands and brews, NOC is the place to have fun this Independence Day! We are gearing up for a great week of festivities and adventures with these highlights:

Raft and Zip Packages
Enjoy a full day of fun with the family and save some money by booking our new-for-2013 raft and zip packages:

• River to Ridge - Save $13 per person
  Nantahala Fully Guided Rafting + Mountaintop Zip Line Tour
• Float'N'Tarry - Save $13 per person
  Nantahala Fully Guided Rafting + Zip Line Adventure Park
• All Day Air - Save $25 per person

  Mountaintop Zip Line Tour + Zip Line Adventure Park

See all of NOC's Raft and Zip Packages.

NOC Outfitter's Store Independence Day Sale
Shop till you drop at NOC's Outfitter's Store! Save up to 40% on select brands from July 1st to July 7th.  Featured brands include leading manufacturers like The North Face, Patagonia, Mountain Hardwear, Keen, Chaco and others.

Also included in the sale, are some amazing deals for whitewater enthusiasts. The sale includes the following discounts:

• $200 in store credit with the purchase of a fully-priced boat
• 30% off on 2012 Jackson Rockstars
• 15% off on Esquif L'edge canoes
• Up to 20% off other select boat models

Kayaking Lessons and Mountain Bike Rentals
Looking for to expand your outdoor skill set? NOC's Paddling School is staffed with the top whitewater paddling instructors in the nation. If you've ever wanted to paddle a whitewater kayak there's no better place to start than NOC. Try an Intro to Kayaking lesson this summer.

NOC also rents high-end mountain bikes so you can enjoy one of the mountains best thrills. Tsali, Flint Ridge and Jackrabbit trail systems provide exceptional riding for riders of all skill levels. Stop by the NOC Bike Shop, and NOC guides will fit you with the right bike for your day on the trail.

Dining and Dancing for All
Big Wesser BBQ + Brew is hosting three great bands for Fourth of July Weekend! Be sure to hang around in the evening to dance the night away and unwind with some delicious food.


    •    July 4th - 8 to 11pm - Rick Rushing and the Blues Strangers
    •    July 5th - 7 to 10pm - Jean Ellison and the Treatment
    •    July 6th - 7 to 10 pm - The Broadcast

For more information about NOC festivals and events, click here.

So that's the plan for the 4th at NOC. We hope to see you on the river, but no matter what you do, we hope you have a wonderful holiday!

Celebrate the Season at NOC's Spring Fling

Looking for a great way to kick start the season? Check out NOC’s Spring Fling, April 26-28! You can expect an action packed weekend at NOC with hands-on activities and contests, film screenings, and fun for the whole family.

Top athletes will be competing in the 2013 US Freestyle Team Trials for their chance to represent the USA in the 2013 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships, which will also be held here on the Nantahala this September 2-8. The Nantahala is the place to see world-class kayaking this summer, as DJ Brett Rock keeps the tunes coming and our announcers help to explain the moves and build excitement. This competition is open to everyone, so don’t be shy! Hop in a boat and be a part of it. Visit noc.com/shootout to register.

Spectators enjoy some world-class freestyle on the 2013 Wave here at NOC.

For those of you who prefer to paddle downstream (I number among you), the Nantahala Cascades and Upper Nantahala will be releasing from 10 am to 4 pm. Please remember Safety First as you head upstream to paddle this beautiful section of whitewater.

A paddler negotiates The Horns of God during the 2012 inaugural Cascades release.

NOC is excited to host the Reel Paddling Film Festival. After a day of excitement on the river, stop by and catch a film or two at NOC’s Welcome Center (near the railroad tracks) to check out some of the year's best paddling films from around the world. Films will be shown Friday through Sunday from 4 to 8 pm.

Be sure to stop by the NOC Outfitter’s Store over the weekend to check out the hot new paddling gear for 2013. Try out exciting new boat designs from Pyranha, Dagger, Jackson and Liquid Logic. The Outfitter's Store is offering free 1 hour demos for play boats (such as the Pyranha JED, Dagger Jitsu and Jackson Star) and 2 hour demos for creek/river runners.

Check out the vendor fair in front of the NOC Outfitter's Store for the inside scoop on the season's hottest gear.

For those of you coming with the whole family, check out our kids area near Slow Joe’s Café for face painting, bounce houses, hula hoops and games.

When it’s time to wind down after a long day, come on over to Slow Joe’s Café for some free live music Friday through Sunday. We have some great sets and a little something for everyone with The Archrivals, Marcus King Band, and Jonathan Scales Fourchestra.

NOC can't get enough of this steel pan trio. Don't miss Jonathan Scales on Sunday, April 28.

Band and Brew Line Up: NOCtoberfest 2012

To get in the spirit of NOCtoberfest, The Pourover Pub is featuring German food and drink specials every weekend in October.  Although we are running short on steins and liederhosen, the pub will have the essentials: beer and brats!

