Join us this October 6-31st to mark the drawing-down of another year. NOCtoberfest has grown so popular, this fall we're celebrating with a month-long series of events geared to commemorate the rich variety of the season.
NOC invites you to partake of some old-country hospitality, so pull on your lederhosen and bring your best apetite. Beer Garden menu will include schnitzels galore, old-fashioned German potato salad, classic beef goulash, and Bavarian dumplings. Beverage Selection will include: Spaten Octoberfest, Gaffel, Franziskaner, and hot mulled wine. We haven't forgotten the kids, either, they'll have plenty to choose from, with hot cider and cocoa, as well as kid-friendly meals for those who haven't quite developed a taste for sauerkraut.
Those who prefer to eat indoors can enjoy German themed food and beer specials at River's End Restaurant. For the sake of festivity, River's End is offering 20% off any pizza for costumed patrons. So come in your Halloween best, and celebrate the season with us by the river!
Stay tuned for a full schedule of NOCtober events, which will include:
Hayrides! Haunted House! The Great Pumpkin Pursuit Harvest Festival Face Painting Costume Contest Live Music Fall River Cleanup Community Service Project and more...
The Great Pumpkin Pursuit
Saturday, October 27th, join in this free-for-all dash through the Nantahala Falls! At 2pm, Rafts of costumed NOCers will disperse 200 numbered pumpkins into the Nantahala. Paddlers will compete to collect as many pumpkins as possible, because after the Great Pumpkin Pursuit we'll hold a drawing for prizes, including a $500 gift card to NOC's Outfitter's Store. Of course, the more numbered pumpkins a paddler collects, the better her chances to win a prize in the drawing. Last year's prizes included an ENO Hammock, a Columbia Omni-Heat jacket, and a for the grand prize: a Pyranha Ammo.
Scenes from the 2010 event. Last year was fun, but we're tossing 4x more pumpkins into the river in 2011 to ensure total pumpkin saturation.
See bottom of page for Great Pumpkin Pursuit rules and contest information.
Pumpkin Decoration and Costume Contests
For the non-paddlers in the family, we'll be hosting a pumpkin decorating contest and a costume contest following the Pumpkin Pursuit. NOC will supply pumpkin decorating and carving supplies, and contestants will have over two hours to work their pumpkin magic. GPP pumpkins will be recycled for the pumpkin carving, so there should be plenty to go around. (Kids must be accompanied by an adult).
Costumes are up to the attendees. Anything goes, but please be respectful of families and children. (Also, the Gorge tends to get a little chilly in late October.) We'll have a couple of categories, and prizes for the winners. Plus, we'll reserve a prize for the best costume worn on the water by a Great Pumpkin Pursuit contestent.
Judging and awards will take place at 5pm during the Natti Love Joys show at Slow Joe's Cafe.
Live Music at the Pourover
Enjoy live Music at the Pourover Pub, warm up with hot or cold beverages, and toast your back (or some marshmellows) around fire-master Ron Mitchke's bonfire if the weather gets chilly.
Friday Fontana Lake Cleanup
Join us at the Stonehouse Friday, October 26th at 1pm for a land and water-based cleanup of the Nantahala River below Big Wesser Falls. (The Stonehouse is located behind the "Welcome to NOC!" sign on your way into the river-left parking lot, just after you cross over the bridge.) We'll be helping to minimize the impact of yet another great season of boating, rafting, fishing, and playing on the Nantahala by cleaning up the river's terminus at Lake Fontana. NOC will porvide door prizes, free food, and prizes for categories like: Most Trash Collected and Strangest Single Item.
Great Pumpkin Pursuit Rules/Contest Information:
Start is at 2:00pm. Contestants gather at the concrete beach above Nantahala Falls for a short competitor's meeting. Contestants can get into their boats, and when the pumpkins have been released, a signal will start them on their way. Over 200 pumpkins are tossed by a train of water-born rafts, as well as land-based staff and volunteers to ensure an fair, even distribution of pumpkins. Contestants will gather as many pumpkins as they can, while also racing to the finish. Bonus pumpkins will be awarded to the first paddler to cross the finish line at the Founder's Bridge.
The main pack of paddlers pursuing the raft train will likely be quite hectic. We advise juniors and more conservative paddlers that they can stake out a position near the bottom of the Falls to cherry-pick pumpkins from relative safety. Several paddlers rolled last year, and it is possible that an inverted boater in the main crush of the pack could get caught up in the raft train or be bumped off-line.
After the pursuit, contestants will gather at Slow Joe's Cafe for the drawing. Each numbered pumpkin corresponds to a number in the hat. Thus, those with the most pumpkins have the best chance to win a prize (only one prize per person though), and paddlers with only one pumpkin still have a chance to win the top prize.
All boaters are welcome to put in below the falls and find comfortable starting points, but all contestants must paddle across the finish line with their pumpkins to be eligible for prizes!
Remember: safety first and pumpkins second. Nantahala Fallsr is successfully navigated by hundreds of thousands of paddlers each year. Nevertheless, it still bears inherent risks and dangers, which may be magnified by the quantity of pumpkin-grabbing paddlers attempting to negotiate the rapid simultaneously. Safety will be discussed in the competitor's meeting on the concrete beach, and NOC reserves the right to disqualify unsafe behavior.
Paddlers are welcome to bring a mesh bag or other device to assist with the gathering of pumpkins. This event is intended to be a free for all, and we appreciate the enginuity of the contestants. However we have two stipulations: 1) Any trick that spoils the event for other paddlers will lead to disqualification and 2) Please be safe! Minimize the chances that your collecting devices could snag on a river feature or another paddler. Anything that is obviously dangerous will be banned from the event.