Every weekend, The Pourover Pub will serve Bratwurst and Reuben specials.  Don't miss out on the delicious Germanic fare! After you are finished eating, you can wash your meal down with a festive German brew. Try a dark Heffeweisen from Weihenstephaner, Maisel's Weisse, or for those who prefer a lighter, easy-drinking beer, a lager from Bitburger.

Enjoy a beer on the banks of the Nantahala River

Live Music at The Pourover Pub in October:

October 12th: Rick Rushing & The Blues Strangers - Chattanooga, TN - Blues Reggae

October 13th: Ogya - Chattanooga, TN - Reggae

October 19th: Total War - Asheville, NC - Pop Alternative

October 20th: Freight Hoppers - Bryson City, NC - Old-Time String Band

October 26th: Lumbar 5 -Chattanooga, TN - Soul Fusion

October 27th: Being the final weekend of NOCtoberfest, Natti Love Joys will be featured as the last (certainly not least) band of the season.  With an upbeat reggae ska sound, these guys will definitely keep you up on your feet dancing along.  Don't forget about all of the other activities during this final weekend though: the Great Pumpkin Pursuit, Flint Ridge Fall Trail Run, costume contest and pumpkin decorating!

GAF 2012 Live Music Preview

I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am about the musicians coming to this year’s Guest Appreciation Festival! If my boss would allow it, I would take the two days off, buy myself a pint of Noon Day IPA, (Nantahala Brewing is coming out for a beer-tasting on Friday from 5-8pm) and park myself at Slow Joe’s to enjoy the melodious bliss that will go long into the night. But since that's not an option, I wrote up the following preview to give you all a glimpse of the treats we've prepared for you.

Friday at 2pm, NOC welcomes Bryson City blue-grass legends, The Freight Hoppers. Bradley Adams and the band will treat you to hard-driving old-time music with an emotional, raw excitement that keeps one foot planted in the past and the other in the present. Looked at geographically, the Freight Hopper’s music can be said to span from Mississippi to West Virginia, and but it’s never more relevant than right here in the Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina.

At 5pm, Vertigo Jazz Project will take the stage to help rid you of any outdated expectations you may have of what “jazz music” is or might be.  This Asheville band pulls its inspiration from many sources, including Latin, funk, and even pop music, and the result is an upbeat, original, yet studied sound that is truly 21st century. Be ready to dance!

Finally, Friday evening at about 8pm, don’t miss the Packway Handle Band from Athens, Georgia. To quote Splice Today, “The Packway Handle Band mixes dark themes and old-time religion with a uniquely modern folk aesthetic that pins down just what American music is all about.” PHB first won national acclaim as finalists at the Telluride bluegrass competition in 2002, and has been blowing away audiences around the country since 2006 with their thought-provoking lyrics and genuine sense of humor.

The Packway Handle Band, masters of alt-bluegrass, have been one of NOC's
most popular acts over the past two seasons. 

Saturday, when you come down from the Cascades, we’ve arranged to bring in Asheville’s Archrivals for your listening pleasure. Their jazz-rock fusion is made for chillin’ or for dancin’, so whether you’re looking to put your feet up and enjoy a cold brew, or ramp up your energy level for the long party ahead, you’ll enjoy this smooth, unique, groovy sound.

Then, at 8pm, the Secret B-Sides are back for an encore show from earlier this season. Old school R&B sensibilities coupled with a touch of funk and neu-soul make these guys are the reigning kings of soul in Western North Carolina. Juan Holliday and the band will fire up the tunes just as we light the bonfire to keep away the early-autumn chill.

The Secret B-Sides play their third GAF in 2012. The band's signature
funk sound always gets the celebration going strong.  

Both Friday and Saturday, after you’ve worn out the bands, stick around for NOC’s annual dance party, dj’ed by the good folks from Ride Garden. This September 28-29th, the music won’t stop till the first rays morning kiss the uppermost peaks of the towering smokies.

GAF Parking and Camping Information

A lot of folks will be joining us at GAF on September 28th – 30th, and we want to make sure that logistical confusion and parking don't mar anyone’s good time. Below, I’ve outlined our parking plan for GAF 2012. Read up before you come so you can all spend less time worrying about your car, and more time enjoying the festival.

GAF 2012 will feature the first ever recreational releases on the
Class IV/V Cascades section of the Nantahala.

Parking

We plan to use our existing on-campus parking most of Friday and Sunday. When you arrive at NOC, drive across the bridge and let our friendly parking staff direct you to an open spot. Please take their advice, and park efficiently so everyone can park on-property.

Saturday morning and early afternoon are the peak parking times at GAF. If on-property parking is full or if you just want to go ahead and get settled, turn up Silvermine Road, across the street from the Outfitter's Store.  NOC staff will be stationed at the mouth of Silvermine Rd. (near the Wesser General Store & Fly Shop) with maps and directions to approved lots. Please don't park alongside Silvermine road. We've seen too many festival attendees get tickets on this road over the years, even though it looks like there are pullouts.

The first satellite lot is located approximately ¾ of a mile up Silvermine Rd (within walking distance for many people). It is a fenced grass lot on the right hand side, and will be clearly marked with a special event parking sign. There will be an attendant on hand to help you park efficiently.

As this lot fills up, cars will be directed further along Silvermine Rd. to the second satellite lot 2.2 miles up the road. You will want to be sure you stay on the main paved road as you drive up Silvermine until you see the second marked lot. It usually only takes about five minutes to drive to this lot, so don't worry about the distance. The lot is nicely graveled, and because we are only running shuttles in one direction we can service the lots very frequently. No one should have to wait more than 10 minutes to get a ride.

In the unlikely case that we fill up both of our Silvermine parking locations, we will open an additional lot at the Ruby Mine near Bud Dill’s gas station, just east of NOC on Hwy. 19/74. Please don’t park in this lot unless directed to do so by NOC staff, because we’ll only be running shuttles in this direction once we fill the other lots.

Finally, NOC is offering free shuttles to the Wayah Forest Service Put-In for those who choose to leave their cars off property while they are on the river. We usually do this as a thank you to guests helping us avoid a parking crunch during Saturday at GAF. In other words, if you paddle into GAF we'd be glad to drive you back to your car when you're finished. (Just make sure you catch the last rafting bus headed to the put in around 3:30. It should be very easier to thumb a ride to the top with another boater this weekend anyway.)

Please note that all GAF remote lots close at 7pm. We’d love for you to stay to enjoy the free live music and dancing, so please make your way up to the lots as the afternoon wears on to move your cars back down to the center. It’ll make life easier for you when it’s time to go home.


Camping

As in years past, we are unfortunately unable to accommodate camping on campus or in remote lots during GAF. There are simply so many people rafting, dancing, shopping and playing that it's impossible to accommodate everyone.  Check out our lodging page for great tips on camping and lodging close by.

We will have off-duty law enforcement on campus throughout the event to make sure that everyone has a good, safe time. They’ll also be helping us with our no-camping policy, so it's important to make sleeping plans ahead of time. Please note that some registered vendors and event staff will be spending the night on campus to keep an eye on everything; they have been accounted for in the event plan and are exceptions to the no camping standard.

So, that's the deal. Guests who know the parking plan and who make appropriate sleeping plans will find this year's event really fun and really easy. We appreciate the preparation, and we can't wait to see you at GAF!

Continue Your Endless Summer

If you have been to the Nantahala River outpost within the past few years, I hope you hung around long enough to unwind and relax at NOC's Pourover.  Opening in 2009, The Pourover celebrated its third anniversary this summer, and for the past eight weeks the Pub has hosted a band every Friday and Saturday evening. The "Pub" also holds a different beer tasting every Saturday from 5pm-7pm, often featuring North Carolina microbrews. By hosting two bands and a beer tasting every weekend, the Pub gives visitors who are in town for the day, or perhaps the weekend, a venue to continue their fun into the night alongside the river.

Grand Opening in 2009

The Pub is a perfect venue to highlight local talent. "It is great exposure for local breweries looking to reach new customers and bands to make new fans," said Emily Michaels, Manager of The Pourover.  Offering food, drinks, live music, and riverside dancing, The Pourover is not only a local favorite, but also a reason to make your visit last for more than just a day trip. 

"This has been a busy summer for the Pourover Pub.  The biggest event of the summer at the Pub was definitely our 3rd anniversary celebration." Showcasing 5 different breweries including Bells Brewery, Stone Brewing Co., 21st Amendment Brewing Co., New Holland Brewing Co., and Left Hand Brewing Co., the Pub catered to over 200 guests. With its "uniquie location, fun atmosphere and sense of community," the Pub is always a place to go for a good time on the Nantahala River banks.

A favorite Pourover , Smoky's Farmland Band, playing at the Pub

Looking Ahead

With Fall right around the corner, Emily is very excited to start serving more seasonal beverages.  Along with beer tastings every weekend in August, The Pub has three larger events to look forward to later this fall.  The Pub will host two bands during the World Cup Finals (Sept. 7-9). Additionally, "GAF," the Guest Appreciation Festival, (Sept 28-30) and NOCtoberfest (October) are NOC's most popular events in the fall.  GAF brings vendors and guests together for a multi-act music festival filled with food, paddling and great deals on gear.  NOCtoberfest lasts more than one weekend, there will be various events every weekend, each one being different from the last. Events include raft races, relays and the popular Great Pumpkin Pursuit through Nantahala Falls that will be sure to leave guests thirsty and looking to unwind at the Pub afterwards.

Beer Tasting with French Broad Brewery

For more details and information on upcoming events, please visit The Pourover Pub's webpage!